Pre-season Oddities

675. Dorman Long United Athletic Club

Beads 2-7 Thornaby

Pre-season friendly

Tuesday 2nd July 2019

 

 Thornaby and BEADS met up for a pre-season friendly at Dormans in Middlesbrough. The social club has been in existence for well over a century and has an adjoining football pitch with a changing room block in the far corner

Dorman Long are a major manufacturer and fabricator of steel components and structures . They have been involved in the manufacture and construction of many major bridges since 1875, including the Tyne and Sydney Harbour Bridges. In 1990 they were merged with The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company and are still involved in the design, manufacture, fabrication and erection of many different types of structures which includes the new Wembley Stadium.

Dorman Long United Athletic Club

Oxford Rd,

Middlesbrough

TS5 5DT

BEADS 2(Shellard 7 OG 10)

Thornaby 7(#11 24 #6 44 #4 46 #15 61,77 Ward 80 #2 87)
7pm ko

Att.60.est

Two mistakes by the Thornaby 'keeper gifted Beads a two goal lead with just ten minutes gone. Thornaby got themselves level by half time, with a cracking right foot volley by the no.7 setting them on their way. The Northern League side bossed the second half with five goals, the pick of the bunch being a header from the right-back which made it 7-2 at full time.

676.North Durham Academy

Annfield Plain 2-2 Esh Winning

Pre-season friendly

Wednesday 3rd July

 Wearside League side Annfield Plain met Esh Winning from the Northern League for a hastily arranged pre-season fixture at North Durham Academy. 

The academy is a secondary school and sixth form based in Stanley, County Durham. The school was formed in September 2011, when Greencroft Business and Enterprise Community School and Stanley School of Technology formally merged, opening its new £30 million campus in September 2013. The complex has two pitches, a full size caged 3G surface and a grass pitch which was used for tonight's game.

North Durham Academy

High St,

Stanley

DH9 0TW

Annfield Plain 2(Hewitson 10 Gordon 67)

Esh Winning 2( McCardle 25 Porter 47)
7.30pm ko

Att.35hc

A goal a piece from both team in each half saw a competitive game finish all square. Annfield Plain had taking an early but Esh had turned it around by the beginning of the restart, before the hosts drew level mid-way through the second half.

677. East Durham College
Easington Colliery 2-0 Ryhope CW
Pre-season Friendly
Wednesday 10th July 2019

 An all Northern League clash as Easington Colliery and Ryhope CW met for a pre-season fixture, rearranged from the previous evening and switched to East Durham College. The complex is formerly known as East Durham & Houghall Community College and has a caged 3G pitch next to the Sports Centre at the main entrance.

East Durham College

Peterlee Campus, 

Willerby Grove, 

Peterlee 

SR8 2RN

Matchday Facts

Easington Colliery 2(Southern 8,81)

Ryhope CW 0
7.15pm ko

Att.70hc

A brace from Jordan Southern settled this tight pre-season affair. The Easington new signing struck early on with a neat lobbed effort and sealed it with just under ten minutes remaining, when he robbed the ball off the ‘keeper and rolled it into an empty net.

679. Nissan Outer Pitches
Sunderland West End 1-0 Ryhope CW
Pre-season friendly
Tuesday 16th July 2019

 Northern League new boys Sunderland West End faced Division One neighbours Ryhope CW in a friendly at an alternative pitch in the Nissan Sports Complex. West End won promotion after finishing runners-up in the Wearside League to Hebburn Town Reserves last term. The club moved last season from their original home at Ford Quarry, where I saw them play in 2011. Tonight's game was played on one of the two pitches is at the far end of the complex behind the main stadium.

Nissan Outer Pitches

Nissan Sports Complex, 

Washington Road, 

Washington, 

Tyne & Wear, 

SR5 3NS

Sunderland West End 1(Robinson 81)

Ryhope CW0

7pm ko

Att.107

A tight game was decided by a late goal from Mark Robinson, who got on the end of a ring wing cross to fire home the winner.

#HeedHopper

I attended my first two games with Lee & Katie for the first (and definitely not the last) time this season. I picked them up on Tuesday for the match in Middlesbrough and we met up in Stanley the following evening. I travelled down to Peterlee on me todd the following Wednesday after my travelling companions ticked off the venue on the previous Saturday.
A good start to the new season with a goal average of 5 goals per game, with 15 in three games. 
The final pre-season game at an alternative venue took place the following Tuesday, where I again met Lee & Katie for our last friendly together  before the competitive action starts in less than a fortnight.