177 rockcliffe park middlesbrough

(GROUND NUMBER(S) 177/1 & 177 /2)◄"It doesn't get much madder than this!"
Date of First Visit: 27th FEBRUARY 1999
ROCKCLIFFE PARK, HURWORTH PLACE


(Pitch One)
MIDDLESBROUGH 'U19s' 0
NEWCASTLE UNITED 'U19s' 2
F.A. PREMIER ACADEMY LEAGUE 'U19s'
ATTENDANCE :100 (Estimated)


(Pitch Two)
MIDDLESBROUGH 'U17s' 1
NEWCASTLE UNITED 'U17s' 2
F.A. PREMIER ACADEMY LEAGUE 'U17s'
ATTENDANCE: 50 (Estimated)


(Combined aggregate score line)
MIDDLESBROUGH Youngins XXII's 1
NEWCASTLE UNITED Youngins XXII's 4
COMBINED ATTENDANCE: 150
('Mad –sad groundhoppers' watchin' both games: =ONE!) (guess who?) (see below!)




"A GROONDHOPPERS & TRAINSPOTTERS PARADISE!"

("TWO GAMES OF FOWER HALF'S(S)!")


For starters, Boro's trainin' groond, which is in the middle of ne where, is'nt the easiest place tih find, as it's tucked away doon a narrow country lane next to 'The East Coast Main Line' railway track------and not a signpost in sight tih tell yih where tih gan!?.
But!---as luck would have it, wih spotted the gym in the distance, an' followed wor noses!. (As yih de!)
Bizarely, both games kicked off at (virtually) the same time on ajoinin' pitches, anly seperated by a thin line of spectators.
The question was---which game did wih watch?.
'The Caped Crusader', 'The Mad Professor', 'Jonezee' and 'Mark from Morpeth' who a'd travelled doon with, ◄(if my memory sorves me correctly?) opted to watch the U19's game and give the otha one a 'miss'


As the Toons youngins were kickin' the same way in both games, aa decided tih be a clever sh*** by dein' the obvious and watch when we had possession in either game!, and tih watch the other game when Boro had the baall!. (THAT'S REET!---WATCH TWO GAMES AT THE SAME TIME!)
Aa positioned meesel to stand in between both pitches, lookin' doon towards the way the Toon(s) were kickin' (mee reet eye trained on the 'U17's pitch and mee left eye trained on the 'U19's pitch!)
(Er!---if yi can think of anythin' 'sadder'than this---then let me naa!)


The match(es!) were played in a gale force wind and the Toon(s) had advantage in the forst half(s). Mee loyalty? for anly watchin' when we had possession was rewarded in the third minute, when Paul Knight put the 'U19s' one-nowt up with a fine shot (ah just seen it hit the back of the net as ah had one eye on the other game as well!).
('ONE-NIL!', on aggregate tih the Toons youngins!)
Five minutes later, on the 'U17s' pitch, Kevin Wheallans hit a superb drive tih give the Boro keeper nee chance.
('TWO-NIL!', on aggregate!)


Every few minutes a train would 'shatter the peace' and come hurtlin' past at breakneck speed and yi could see the passengers tryin' to catch a glimpse of the action az they flew past at 125mph!


Back on the other pitch, the 'U19s' went further ahead when Coppinger bent the baall aroond the waall from a free kick.
(That's---'er'---'THREE-NIL!')


Ten minutes from half time Boro 'U17s' equalised---but!---as ah was watchin' the other match at the time, ah did'nt see it (SO!---iz far as ah was concerned---it didn't coont!)
(STILL!---'THREE-NIL!' on aggregate tih the Toon!)


Every nuw and again, (aboot every five minutes) the baall from one game would end up on the other pitch, and vise versa, which begged the question?---why the hell were the pitches so close together???----(Answers on a postcard pleeze, to 'Robbo'---care Middlesbrough F.C., Smog City, Teesside!)
Kevin Gall completed the forst half 'rout' for wor youngins, when he scored from 'close in', just before the break.
(Ah DID! see this one!---so that's 'FOWER-NIL!' tih 'us'!)


As wih froze tih death in the 'icy wind' durin' the half time break(s!), wih had time tih de ah bit of trainspottin', as the track actually ran past the bottom end of the groond. (Was that the 'Flyin' Scotsman'---'4472', gannin past at full steam??-----"SHIT!-----mee f***** pencils broke!"
(Anly kiddin'!---Wih not THAT! SAD!) (or---ARE WE??)


'The Smoggies' couldn't tek advantage of the wind durin' the second half(s), and there was ne further score, so the Toon(s) youngins did the double, which was just as well, as aa was f***** 'seein' double!', just tryin' tih keep mee 'mincers' on the two games!, an' by the end, ah had a f***** stiff neck iz well!.
(A'v heard of a game of 'two halfs' before---but this was borderin' on the ridiculous!--Nee kiddin!)
A groondhoppers paradise??----More like a groondhoppers nightmare, if yih ask me!!!


(APART FROM THE SCORE(S)---THAT IS!!!)




Geordie Glossary of Terms and Phrases (for the benefit of 'non Geordie' readers)
(in the order that they appear)


Groundhopper=spmeone who has an obsession for visiting new grounds
Boro=Middlesbrough FC
Ne=no
Yih=you
Gan=go
Wih=we
Wor=our
De=do
Doon=down
Aa/ah=I
Clever sh***=stupid
Dein'=doing
Meesel=myself
Mee=my
Reet=right
Yi=you
Naa=know
Coont=count
Robbo=Bryan Robson ---who was Boro's manager at the time (Boro=Middlesbrough FC)
Smog City=Middlesbrough
Fower=four
Anly=only
Smoggies=Middlesbrough FC/fans
Mincers=mince pies=eyes


©Fink™ (the mad-sad gr☺udh☺pper!)