Washington v Birtley

Nissan Sports and Leisure Complex

Northern League Division Two

January 3, 2015

Ground No 162

 

 

 

I'LL be honest, being handed a pair of overalls and bolting exhaust pipes to new Nissan Qashqais on the production line while working the 2-10 shift seemed a more likely scenario than watching a football match when I approached the ground.

Washington have had a somewhat nomadic existence since the boys from F Pit first swapped their miners' lamps for football boots in 1947 and are currently based at the Nissan Sports and Leisure Complex, in the shadow of the giant car plant, having quit their previous some at Albany Park in 2010 after being targeted by vandals, arsonists and thieves.

As a result arriving at their current ground involves driving past a raised barrier and through the Nissan workers' car park before arriving at the entrance.

The sports complex is clearly signposted but even so, it felt more like turning up for a shift on the factory floor than going to a game.

The ground, it has to be said, is nothing remarkable - although if it's keeping a club in business after problems at its previous location, that shouldn't be sniffed at.

There's a modern, functional stand on one side with some terracing in front but, save for the Penshaw Suite and incorporated changing facilities behind one goal, that's about it really.

Because the ground is part of Nissan's sports and social complex it isn't hemmed in and - although they don't of course - the training pitches on the opposite side seem to stretch all the way past the wind turbines to the hills in the distance with the Penshaw Monument perched majestically atop.

I'd attended the match after reading the club's message on the Northern League website, urging fans to take advantage of the 1pm kick-off by using it as a starting point for a double dose of action. With the North Shields v Marske United match kicking off at 3pm just a few miles away, it seemed like a great opportunity.

I subsequently discovered another hopper had thought likewise (albeit heading to a different match afterwards) but I counted no more than 45 spectators in the ground so it's fair to say interest in high-flying Washington's derby date wasn't enormous.

A glance at the NL website showed that such attendance figures here aren't unusual. The heavy covering of moss on the tarmac path that rings the pitch confirmed that mine were among a select group of shoes that had trodden this route in recent times.

To be brutally honest I'm not entirely surprised. The ground is out of the way, there was no Tannoy (if there was I  couldn't hear it), and though those who were present were enthusiastic enough, the open nature of the venue doesn't lend itself to creating a crackling matchday atmosphere.

I was also, given the lunchtime kick-off, hoping to grab a pie or suchlike at half-time. But although the Penshaw Suite (named after aforementioned monument which, for me, will always be remembered as the place where the Toy Dolls shots the video I got as a 21st birthday present a good many years ago)  is smart, warm and serves a decent cup of tea, the only food available was crisps and chocolate from the vending machines downstairs.

On the plus side it was a decent game (won 1-0 by Washington), the programme contained some good reading and was included in the £5 admission price, and there's clearly an appetite and willingness by those involved to carry this club forward. I wish them well.