Washington manager Mark Gibbon spoke to club media ahead of this weekends crucial clash against Durham City.
The coach has issued an overlook on the fitness of his squad as we look to return to winning ways this weekend.
"We're looking good to go in terms of fitness, we've trained well this week and look set to have a full squad to choose from."
"There's been a few lads we have looked at over the past few weeks, some are sharper and more up to scratch than others but it's looking like we will have a full set of lads available."
"Apart from that though, we're looking in decent shape and we're ready for the challenge."
Speaking on the challenge Durham pose, Gibbon issued a warning that we should not take The Citizens lightly:
"They are where they are but you can never take anyone lightly in football."
"Everyone poses a different kind of threat, we know their strengths and weaknesses, just as I am sure they're well aware of ours."
"But you can't just base them off their league position, they will come here looking to do a job on us like every other side will have done when facing us. They will come here with a plan and it's on us to deal with it properly and the ultimate goal is obviously to come away with all three points."
"We know what we have to do in order to get three points. We have to work together as a unit, there's no easy games in football, and we are all well aware this will be no different."
Guisborough Town vs Washington AFC- Match report
Washington AFC travelled to Guisborough to kick start their Fa Cup Vase campaign.
They were on the back foot for most of the first half, with the hosts squandering the chance to score from the penalty spot, they never seemed to dwell and instead scored either side of half time with Josh Rowbotham scoring twice.
As Washington asked questions of the Guisborough defence, the hosts broke at the dying embers of the game and added a third through Sonni Coleman.
It was a scrappy opening affair, with neither side creating anything clear cut in the opening stages.
The hosts were gifted a penalty mid way through the first half though, as Sam Lilley brought down Town winger Brandon Holdsworth. The penalty was saved though, as Harry Archer made a fine stop to deny Sonni Coleman.
Washy did grow into the game however, as Jak Hanson fired a shot wide shortly after Archer’s penalty save.
The hosts continued to ramp up the pressure though, and after a series of blocks from Sam Lilley and Daniel Bennett, a looping header from Guisborough’s Josh Rowbotham found its way into the top corner on the stroke of half time.
Guisborough then doubled their advantage shortly after the break, with Rowbotham grabbing his second of the match.
Washy kept plugging away though, with Alex Dobinson and Jak Hanson coming close to halving the deficit.
It wasn’t to be though, as Town added a third at the end, with Sonni Coleman scoring for the hosts after a fine counter attack.
Washington season review
The dust has finally settled on what has been a long slog for Washington; who have avoided relegation to The Wearside League by the skin of their teeth.
The squad was ravaged by injuries as they went into the 2021/22 season, with new signings and fresh faces galore as the club looked to build on the previous season- where they once again survived relegation by the barest of margins.
Though as the club started the season with two disastrous defeats (3-1 at Horden and 6-1 at Billingham), there was little hope for a side which was clearly short on confidence.
Though, as Washington took maximum points off Esh Winning, many would have hoped that the side had turned a corner; this hope was short lived.
Damaging defeats would soon follow, shipping five goals one week, then six the next, then the odd seven goal thrashing left the side second bottom in the table. Only Durham City found themselves below Washington.
They went into the second half of the season in third bottom, having picked up a few precious points, including wins against Bedlington and the late, late show against local rivals Birtley Town which saw the club go into the festive period on a high.
The second half of the season finally came around and after a month long break, Washington picked up from where they left off; winning four of their next six games, easing relegation concerns for the next few weeks anyway.
Though in football, nothing is certain, and the devastating defeats would soon follow. Points were dropped at Ryton and back at home to Carlisle, relegation was suddenly feared as sides around them picked up points.
Confidence was clearly shot, as they lost four games consecutively, a 3-0 battering at relegation threatened Blyth Town did nothing to ease relegation fears, leaving the club in desperate need of points sooner rather than later.
Though they did arrive, in the battle of the bottom clubs- Washington took all three points away to Esh Winning to all but secure their safety for another season.
Though their safety was assured, Washington travelled to basement club Durham City on the final day of the season looking to take all three points.
Durham had gone an entire season without winning a league game, that was until Washington came to town. The hosts ran out 1-0 winners, a poor way for Washington to end the season.
However, Washington did steer themselves clear of relegation, thanks mostly to their mid season form. All eyes are on next season now, as they look to fire themselves up the division sooner rather than later.
Washington returned to The Hub for the third time in seven days, as we faced Durham City in the Ebac Northern League Division Two.
Washington went into the game with a point to prove, having lost their last three games in all competitions.
And prove a point they did, as they raced into a strong first half lead, Alex Dobinson, Jake Martindale and Brad Chisholm got the hosts off to the perfect start. They played to the same tune in the second half; Brad Chisholm bagging two more goals to complete his hat-trick. Washy's scoring ended there, however Durham's would begin, with Calvin Payne and Abdul Wahab scoring a goal each for the visitors.
The hosts dominated the first half, and had various penalty shouts through Aiden Hutchinson and Sam Hussanin.
Their pressure told though; Alex Dobinson fired the hosts into the lead with a delightful free kick, catching the Durham City goalkeeper off guard from all of 35 yards.
They didn't rest on the one goal however, and doubled their advantage some three minutes later, as Jake Martindale took advantage of a goalkeeping howler, and fired into an empty net.
Their first half goal glut continued as Brad Chisholm latched onto Sam Hussanin's inch perfect through ball and fired past the despairing Durham City 'keeper.
Washy picked up from where they left off in the second half; Brad Chisholm doubles his personal tally for the day with a scorching effort from 25 yards, leaving the Durham City keeper with no chance.
Chisholm's own personal triumph would continue, as he completed his hat-trick on 70 minutes. A rather simple finish for the winger this time, who had time to turn and finish inside the box.
Washington's domination ended there though as Durham tried to mount a comeback. The visitors did score two goals through Calvin Payne and an Abdul Wahab penalty though they were merely a consolation.
The visitors then had goalscorer Wahab sent off, before Washy manager Mark Gibbon was also given his marching orders.
Washington FC Vs Crook Town AFC- match report.
In a hard fought encounter, Washington went into the break two goals up, as Lewis McGeoch and Ethan Barella scored after devastating counter attacks. Crook came into the second half full of confidence still, and found themselves on level terms after 70 minutes. They kept pushing and pushing, and they weren't to be denied, as they found a winner in the 90th minute.
Washington came into this one on the back of a disappointing defeat at Esh Winning and faced tough competition, as table toppers Crook Town visited the Ford Hub.
Crook dominated the opening stages of the game, with Dan Maddison squandering an early opportunity from all of six yards out.
Washington had to withstand a serious amount of pressure though and did, as Brad Chisholm looked to make things happen. He did too, as Washy won a penalty mid way through the first half, as a fierce strike hit a Crook arm. Lewis McGeoch made no mistake, and confidently stood up to smash home.
Harry Archer was forced to make a few saves in the Washington goal, and made a world class save to deny Crook's Corey Nicholson.
Washy kept pushing though, and doubled their lead as the dangerous Brad Chisholm found Ethan Barella, who stroked the ball home from close range on the brink of half time.
That's where the positivity ended for Washington though, as the visitors pulled one back early into the second half through Matt Crossen.
They continued to pile on the pressure and levelled the game soon after, as Jamie Tumilty converted for the visitors.
The turnaround was complete late in the day, as Crook made sure they went back home with all three points.
Non continuity
I started off both films by adding a short notice to show approval of its screening. I used this as it is shown before films all over the world
For my non continuity film, I made the ending of my film the start to give the audience a sneak preview of what was to come. The ending shots that I used were, first of all, the scene where the robbers were caught as the investigator tells them to put their hands up and the scene where the robbers both beg to be let free. This is because it creates a cliffhanger for the viewer as to what will happen. It gives the best of both worlds, as at one point, the viewer doesn't understand whether the robber will be taken away, or if they will be let free.
My second edit of this film was to create a title opening, this was of the world spinning, as well as a dramatic background music sound, I used these to add realism to the film opening credits. In addition to the spinning world and dramatic music, I added the movie title above, to give the film an introduction.
The first edit of note in my film was the CCTV footage. I used a shot of 2 robbers walking onto the set where the bank was and unlinked the sound from the clip, as CCTV footage is always silent. In addition to the shot, I applied a CCTV overlay to give it realism and to inform the audience what they were watching.
For my next edit, the scene that follows on from my CCTV footage, I used secondary sounds for the investigator walking into his office. I used a footsteps sound for this clip, as I unlinked the original sound.
Trailer
For my trailer I used a dramatic sound throughout to add some tension. The use of my background sound was for the effect of the viewer not knowing what was going to happen next. I sourced this background music from youtube.
The next thing I added to my trailer was a short story introducing both sets of characters. The story introduces what will happen in the movie, but doesn't give it away, it doesn't give away whether they're faced up and dealt with, or if they get away.
The next thing I edited to my trailer was the introduction to the robbers, their names, and a short clip after to show what they do. I used this to give a brief intro to the main characters.
After this I used the clips of the robbers being caught, as well as the robbers attempting to fight back and avoid being taken away. I used this to leave the viewer on a cliffhanger as to whether they were let free or whether they did get taken away. It leaves the viewer with no clues as to what might happen.
I used a glass shattering sound effect to show a shift in focus, it transitioned from the light build up of the dramatic song to the fiery verse. It shifted from the sole focus of building up the characters in the trailer, to the action happening, the glass shattering was to represent a change in tone in the film trailer.
The first part of my shooting covered the CCTV footage needed for my film. For this footage, I had to shoot from a high angle, to resemble CCTV footage. In addition to this shot, I will use a CCTV overlay. For this scene, I experimented with shot types and angles to ensure I got the perfect shot.
The two above screenshots were from two slightly different angles and positions. I tried using higher and lower angles to ensure the shot ran smoothly. Seen as though it is CCTV footage, i opted for the higher angle footage to ensure it remained realistic and did in fact, resemble CCTV footage.
I applied a CCTV overlay to my footage to add realism. I gathered this overlay from google and as it was a raw cctv footage shot, i had to edit it on photoshop. To do this, I removed background colour from the overlay, and colour from all words on numbers on the outside. After this, i exported it from photoshop and used it on premiere pro. To make it perfect, I had to scale and size the overlay. Eventually, I exported the video and it will be used at the start of my film, as an over the shoulder shot.
The two above shots were taken from my first scene, where the lead investigator finds out there has been an attempted robbery. The scene includes the investigator walking past the camera and into the next room, where he will make the call to arrange an emergency meeting.
This shot is from the following scene in the film, where the investigator calls for the emergency meeting. This room is equipped with a computer, where he will show the CCTV footage of the robbers scoping out the bank when they arrive at the scene.
The 4 shots below are from the investigators exchanging words, i used a shot reverse shot technique to follow the conversation and to ensure it flows correctly. With the use of shot reverse shot
For the next scene, I made the investigators arrive at the scene and meet with the main investigator. In this scene I used a tracking shot and an over the shoulder shot. I used the over the shoulder shot in the film to get not only the reaction of the investigators on the screen, but to see the subject on the screen, the CCTV footage.
For my next scene, I had the assistant investigator calling the main investigator as he has found something that would interest his boss. For this shot, I used a long shot firstly to shoot the assistant calling his boss, to be able to get the full setting of the office in and finally to be able to see the computer they will be using in this scene. I used an over the shoulder shot in the second part of this scene, so the audience could gather an understanding of what the investigators were talking about during their conversation.
The next shot I used was the 2 robbers walking onto the shot heading toward the bank, followed by a long shot of an investigator tracking them down. I used the first shot to show the scene of the bank and its surroundings. The second shot was similar, the investigator walked onto the scene and this was used for the same effect as the first shot, to understand not only the setting but to gather information on the characters and how they operate. For example, when the investigator pulls the gun out on the robber, it gives a good insight on the character, you can see his full body language and his emotion, whereas if I were to use a shot from in front, or a shot from closer up, the full body language wouldn't have been revealed, making it some motionless.
ISO
For each shot I used I alternated the ISO to improve the lighting on the set and to be able to get a better shot. For the shot below I had to change the ISO considerably, as the lights in the room were dim and the characters were hard to make out, therefore the ISO had to be increased.
Another example of increasing the ISO is when we were outside filming the approach to the bank scene, the ISO needed decreasing as we were facing the sun, which was making the shot too bright, therefore you wouldn't have been able to make out the scene at all.
For my final shots, I used shot reverse shot. I used this technique to show a flow of conversation from the robbers and the investigators who have tracked them down. These shots are close ups as it can show full emotion of a character. This shot can be seen as a 'POV' shot, which typically films the head, or an extreme close up of the character speaking. This shot can typically be found in 'Peep Show'.
Film shooting/Planning
Day 1- On my first day of shooting I shot the scoping out scene of the bank. For our contingency plan, I checked out the location beforehand to check what was needed for the lighting. After finding out the lighting was fine, I proceeded to checking out the perfect angle for the robbers walking into the bank. I used a tripod and camera, as no sound was necessary due to it being CCTV footage. For costume I had to ensure the characters were wearing dark clothing to ensure it was a realistic heist plan. I took multiple shots of this scene to ensure I got the lighting perfect, as well as the angle, I had to make sure the characters could be seen perfectly without any mishaps. As well as the cctv scene, I shot the robbers approaching the bank as it is the same location. In this shot, I altered the ISO on the camera so the lighting was perfect.
Day 2- On my second day of shooting, I shot the scene where the robbers were planning out their raid on the bank. For this scene I lowered the ISO to give it a low key lighting, to make sure the characters profiles were low. For this shot I used a room with a low source of light. Again for this shot I had my characters wearing dark clothing as it relates to a stereotypical robber, as they wear all black, or very dark clothing, typically. I used a tripod and camera, as I tested the sound of the room and found a mic wasn't required. For the shooting I tested high and low angle to get the best possible shot.
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Day 3- On the 3rd day, I shot the investigators talking through their plan to take down the robbers. In this shot, I had to use 2 different costume types, the first of which being the investigator wearing a shirt and tie to show professionalism in his career, and the second being the main investigator wearing normal clothes due to his unawareness of what was going to happen, this being getting a call from his assistant investigator informing him that there had been a find. For my lighting, I tested the ISO to attempt to enhance the lighting, I tried using side lights however they weren't necessary. The lighting was fine as it was on set. I attempted to use a mic, however as it was in a refined close area, the sound wasn't affected, therefore a mic wasn't necessary. Therefore again I used a camera and tripod.
