Nowadays I seem to watch more matches at schools than at proper football grounds. This is usually the case around this time of the year, with clubs preferring to play their warm up matches at alternative venues.
I attended another two all Northern Alliance matches on campus this week, the first of which was at North Gosforth Academy in Seaton Burn.
North Gosforth Academy
West Moor & Jesmond 3-1 Hazlerigg Victory
Pre-season Friendly
Hazlerigg Victory took an early lead against West Moor & Jesmond when Shayan Dalvand fired in from outside the box
Their opponents responded with two goals midway through the first half. One of the trialists was on hand to convert a square ball in from the right wing, quickly followed by Mylo Ferraro beating the keeper to a through ball and tapping into an unguarded net.
The win was sealed late on when another of the trialists on show got on the end of a left wing cross to make it 3-1.
West Moor & Jesmond 3(trialist #9 24 Ferraro 26 trialist #16 89)
Hazlerigg Victory 1(Dalvand 6)
7pm ko
Att.17hc
Astley Community High School
Whitley Bay Reserves 4-4 Whitley Sporting Club
Pre-season Friendly
Last night it was back over the bridge and up to Seaton Deleval for a Whitley Bay derby between Bay Reserves and Whitley Sporting Club at Astley school.
The match kicked off then immediately stopped, when everyone realised they were using the wrong pitch marking, which were still set up for 9-a-side, so the goals had to be moved back and the pitch widened.
Sporting Club took the lead straight from the restart through Danny Maher, before James Saunders finished well to double their lead.
The match turned around before half time with a hat-trick from Hedley Simpson. He fired in from 25 yards, rounded the keeper to equalise and made it 2-3 from the penalty spot just before the break.
The Whitley Bay second string extended their lead with just over twenty minutes remaining, but a lovely chip shot from Saunders and another long range effort from the #10 made it all square at fours each, which rounded off a highly entertaining friendly.
Whitley Bay Reserves 4(Simpson 34,36,45+1pen #19 69)
Whitley Sporting Club 4(Maher 9 Saunders 27,78 #10 85)
7pm ko
Att.37hc
