HEADACHES AHEAD?

By Bill Gardner
A complete wipe-out of the Northern Alliance programme left fixture secretaries Geoff Mason and George Davison increasingly frustrated. They had been hoping to get a few cup competition loose ends tied up before the looming Christmas break but those plans have been thwarted by the big freeze which shows no sign of easing.

The third round of the Northumberland Minor Cup, scheduled for this weekend wont help matters when fourteen of the leagues clubs will be tied up by county cup duties. The relevant Minor Cup pairings are: Lynemouth Institute v Gosforth Bohemians;

Morpeth Sporting Club v North Shields Athletic; Newcastle Chemfica v Blakelaw Club;

Red House Farm v Stobswood Welfare; Seaton Burn v Newcastle Diggers United;

Walbottle Original Masons v Tynemouth United; Wallington v Forest Hall;

Wallsend Boys Club v Cullercoats and Whitley Bay A v Hexham.

The crucial casualties of yesterdays weather were four third round ties in the Kicks Leisure George Dobbins League Cup: Amble United v Percy Main, Ashington Colliers v Newcastle University, Shankhouse v Walker Central and Whitley Bay A v Harraby Catholic Club. These may need to be quickly rescheduled but Whitley Bays involvement in the NFA Minor Cup is likely to lead to complications in rearranging their tie against the Cumbrians.

Going into December, Alnwick Town are still enjoying a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier Division table and if the Northumbrians have any ambitions to rejoin the Northern League things are looking bright at the moment.

The Town are boasting the only surviving unbeaten record in the Alliances top flight while retaining an interest in the League Cup and Challenge Cup. Theyve reached the quarter-finals in the League Cup and the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup. And in their nineteen games played so far this season Alnwick have lost only once, going down 1-0 against Heaton Stannington in the NFA Senior Bowl at the beginning of October.

With a game in hand second-placed Ponteland United are still Alnwicks most potent rivals in the title race and Jarrod Suddicks side had won three league games on the trot before this weekends freeze-up, recording three defensive clean sheets in the process. When they met up with leaders Alnwick on the opening day of this season the result at the Leisure Centre Ground was a 2-2 draw and its still certainly all to play for. And apart from the championship, United only have one other remaining silverware target in their sights. Theyve been drawn away to Percy Main in Februarys Northumberland FA Senior Bowl quarter-finals when the other pairings will be: Blyth Town v Ashington Colliers, Heaton Stannington v Walker Central and Seaton Delaval v Newcastle University.