Salut! Sunderland congratulates the Sunderland Women’s team for putting up what seems to have been another excellent display, this time against Arsenal, before a late winner put the Gunners through to the FA Women’s Cup semi-finals.
Sad to relate, the game was not shown on French TV and I knew better than to go to the official SAFC site for news of it. So thanks are due to the Shields Gazette and Arsenal Ladies’ website for keeping us informed.
The paper describes the match, which took place at Eppleton CW yesterday (I had expected it to be played at Hetton – but see Comment*), as a five-goal thriller that was evenly contested with Sunderland pushing Arsenal, who began clear favourites, all the way.
Here’s an extract from the report:
“In front of a crowd of just under 600, Sunderland belied their amateur status against the semi-professional might of the Super League giants.
The Wearsiders got the breakthrough their play deserved as they took the lead in the 21st minute.
South Shields-born Demi Stokes took a right-wing corner and Rachel Furness outjumped the defence to head past Emma Byrne.”
After Arsenal equalised early in the second with a header from Ellen White, Sunderland had chances to regain the lead before falling behind to Julie Fleeting. But Steph Bannon levelled scores again and nearly set up another equaliser after Arsenal went ahead with a second White goal in extra time.
No disgrace, then, and every reason for Sunderland Women to feel mightily pleased with themselves. Now they can concentrate on winning the Premier League.
Monsieur Salut
That’s Initial btw!
That’s Juniors not Juhiors (to carry on the pedantry) though they did experiment with the Intial Teaching Alphabet at Eppleton Infants School which could explain my spelling.
Ah now. I was born in Hetton and went to school at Eppleton Infants and Juhiors. My dad worked at Eppleton pit. We watched Eppleton play cricket in the Durham Senior League and my father, who was a bricklayer by trade was given time by the N.C.B. to build the wall that surrounds the cricket ground. Eppleton is the part of Hetton near the quarry and where the pit used to be.
Now strangely enough – Eppleton C.W. played in the centre of Hetton nowhere near Eppleton itself. And as far as I am aware there wasn’t a Colliery Welfare as such at least not in terms of clubs where you would go for a few pints of Fed.
Incidentally Hetton Lyons Cricket Club play at the other end of Hetton on the way to Easington Lane, but Hetton Lyons Cricket Club F.C. play football at Murton and Spennymoor.
Confused – you will be. And if it is the National Union of Pedants then the apostrophe becomes irrelevant!
To answer the first question; the ground was the Eppleton Colliery Welfare and Eppleton is part of Hetton – although the pit was not close to the sports ground. It’s the Hetton Centre now as Sunderland City Council have taken it over and built a Community Centre there.
To answer your second point, yes it should; I bloody hate apostrophes.
For £3, it was a cracking afternoon’s entertainment – far superior to the dross served up by England after 3:15 on Saturday. Once you accept it won’t be as fast and there won’t be the level of skill that the prem brings, it was a great game. Thunderous tackles – honest – hard work for two hours plus, no feiging injury, no “simulation”, just two teams trying their best. And it was sunny, for my second game in a row at Hetton
Why can’t it be one or other: Eppleton CW OR the Hetton Centre, or is that too much of an Upton Park/Boleyn sort of question? And surely Pedants’ Union.
* As a fully paid up member of the Pedants Union, I should inform you that Eppleton CW is indeed in Hetton.