I’d planned on ticking off Billingham Town this evening, but a call of nature at an inopportune time meant I’d not make kick-off. League leaders Consett could wait. Luckily, there was a match closer to home and kicking off 15 minutes later – Newton Aycliffe v Ashington. 3rd v 5th and the hosts a genuine title contender. Having reformed in 1994, Aycliffe moved up through the leagues…Durham Alliance, Wearside League, before joining the Northern League in 2009-10. Yet to win it, they have a 2nd division title to their name.
As a kid, Aycliffe didn’t have a team, at least not one anywhere near the Northern League. Consequently, I feared a characterless stadium a la Consett, so I was pleasantly surprised once inside. The entrance was to the right of the sports club, as I had the fortune to follow a couple of others. Through a gate, then a walk around the cricket pitch to the floodlights over there, somewhere. Turned out I was following Mike Amos, local journalist, blogger and former chairman of the Northern League.
Once in (7 quid!) I picked up a programme. How can a side with barely 3 figure gates produce a glossy effort on a par with Boro, in the Championship? Dunno, but fair play to ‘em, 60 pages, lots of colour photos and a Q&A with midfielder Ben Dibb-Fuller (sample Q: ‘Netflix and chill or Out Out?’). He’s a Netflix and chill kinda guy, by the way.
Near the entrance was the refreshment kiosk; pie and peas for 2 pounds. Wish I’d known, actually. Dinner today had been a couple of hastily downed bacon sarnies. At this end were a couple of shipping containers. Maybe they housed changing rooms, but forgive me for not taking note; I spotted a blast from the past. Was that Mr Sixsmith, my old History teacher? And not just a History teacher, but my favourite teacher? Indeed it was, and with a few clues he eventually named me. ‘I’m a Barnsley fan.’ ‘Marshy! Good to see you!’ No-one has ever called me Marshy before, though it’s an obvious derivation of my name.
I recalled a couple of little things from school; how he had a Shrewsbury Town v Sunderland programme pinned up on the back wall (‘no chance of that being stolen’) and the time he asked the (Year 7) class rhetorically ‘Is the Pope Catholic?’ When young Steven Flatman put his hand up…’Sir….is the Pope Catholic?’, Mr Sixsmith knocked on the dividing door to Head of Religious Education Ronnie Stewart to answer Flatty. How they laughed! (I wouldn’t have minded, but I had no clue myself at that time whether the Pope was Catholic. I had no interest in RE, though I remember being top of the class cos it was…well, cos it was easy. Luckily it wasn’t compulsory at GCSE.) Sixer had the build of Santa Claus in those days, and how many of us can say we look better 30 years later? Cos he did, all slimmed down and ‘eating healthily’ these days.
Mr S also holds season tickets for 3 teams. This is a first. Sunderland, Shildon United and West Auckland. ‘But don’t they sometimes clash?’ Yes they do, but at 40 quid for a pensioner’s season ticket at this level, he’s laughing. At various points we were also joined by Mike Amos, so it was good to get an insight into some of the teams at this level. FYI, Mike, after some thought, tipped West Auckland for the league.
On the far side to the entrance lay the Beaumont Landscapes Stadium’s 2 stands, one for sitting, one for…standing. Opposite are the dugouts, this side and behind the goal being neatly enclosed by a wooden fence and a hedge. Very smart. As I say, I was pleasantly surprised. Same goes for the match, as, when I left the house, it was blowing a gale. Maybe it ewas the enclosed nature of the ground, or maybe it was just wasn’t as windy in Aycliffe. (As an aside, Aycliffe is a post-war new town, so unlike any of the former pit villages of County Durham. Depending on one’s standpoint, it either looks nicer than most places, or is more charmless. I’m undecided.)
Ashington ran away with the match, 3-0 up within half an hour and 4-0 up after 50 minutes. I’m sure they were 3 up after half an hour when I saw them up at their place t’other week. I wouldn’t have said they were outstanding in that one, but they played Aycliffe off the park here. So much for Aycliffe being 6 pts behind leaders Consett with 2 games in hand. The pick of the goals was the first one, as Briggs (scorer of all 4 goals) cut inside and curled one into the far top corner. Class. Aycliffe pulled one back after the hour and a second consolation in injury time, but they were never at the races. Good job I had Mr Sixsmith for company!
The Damage:
£7 ent
£2 programme
= £9
The Tunes:
Tunes 2011-2019 (Burial)
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