6pm 2 September 2020
Northern Alliance, Premier Division
Winlaton Vulcans 4 Ponteland United 3 (att 55)
I've been lucky with the friendlies I've seen over the last few weeks, but however good a pre-season game might be it always lacks a certain something compared to a bona fide competitive game.
So it was good at last to get back to proper football, after a six month gap. Still mindful of potential late cancellations, I headed to the north east, where all four divisions of the Northern Alliance had fixtures so there was plenty to choose from.
The top flight, at the seventh level of non-League football, was my preferred option and I settled on this game. It proved a good choice, as Winlaton and Ponteland opened their season with a classic match on a damp evening.
Ponteland are well established at this level, whereas Winlaton had successive promotions before their debut in the premier division was cut short by Covid-19. They started this season with maximum points thanks to a late winner direct from a free kick.
It was the first time they'd been ahead in the game, as before then Ponteland had gone ahead three times, and each time the home side had equalised. There wasn't much between the sides, and it took good saves by Winlaton's keeper to stop Ponteland getting what might otherwise have been a decisive fourth goal.
Winlaton was once a steel town, and I assume the club's unusual name owes more to that than to Star Trek. These days Winlaton is absorbed into Blaydon-on-Tyne, and the football club play at Shibdon Park in Blaydon.
It's a typical Northern Alliance venue, with a pitch that's enclosed by a fence but little else. There are roofless dugouts for coaches and substitutes, and the changing rooms (closed at the moment) are in a corner on a plateau overlooking the pitch.
In the distance are buildings belonging to Northern Alliance newcomers Blaydon Community FC, who are also listed as playing at Shibdon Park. I suspect they might use one or both of the open grass pitches that are in the park.
A great evening's entertainment that was well worth the journey, and it's good to be back watching competitive football again. Let's hope it continues without too many interruptions.
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