Geordie Al's Groundhopper Scrapbook: Newcastle Benfield 4-1 Ryhope Community Association, Wednesday 14th October 2020

Thursday 15 October 2020

Newcastle Benfield 4-1 Ryhope Community Association, Wednesday 14th October 2020

Newcastle Benfield 4-1 Ryhope Community Association, Sam Smith’s Park, Northern League Division 1, att. 109

Welcome to ....

Benfield are a new team on me. When I left the north-east for fame and fortune in that there Londontown (achieving neither), Benfield were barely out of nappies, having been founded in 1988. Initially members of the Northern Alliance League, they joined the Northern League in 2003 and have been members of the first division for 15 years. They won the title in 2008-09 with an 88^th minute goal at Penrith – the first time they’d been top of the table all season. It’s all in the timing. So, formation to Northern League champs in a little over 20 years. In their finest season, they completed the double, winning the league cup against…Penrith.

Match programme

Fast forward to 2014-15 and ex-Newcastle forward Paul Brayson was scoring 49 goals for them, a feat he repeated in 2017-18. He’s still there today. Either he’s very old or time flies. Or both. I looked him up, he’s 43, and tonight he scored with a deft Panenka-like flick over the keeper. Class is permanent. (In fact, even more so, as in the following game he hit 5.) Of course, he doesn’t have to run about these days, leaving that to the spring chickens of the side. Benfield ran riot early doors, 4-0 up after 26 minutes. It wasn’t that it was all one-way traffic either, as Ryhope had their chances too. But one side could finish, one couldn’t. Brayson even thumbed his nose up at a penalty, allowing former RCA player Reece Noble to score against his old mob.

Barriers ready at full-time for the teams.

Despite my predilection for ‘traditional’ Northern League sides (preferably from County Durham), Benfield’s Sam Smith’s Park was a real treat. It has two proper stands, each side of the pitch, both with decent rakes for a good view. One is bizarrely situated between the two dugouts, meaning to get into it you walk in front of the dugouts (one can be forgiven for not spotting the you can walk around the back of the stand and pop out next to the home dugout). There’s also a couple of ‘stands’ or glorified sheds, with a raised platform and that artificial turf stuff you see in traditional greengrocers. One also contained exercise bikes, which may be linked to the in-house gymnasium behind one goal.

Behind the goal.

The rest of the ground is also tightly enclosed, no large empty spaces behind the touchlines, while there were two (two!) refreshment areas. One sold beer , which seemed quite popular considering the wet weather. Though it did offer the bizarre sight of half the crowd not wearing facemasks because they were drinking or eating. That’s one way around it. (To be fair, we all had our temperatures taken on entry.)

The dugout touchline.

I watched the 1^st half from the nearside stand, which I thoroughly enjoyed as it became obvious a couple of the incumbents were local non-lge regulars, following anyone who was playing. Despite being home fans, they sympathised with Ryhope’s plight at half-time, confirming they could have had a few themselves. At half-time I grabbed a tea and swapped sides, partly to hear the wit and wisdom of the benches (usually the harshest critics of the ref), and the home manager – did I detect an Essex twang? – at one point invited the referee to join in the game.

Coronavirus seating restrictions.

Ryhope did pull a goal back on half an hour, but despite the 1^st half promise, the second half petered out to nothingness as I worried about whether my car would be locked in the carpark next door. (I still couldn’t bring myself to leave though.) Luckily, it wasn’t (people were still playing football at the sports centre next door). All was well in the world. Now to retrace my steps through the mean streets of Newcastle. For a country boy, this was Metropolis meets Blade Runner.