The fireworks went off early on Bonfire night as top of the league Gateshead travelled south to play in form Harrogate.  This heated meeting saw Gateshead heading back up the A1 unsure if they were guaranteed all 3 points, as the match was abandoned with Gateshead leading and only 1min 24sec left on the clock.
As Harrogate hit the game off from the centre spot nobody would have predicted what was going to happen in this top of the table clash. Harrogate started brightly, not giving Gateshead any time on the ball and slowly turning up the pressure on the Gateshead defence.  However Grant and Collins marshalled the 25 yard line with aplomb as Harrogate failed to make anything from their early pressure.  Almost with their first foray into the Harrogate “D” Traynor found a foot after beating two players to win Gateshead’s first penalty corner of the game.  This turned out to be costly for the home side as Gateshead took the lead from the resulting penalty corner. White pushed the corner out for Carruthers to stop and Collins to flick. Harrogate’s keeper reacted well and saved not only the initial flick but a second follow up from the rebound. However when the ball then spilled to Fleming he went to ground too early, sliding at Fleming’s feet but not getting near to the ball. Fleming then flicked the ball over the keeper only to see his shot saved off the line by a Harrogate player, but as the ball dropped to the ground White was on hand to knock it into the back of the net.
Harrogate were startled and started to look on the ropes as Gateshead won every 50:50 challenge, but a second goal didn’t come for Gateshead and in fact it was Harrogate who struck next.  As a ball was fired up to the Harrogate forwards Grant again got ahead of his man to win the ball, unfortunately this time the ball bobbled under his stick through to a Harrogate player. Immediately Gateshead defenders were upon him but could only create a foul; this was taken quickly and slipped right to an onrushing Harrogate forward who crashed the ball into the bottom corner of McEwen’s net.
Gateshead riled by Harrogate’s leveller against the run of play went straight back to work attacking the Harrogate defence time and time again. Hat-trick hero, from last weekend’s game, Chris Traynor produced some more magic to restore Gateshead’s lead. He picked the ball up just outside the Harrogate 25 yard line and Jinking his way through 5 challenges he found himself confronted by the Harrogate keeper, but with a flick of his wrist he dinked the ball through the keeper’s legs and over his goal line.
Gateshead thought they would go on to control the rest of half but Harrogate never gave up faith.  All it took was one penalty corner and the teams were back level.   After winning the penalty corner off a Gateshead foot, Harrogate pushed the ball out for a drag-flick.  As the ball left the Harrogate player’s stick it was travelling wide of the Gateshead net, but unluckily it clipped the inside left calf of Fleming charging the shot down and deflected inside the post.
In the second half the heat in the game increased and Harrogate found themselves frustrated at the umpires decisions.  Tackles came in hard from both sides and every ball was heavily contested.  Gateshead upped their work rate and pressed the Harrogate back line hard.  Harrogate struggled to put a collection of passes together and Gateshead began to bang on the door of the Harrogate goal again.  A smart save denied Hardy from close range and the ball was cleared off the line from another Collins drag-flick.  Nevertheless it was not long before Gateshead had taken the lead for the final time. Collinson won a free hit just outside the Harrogate “D” and slipped the ball to Fleming who zipped in a first time slap straight to the stick of White, who flicked the ball into the Harrogate net.
Frustration built and built in the game as Harrogate struggled to find a way back into the game. Williamson and Honour fought off any Harrogate attack and Hardy provided relief for Gateshead high up the pitch. The home crowd grew restless too and began to berate the umpire closed to them, as they blamed him for their own side’s short comings. With just over a minute left on the clock one last comment from the crowd ended the game as one of the umpires had had enough of it and shocked everyone by walking off the pitch.  Two other qualified officials were on hand and offered to umpire the remaining time, yet Harrogate refused to play on and asked for the match to be abandoned, against Gateshead’s pleas for common sense.
So the game ended 2-3 to Gateshead and the result will have to go to the England Hockey board.  It is unlikely that the result will be changed as the time left was minimal and Harrogate refused several viable options to finish the game, but the manner in which the game ended as taken the sweetness of the victory away from Gateshead.  It was a sad day for hockey and I’m sure England Hockey will be looking closely into affairs at Harrogate in the near future, but Gateshead go into next weekend’s game against Sunderland still with their 2 point lead at the top of the table.