11.10.16 - Newton Aycliffe (h)

All that had happened was that the lads had won a game and Chan had stood (admittedly for a long time). The problems of the club didn't get forgotten. The squad was still threadbare, the debt was, probably, still there and the floodlight didn't seem to have been fixed. But a win puts a smile on a football club's face like nothing else can.
Tonight the lads were up against the second worst bad boys in the league (we were fourth worst - not helped by Elfie's two sendings off: Angelos certainly wasn't living up to his good name!). But our visitors were the quintessential bad boys, over 24 points worse than ourselves; the same as 3 straight red cards on the fair play league table. It was also galling to notice that not only were our North Shields buddies top of the Northern League but that they were also top of the Fair Play League! Splitters!
When the teams came out, it was entertaining to see our visitors had had to borrow one of our oldest (and probably smelliest) away kits after forgetting that our kit was blue and white and that it might clash with their all-blue affair: who knew? Not them, obviously.
Fryatt continued where he had left off against Washington and looked lively and physical. In fact none of the team shirked any of their challenges while Robbo looked to have re-discovered his fire. Patton managed the first real effort on goal and his super smash was saved by another candidate for Northern League Miserable Goalkeeper of the Year Award,  Lewis Brass...and he hadn't even conceded a goal at this point.
The Bay were not the only ones who were up for the fight as Barry carried on his one-man psycho routine by encouraging the lads with the old tactic of shouting out: "Get Jiggy With it". I couldn't resist asking the great man and was informed that it was a "forward play tactic".
Barry then began shouting out "That's what the chicken got!"
I knew he was leading onto some crap joke but I couldn't help myself: I had to know which chicken.
"The one who committed the foul!" laughed our entertaining friend as he carried on his route around the ground. Cracking!
There was better to follow, thankfully, as a superb Shanks dummy to confuse a defender on the edge of the box sent Robbo in. Faced by his own defender, the nimble striker produced his own footwork to send another visiting defender to the ground. He then unleashed a similar strike to the one that hit the far post the previous Saturday and bounced out. This effort indeed hit the post but then bounced in, to the delight of the massed hordes behind the goal. Grumpy was not amused. The good work was almost undone as Flynn had to turn over an Aycliffe effort just a few minutes later from eight yards out.

2-0: The Whitley hordes went wild!

The Bay of the start of the season had at last returned! Sir Isaac Newton Aycliffe's bad boys were not having things their own way! In the second half things were twice as good as Grumpy Brass called for the ball. However, before the ball could reach him, the Shankster had nipped in between them to both steal it and score into the gaping net. #Backofthenet!


Minutes later it was Robbo again, who did a Shanky one by appearing to tie his shoe lace up when Supermac found the Fryster hovering around the box. His pass across the face of goal was perfect for the fully laced-up Robbo to lash into the net for 3-0.

Claire and little Claire go mad!

Ah! Bless. So not happy!

Our evening was complete when, after a series of suspect tackles the ref decided somebody on the visiting side needed to have an early bath / shower / not bother. The roulette wheel of fate fell on their number 9: Dennis Knight, who gallantly left the field to chorus of boos.
There was still time for Robbo to complete his hat-trick but his closest effort came with a fine overhead kick that is probably still orbiting the Earth.

Penalty? No chance!

The three points lifted the Bay to ninth. The brave 198 souls who had shunned England's exciting - 0-0 draw with somebody from another country were well rewarded.
The problems at Hillheads are still there but the cracks have been papered over with another coat of three points!