Saturday 8th April 2017 - West Auckland (h)

Sad news emerged when it was announced that West Allotment Celtic, second bottom of Northern League Division 1, would most likely have to resign from the league and after 90 years as a football club faced oblivion. The reason for this was a massive 67% increase in rent being asked for by the Blue Flames Sporting Club that owned the ground. Rumours began to surface that a certain big neighbour was eyeing up the pitch for themselves and had offered Blue Flames lots of dosh in return. Only time will tell what happens but whatever transpires, a club with great tradition was facing extinction. A plea for someone to help the stricken club was launched on the club website: http://westallotmentcelticfc.com/resignation but there aren't many sugar daddies or mammies out there in non-league land so the future looks bleak. As a former fan of all the incarnations of Newcastle's ice hockey teams, I know how the fans and club are feeling and wish them all the best in these troubling times to come.

The weather people had promised that this weekend would be a scorcher and they weren't wrong! The temperature in Hillheads was a balmy 12 degrees Celsius with a cooling sea breeze to make all the people who had ventured out in shorts and flipflops wish they hadn't.
As it was the last home game of the season, a trip to ask for a season ticket renewal form meant a trip to the portacabin that is the nerve centre of the club. Sure enough the Boy Mark and I were handed a shiny form on posh, thick paper with the words 16-17  crossed out and 17-18 biroed on top. Quality!
However, we were slow off the mark compared to that speedking of Tyneside's pavement: Baldie Bruce who had already handed over his well-earned cash! First season ticket renewal? Must be in with a shout.

Team sheet courtesy of Mr Twitter. Thanks

In goal today, was 17 year-old reserve team keeper Daniel Lister. Watching him warm-up with the Flynnster, he looked pretty confident so our hopes of a victory against fifth from bottom West grew.
In fact in the first half, they may as well have withdrawn both goalies and it would have made no difference at all as neither team seemed to know what to do with the goal nets. On the terraces and on the field nothing important was happening. We chatted while the ball pinged backwards and forwards in midfield.

Go Tommy......

The only highlights of the first half were the two West fans standing near us who constantly ordered the team about...especially Tom Marron, who was told to: "Stay Tommy" "Close Tommy" "Clear Tommy" "Open up Tommy". I doubted that Tommy wanted to reveal his inner thoughts and fears to any of us but he didn't need to worry about going off for some therapy as there was absolutely no chance of Whitley threatening the goal. They were huffing and puffing but the goal remained in tact.
The other highlight was the amazing fact on the Northern League website that said the Bay had only dropped two points all season against teams starting with a W. It was about as insightful and fascinating as Barry's prediction of the North Shields v South Shields match: "Shields will win that one". Genius on both counts....although he hadn't considered the draw...

Bob went wild.
Moira smiled: same thing really!

Bish! Bash! Bosh!

The second half exploded into life! In the space of 11 minutes, Kyle Patton found himself in the right place three times to notch up his first first team hat-trick. Bish bash bosh. Not only that but Bob got excited!
The first was a superb solo effort and finish. The second was from a bit of Kempster magic while the third was a rebound. He has been nothing short of a revelation since becoming a first team regular so the future looks bright for the Bay.

 Kyle made way for Peter Ravenclaw who wasted no time in scoring his first Bay goal after more great work from the Kempstervator. The Bay had made scoring seem so easy and effortless in the second half, no wonder one of the visiting defenders described his own team as 's$%"e' when the fourth goal nestled in the net.
The lads had turned on the charm in the second half. The real problem will be keeping this talented team together. Marc and Anthony have certainly worked wonders... now they need to work more wonders to keep the team and themselves together...at the Bay!