Whitley Bay FC
Hillheads - The home of Whitley Bay Football Club. On a hazy November afternoon, the club take on Penrith in another Northern League Division 1 match. We took the camera down to take in the view from the stands.
You don’t need to travel far around the North East to find yourself a spot on the terraces. The Northern League provides football fans the opportunity to get closer to the game, and taste the back-to-basics fundamentals of football. A pint (or two) in the stands is the type of simple pleasure that you can’t enjoy in the upper reaches of football’s ladder. And for £6 entry (adults), you’re already getting value for money.
A 3pm kick off in mid-November offers up that perfect transition between day and night. A first half of dull daylight transcends into pastel painted skies, before floodlit football can finally unfold. The half time break provides a convenient cue to whoever is responsible for flicking the switch. On go the lights, and out come the players.
On this occasion, Whitley Bay emerged for the second half with a 2-0 lead. With pints replenished, the second half followed a similar pattern to the first. As darkness descended the air temperature certainly took a tumble. The shadowy silhouettes pulling their wooly hats further across their brows.
In the end, a healthy crowd of 413 saw Whitley Bay run out comfortable 4-0 winners, with a handful of hardy Penrith supporters facing a despondent trip back across the Pennines. Locals, however, could head off into the November night with their spirits raised and their appetite for live football well and truly satisfied. Howay the Bay!
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