New Jerusalem

Tow Law Town    4   Crook Town   3

Northern League – Division Two

It seemed a good idea at the time, although I did have my reservations.

Buying a cross trainer that is, you see Mrs H and I had decided to join a gym, before Christmas, but when the lurgy struck and gym’s closed, we were left without anywhere to get sweaty!

So, and it was Mrs H who had the idea, we buy the cross trainer, I spend half a day building it, and we could remain at the peak of physical condition, knowing the fridge and the lager was only a flight of stairs away.

Like a lot of things though, and I could have gambled the mortgage on this, it wouldn’t last. All was going fine until we went on holiday, and since then, it’s turned into a clothes rack!

But, I decided to make a concerted effort the other week to get back on it again, but not only that, increase the amount of time per session, but the problem was, I found it boring and tedious. So, to make the time pass a bit quicker, I decided to create a little musical playlist to both help thetime along, and perhaps motivate me to push that little bit harder.

To be fair, it worked, and my playlist is perhaps like no other. I’d got my old favourite Baba O’Riley by the Who, I’d got David Gilmour doing a live version in Pompeii of the Floyds Comfortably Numb, I’d even got a stirring version of Edward Elgar’s Nimrod, but I’d also got another, and it was one I’d kind of forgotten about until recently.

Back in 2013 when Derry was given the title of UK City of Culture, they released numerous promotional videos, but one was simply brilliant. Entitled ‘Silver Cities Rise’ the music was Carly Simon’s ‘Let The River Run’ but sung by Irish singers, once I’d found it, it was straight onto the playlist, a more uplifting piece of music you will struggle to find.

Then, on Tuesday as I was driving from our office in York to our office in Middlesbrough, I was listening to the radio and on came that bumbling buffoon that purports to be our leader, and he talked about creating a post-Covid ‘New Jerusalem’. Those words, in a strange kind of way, struck something of a chord as they took me back to the song I was just eulogising about, as they’re contained in in the first verse. As crap as the World is right now, and it’s seemingly about to get crapper still, some pieces of music can take you away from it, and I was soon back in a happier place once more.

My train of thought started to pick up pace though as I meandered along the A19 into Teesside, what actually is the New Jerusalem? I’m not religious, in fact after my recent blog about the Derby Church League I’m currently number one target for an exorcism, so I have little or no knowledge of the bible and it’s utterings. I was guessing, that it’s the creation of a better place, maybe even a kind of utopia to some extent, but certainly, a vision of something better, an ideal perhaps?

I thought no more of it as I dropped off the A66 onto Newport Road and found my way to the Travelodge in Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough is not a town I’ve visited very often, I’m not massively familiar with it, and to be truthful, my first impressions were not fantastic, but more on that in the next blog……..

The football planning for Tuesday had not been that straightforward. I’d originally looked at the Billingham Town v Stockton Town game but, that was called off at the weekend due to floodlight issues, although to be honest I think they wanted it off because of the current climate on Teesside and the restrictions it’s under. Plus, that game would ordinarily be a 500+ attendance so how they would have dealt with tickets / allocations and all that given the proximity between the two clubs is anyone’s guess.

Plan B was Ryhope Colliery Welfare v Shildon, but Covid struck that one, so that left just the one game that I could get to, and it was to be the local derby between Tow Law Town and Crook Town. I had a look at the arrangements, arrive early as only 150 would be let in (local restrictions) and it would take about 40 minutes from Middlesbrough.

Checked in, changed, and fuelled up, it was time to head over via Tony Blair’s part of the World (Sedgefield), across to the edges of Newton Aycliffe, through the centre of Bishop Auckland and past the site of their wonderful old Kingsway ground that is now housing.

The journey then took me through Crook, with their fantastic old ground visible in the distance, before climbing up and into the little County Durham town of Tow Law, a small town with a population of just over two thousand, and a former home of the iron industry with it’s mines and blast furnaces.

The A68 is the main road that runs through the town, and it’s as you come out of the town to the North that you drop a left onto Ironworks Road, with the home of Tow Law Town FC on your right hand side, the ground itself being called ‘The Ironworks’. At this stage you are something like a thousand feet above sea level, and it comes as no surprise that visitors to Tow Law often remark that it’s one of the coldest places they’ve ever watched football.

What about the club though?

Well, we are talking about one of the big names of Northern League football here, albeit they’ve only one the championship the once since the War, in 1994-95. Despite that, they’ve graced Wembley when in 1998 they lost 1-0 to Tiverton Town in the FA Vase Final, having beaten Taunton Town over two legs in the semi.

Back in the late Sixties they had a famous result in the FA Cup. It was the 1967-68 season and after South Shields were disposed of in the Fourth Qualifying Round, they drew Mansfield Town at the Ironworks, and recorded a remarkable and famous 5-1 victory over the Stags (I have the programme!). In the next round they drew 1-1 with Shrewsbury Town at the Ironworks before losing the replay 6-2.

The following season they drew Mansfield Town again in the FA Cup, this time losing 4-1 at Field Mill.

Recent seasons have been less kind on the field, they were relegated to the Second Division of the Northern League in 2012, and in fairness, they’ve not really looked like coming back since.

I think it was when I walked into the ground that it hit me, I suddenly realised as I surveyed the scene that I’d discovered it, I’d found football’s New Jerusalem.

The Ironworks is a quite brilliant non-league football ground, oozing history and character, but not only that, the views from it’s lofty location are quite stunning. You could close your eyes and imagine the packed terraces when Mansfield were getting royally spanked, you could imagine Chris Waddle back in the day when he was a teenager being roared on by the crowd before his big move to Newcastle United. You just knew this was a special place, a proper football club, a proper football ground, the kind that is so few and far between these days.

I’d found my happy place in a World of uncertainty and anxiety, but not only that, we had a local derby to look forward to against near neighbours Crook Town who before the game sat top of the league.

I’d better describe the ground hadn’t I? You come in through the turnstiles behind the goal, and to your right is the clubhouse, while to your left is some terracing with the dressing rooms sat beyond. On the side to your left is a seated stand, clad in black and white with a mural at the back and the views to the rear of it. Opposite you at the far end is some further covered terracing that angles with the slope of the pitch, while to your right is some open terracing that gives a fine elevated view of the pitch, and of course the scenery.

The cap a perfect night, the game was an absolute classic. Tow Law took the lead in the first minute when Barrie Smith converted a penalty, and then barely ten minutes had passed before it was 2-0 thanks to a fine header from Tom MacAloon.

Tow Law were rampant and they made it 3-0 in the 23^rd minute when Michael Brown slid the ball home, however Crook gave themselves a lifeline when Daniel Kent found the net.

The second half started with Crook on the front foot and with tackles flying in it was the hosts who went down to ten men when Jeff Smith was sent off for a heavy challenge. This spurred Crook on but from a breakaway Tow Law were awarded another penalty that Smith converted for his second and the Lawyers fourth of the game.

Lew Graham in the Lawyers goal pulled off a string of superb saves to keep Crook out, and then with ten minutes to go it was parity in terms of numbers when Dale Elgie was sent off for Crook when he was the last man. Bizarrely, moments later Crook found themselves down to nine men when a player was sin binned for arguing the toss. Throw in a disallowed goal for the visitors and it was all happening!

The man disadvantage didn’t perturb Crook too much though, as that man Kent scored in the 82^nd minute, and then completed his hat-trick in the last minute. Battle as they did, Crook could not force the equaliser and Tow Law hung on for a brilliant victory in a breath taking game of football. The cheers at the final whistle were audible from Tow Law, while the healthy Crook contingent were left to lament a disastrous opening half an hour that ultimately cost them dear.  

Boris, if you want to know what the New Jerusalem looks like then get yourself to a small town in County Durham, ask your mate Dominic Cummings, he knows the way………