Source: Durham Times
10:17am Friday 19th March 2010
By Danny Williamson »
AS we stepped on to the bus, Shippy and I knew it would be a good day. The bus was full of Durham supporters, more than usual, all hopeful of seeing us take our first points.
The ball boys, who had said they'd been working on songs for this game, had all shown up - and I had the face paint with me.
We got painted up and by the time the bus pulled up in front of the ground at Bury we all looked like extras from Braveheart. No sooner had we stepped off the bus than we were being greeted by some of the FCUM faithful and shaking hands.
After sharing some drinks with their supporters, we headed into the away section. There we were, the fans of Durham City at a Football League ground, among 2,167 fans, faces painted and singing songs.
The ball boys had gone to town with new chants. Shippy and I, as well as some of the older faithful were joining in and we were making quite a bit of noise. It made for a terrific atmosphere.
We started brightly but when FC went 1-0 up fairly early in the game, I admit I feared the usual. Boy, was I wrong.
Midway through the first half, the ball came to our captain, Andrew Stephenson, 45 yards out. He looked up, saw the keeper off his line, and lobbed him. We went crazy. One of the best goals I've ever seen at a football match, and we were level.
We ran down the steps waving scarves and going nuts.
By half-time we were dreaming. This could be our day. Not long into the second half, I had to pinch myself as the referee awarded us a penalty and Elliott Cutts put it away. The score board said FC United 1 Durham City 2.
Then came the longest 40 minutes of my life. We'd survived 10 and they were awarded a penalty. Rhys saved it! We celebrated that more than the goal.
As the minutes ticked by agonisingly slowly, FC missed chance after chance and Rhys kept us in front. I couldn't watch, it was unbearable. Four minutes of injury time felt like four hours. Then, the whistle, we'd done it. We celebrated more than when we won the league. Euphoria!
After screaming ourselves hoarse, the team left the field and we left the ground. As we walked down the steps into the car park, 2,000 FC United fans gave us, the Durham fans, a round of applause. They really showed some class in doing that, and I lost count of the number of people who shook my hand and congratulated us.
All of the defeats and everything that had happened to us this season evaporated in that wonderful Hollywood moment on the steps of Bury FC football ground. I will never, ever, forget it.
Yes Durham!
Showing posts with label Durham Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Durham Times. Show all posts
Friday, March 19, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Ord weeps tears of joy as Durham win at last
Source: Durham Times
11:48am Monday 15th March 2010
By Jim Entwistle »
STAND-IN Durham City manager Richard Ord wept tears of joy after his side defied all the odds by beating FC United of Manchester 2-1.
The game was played out in front of 2,164 spectators at Bury's Gigg Lane. About 70 were supporting the lads in yellow, but even the home fans cheered as Durham took the points.
The team are still 26 points adrift of their nearest rival, but director of football Austin Carney said that the league table was now irrelevant.
Mr Carney, who missed the game because of a family commitment, paid tribute to Ord.
He said: "The manager said he was in tears for at least 20 minutes after the final whistle. He was overcome with emotion.
"Considering what he's achieved in his career, for him to suggest that was one of his proudest moments was a tribute to what these lads achieved."
All of City's woes were forgotten about on Saturday when goals by Andrew Stephenson and Elliot Cutts, and a penalty save by keeper Rhys Jobling, secured the victory.
Mr Carney said: "We haven't gone down the road of financial profligacy, chasing the dream, we have managed costs within a small budget and credit to the lads who have stuck to the task.
"These lads have pulled on the shirt every week, regardless of the beatings, and have always gone out and given 110 per cent. This was a fantastic result and it's a testament to them."
11:48am Monday 15th March 2010
By Jim Entwistle »
STAND-IN Durham City manager Richard Ord wept tears of joy after his side defied all the odds by beating FC United of Manchester 2-1.
The game was played out in front of 2,164 spectators at Bury's Gigg Lane. About 70 were supporting the lads in yellow, but even the home fans cheered as Durham took the points.
The team are still 26 points adrift of their nearest rival, but director of football Austin Carney said that the league table was now irrelevant.
Mr Carney, who missed the game because of a family commitment, paid tribute to Ord.
He said: "The manager said he was in tears for at least 20 minutes after the final whistle. He was overcome with emotion.
"Considering what he's achieved in his career, for him to suggest that was one of his proudest moments was a tribute to what these lads achieved."
All of City's woes were forgotten about on Saturday when goals by Andrew Stephenson and Elliot Cutts, and a penalty save by keeper Rhys Jobling, secured the victory.
Mr Carney said: "We haven't gone down the road of financial profligacy, chasing the dream, we have managed costs within a small budget and credit to the lads who have stuck to the task.
"These lads have pulled on the shirt every week, regardless of the beatings, and have always gone out and given 110 per cent. This was a fantastic result and it's a testament to them."
Durham City win - at the 29th time of asking
Source: Durham Times
9:44am Monday 15th March 2010
By Kevin Hewitt »
FC United of Manchester 1 Durham City 2
IT'S highly unlikely that many of Durham’s squad will ever again play at a Football League ground in front of over two thousand fans, so their UniBond Premier Division fixture against FC United of Manchester, at their adopted home of Bury FC’s Gigg Lane, was always going to be memorable.
For a team that had lost its previous 28 games and started the afternoon twenty-eight points behind their nearest rivals to overcome the handicap of conceding an early goal, fight back to take their first three points of the season and receive a standing ovation from the home crowd at the end is stuff of which dreams are made. So for City’s young and inexperienced squad to achieve just that was nothing short of remarkable.
Jake Cottrell had an early chance for the home side but his rising shot easily cleared the bar but he made amend on nine minutes when he skipped past City keeper Rhys Jobling to cross for Carlos Roca to head in at the far post despite the best efforts of Gareth Ayers to hack the ball off the line.
Five minutes later City were back on level terms when skipper Andrew Stephenson picked up the ball just inside United’s half and from fully forty-five yards out floated the ball over the furiously backpedalling keeper Sam Ashton and in off the crossbar for a sensational equaliser.
Jobling produced a superb full length save to his right to deny Jerome Wright while for City Max Stoker’s mishit shot from a Craig Harbord free-kick was easily held by Ashton.
Ludovic Quistin fired into the side netting from an Adriano Rigolioso cross, who then tried his luck with a 25 yard effort which passed well over the top, before home skipper David Chadwick headed wide when well placed as the Reds pushed forward.
Elliott Cutts had a shot on the turn held by Ashton low down before City suffered a remarkable escape just before the interval when Gareth Ayers hammered an attempted clearance from a Quistin cross of the underside of the bar before the ball was finally cleared.
Jobling then made a fine save at the feet of Ben Deegan in what was the final action of the first half to leave the match evenly poised at the break.
City went in front in the 49th minute when Ludovic Quistin inexplicably handled in the area and Cutts fired the resultant penalty beyond Sam Ashton much to the delight of their small band of travelling support.
Moments later Jobling made a save at point-blank range to deny Wright before Deegan twice spurned opportunities to draw the home side level firstly with a header, from a Phil Marsh corner, which glanced the top of the crossbar and then when he fired a Wright left-wing cross over the top from close range.
The home side should have been level on 56 minutes when Ayers recklessly brought down Roca on the by line but Jobling made amends for his first-goal error when he turned Deegan’s fiercely struck penalty over the top.
Substitute Joe Yoffee blazed over from a lay-off by Deegan, who then sent a looping header over the top from a Marsh cross as the Red’s piled forward in search of an equaliser.
Both Cottrell and Quistin fired over and wide respectively but with the Reds being urged on gaps were starting to appear at the back and substitute Rufus Ayre had a 20-yard effort easily held by Ashton who then made a superb block to deny Stephenson on the break.
There were further chances for Roca and Wright in the dying minutes but City’s young side were not to be denied and held on for a remarkable and well deserved victory that was warmly applauded by home fans and visitors alike.
9:44am Monday 15th March 2010
By Kevin Hewitt »
FC United of Manchester 1 Durham City 2
IT'S highly unlikely that many of Durham’s squad will ever again play at a Football League ground in front of over two thousand fans, so their UniBond Premier Division fixture against FC United of Manchester, at their adopted home of Bury FC’s Gigg Lane, was always going to be memorable.
For a team that had lost its previous 28 games and started the afternoon twenty-eight points behind their nearest rivals to overcome the handicap of conceding an early goal, fight back to take their first three points of the season and receive a standing ovation from the home crowd at the end is stuff of which dreams are made. So for City’s young and inexperienced squad to achieve just that was nothing short of remarkable.
Jake Cottrell had an early chance for the home side but his rising shot easily cleared the bar but he made amend on nine minutes when he skipped past City keeper Rhys Jobling to cross for Carlos Roca to head in at the far post despite the best efforts of Gareth Ayers to hack the ball off the line.
Five minutes later City were back on level terms when skipper Andrew Stephenson picked up the ball just inside United’s half and from fully forty-five yards out floated the ball over the furiously backpedalling keeper Sam Ashton and in off the crossbar for a sensational equaliser.
Jobling produced a superb full length save to his right to deny Jerome Wright while for City Max Stoker’s mishit shot from a Craig Harbord free-kick was easily held by Ashton.
Ludovic Quistin fired into the side netting from an Adriano Rigolioso cross, who then tried his luck with a 25 yard effort which passed well over the top, before home skipper David Chadwick headed wide when well placed as the Reds pushed forward.
Elliott Cutts had a shot on the turn held by Ashton low down before City suffered a remarkable escape just before the interval when Gareth Ayers hammered an attempted clearance from a Quistin cross of the underside of the bar before the ball was finally cleared.
Jobling then made a fine save at the feet of Ben Deegan in what was the final action of the first half to leave the match evenly poised at the break.
City went in front in the 49th minute when Ludovic Quistin inexplicably handled in the area and Cutts fired the resultant penalty beyond Sam Ashton much to the delight of their small band of travelling support.
Moments later Jobling made a save at point-blank range to deny Wright before Deegan twice spurned opportunities to draw the home side level firstly with a header, from a Phil Marsh corner, which glanced the top of the crossbar and then when he fired a Wright left-wing cross over the top from close range.
The home side should have been level on 56 minutes when Ayers recklessly brought down Roca on the by line but Jobling made amends for his first-goal error when he turned Deegan’s fiercely struck penalty over the top.
Substitute Joe Yoffee blazed over from a lay-off by Deegan, who then sent a looping header over the top from a Marsh cross as the Red’s piled forward in search of an equaliser.
Both Cottrell and Quistin fired over and wide respectively but with the Reds being urged on gaps were starting to appear at the back and substitute Rufus Ayre had a 20-yard effort easily held by Ashton who then made a superb block to deny Stephenson on the break.
There were further chances for Roca and Wright in the dying minutes but City’s young side were not to be denied and held on for a remarkable and well deserved victory that was warmly applauded by home fans and visitors alike.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Narrow defeat for City
Source: Durham Times
4:53pm Tuesday 2nd February 2010
By Kevin Hewitt »
DURHAM CITY 1 - 2 FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER Despite two inches of overnight snow City were still able to play their first home game for seven weeks after players, officials and supporters worked tirelessly throughout Saturday morning to make the Esh Group Stadium surface fit for play.
Not the ideal preparation for the City side but they were nearly rewarded for all their efforts, both on and off the pitch, when they held the United side for the first fifty minutes before eventually going down by the odd goal in three.
Backed by more than 400 travelling supporters the Reds had the chance to take a fourth minute lead when Ludovic Quistin and Jerome Wright linked up down the left for the latter to whip in a low cross which Kyle Wilson was inches away from converting at the back post.
Minutes later it was Wilson again who was clear through on goal when a superbly timed tackle from centre-back Max Stoker robbed the striker of a scoring opportunity when he looked certain to score.
Despite the Reds territorial superiority some solid defending from a City side, showing no ill effects from their ten goal hammering away at Boston United a week earlier, prevented the visitors turning possession into scoring opportunities.
Indeed City should have taken the lead just after the half-hour when a pin point cross from Marc Hollingsworth was headed wide by Josh Home-Jackson when he really should have done better.
Phil Marsh had a late opportunity to put the visitors in front in first-half stoppage time but his free-kick from just outside the area failed to trouble Richard Heiniger in the City net.
The deadlock was eventually broken, five minutes after the break, when Marsh broke down the right to pick out a near post run by Joe Yoffe, whose side-foot effort looped over Heiniger and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Buoyed by the early second-half goal the Reds stepped up the pressure on City with a Wilson header on goal producing a tip over from Heiniger and Marsh ending a dangerous run, after taking on a long throw out from Sam Ashton, by firing wide.
Marsh finally made amends for his earlier misses when, on 77 minutes, a long ball from Jake Cottrell was only half cleared by the City defence, and he drilled a low shot past, the late moving Heiniger and into the bottom right-hand corner from fully 25 yards out.
The Reds continued to dominate the latter stages of the match and centre-back Rob Nugent had a header cleared off the line from a Wright corner while Heiniger had to be alive to smother a close-range effort from substitute Carlos Roca, who caused City a number of problems down the right-hand side before his cameo performance ended when he was replaced by Ben Deegan.
It was too little, too late but City eventually pulled a goal back in the fifth minute of stoppage time when City substitute Carl Heiniger stepped up to bend his free-kick over the Red’s wall and beyond Sam Ashton before finding the top-left hand corner.
A superb strike that denied the visitors their second successive clean sheet but it was to prove little more than a consolation for the City side as the referee blew for full-time almost immediately.
City showed a lot of character to come back from the mauling they received at Boston, just seven days earlier, and arguably should have been leading at the interval, but with City unable to muster any real firepower the Reds thoroughly deserved their victory.
4:53pm Tuesday 2nd February 2010
By Kevin Hewitt »
DURHAM CITY 1 - 2 FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER Despite two inches of overnight snow City were still able to play their first home game for seven weeks after players, officials and supporters worked tirelessly throughout Saturday morning to make the Esh Group Stadium surface fit for play.
Not the ideal preparation for the City side but they were nearly rewarded for all their efforts, both on and off the pitch, when they held the United side for the first fifty minutes before eventually going down by the odd goal in three.
Backed by more than 400 travelling supporters the Reds had the chance to take a fourth minute lead when Ludovic Quistin and Jerome Wright linked up down the left for the latter to whip in a low cross which Kyle Wilson was inches away from converting at the back post.
Minutes later it was Wilson again who was clear through on goal when a superbly timed tackle from centre-back Max Stoker robbed the striker of a scoring opportunity when he looked certain to score.
Despite the Reds territorial superiority some solid defending from a City side, showing no ill effects from their ten goal hammering away at Boston United a week earlier, prevented the visitors turning possession into scoring opportunities.
Indeed City should have taken the lead just after the half-hour when a pin point cross from Marc Hollingsworth was headed wide by Josh Home-Jackson when he really should have done better.
Phil Marsh had a late opportunity to put the visitors in front in first-half stoppage time but his free-kick from just outside the area failed to trouble Richard Heiniger in the City net.
The deadlock was eventually broken, five minutes after the break, when Marsh broke down the right to pick out a near post run by Joe Yoffe, whose side-foot effort looped over Heiniger and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Buoyed by the early second-half goal the Reds stepped up the pressure on City with a Wilson header on goal producing a tip over from Heiniger and Marsh ending a dangerous run, after taking on a long throw out from Sam Ashton, by firing wide.
Marsh finally made amends for his earlier misses when, on 77 minutes, a long ball from Jake Cottrell was only half cleared by the City defence, and he drilled a low shot past, the late moving Heiniger and into the bottom right-hand corner from fully 25 yards out.
The Reds continued to dominate the latter stages of the match and centre-back Rob Nugent had a header cleared off the line from a Wright corner while Heiniger had to be alive to smother a close-range effort from substitute Carlos Roca, who caused City a number of problems down the right-hand side before his cameo performance ended when he was replaced by Ben Deegan.
It was too little, too late but City eventually pulled a goal back in the fifth minute of stoppage time when City substitute Carl Heiniger stepped up to bend his free-kick over the Red’s wall and beyond Sam Ashton before finding the top-left hand corner.
A superb strike that denied the visitors their second successive clean sheet but it was to prove little more than a consolation for the City side as the referee blew for full-time almost immediately.
City showed a lot of character to come back from the mauling they received at Boston, just seven days earlier, and arguably should have been leading at the interval, but with City unable to muster any real firepower the Reds thoroughly deserved their victory.
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