Charlie Gadd
Durham have long been Nottingham’s most stubborn obstacle. In the league, Nottingham only dropped two games, but both were to a Durham side that seemingly did not know when to quit, winning both games with no more than three goals separating the sides.
In the National Championship, it has been even more brutal; you would have to cast your mind back to 2022 to find a Nottingham Open side that Durham hasn’t knocked out. The most painful of these defeats came in the final last year, where Durham pipped Nottingham to the championship by 1 goal in a thrilling 12 – 11 final.
If these previous defeats weighed heavily on the Nottingham players’ minds, they didn’t show it as they walked stoically to the poolside to meet their opponents in the Loughborough Swimming Centre, a haunting repeat of last year.
Nottingham could not have wished for better support; the stands were full of fellow students and parents, all painted Green and Gold. However, just metres away, Durham’s support were equally as lively, cheering and hollering. If the supporters were anything to go by, this would be an incredibly close match.
Nottingham opened with intent, striking twice in quick succession and forcing Durham onto the back foot. Pair this with some incredible saves by goalkeeper Charlie Dawson, and it looked like Nottingham might have an easy time of this final.
However, a strong buildup from Durham, finished with an incredible goal by Joshua Davis in the final minute, robbed Nottingham of any sense of security. With the score 2 – 1 at the end of the first quarter, Nottingham still led, but the momentum had evened out.
Durham came out of the break with purpose, knowing that an early swing before half-time could tilt both the scoreboard and the psychology of the match. However, after Durham went ahead in the first few minutes of the second quarter, Nottingham found another gear of their own.
What ensued in the next 15 minutes of the game was a war of attrition. Both teams were capable of incredible passing play, with all players used to propel the ball across the pool in a matter of seconds. This ensured that goals were not in short supply; their attacks were evenly matched, meaning that when one team scored, the other replied in kind within minutes.
Going into the fourth quarter, Nottingham had a one-goal lead, sitting on nine goals to Durham’s eight. As the coaches spoke to their respective teams, there was an understanding by everyone that very little separated these two and it was still all to play for.
A rocket played into the top left corner by Will Johnson equalised for Durham, and this was swiftly consolidated by captain Ben Alderson, whose goal put Durham ahead for the first time since the early stages of the second quarter. Nottingham’s attack took this as a sign to dig deep and mounted an aggressive attacking play that heartbreakingly ended with a shot by centre-forward Jack Bruce hitting the crossbar. Scrappy defensive play by Nottingham gifted Durham a penalty, which was expertly scored by Alderson.
Nottingham then knew they must bring something big to keep themselves in this game.
A tightening up of defensive play ensured that Durham failed to score anymore. The team complemented this with some more brilliant attacking runs, ensuring two more UoN goals were scored within one minute of each other. The equaliser was a powerful shot by Aaron Powner that raised the hopes of both fans and players alike.
Neither team let the pressure off in the final minute; the pace of the game quickened as both teams looked to finish the game in regular time. A brilliant save by Durham goalkeeper Aiden Byrne sent the game to penalties.
There was a tension in the air as the teams took their places for penalties, Nottingham’s side knew that they were a step away from that elusive National Championship; however, Durham’s powerful shots would no doubt prove a challenge for goalkeeper Dawson.
In a bold move, Durham changed goalkeepers, choosing to play the rested Eli Wirth over Byrne. Whilst unorthodox, it no doubt unsettled the Nottingham players as they would now have to face a fresh goalkeeper, not tired from around 40 minutes of game time.
Nothing could separate Nottingham and Durham after 6 penalties. The first mistake came from Durham’s Jack Everett, who (after Powner scored for Nottingham) threw the ball right into Dawson’s path, keeping it 4-3 to Nottingham.
Hope filled the air as Nottingham’s Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield swam up calmly to take the decisive penalty. He drove the ball into the left side of the goal, and in keeping his 100% record from the penalty spot won Nottingham the National Championship!
When Wallace-Whitfield’s penalty hit the net, the release was immediate. Players, coaches and supporters erupted in a celebration shaped by years of frustration, and when the players dragged their coach into the water, it was impossible not to see what it meant to each and every one of them.
With celebrations echoing through the Swimming Centre, it was clear this time; Nottingham’s story ended exactly the way they dreamed it would.
Charlie Gadd
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 2 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 3 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
