MH17: Transcending rivalry

THE NEEDLESS loss of the 298 lives on board the shot-down Malaysian Airlines plane on Thursday was, of course, tragedy enough in itself.

But hearing that two of the victims on flight MH17 were dedicated Newcastle United fans naturally meant the devastating incident in eastern Ukraine hit home harder still.

John Adler and Liam Sweeney were travelling from Amsterdam Schipol in Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on the way to their eventual destination in New Zealand.

There, the pair planned to take in two Newcastle pre-season friendlies - against Sydney FC in Dunedin on Tuesday, and against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.

All this having seen a 2-1 defeat to Oldham Athletic last Tuesday, their final match.

It was true commitment to the Magpies' cause. John, in particular, had built up an incredible reputation as one of the loyalist football supporters in the land, having missed just one first-team match since 1973.

Indeed, he was so well-known among the away support that he was given the affectionate nickname of 'The Undertaker' for his propensity to wear a black suit with a white shirt, whatever fixture United happened to be playing.

Liam could not quite match the Undertaker's record, but then - how could that be expected at his age of 28?

Both were such tragic losses - and yet, predictably, nothing so far seems to have come from the powers-that-be other than another tiresome round of finger-pointing.

Somehow, though, there is still actually a positive story to be found here - and, remarkably, it involves the fans of Sunderland AFC and their tribute page to John and Liam.

On the site, the Mackems explain: "We may be Sunderland fans, who traditionally have deep rivalry with Newcastle, but there are things far more important than any football games.

"The incredibly sad news that has emerged this week about two Newcastle fans who have passed has left us all shocked and deeply saddened. Donating here will help pay for a floral tribute to those fans and to unity between the two clubs.

"Any extra money will be donated to a charity that has yet to be decided. Thank you for your time, effort and donations. RIP to John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were both far too young."

One thing is for sure - there should be some money left over for the charity - as, in an incredible coming-together of the two rival fanbases, more than £16,000 has been raised so far.

It is a fantastic gesture by all - but especially by those from Sunderland whose generosity has transcended rivalry.

In other tributes, Newcastle United released this statement and allowed the Sir Bobby Robson statute on Gallowgate to be used for scarves, shirts, cards and flowers to be laid. 

The commemorations have now been moved to the main entrance of the Milburn Stand in expectation of inclement weather. 

Additionally, the club confirmed that black armbands will be worn in the two friendlies in New Zealand on Tuesday and Saturday, and an - as yet - unspecified tribute will be organised for the first match of the season against Manchester City on 17 August.

Elsewhere, Gateshead staged an impeccably-observed minute's silence ahead of Friday's friendly win against Newcastle U21s - and Berwick Rangers, Whitley Bay and Blyth Spartans all followed suit. 

Sunderland and Darlington paid their respects ahead of their friendly at Heritage Park in Bishop Auckland yesterday.

And, on Twitter, United youth team player Kyle Cameron dedicated a 6-2 friendly win in Sweden to John and Liam.

Finally, here is a bit of poetry, from an unknown source, in memory of John Adler and Liam Sweeney who both died too young:

Ground to ground, both day and night
To follow those in Black and White
Cheering loud and clapping hands
Among the nation’s loyalist fans

Friendlies, cup games, not a care
If the Toon were playing, you were there
Win or lose, through bad and good
Newcastle United was in your blood

Known by thousands all around
Familiar faces at our grand old ground
Loved by many, all the lads and lasses
Before the next Toon game we’ll raise our glasses

Two empty spaces in the crowd
Don’t worry though, we’ll cheer you loud
This tragic news is sad and dark
But you’ll be the light at St James’ Park

Sleep tight now lads with pride on your faces
And teach the angels the Blaydon Races
For this sad day and through the night
Let Heaven’s gates be Black and White

RIP

Ho'way the Heed! Well done Whitley Bay!

It has been an excellent weekend for the North East in non league football as Gateshead won promotion to the Blue Square Premier in their playoff final on Friday night while Whitley Bay won the FA Vase at Wembley on Sunday.

Wayne Phillips' long-range free-kick in the 82nd minute proved to be difference as Gateshead beat AFC Telford 1-0 in front of an impressive crowd of 4,121 at the International Stadium in the Blue Square North playoff final.

Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes because of the crowd congestion but, once the match started, it was Telford who had the better of the opening 45 minutes.

And the Bucks really should have been ahead at the interval but Danny Carey-Bertram fired wide after being given a second chance following a good save by Heed goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite on his final appearance.

But Gateshead came back strongly in the second half and Phillips, in particular, was a constant thorn in the side for his opposing full-back Lee Vaughan.

Vaughan struggled to cope all night and received his marching orders after 76 minutes for a second booking when he handled another Phillips' cross.

That gave Gateshead the impetus to win the game in the normal time, although the goal itself was a little streaky as Phillips' speculative dead-ball effort bounced past everyone and nestled into the corner of the net.

Perhaps the only thing missing was a goal from Lee Novak on his final appearance for the Tynesiders.

Having scored 28 times in just 38 appearances since his early season move from Newcastle Blue Star, Novak now joins Lee Clark at League One team Huddersfield Town in a £150,000 move.

And the Heed will have to reinvest that money sensibly to survive the big step up to the Blue Square Premier.

It is a much-changed top division of non league football since they last played at that level in 1997-98.

Luton Town, Chester City, York City, Wrexham, Oxford United, AFC Wimbledon and one of Cambridge United or Torquay United will be among the clubs with whom Gateshead will have to compete next season.

But confidence in chairman Graham Wood and manager Ian Bogie is high after a hugely successful last two campaigns.

And it should be appreciated just how far back Gateshead have come since the days of the Unibond First Division in 2003-04 and the depths of 2004-05 and 2005-06, when the Tynesiders recorded consecutive finishes of 17th in the Unibond Premier Division amid financial strife.

In 2007-08, a sprightly and more youthful team won promotion to the Blue Square North, beating Buxton 2-0 in the final.

A season of consolidation was expected and this looked to be the case as Gateshead settled into a midtable spot in the early part of the season.

But from September onwards, fired on by Novak's goals, the Tynesiders remained unbeaten at home and only some late-season away defeats at Stafford Rangers and Kings Lynn prevented a title success.

It meant that the playoffs were required again but Gateshead knew they would have home advantage in any final after finishing as runners-up.

A 1-0 win away at Southport in the semi final first leg was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to set up Friday's thrilling finale in front of the biggest Gateshead crowd at a competitive game for four decades.

***

On Sunday, Whitley Bay became the first Tyneside club to win at Wembley since Whickham in 1981 after beating Glossop North End 2-0 in the FA Vase Final.

Goals from Lee Kerr and Paul Chow in the ten minutes before half time settled the tie in front of 12,212 fans at the newly-constructed stadium.

The margin of victory could have been even greater but Adam Johnson's outstanding effort from inside his own half was pushed onto the bar by the Glossop keeper Matt Cooper.

And the Seahorses missed a whole host of chances early in the second half to put the match beyond any doubt.

Bay had reached the final on the back of a thrilling cup run which included a tense semi final win over Lowestoft Town after the Suffolk club had knocked out at the same stage last season.

The final started just as tentatively and Johnson's shot off the woodwork was matched by Glossop's Nick Bailey.

But the two goals put Bay in complete control. Kerr opened the scoring, beating the Cooper on near-post after cleverly making space for himself.

And Chow doubled the advantage just before half time, applying a cool finish on the break for his 40th goal of the season.

Bay left themselves vulnerable to a dramatic comeback as Chow headed against the bar and Glossop then enjoyed their best spell of the game in the last 15 minutes.

But the Bay rearguard held firm to become only the fifth club to win the trophy twice. They had previously enjoyed success in the competition when they beat Tiptree United 1-0 at Villa Park in 2002.

***

And if Newcastle United show a fraction of the spirit on display by Gateshead and Whitley Bay, they should have no problems making it a Geordie hat-trick, giving Alan Shearer his first win as manager.

Not only that, but victory against Middlesbrough in the Premier League at St James Park tonight will move the Toon outside of the relegation zone for the first time in six matches.

That's because Hull City lost 2-1 at home against Stoke City, a result which mathematically ensures the Potters' survival.

Elsewhere at the bottom, West Bromwich Albion beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 to join the Toon and Boro on 31 points but with a much worse goal difference.

And Sunderland extended their lead over United to five points with a 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers.

But the Toon play twice at home - Middlesbrough tonight and Fulham on Saturday - before the Mackems next match away at Portsmouth.

Ho'way the Lads!

The Weekend in Review

A review of the sporting weekend...

Formula 1
The return of F1 was well worth the wait as Brawn GP made a dream start with a one-two in their opening race.

Jenson Button rammed this correspondent's words down his throat by living up to the tag of favourite by leading from start to finish, but this was far from a boring procession.

While Button got off to a flier, team mate Rubens Barrichello was slow off the start and got involved in the usual first-corner mayhem at Albert Park which took out Heikki Kovalainen and ruined Mark Webber's home race.

Instead it was left to Sebastien Vettel in the Red Bull to carry the fight to Button but the main hindrance to the man from Frome was the appearance of the safety car on lap 19 which wiped out his lead.

Nevertheless, Button built it up again but Vettel looked good value for second place until a late crash with BMW's Robert Kubica which was followed shortly after by them both spinning out, promoting Barrichello back to 2nd.

World champion Lewis Hamilton confounded expectations and was classified as third after Jarno Trulli was handed a 25-second penalty for passing Hamilton under yellow flags.

He had started in 18th on the grid in his under-performing McLaren but had managed to find his way to 12th after the first lap before avoiding the carnage in the rest of the race.

Timo Glock finished fourth in another impressive race for the German and Fernando Alonso got his wish for a top-eight finish by coming in fifth.

Nico Rosberg's sixth-place finish would have surely been higher, had he not been let down by his pit team on lap 15. Debutant Sebastien Buemi and Torro Rosso teammate Sebastien Bourdais finished 7th and 8th in the final point-scoring positions.

It was an engrossing spectacle and the Beeb did a good job in its first coverage of F1 since 1996, a particular highlight being Richard Branson calling himself "a lucky bastard" live on air after seeing his investment pay immediate dividends.

Football
Mixed fortunes for the home countries with wins for England and Northern Ireland but losses for Scotland and Wales.

While Scotland's 3-0 loss in Amsterdam was to be expected - and was indeed a significant improvement on their last showing in the Dutch capital when they lost 6-0 - it leaves their qualification hopes resting on them beating Iceland on Wednesday and picking up enough points in their remaining matches to finish as one of the top eight second-placed teams.

At least Scotland have qualification in their own hands. Wales' meek defeat at home against Finland in front of a pitiful 22,600 has left their World Cup dreams in tatters already, although it was never a likely proposition considering they face Germany and Russia in their group.

But the only way Wales, who face the Germans next, will get easier draws is by improving their qualifying performance and home losses to Finland completely undermine any other efforts.

The Welsh could learn a lot from Northern Ireland who have had excellent home form in recent qualification campaigns and continued this with a fine 3-2 result at Windsor Park against Poland, for whom Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boric had a nightmare.

The result lifted the Irish to the top of their group although this is a somewhat misleading position considering they have played more matches than any of their rivals, including two games against group minnows San Marino.

The Republic of Ireland took the lead within a minute against Bulgaria through Richard Dunne but threatened rarely after the goal and will be happy that the draw keeps them seven points clear of their opponents.

The chase is not over yet, however. Bulgaria have a game in hand and the Irish must play Italy twice and Cyprus away where they have previously had problems before the campaign is over.

England could just about finish off their campaign on Wednesday if they beat Ukraine and they warmed up in convincing style with a fine 4-0 win over Slovakia with the two goals from Wayne Rooney particularly delightful.

The England forwards, however, failed to heed my warning about 'skating around Slovakian challenges' as Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch all limped off, although Crouch should be fit.

Cricket
England and West Indies traded victories over the weekend with the Windies the first to strike on Friday after another England batting collapse.

England were bowled out for 117 in the 42nd over, which the Windies had no problems chasing down.

Indeed, captain Chris Gayle looked set to record the fastest ODI century but his stunning attacking display was brought to an end on 80 when he was bowled by James Anderson.

The embarrassing loss for England came in the wake of comments by Kevin Pietersen in the Mail on Sunday, expressing his desire to go home.

And so it is to Andrew Strauss' great credit as England captain that he replied to Gayle's onslaught with one of his own in the next match.

Although it was less extravagant than Gayle's effort, Strauss hit an unbeaten 79 to level the series at 2-2 as England comfortably chased down a readjusted target of 136 from 20 overs.

The series decider on Friday in St Lucia will determine if England have anything at all to take from this hitherto fruitless winter.

Other sports
In ice hockey, the Elite League playoffs mainly went to form with Sheffield Steelers emerging victorious against Edinburgh Caps in a high-scoring tie (12-7 on aggregate: 8-2, 4-5) but one which was won in the first match.

Nottingham Panthers also did most of the damage in their home first leg against Manchester Phoenix, winning 9-5 on aggregate (6-3, 3-2).

And although Newcastle Vipers held Coventry Blaze to a 2-2 tie in the first leg, the Blaze were too difficult to overcome and won 6-4 on aggregate.

Cardiff Devils beat Belfast Giants in the most competitive of the ties, winning 6-5 on aggregate. The Devils beat the Giants 2-1 away before a 4-4 tie after OT in the return.

Thus, the semi finalists are Sheffield, Nottingham, Coventry and Cardiff.


Great Britain finished a disappointing third in the medal table at the World Track Championships behind Australia and France.

They managed just two golds from the efforts of Victoria Pendleton and the women's team pursuit trio of Wendy Houvenaghel, Joanna Rowsell and Lizzie Armitstead.

But the absence of Sir Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero must also be factored as a genuine reason why Britain did not perform better.


In non-league football, Gateshead stayed top of the Blue Square North on goal difference with a smashing 5-0 win over Hinckley United, the best home win of the season. Lee Novak got two of the goals and an assist.

And Whitley Bay will take a 2-1 lead to Lowestoft after the first leg of their FA Vase semi final.


Finally, Oxford beat Cambridge by a comfortable three-and-a-half lengths on the Thames in the 155th staging of the Boat Race.

The victory was Oxford's fourth win in the last five years, although Cambridge still lead the series 79-75, with one dead-heat.