Thornaby v Heaton Stannington

Hosts: Thornaby FC

LOCATION REPORT

Venue: Teesdale Park, Acklam Road, Thornaby, Stockton-On-Tees, TS17 7JU
Geo: Google Maps 

SatNav: TS17 7JU
Parking: onsite carpark for c.30 + ad hoc space along service road
Public transport: buses #17/#17A (Middlesbrough-Eaglescliffe/Stockton)
Walking: 10 mins walk to the A1130

Entry: adults £5, concessions £3, under 16s free with someone paying
Programmes: £1

Refreshments: Cafeteria (eg £1 coffee, £1.50 for chips+bun)
Licensed bar: clubhouse
Toilets: in clubhouse
Other facilities: club office (portakabin)

Stands/Terraces:
- (N) main 'Peter Morris Stand' (changing block) seats = 49 red + 49 black/white seats;
open standing;
- (W) 5 x covered upholstered benches = 30 seats;
covered standing for 100+
- (S) bus shelter on halfway-line = 12 seats;
standing on grass bank
- (E) 5 x picnic benches outside bar/cafe;
33 x seats at clubhouse end + stepped standing x 100s
- Plus hardstanding to all sides; lean-on barriers all round

Floodlights: 6 (3 per flank)

MATCH REPORT

Kickoff: 3:00pm Saturday 10 November 2018
Competition: Ebac Northern League Division Two
Weather: mild 11°c, light breeze, overcast turning to driving rain

Team colours:
Thornaby = all blue
Heaton Stannington = black/white stripes

Official crowd: 85

Final [h/t] score:
2 [2] Thornaby
1 [1] Heaton Stannington 

Sent Off: 0

Official League Report

NORVENMUNKI's COMMENTS

Thornaby is a bit of a renaissance club in recent years.
Its lineage tracks through variously-named Stockton teams over a century or so, but by 2000 it had adopted the name of Thornaby and embarked on a new era of community-driven ambition.

Amiable chairman Apollo Quadraego, a well-known local restaurateur and ex-footballer, embodies the enthusiasm that the club has tapped into and everyone working here is full of it... from the jovial tannoy announcer to the  friendly queen of the Cafeteria.

It's my first visit here. We drive up the long service track, helpfully signposted from the main Acklam Road. If you were to get the bus, it's a good long walk so be prepared.
Still, on arriving, even though we're almost an hour early, we realise there's not much space left in the carpark. As we manoeuvre around, another car with two visiting players arrives, but they courteously allow us to take the last regular spot: thanks chaps!

The ground is buzzing already. There's a flow of the young and not-so-young, all  resplendent in their Thornaby scarves and hats.
From the little hut at the gate, we pay entry and get a programme.
Above, the sky is darkening: rain is due. We drop into the Cafeteria for something warm. The rugby is on the big tv and it's still not too busy.

After reading other blogs, I was intrigued by the famous Thornaby Parmo. There's several warming under the grill, presumably made to Apollo's celebrated recipe, but as we've just had lunch then a hot chocolate will suffice.

The music is LOUD!!!!!! I've been to nightclubs with quieter music. My ears are bleeding from the throbbing power of Ariana Grande or KSI. Just who is choosing this playlist?

The cute well-kept patio area has five picnic benches and neat landscaping. We stop here for a bit, but have to move on around the ground in order to hear each other speak!

I don't think that I've ever seen so many different seating and standing options in one ground before.
A block of concrete stepped standing and rows of seats is already filling up behind the eastern-end adjacent to the clubhouse.
As we walk further round to the off-flank, there's another random abandoned picnic bench.

The PA man's introductions kick in: "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" he booms, opening his afternoon's steady stream of jolly patter.
More solemnly, he informs us there'll be a minutes silence before kick-off in respect of Remembrance Day. Then, he announces the teams, with the home side accompanied by their respective nicknames.

Once the compere king is done, the music kicks back in with some Bob Marley!
But mid-song, the players come out and we're implored to Reach Up (ie the anthem Reach up! (Papa's got a brand new pigbag) by Perfecto Allstars)!
Get used to that, it's an earworm.

The home side are in blue today - their nickname according to Wikipedia is 'The Blues' - although, as it happens, so far this season I've only ever seen them at away matches playing in their claret strip.

Handshakes. Line up around the centre circle. Minutes silence. Game starts.

A minute later, it's 0-1. The blue wave parts and The Stan stroll through unchallenged. Thornaby are stunned.

Around us, the wind picks up. The floodlights come on brighter against the murky grey clouds.

We're sitting in the Peter Morris Stand, our view slightly obscured by roof columns.
The seats are numbered, but they're all mixed up. We have 121 and 68, next to each other. Beside us are 93 and 9.

My daughter ask the questions in the programme: I score seven out of ten, is that bad?

After around 19 mins, an equaliser. A Thornaby free kick. The locals are happier now.
Reach Up! blasts around the ground and echoes back off the adjacent wood.

From the restart, as the Stan reassemble, it's now 2-1. Two goals in immediate succession, as the game totally turns around. The locals are  happier still now.
Reach Up! fires up again, it ricochets off the low clouds and pours onto the nearby streets.

As a counterpoint to this, a little dog is  running around the grass bank as its little girl is throwing a brightly coloured ball.

There are nets hug behind the two goals to trap loose high shots, but nevertheless a strong wayward shot sees the ball whizz over the bar, through a hole in the netting and into the copse beyond the fence.

With five minutes before the break, it finally starts to rain. It isn't that heavy but it sounds louder under the corrugated roof. The dampness should add an extra zip to the playing surface in the second half.

Half-time: 2-1.

Bob Marley's Three Little Birds kicks up again, this time uninterrupted. As if by invitation, it's accompanied by the twitter of birds from the trees along the riverside behind the stand.

As the second half begins, the rain is bombing down. The stand begins to fill up as people seek shelter, so now there are dozens of us here. As Thornaby go for a clincher, all the claps and shouts of encouragement make the atmosphere under the roof much better.
People move from the edge seats towards the middle as rain drips off the roof and splashes them.

A home substitute is coming on. The PA man hesitates as he calls the names out, whilst a young boy in the crowd proudly informs him.

The dozen or so brave fans in the open stand are getting drenched!

If feels like a night game now. The dark sky is deep purple, the rain is ceaseless. The lights come on inside the stand.

Late on, there's a double-substitution for The Stan. Comically, the PA man doesn't know who came off and thus settles for "...replacing the other lad who went off!"
It's a lovely fun atmosphere. He is quite the entertainer, sharing banter with the supporters of both sides.

The added minutes tick by and nobody, even the referee's assistant, knows how much time is left.
Drama: a stoppage-time penalty for The Blues is saved. The Stan have seconds left to restore parity, but despite a late effort just can't find an answer.
Game over: 2-1.

The wet fans make their way home or indoors to the bar. We make our way across the puddles of the carpark.
The music is still ringing in my ears. The  smell of parmos hangs around the Cafeteria.
The trip to Teesdale Park is a full-on sensory experience. And they can be proud of it!

MORE INFORMATION

Club Twitter: @thornaby_fc