Washington v Thornaby

Hosts: Washington FC
Venue: Nissan Sports Complex, Washington Road, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR5 3NS

Kickoff: 7:45pm Tuesday 11 September 2018
Competition: Ebac Northern League Division Two 

Weather: chilly, breezy evening, cloudy but dry

LOCATION REPORT

SatNav: SR5 3NS
Parking: massive on-site car park
Public transport: buses #56 to Washington/Newcastle or #50 to Durham/South Shields 
Club information: Twitter @washyfc

Entry: £5
Refreshments/Facilities: company social club incl licensed clubhouse bar etc.
Food available: hot dogs chips etc (pay at bar)
Programmes: n/a

Stands/Terraces: Covered main stand with seats for 100, plus covered standing too. Lean-on barriers to all sides.

Floodlights: 8 (4 per flank)

MATCH REPORT 

Official League record

Official crowd: 68

Full-time [h/t] score (colours):

0 [0] Washington (blue)
3 [2] Thornaby (maroon)
Bookings: 2 Washington, 1 Thornaby
Sent Off: 0

NORVENMUNKI's COMMENTS

The Nissan Sports Club is an easy location to find from the A19. Once on site, follow the signs for Nissan Offices and, even though it feels like a long way round the car park one-way system, just keep on going and you will get there eventually.

After paying my entry at the little security hut at the gate, to the girls huddling together in the evening chill, I wander around the pitch and take some photos.

Providing a factory that makes thousands of cars per annum with energy is clearly a challenge, so a crowd of huge windmills are visible across the field, spinning like crazy.

I take a seat in the neat grandstand, which is sideless and offers not protection from the winter chill that's blowing through the structure. There's a constant hum and whistle in the air:  maybe it's from the factory or the breeze whistling through the metalwork. Tonight, wisely, I've got a jumper and gilet for first time this season.

Alongside the pitch, there's a patio area under an expanse of umbrellas. I expect that's a nice place to grab a post-shift drink in summer, but save for some smokers it's empty tonight.

It's a gloomy, actually, despite the massive floodlights. I notice that one bulb is blown out, but I don't expect that would make a huge difference. Changing that bulb is going to be a bit more difficult than the ones in your average Qashqai.

The large covered stand is purpose built like a flatpacked assembly, with plastic flip seats for about 100 and extra  standing area in front. This spot is full of guys from Thornaby.

On the grassy bank next to the stand, a sign reads 'Keep off the hill side'.

There's an impressive crowd this evening, with a good proportion of visiting fans, mostly middle-aged men and very vocal. I had thought it would be a long trip for a night game, but actually it's straight up the A19, I suppose? I remember meeting some jovial Thornaby fans at the Durham City  game recently, but it feels like there are more here today on a chilly Tuesday evening than were in Durham on a sunny summer Saturday.

The locals are less evident, made up with Club juniors, a couple of players' mums, and a wider range of ages.
Are any of them Nissan workers? I guess it's something a bit unusual, perhaps watching a match on-site during your work break?

The players come out. Except for the away keeper in his pink jersey, nobody is wearing long-sleeve shirts: hardy folk. The referee is a tiny man, measuring barely shoulder-height of any player and fully a foot shorter than some.

Handshakes over; the game starts. It's a full-pace start, with quick movements and slick passing.

With 15 minutes gone, and following a crunching tackle from the careless Washington player, there's a free-kick to Thornaby. It bends away from goal in the wind: this is likely to be a major feature tonight - if you can harness the wind, you will have a strong advantage. 

Bingo! Another Thornaby free-kick, this time on the left, leads to a piledriver boring through the home defence and under the goalkeeper. 0-1.

There's plenty of chatter around the stand: a nice atmosphere of conversation and encouragenent, with blasts of clapping that echo around under the steel roof.
The away fans create a great deal of the noise: lots of humorous banter and a bit of friendly sledging.

The ruthless wind picks up. If there were a few more souls around me,then  it would be a more effective windbreak.

The ball skids out of play, time and again, as blown by the gusts. 

With around three minutes to the break, a right-footed Thornaby stormer cuts through the defence from the edge of the area: 0-2.

Half-time.

The subs are training on the pitch. The netting behind the goal, which is intended to protect the patio users, is threadbare and numerous stray kicks cannon off the clubhouse wall as the few intrepid smokers duck for cover.

I pop inside to go to the loo at the grandly-named Penshaw Suite. The bar seems not that busy - although I obviously can't speak for that on a relative basis given that I've never been here before! - as there are three bar staff and a foodservice stood around idle. The chef is serving food from catering trays, rather like school dinners. There's an intriguing sectioned-off area reserved for 'Committee Members Only', which is a source of much conversation.

Back outside, the wind cuts through my skin deep into the bones. At pitch level, it's not too bad in some spots.

The teams are back out: off we go again.

It's back to the full-blooded contest of the first period, with Washington pushing for some way back into the game. Thornaby occasionally hit them on the break, revealing lots of pace still in the tanks.

On the three-quarter mark, we see the first sub for Washington. 

Soon after, a mazy run from the home side ends with long-range screamer that flies past the post and bounces off the  perimeter rails, with the pink-clad keeper airborne spectacularly. One for the cameras.

There's a yellow card for Washington, as a clumsy tackle sees a Thornaby man go down and the tackler kicks the ball at him. It's a silly card, conceding a silly free-kick. His keeper saves. There are more interruptions now, as the game becomes a bit scrappy. 

The wind whips up even more.

Washington make a double substitution: it's the last ten minutes, so why not give a final throw of the dice? Yet the home side are kicking into the wind, so Thornaby also have the benefit of the extra meteorological defender.

The visitors engineer yet another corner, which somehow evades everyone packed in the crowded area and is poked-in at the far post. Unmarked; too easy. 0-3.

The cluster of away supporters are jumping for joy. These are full-on fans, full-voiced and deep-hearted. They burst into an impromptu chant of "Geordie give us a wave" to their eponymous left-winger. He obliges, smiling, to appreciative applause all round.

We're into the final minutes. A Washington midfielder twinkle-toes through a few tackles but his shot is edged past the post and the corner comes to nothing. 

Time is ebbing away now from the boys in blue. With simply seconds to go, a Thornaby winger is caught offside and, in a moment of pointless petulance, kicks the ball away and earns himself the stupidest yellow. His own fans are  incensed, it was pretty daft of the player.

Game over.

The crowd makes for the warmth of the  Penshaw Suite, whilst I head for home. After navigating the circuitous car park again, I head through the dark empty roads of the adjoining industrial estate. Heading in the opposite direction, the joyous away fans will no doubt sing their way back down the A19.

On the way home, the rain finally comes down. I'm glad that it held off during the game, I can't see that there's much protection from the wet in such an exposed location.