Whitley Bay is somewhere that I haven’t been for years, possibly as far back as 1982 when I saw The Jam at the ice-rink. Playing rather than skating. My only other recollection of the place is a day trip when I was around ten from some Working Men’s Club on Durham Road. On that occasion I went with my friend Mark and his football. It was a proper casey, with the classic black and white hexagons.
We didn’t have a lot of cash to spend on the rides and amusements at Spanish City but I remember one stallholder wanting to take the ball in payment for a few goes on the game where you threw hoops over bottles. None of the prizes were worth as much as the ball, or at least not to a ten year old, so Mark sensibly declined.
The rides and stalls are just about gone these days, with just the one ride remaining in the area where I remember them and a few more further along the seafront.
Jen and I arrived early and took the opportunity of walking the dog along the coastal path to St. Mary’s lighthouse. It’s a fair distance and we were rewarded with some seal sightings for our efforts.
The reason for the visit was an FA Cup Preliminary Round replay at Hillheads Park between Whitley Bay and Whickham, both of the ninth-tier Northern League Division One. It was eight quid entry and another two for a programme.
Whitley Bay were in one of those dual strips. From the front it looked like a Brighton kit that had been left out in the sun. However, the stripes didn’t extend to the backs of the shirts so they were more like Coventry when you viewed them from behind. Whickham had a similar set-up in black and white, resembling Newcastle from the front and Darlo from behind.
We found seats in the main stand, but it wasn’t a great view with too many stanchions between us and the pitch. There was another stand opposite that was also well populated with more fans seated at picnic tables or congregated close to the bar entrance.
There were just over four hundred spectators, with quite a few of them supporting the visitors.
Whitley Bay were two goals down within the first twenty minutes as a consequence of messing up attempts to pass it around in their own six yard box. I know it’s the modern tendency to play out from the back but at this level I think it’s asking a lot of keepers and defenders who have been brought up to welly the ball away at the first sign of danger.
It got worse for Whitley Bay in the second half when they had a man sent off. They managed to stay in the game until a third Whickham goal at the death finished the tie off and set up a next round meeting with Macclesfield.
Tags: Spanish City, Whickham, Whitley Bay
Trail of the Lion King 
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