Back in love with the game on Valentine’s Day

I HAD my eyes on only one date for St Valentine’s Day this year. Unfortunately it was a fifth round FA Cup tie and with Sunderland not bothering themselves to get there, I was stood up and in need of a football fix somewhere else.

A glance through the fixtures revealed only one game kicking off at 3pm on Saturday in the whole of the north-east of England, with the weather conquering most matches. The tiny Tyneside town of Hebburn played host to County Durham’s Esh Winning in the Northern League Division Two, six rungs below the Football League on the ladder.

Hebburn’s ground is unremarkable for a club of their level, romantically sandwiched between a power station and a graveyard. As I parked opposite their only entrance five minutes before kick off, it was a far cry from the Stadium of Light.