VISIT TO TOP OF THE LEAGUE "DINNINGTON TOWN"

I LEFT A SNOW AND ICE COVERED FILEY AT NOON AND ARRIVED EXACTLY 2 HOURS LATER AT A SUNNY, SNOW-FREE "DINNO".

BORO PLAYERS WARM UP IN THE SUNSHINE..................................................................................................

THE GROUND WAS EASY TO FIND, WHICH MADE A PLEASANT CHANGE, AS SOME OF THE GROUNDS IN THIS LEAGUE ARE A NIGHTMARE TO FIND- OR IS IT JUST ME ?

A REALLY NEAT GROUND, EXCELLENT FACILITIES, THE BEST VALUE CHIP BUTTIE EVER,AND A FRIENDLY WELCOME BY EVERYONE THERE

I STOOD AND HAD A CHAT WITH A COUPLE OF DINNINGTON FANS ON ENTERING THE GROUND AND IT DID'NT TAKE LONG TO REALISE THAT THEY WERE KNOWLEDGABLE FANS WITH SIMILAR ASPIRATIONS FOR THEIR CLUB AS WE HAVE FOR OURS.

BUT, THEY CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DO NOT GET BETTER ATTENDANCES, AND I MUST SAY THAT I AGREE WITH THEM, AFTER ALL THEY ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, PLAYING GOOD FOOTBALL, HAVE 2 OF THE BEST STRIKERS IN THE LEAGUE, HAVE EXCELLENT FACILITIES AND IT'S ONLY £4 TO ATTEND A GAME, SO , YES I WOULD FEEL FRUSTRATED IF I WERE A DINNINGTON FAN.
A FACE IN THE CROWD- HOPE TO SEE SCOTT PLAYING AGAINST RAINWORTH NEXT WEEK..............................................

ONTO THE GAME, BORO HAD 3 REGULAR PLAYERS MISSING TODAY SO IN ALL HONESTY I WAS NOT PARTICULARLY CONFIDENT ABOUT THE OUTCOME, BUT AS THE GAME GOT UNDERWAY IT WAS BORO WHO WERE ON TOP, WE HAD TWO EXCELLENT CHANCES TO TAKE THE LEAD BEFORE RYAN MORTON FINALLY GOT THE ALL-IMPORTANT FIRST GOAL, YOUNG RYAN TOOK ON AND BEAT TWO DEFENDERS BEFORE SLOTTING PAST A HELPLESS PHIL RHODES IN THE DINNINGTON GOAL.

FROM THE WAY IN WHICH BORO DOMINATED THE OPENING PERIOD OF THE GAME THE BORO FANS WERE WONDERING HOW MANY GOALS WE WOULD WIN BY, BUT DISASTER STRUCK IN THE 30th MINUTE AS DINNINGTON WERE AWARDED A PENALTY AND WHO ELSE BUT LEADING SCORER ANT LYNAM SHOULD STEP UP AND TAKE IT.

LYNAM SCORED HIS 21st GOAL OF THE SEASON, AND COMPLETELY AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY DINNINGTON FOUND THEMSELVES BACK ON LEVEL TERMS.

AS HALF TIME APPROACHED BORO WERE CLEARLY ON TOP, PLAYING SOME EXCELLENT FOOTBALL AND HAVING THE BETTER CHANCES BUT THE SCORE REMAINED 1-1 AS HOT CHOCOLATE AND A CHIP BUTTIE WERE CALLING.

THE SECOND HALF GOT UNDER WAY, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY AS THE FIRST HALF HAD FINISHED WITH BORO LOOKING THE STRONGER AND THE MORE LIKELY SIDE TO ADD TO THE SCORING, BUT AGAIN AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY IT WAS DINNINGTON WHO WOULD CREEP INTO THE LEAD, AGAIN IT WAS LEADING SCORER LYNAM WHO RAN TOWARDS THE BORO GOAL, HE AVOIDED A COUPLE OF HALF HEARTED CHALLENGES, ONE FROM THE USUALLY DEPENDABLE JAMIE WALTHAM AND SLOTTED THE BALL PAST DAVE BRAMLEY IN THE BORO GOAL.

HOWEVER THEIR LEAD WAS SHORT LIVED, MANAGER BRIAN FRANCE TOOK OFF RYAN BLOTT, WHO WAS HAVING A POOR GAME AND REPLACED HIM WITH CRAIG HOGG, AND THIS TURNED OUT TO BE AN EXCELLENT DECISION AS IT WAS CRAIG WHO BROUGHT US BACK ONTO LEVEL TERMS.

JAMIE WALTHAM MADE SOME AMENDS FOR HIS EARLIER CONTRIBUTION TO THE DINNINGTON GOAL BY GOING ON A STRONG RUN DEEP INTO THE DINNINGTON HALF WHERE HE PASSED TO THOMPSON WHO IN TURN FOUND HOGG IN AN EXCELLENT POSITION TO SCORE AND MAKE THE SCORELINE 2-2.

BORO WOULD NOW SURELY FIND A THIRD AND WINNING GOAL, THEY WERE STILL PLAYING THE BETTER FOOTBALL AND CREATING MORE THAN THEIR OPPONENTS, BUT ONCE AGAIN ANT LYNAM HAD OTHER IDEAS, HE SCORED A THIRD GOAL AND IT WAS FROM HERE THAT BORO SEEMED TO LOSE HEART, ALLOWING DINNINGTON TO PRESS, THE HOME SIDE SUDDENLY LOOKED A REAL THREAT AND WERE DANGEROUS EACH TIME THEY ATTACKED THE BORO GOAL, THEY DID GET A 4th GOAL IN THE DYING MINUTES, THIS WAS A LUCKY DEFLECTION WHICH SOMEHOW FOUND IT'S WAY INTO THE NET.

SO, THE FINAL SCORE WAS 4-2, BUT IT HAD BEEN A THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING GAME, ENJOYED BY ALL.

DINNINGTON FAN 'GEOFF' WITH MASCOT........................................................................................................

THE 4-2 SCORELINE DOES NOT REFLECT THE ACTUAL GAME, BUT ALONG WITH MOST OTHER BORO FANS, I WISH "DINNO" GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THEIR SEASON, ( WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THEIR VISIT TO QUEENSGATE).

ONE NEGATIVE ONLY ON A GREAT DAY, WAS THE BEHAVIOUR OF ONE CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL (A BORO FAN) ENOUGH SAID......THIS FAN IS A TOTAL EMBARRASMENT AND CAN ONLY DO THE CLUBS REPUTATION HARM. IT IS TIME THAT HE WAS STOPPED, THE CLUB SHOULD DO SOMETHING. CHECK OUT "THE SURFING SEADOG" FORUM, PLENTY OF POSTS THERE ABOUT HIM ALSO. FOR YEARS HE HAS TURNED UP AT CERTAIN GAMES, I WAS STOOD BY HIM AT THE GAME AND I FELT EMBARRASED, I SOMETIMES WONDER HOW THE PLAYERS FEEL ALSO.
THE ONE MAN DINNINGTON KOP....LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT QUEENSGATE...........................................

ON A POSITIVE NOTE, THE DINNINGTON FAN I SPOKE WITH ON ARRIVAL AT THE GROUND (PICTURE ABOVE) TOLD ME THAT HE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE TRIP TO QUEENSGATE FOR THE RETURN FIXTURE AND ABOUT 100 DINNINGTON FANS ARE COMING TO THE GAME AND STAYING THE WEEKEND, LETS MAKE THEM AS WELCOME AT THE GAME AS THEY MADE US AT THEIR PLACE.

HOMEWARD BOUND...................................