Bishop Auckland v Ashington

Hosts: Bishop Auckland Football Club

Venue: Heritage Park, Stadium Way, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham DL14 9AE

LOCATION REPORT

SatNav: DL14 9AE
Parking: 2 x onsite car parks, c100 spaces+; plus out-of-town shopping park adjacent (check parking restrictions) 

Public transport: bus #X1 MAX (Darlington-Bishop Auckland-Tow Law) stops at shopping park

Entry: adults £7, seniors £6, kids £3
Programmes: none available

Refreshments: pitchside snack bar (eg £3 cheeseburger, £3 chips/curry, £1 hot chocolate)
Licensed: full-facility social club/bar
Toilets: gents/ladies/accessible in bar; gents & ladies pitchside block
PA system: yes; club info/teams, no music

Covered seating:

(E) main stand = c200 seated, 6 tiers; flip/plastic, blue

Covered standing:

(S) south terrace = stepped, 7 shallow tiers; potentially >400 standing max, c180 reasonable
Open seating:
(N) 2 x open seating sections = c312 total (2x156), 6 tiers; flip/plastic
Open standing:

(W) grass bank with wooden fence behind
(all sides) asphalt hardstanding & lean-on barriers; grassed or asphalt outfield to most areas

Floodlights: 4 (corners)

MATCH REPORT

Kickoff: 7:45pm Wednesday 28 August 2019
Competition: Ebac Northern League Division One
Weather: dry, clear, light breeze, mild late-summer evening

Final [h/t] score (team colours):
3 [1] Bishop Auckland (light/dark-blue halves, dark-blue shorts)
0 [0] Ashington (mustard shirts, ketchup shorts)

Sent Off: 1 (Ashington)

Official crowd: 255

Official Northern League Report

Social media [Twitter]: @theofficialnl, @bishopafc, @ashington_fc

NORVENMUNKI's COMMENTS

Arriving at Heritage Park on a clear midweek evening, we're met with a friendly welcome as two car-park assistants usher us in with a smile.



You can hear the PA system clearly from outside the ground, welcoming visitors after their long trip down from Northumberland.

Inside, we find a spec up in the main stand. There's a light breeze tonight, but the concrete walls keep our legs warm. It's a bit cooler tonight than in recent days, when the August bank holiday was a bit of a heatwave.
Now, the evening sun dips beyond the south stand and the tree-spattered brownfield land beyond.

We quickly nip down to the snack kiosk, indulging is a hot chocolate each and a juicy cheeseburger: I'm famished and the chill insists upon a warm drink to take its edge off. The drink is more milky than choccy but enjoyable nonetheless.

The teams are out. Handshakes. Game on. It's an energetic start. A good contest in a sporting spirit.

The floodlights come on soon after kickoff. An orange glow far to the west paints a lovely sunset.





After 29 minutes, we have a goal for Bishop. A cross from the right is headed-in by the towering striker, rising high above his marker: 1-0.
A ripple of applause breaks out faintly; the PA announces the scorer to minimal reaction.



At half-time, the lights on the underside of the mighty stand roof keep switching on and off, plunging us alternately into gloom and then full light.

My daughter enjoys some hot chips and outstanding curry sauce. The food here is absolutely top notch: 10/10!

The teams are back out and the second half gets going.

The sky is getting darker now; curiously, the blend of blues resembles the dual-colour livery of the home side... their colours literally written in the sky!

After 50 minutes, the home side pull further ahead. A corner from the right is turned in at the near post: 2-0.
Bishop are generally on top so far, but Ashington are still offering some spirited opposition just with fewer clear-cut chances.

After 73 minutes, the newly-introduced Ashington substitute is sent off. He'd only been on several minutes, but a quick Bishop attack gets in behind him and he shoves the attacker in the back. It's a definite foul, he's the last man and it's in the box: the ref decides red card and spot-kick.
The resultant penalty is rifled in: 3-0.

At the close it's a victory for the dominant home side, and a long trek back north for the visitors. Our trip to Bishop Auckland has been a nice one and we'd be happy to return someday.