Newcastle University 1-0 Willington, Monday 14th September 2020

Newcastle University 1-0 Willington, Kimberley Park, Northern League Division 2, att. 75

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In 1950 Willington had their finest hour, beating Bishop Auckland in the FA Amateur Cup Final 1-0 in front of 88,000 spectators at Wembley.  Tonight, they’re playing in front of 87,925 less in a Northern League second division fixture at Newcastle University.  It’s extreme, but it shows how far away ‘the good old days’ are for Northern League clubs.  Newcastle Uni meantime weren’t even a glint in their father’s eye back then; this is their second season in the Northern League (if we count last season’s expungement).  Mind, this Uni team is not to be confused with the OTHER Newcastle uni (Northumbria) whose side, Team Northumbria, were members of the Northern League for around 10 years up to 2018.  Never the twain, etc…but what an intriguing derby that would have been.

Looking towards the Main Stand.

The Uni play at Kimberly Park, in Prudhoe, a town about 6 miles east of Newcastle.  Or east of Gateshead, if we’re being pedantic (it’s the south side of the Tyne).  It’s the former home of Prudhoe East End, who were Northern League themselves up until 1994.  Quirkily, the ground is named after local employer Kimberly Clark, makers of those horrible paper towels you had to dry your hands on in junior school.  Are they still a large Prudhoe employer?  No idea.  Anyway, it’s great that the student get to play in a ‘proper’ stadium, even if it’s miles out of Newcastle.

Why's the stand so far from the pitch?

I parked up in a housing estate nearby, not realising the ground had a car park.  Despite the low number of spectators, the car park was still busy, so maybe I made the right decision, even if I did worry about finding my car in the same state as I’d left it.  A fiver in, which seems de rigueur in the Northern League second division, though the gateman did offer to let me in for four quid after a pound coin I dropped rolled under the shed.  I insisted on retrieval though.  Maybe I was a Catholic in a former life.  I couldn’t handle the guilt.

Looking towards the action.

As you walk in there’s a social club on the corner, with a cover attached.  Tables and chairs outside were a continental touch and you could watch the game from here if you wanted.  Looking into the social club, the only photos I could see were of Newcastle United, which was reason enough not to go in.  Another was I was driving, so no alcohol for me.  Adjacent was a tea bar and if you were hungry (I wasn’t) you could even get a hot dog.

Tables and chairs outside the snack shack.

The ground was a basic affair, with only one small seated stand beside the pavilion.  This was some way from the pitch and from the opposite side it looked like there was another stand beside it.  This was even further from the pitch, as if belonging to a former stadium on the same site.  There was no terrace to speak of on the other 3 sides, though there was grass banking if you preferred a higher perch.

I’d decided to stand opposite the pavilion/social club side, where the height of the barriers depended on the slope of the pitch.  There were also a few away fans in attendance, as they kept referring to Willington as ‘Willo’.  Why not ‘Willie’ I wondered.  ‘Come on Willie!  You can do this!’

Behind the goal.

I also wondered about the University team.  Did they all have to be students?  I asked one of the subs.  ‘No, not in the Saturday team’.  (I knew what he meant; the Northern League team.  Tonight was a Monday.)  Most were though, with only two players not.  I mused whether a new intake of students meant the subs were even less likely to get a game.  Perhaps I should have kept that to myself.

The students won, 1-0.  As I write this I can’t remember the goal.  I do remember the best player being a powerful student who came on as sub…but couldn’t hit a barn door to save his life.  I think he got the goal.  So he did hit a bar door, once.  Shoulda scored a hattrick at least.  And he was the best player…

Looking toward the social club.

The Damage:

£5 ent
£1 tea
= £6

The Tunes:
Grey Area (Little Simz)

Kimberly Park panorama.

Is there a reason the dugout's missing a pane?

Half time teamtalk.

A stand, or utility shed?

A bench behind the goal.

Dazzling Kimberly Park.