I was feeling excited, with a renewed vigour, to see the Bay again after Saturday's game and it didn't matter who we were playing, I felt we would emerge triumphant to extend our winning run of ....erm....one game! Ok so Stockton had finished above us in the table and reached the FA Vase final: the lads would do the business. Pogo Patterson was even more excited, giving me a running commentary of his journey from Shiremoor to meet me at Whitley. This included his meeting with Bay legend Johnny Decker. It was all there!
Picking up Woodie later than I would have liked, he had had to settle his daughter down to sleep before getting a pass-out, we set off for Stockton: less than 45 minutes away.
We were getting a bit worried about leaving my lovely Citreon Cactus, well I was, as we followed the Satnav around a housing estate. It seemed like every kid had decided to cycle down the middle of every street and the dress code was dressing gown and slippers for the women and boxer shorts and vest for the men. Thankfully, we emerged out of the estate and onto tree-lined semis. Pogo spotted a parking space at the over-flowing car park and we arrived at the turnstiles 44 minutes after setting off. We were flabbergasted to have to pay £7 for a Northern League game but then realised the extra money would be well-spent on the season tickets: an eighties or nineties-style book of tickets to be torn out. As a season ticket holder said: the Vase Final had gone to their heads!
Looking forward to seeing Dan Taggart tonight!
For a change, Bay fans were outnumbered by home fans and there was a good spread of home colours and merchandise that gave a good vibe around the ground. A lot of youngsters from the various junior teams were in attendance too: a real community feeling with a good mix of ages. It seemed that a lot of non league teams could learn valuable lessons from them. The all-weather pitch was in use before the game and would serve them well throughout the season: especially when the rubbish weather arrives...cause arrive it will! Sooner than we actually want it.
No Dan Taggart!
The big disappointment, on seeing the team board was the lack of Dan Taggart, Saturday's two-goal hero. This caused great consternation with Pogo Patterson and only a trip to the refreshments booth could cheer him up.
He duly returned with what he could only describe as 'The Best Pie in the World!"
The return of Pie Club?
The fact that there was very little happening in the Stockton penalty area meant Woodie and I followed suit and the bespectaled one was not wrong...they were indeed good: tasty, flaky and hot.
Even better than the food on offer was the way a new window opened when someone needed serving...just like I remember seeing on Martin and Rowan's Laugh-in (60s comedy show with people opening windows to tell each other jokes). Unfortunately, when I announced that I was excited to try one of their Steak, mince, chicken and mushroom pies, the guy in front of me questioned my sanity.
Now that would be a pie and a half!
The original Rowen and Martin's laugh-in: good old 60s humour!
Stockton Town's laugh-in.... good old erm Stockton.
Despite the delights of enjoying the last two mince pies, things took a turn for the worse as Stockton took the lead with a penalty. This upset Pogo again and so he set off in search of another pick-me-up: a chicken pie!
A sneaky extra pie! Pogo had been upset though!
Whitley had been second best throughout the first half but in the second half they stormed back.
Unfortunately, the best chance fell to Olly Martin but he unluckily hit the side netting. Stockton in reply had had an effort disallowed and hit the crossbar. Despite good approach play, the Bay couldn't find the equaliser and so the match finished 1-0 to Town. The end of our winning start to the season after one game!
This will all be forgotten if the boys manage to beat Thrackley on Saturday so the thought was that players were being rested for the FA Cup: a game I will miss because I'll be running the Gateshead 10k in the morning. Good luck with that lads! HTB!
The sun was shining for my unofficial Red Star double day and I was
full of Summer feelgoodliness. I was hoping to see the Bay repeat the trick that Lens had conjured up the previous week by winning their first game of the season. For the first time in a long while I was excited to be attending the first game of the season as holidays have usually denied me this pleasure. It seemed bizarre to be standing soaking up the summer sun in my shorts on the same spot that I would be shivering upon in a few months time: if not weeks. The thought of donning twenty layers, never mind just wearing a scarf, made me sweat at the prospect. Having said that, the fan who wears flipflops in all weathers will probably still be doing so then.
Thanks Whitley Bay Twitter
Bay's Kevin Carr in 'Just hold me' pose!
Apart from The Flynnster, 'The Raven', Kieran Brannen and David Hall, the rest of the Bay team were relative new to me. But it was good to see some real footballing names. The likes of Dan Taggart and Ryan Redford sound like the terrace heroes of the 70s and 80s: fingers crossed they do us proud! I was also shocked to see that Newcastle's goalkeeping genius from the 80s, Kevin Carr, was still playing at the grand old age of 60...although I didn't recognise him without his trademark curls and moustache! He has aged really well though, I can tell you. Yes we had a real team of footballers this year: Andy Gowens pulling in a few favours there from old friends?
Another cracking programme from Mr Hall that featured a guest writer...who could that have been?
The pitch was actually looking in pretty good condition. Gone was the New Order squiggle and in was a rather ornate set of concentric circles in the centre!
My new position for my camera was causing me no end of grieve as I struggled to get my phone app to connect to see whether I was recording. As a result I was only able to capture one of the Bay's goals. This service will improve! I promise! While I was away, Barry had been around with his new party piece: trying to convince people that his £20 note hankies were legal currency. The other thought was that this was a genuine attempt at money laundering for his various nefarious business interests. Either way, the crew behind the goal were not having any of it!
It was good to see the flag club boys were back up and running with both Pogo and the lads out in force. Well done chaps!
There was delight just ten minutes in when Foalle was expertly put in on goal with a delightfully slipped pass from our new Salmon: Luke. Foalle finished with great aplomb in a style that brought back memories of the Shankster.
Just the start we wanted and it began a chant of "Foallie's on fire" from musical empresario, The Kinnon. This then turned into a debate between the gathered fans as to whether it should instead be the theme from Harold Faltermeyer's 80s theme tune from Beverley Hill's Cop. The hero of this was Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley. "Dur dur durdurdurdurdur dur dur durdurdur dur dur durdurdur dur dur..." You get the idea! This debate will run and run, I'm sure...
There was a lul in play and so a new ironman (iron person really) challenge took place as Little Claire and LittleCaireFriend took on the Kinster and Smithy...There was only going to be two winners and they weren't going to be male!
Ironperson challenge...I was unable to take part...not with my dodgy knees!
This craziness was ended by Dan 'The Man' Taggart's first goal of the afternoon. Foalle and 'The Raven' set up the well-named one, who took his time to beat two lunging defenders and big Andrew Hunter in the Seaham goal. I was reliably informed, by our owner slender-fitting Gibbo, that he wasn't wearing the same Joma kit as his team-mates because they don't make kits for the 'fuller figure'. Instead he was sporting a big lad's Adidas top!
Unfortunately, this 2-goal advantage was swiftly cancelled out but at half time we were still in good spirits.
Apart from the fact that I didn't turn on the camera, everything else went swimmingly. Olly Martin was causing all sorts of problems to the Seaham defence and it was his centre was met by on-target Taggart. Boom! 3-1.
Seaham's Ross Toward was finding life difficult trying to mark Foalle and when the Bay forward surged along the wing, the visiting defender brought him down. This action was his last as he received his second yellow card. This angered the already bad-tempered Red Star manager, Mark Collingwood, who didn't mince his words as he offered his opinion of the booking. Shame he couldn't have used his blue language to paint the bare bits of chipboard in the stand's roof above him.
The fourth Bay goal soon followed but it was supporters' club Doug who added his own magic touch, saving the ball from exiting the stadium as it sailed out for a corner.
Although this recreation looks more like Doug's Saturday night dance moves, it was his touch before he threw it to the corner taker that helped guide the ball to the slippery Luke Salmon to head home.
4-1 to the Mighty!
There was an almighty scramble that will live long in the memory of Bay fans as the ball ricocheted back and forth only to be finally cleared. It was Bay defender, Luke Taylor who had the final word on 82 minutes as he kindly turned the ball into his own net to make the final score 4-2. An exciting display of attacking football was enjoyed by a slightly disappointing, but understandably small, 293 fans. However if the lads carry on in this vein then the crowds will return.
The final half of my Red Star double was completed when the Racing Club de Lens beat the Paris version 1-0 with a familiar set-up clinical bit of finishing from Kevin Fortune: a la Salmon et Foalle!
