21st December 2015 - Bedlington Terriers (h)

The boys are back in town!

After nearly a month without a game, we finally got to see the Bay play for the first time since the Dunston defeat in the Vase: the rain putting paid to the last few home and away games. Defeat against Dunston had for me and the Boy Mark had put a real dampener on the return to Hillheads but it was great to be back on such a mild afternoon - a heatwave, of sorts, having taken hold of the UK:. it was 13 degrees in the Bay!
In the first game since captain Chris Reid's departure, the Bay welcomed new boy Chris Youlden to the team. One thing that was obvious from the last few games was that the team needed somebody to get things moving up front with Shanksy looking isolated up font: was Chris that man? Time would tell. We chatted to Chris's dad, knowing both of he and Chris as fellow teachers in the wonderfully colourful world that is North Tyneside's Education Department, about his progress and as he was in the starting line up it showed Paddy had faith in him.
In the first 15 minutes there were some neat balls forward from the new boy but the pitch wasn't helping and there was little to get excited about. At least it wasn't raining. In fact the game had got to such a state as both teams laboured valiantly in the conditions that the debate centred about who was best -  Vikings, Romans or Anglo-Saxons? The answer was interrupted by Young Youlden's control and cross that Shanksy threw himself at but missed as the ball zipped across the visiting goal. Soon after Jennison was called into action, saving at the feet of a Terrier forward. The discussions of Vicious Vikings and Clever Romans were forgotten, along with the Religiously pious Anglo-Saxons as the football picked up.
In the 40th minute, Chuck, who had found the going difficult, picked up a careless clearance before drilling past Peter Denton in the Terriers goal. As I set about writing up the details of that goal, I briefly looked up, just as Shanksy bore down on goal. He rolled the ball past Denton and we were 2-0 up. The group of young lads behind Denton's goal began chanting about the keeper's resemblance to a "lanky banana". The wit of youth!

More note taking followed and once again, I looked up as the Bedlington forwards celebrated pulling one back. A tap-in after a shot had been saved, apparently.
Into the second half and the heavens decided that we had been spoilt by the lack of rainfall so they opened.
The new rainfall didn't go down well with the faithful...

All this rain is doing our heads in! 

The weather didn't help the match either as the ball constantly stuck to the pitch. Chris even went as far as to say it was as much a spectacle as a game of World Championship Yatzee.
The highlight of the second half came when 'Chuck' Norris, skipped through on goal before scoring from a tight angle. 3-1 the final score.
Back to playing at last and to winning ways although not so spectacular. But the lads never stopped working hard and as our Maltese Visitor David Hall said he had have taken a win and plenty of effort. Supposed I shouldn't be so greedy! It was good to back!

For those interested - although the Vikings were hard b@#+@£$s, it was decided by the panel that the Romans were far cleverer and would have whooped their rivals easily.