Brighton Rocks

Haywards Heath Town  2  Whitehawk  2

Isthmian Football League – Division One South East

We do like a trip away between Christmas and New Year do Mrs H and I.

Last year we ended up in Southampton, but over the years we’ve been to Canterbury, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Brighton to name but a few.

It gets a little bit harder each year though as we do like to combine it around football and as I’ve managed to tick off a vast number of grounds over the last few years, finding a location that is both a decent place to have a break, and carries with it a bit of new ground action, is a challenge.

I did initially look at Edinburgh again this year as games were staggered over the Saturday and Sunday, but Mrs H was not happy with that as she felt the drive was too long. Consequently we took a punt on Brighton again, and if the weather was obliging, then we could get to a game in Sussex on the Saturday, and then head up to London on the Sunday for either the one and only game in non-league football in Dartford, or a professional game somewhere in the capital.

As it turned out, the weather was the best it had been for several weeks, so as we made the 7am departure from Belper on the Saturday morning, I had no major concerns about our first choice game at Haywards Heath Town taking place.

Brighton was reached by 10.30am and that gave us time to have a wander round the Lanes and get some lunch. An incident occurred as we left the car park and a small child bolted out in front of us from between stationery vehicles. Thankfully the child was pushed out of the way by his alert Father, but it was to be Dad who took the brunt of the front of my car. Fortunately, other than being somewhat shaken and distressed, everyone was in one piece, so a relatively lucky escape all round.

We took the back route to Haywards Heath and pulled into the car park around twenty past two. The game in question was to be against Brighton based neighbours Whitehawk, a club we have visited in the past, and indeed a club who have supporters who are connected to yourleague.tv, an online TV channel that interviewed me last season when I was at Billericay Town.

Haywards Heath Town have historically been a Sussex County League side (until it was re-named the Southern Combination), and looked to have been promoted at the end of the 2016-17 season, but they were deducted nine points for fielding an ineligible player and that meant Shoreham took the promotion place instead.

No such problems in 2017-18 though, they came through as champions and were in the Isthmian League for the first time. Last season almost saw them promoted again, but they lost a play-off semi final to neighbours Horsham.

They have a very nice ground when it comes to the Hanbury Park Stadium. Located to the East of the town centre, it sits on the back of a residential area, and as you drive in behind the goal and turn left a car park extends all the way down one side of the ground and half way behind the opposite goal.

At the end where you enter in your car are the turnstiles plus a small area of sheltered standing running from the side of the goal down to the corner flag. The business side of the ground is where it’s all at though. A superb old stand with a tall pitched roof is the focal point, and while showing it’s age in many ways, it does have some new blue seats bolted onto the benches. The clubhouse and dressing rooms are underneath the stand, and only when you walk down the steps to the clubhouse do you realise the scale of the structure, it really is an iconic non-league stand and one I hope remains for many more years.

The pitch was a bit heavy but certainly playable, and in front of a crowd of 337, which included a good number from East Brighton who it appeared had got the noon train, a very entertaining game unfolded.

HHT were the better team in the first half and the unfortunate Trevor McCreadie (no relation to Edie from Balamory) will want to forget the moment he rounded the Whitehawk goalkeeper and then with an open net in front of him and less than six yards out, he somehow managed to sky the ball over the bar! The less said about that the better, for Trevor’s sake at least!

HHT could count themselves unfortunate not to be in the lead at half time having created chances and had the bulk of possession, but as often happens, on the hour mark the visitors took the lead through Ahmed Abdulla who netted from close range with a neat flick.

However, within ten minutes of Whitehawk taking the lead, HHT were level when Ryan Warwick found the roof of the net, also from close range.

Whitehawk were soon back in front when Henry Muggeridge found the net, from guess what, close range, only for the hosts to score the leveller and the final goal of the game just three minutes later when Callum Saunders slotted home.

HHT did look the most likely to score as the game moved towards its closing stages, but in all fairness, on balance, the draw was perhaps the right result. HHT sit just below half way in the table while Whitehawk remain in play-off contention.

We made an easy escape from the ground and indeed Haywards Heath, and that gave us the chance to enjoy a night of drinkies and food in the Lanes back in Brighton. It was busy, it always is, but then Brighton is such a fabulous place I wouldn’t expect it any other way.

The peace was shattered when at 3.45am our neighbours decided to return from their night out with a noisy and musical announcement. Revenge was ours though, as we left at 10am, the ‘Please Clean Our Room’ sign was removed from our door and placed on there’s as they slept, I’m sure when the cleaner burst into the room they got a nice shock!

It was time to head to Dartford……..

The Clanging Chimes Of Doom

Coleshill Town  1  Halesowen Town  1

Southern Football League – Division One Central

I’m not a fan of the festive period, not one little bit.

In fact, if it wasn't for the fact it offers such a plethora of football options, I genuinely think I’d look to go away somewhere remote and return home around New Years Eve time, such is my dislike of the ‘clanging chimes of doom’.

Boxing Day is the first moment of respite from the awfulness, this year I’ve had to wait five days between matches, with the last game I went to being at Burton Albion on the 21^st of December. So when St Stephens Day (to give it it’s proper name) finally came around, I could get in my car safe in the knowledge that the Radio had finally ceased playing those awful Christmas songs.

I toyed with a few options, a couple of Football League and National League game looked tempting, but with the overnight weather being a bit on the wet side and a few clubs showing signs of apprehension about pitch conditions, I chose to play it very safe.

Coleshill Town’s plastic pitch was as safe as it was going to get, and with high flying Halesowen Town in town with their large army of noisy fans in tow, it looked as go a bet as any for some footballing action.

I first went to Coleshill in 2004, it was a midweek game against Coventry Sphinx, which almost didn’t take place due to an issue with one of the floodlights. I didn’t go again until a couple of days before Christmas in 2015 when I took our old and sadly departed mate Paul to watch them play Quorn.

Life has been pretty good to Coleshill in recent seasons, they’ve obviously had a plastic pitch put down, they’ve also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase, only to lose to a very good South Shields, while in the league they’ve earned promotion from the Midland Football League to Step 4.

That promotion finally came in 2018 when they finished runners-up of the aforementioned Midland League for the second year on the bounce, and in their first campaign in the Southern League, last season, they finished a very creditable ninth position.

Prior to the recent successes, they were a Midland Combination side from 1972, right through to winning the top flight in 2008 and eventually with it gaining promotion to the Midland Alliance, which of course merged with the Combination to create what is now the Midland League.

Coleshill is a dead easy place to get to, sitting right alongside the M42, just to the North of Birmingham Airport. It takes about an hour from home to get to it, and the first thing that strikes you as you enter the town is how nice a place it looks to live in, and to socialise in, with it’s large choice of pubs.

The ground sits a decent way out of the town to the South side, out in the sticks somewhat along Packington Lane. As long as you arrive early enough the car park is big enough to cater for most crowds, but otherwise, you can park on the road outside.

Since it’s had the artificial surface down, the club have erected a small but tall stand behind the dugouts on the West side of the ground, while opposite the old cover has had some new seats put in it, while from memory based  on my first visit, it does look like it’s been extended further down the touchline.

It’s open flat standing behind both goals whereas a modest sized clubhouse sits in the corner of the ground, while new dressing rooms have been built / dropped in at pitch side to the North of the old stand. It’s a tidy facility and it’s well used, with Chelmsley Town of the Midland League also using the ground.

A seasons best crowd of 411 were in attendance, and I would have estimated a good two thirds of them were Yeltz supporters. The game started well for the visitors and they took a seventh minute lead through Montel Gibson, and to be fair, by the time it got to half time, they should have been out of sight, but somehow failed to find the target despite the lions share of possession.

The second half followed a similar pattern largely, but chance after chance continued to go begging, mainly due to the Yeltz’s inability to get efforts on target, so on a rare breakaway when Coleshill were awarded a clear penalty for a foul, you did wonder whether Halesowen were going to be made to pay.

Liam Molesworth put his 78^th minute spot kick away, and once again Halesowen camped in the hosts half of the field, but again, it was the same old story of missed chances. On another day, Yeltz would have won the game handsomely, but football is a bit like that, and I’m sure Coleshill manager Cameron Stuart will have been delighted with the point in the final analysis.

Football’s back, Christmas is over, normal service will soon be resuming. It started to rain as I drove home, if anything is a sign of normal service resuming, then the wet stuff is as good as any.

Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it's our last.....

Moonlight Shadow

New Mills  2  Derby County U23  1

Derbyshire Senior Cup – Quarter Final

There are many misconceptions in the World, a good example would be that Mike Oldfield’s song “Moonlight Shadow” was written about the death of John Lennon.

Oldfield admits himself that it wasn’t the case, but not only that, the song contains some factual differences. For example, the line ‘shot six times by a man on the run’ is incorrect, Lennon was shot four times, and Mark Chapman, who pulled the trigger, was certainly not on the run.

Also, ‘4am in the morning, carried away by a moonlight shadow’, two problems with that, Lennon was shot just before 11pm, and meteorological evidence demonstrates that indeed the night of his death was not in fact a moonlit one!

Another common misconception that us Southern Derbyshire types have is that if you draw New Mills, or Glossop North End, away in the Derbyshire Senior Cup, the chances of the game being played between November and February are pretty much non-existent as the place stays permanently three feet under snow and largely inaccessible.

Of course, that’s tripe, it might be a touch colder in the High Peak, but it isn’t markedly different to anywhere else in the Shire weather wise. So that was why I was confident to make the trip across from my work base in Sheffield to watch the Millers game against a Derby County side that was supposedly Under 23’s.

Friends and colleagues may have questioned my sanity, suggesting I take a blanket and a shovel to survive the night, but those ignorant types who have little or no knowledge of the playing surface at Church Lane, were to eat their words, and despite solid rain from 5.30pm, right through to around 9pm, all was good in the World. Stick to Mike Oldfield and John Lennon references……..

I first went to watch a game at New Mills in 2004, the club had just gained promotion to the North West Counties League after finishing next to bottom in the Manchester League (yep – not sure either!), and had a home game at the excellently appointed Church Lane ground against Oldham Town.

I didn’t go again until around December time in 2010 to watch Belper Town win 4-1 in a Derbyshire Senior Cup tie, the season when New Mills won the top flight of the NWCL and made it to the Northern Premier League.

We now need a potted history lesson.

There was a New Mills side that joined the Cheshire County League in 1974, competing in the top flight until 1978 when they dropped to the second tier. They were part of the newly formed North West Counties League in 1982, competing in the second tier, but after finishing bottom, they disappeared from the league completely due to financial pressures.

A new incarnation of New Mills re-appeared, competing in the Manchester League, where they stayed until the ‘promotion’ back to the NWCL in 2004. Crowds were always good at Church Lane and in 2007-08 they were crowned champions of the Second Division and with it came promotion to the top flight. 

They finished runners-up in consecutive seasons (2008-09 / 2009-10) before the title winning campaign I referred to earlier. The 2008-09 campaign was a notable one as the club set the record for the most consecutive wins in the league with 21, and they ended up losing the title to AFC Fylde who beat them on the final day, 5-0, to win the title on goal difference.

They were placed in the First Division South of the NPL (which I seem to recall was not their preferred option) finishing ninth, before a lateral switch to the North section the following season saw them finish third and enter the Play-Offs. They lost to Trafford in the semi-final.

Two seasons of struggle followed before they found themselves back in the NWCL, only to be relegated again to the second tier, where they remain today. It seems the heady days of the NPL took their toll financially, and the club is having to re-build again.

What they haven’t got to rebuild is the ground at Church Lane, which is a great facility, and the eagle eyed will spot that it was the setting for Sky’s comedy programme ‘Rovers’, whihc was about a fictional non-league football club and the characters that surrounded it.

When I first went they had a stand on each side of the pitch, but nowadays, the side opposite Church Lane is no longer accessible for spectators, largely due to a floodlit five-a-side court having been built towards the clubhouse end of the ground.

The Church Lane side has a covered standing area up to the half way line, and then stretching down beyond the half way line is a more modern seated stand. Behind the East goal is the clubhouse and the dressing rooms, with hard standing in front, elevated up above the pitch level. It’s flat standing behind the West goal, while the ground is floodlit, and has been for a good number of years.

It’s a really nice ground, and does evoke memories of the days of the Cheshire League when the likes of Marine, Chorley, Stalybridge Celtic, Rhyl, Hyde United and Witton Albion were regular visitors.

The weather was rubbish, and as a result it did impact on the attendance. The club were clearly hoping for more than the 92 that paid to get in, with a fair few of the hard core Rams fans having made the journey up, including the legendary Mick Derby, the DCFC mad taxi driver who barely misses a game at any level.

The game was very good to watch, the Rams took the lead in the 12^th minute through Josh Shonibare, but the hosts pressed, tackled and harried, and on balance of play at half time could feel a touch unfortunate not to be level.

That all changed in the second period when I thought New Mills were quite superb. Two goals in a minute from Darren McKnight and Shelton Payne turned the game on it’s head and the onus was on Derby to find the equaliser. Granted, they had plenty of possession in the closing stages but New Mills were well marshalled at the back and defended superbly to keep the Rams at bay.

The final whistle was greeted with joy, and the Millers make the semi-finals of a competition they’ve never won. It will be a hard trophy to win with the likes of Belper Town, Matlock Town, Alfreton Town and Glossop North End still in the mix, but they’ve already won at Ilkeston Town this season, and one thing they won’t be short on is effort and indeed confidence.

It took an hour to get back home, no road closures, no snow drifts, no need to get the flask out. The High Peak, I am pleased to say, is functioning quite normally under the current climatic circumstances, and Mike Oldfield is still trying to convince the World that John Lennon was not in his thoughts the day he penned those lyrics….

The Etwall Adventure

Sherwin  1  Sleetmoor United  4

Midlands Regional Alliance – First Division  

I wasn’t really in the mood for heading any great distance, so when a chance look at the Midlands Regional Alliance fixtures showed that Sherwin’s game at Sleetmoor United had been reversed to the plastic at Etwall Leisure Centre, my mind was made up.

I’d only spotted a week or so earlier that Sherwin had indeed moved onto the plastic, which would be the fourth different venue I’ve seen them play at, the others being Chellaston Park, Darley Park and Alvaston Park. I did a double check with Dan Bishop from the MRA and he confirmed that the move was in place for at least the remainder of the season.

Now then, Etwall is a village South West of Derby, very close to Mickleover, and despite being the place where my Dad was schooled and my niece is now also schooled (John Port), I’d never set foot in the place, ever, so this was going to be something of an adventure. As far as adventures go, granted, it’s hardly a trip up the Khyber Pass, but when excitement in your life is finding a pub that sells KP Dry Roasted Peanuts, you start to get my drift?

My old pal Dave phoned up just as I was leaving Belper, and by the time our conversation about mad Irishmen running football clubs in the general area of Leamington had finished, I was pulling into the car park of the said Leisure Centre.

There was of course time for a swift pint at one of the two pubs on the main road in the village, that sit opposite John Port School, and my choice was the Spread Eagle, which didn’t sell KP Nuts, the bastards! Otherwise, it was a fine establishment which was full of cheery Derby County fans taking their sedatives prior to travelling to Pride Park to watch the dirge being served up by the Dutch comedian that claims to be a football manager.

It was while sat in the said pub that my mind wandered, in the direction of the infamous and indeed ill-fated Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup. A midweek competition that Belper Town, amongst various others, played in for a number of years during the late Eighties and early Nineties. I think the train of thought came about due to the proximity of the A50 and indeed Rocester who were a regular opponent in the prestigious competition, but anyway, it resulted in me plotting some research into it’s history.

So in a future blog you can read about all the un-played games, that usually involved Leek Town who got invited into it year after year despite seemingly having no intention of ever playing in it!

Digression aside, what about Etwall Leisure Centre, the new home of Sherwin Football Club? Well. It’s a 3G caged pitch with a viewing area down one side, although to be fair you could stand pretty much wherever you liked to watch the game. The changing rooms were behind one of the goals inside the centre itself, which sits adjacent to the school buildings.  

Visiting Sleetmoor United have had a decent season, their first in Saturday football, having won five and drawn one of their games so far. Sherwin on the other hand have had an indifferent season, having won two and drawn one of their ten games.

The game followed the formbook. Sleetmoor scored twice in each half, with Michael Chapman netting a hat-trick and Connor Mogford getting the other goal. Sherwin’s reply came from Sulayman Cham in the second half, but they never looked likely to pose the visitors too many problems.

I must give a shout out to the Secretary’s / Manager’s of both clubs though. Stewart Worthington of Sherwin and Roger Kerry of Sleetmoor were both quick to confirm the game being on in the morning, and indeed it was good to have a chat to Roger before the game about the progress Sleetmoor are making, and their future plans.

Of course, it would also be remiss of me not to give Dan Bishop of the MRA another mention, so there you are Dan, you’ve got another mention! In all seriousness, he does some sterling work for the league, despite little in the way of help from the authorities.

So, home for just after 4pm, while the Spread Eagle locals were still suffering at Pride Park, could be worse though, they could have been travelling to an Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup game, that was only going to be postponed anyway, at Leek!

An Unlikely Rivallry

Armthorpe Welfare  0  Selby Town  4

Northern Counties East League – First Division  

It was the most unlikely of rivalries.

We are going back to the mid-Nineties and Belper Town were vying to get out of the Northern Counties League and into the promised land of the Northern Premier League.

The 95-96 season was to prove a real roller coaster of a campaign for the Nailers, and ultimately, despite battling on many fronts, promotion was denied on the final day of the season by Ossett Town, which in turn allowed Stocksbridge Park Steels to be promoted.

One team though proved to be a real nemesis, and that was Armthorpe Welfare, not only were they a tough team to beat, it just seemed to bring the worst out in the supporters. I can remember getting stuffed 5-3 at the Welfare Ground, with home players goading the Belper fans and vice-versa, and that lead to some unpleasant scenes when punches were being thrown through the back of the net between supporters and players after Belper had scored.

The return game at Belper finished 1-1, and that caused even more controversy. This time, a shocking refereeing display by Paul Pawson, combined with more goading and baiting, saw a Belper Town fan (Alan Grace) receive a twelve month ban from the ground due to his alleged behaviour, which included ducking under the players barrier to confront the referee at the final whistle.

His ban was a serious cause of debate, I was on the committee at the time and stood up for him. You see, I know for a fact that several Belper fans behaved far worse than he did on a regular basis, myself included, but because Alan was loud, he stood out, and at that stage the club, I felt, were just waiting for the chance to jump on him.  An administration mix up meant he was unable to present his case, and consequently, once banned, he never set foot in the ground ever again, to this day. He remains the only supporter to ever be banned from Christchurch Meadow.

The following year, the season Belper finally got promotion, the game at Armthorpe finished 1-1, but when we won 1-0 at Belper, that victory felt like we’d won the league there and then, it was massive.

So why did it flare up like it did? I think it was two fold, firstly, Armthorpe were a decent side, and they were incredibly streetwise, so on the pitch Belper found them a tough nut to crack and also somewhat intimidating. Couple that with the fact that the Welfare players knew exactly how to wind the fans up, you had the perfect storm.

What I would say is that the rivalry definitely got to Belper far more than it did Armthorpe, I don’t think Armthorpe gave it much of a second thought other than on match day, whereas at Belper we’d be talking about it weeks before it took place! Put it another way, when we did get promoted, guess who were the first club to invite us to visit in pre-season for a friendly, yep, you’ve guessed it!

So, it was August 1997 and Armthorpe Welfare beat Belper Town 5-2 in a friendly (we still couldn’t beat them at the Welfare Ground!), and that was the last time I set foot in the place, over twenty two years ago, a re-visit was long overdue.

Armthorpe Welfare came out of the Doncaster Senior League in 1983 and within a couple of seasons they’d gained two promotion and found themselves in the top flight of the NCEL. They stayed in that division from 1985 right through to 2017, an incredible run in all fairness, and in terms of success, the nearest they came to a win and promotion was in 2010 when they finished third, after leading the league for a considerable spell of the season.

Relegation came in 2017, and for the last couple of seasons they’ve struggled a little in the First Division, but this time around they are sitting in a healthy position, and will clearly be looking to return to Step 5 football.

Armthorpe is a village to the East of Doncaster, just off the M18. The old Markham Main Colliery was a huge employer in the village but in 1996 the mine closed and the area fell into depression economically. Nowadays it’s considered one of the more affluent areas of Doncaster and with new industry and services moving into the area (taking advantage of the land that surrounds the village), it’s seen as an up and coming place. It was noticeable as I drove into the village just how busy it was along with main Church Street, not just with cars, but with shops and amenities.

One thing hasn’t changed though, parking isn’t easy! The Welfare Ground sits behind Morrison’s on the main road, and with minimal car parking at the ground you have to find space on the road, or as I did, take advantage of the shopper only free parking at the B & M Store!

The ground hasn’t changed an awful lot either, from memory. The Philip Mitchell Stand still sits just inside the turnstiles with it’s bench style seats, while behind the West goal (where the infamous altercation took place!) is an area of cover. The rest of the ground is hard standing, while the players change in a brick built building that sits at an angle to the corner flag.

The old floodlight pylons, that came straight from the pit yard, are a throwback to yesteryear, while the pitch was in very good condition considering the recent bad weather. What was new was the club house that sat behind the stand, I don’t remember that from my last visit.

It was a bloody freezing night, and in fairness, the loyal locals were hardly warmed up by the display from the home side. Visiting Selby Town were by far the better team, they were much quicker while the passing and movement was way ahead of what Armthorpe could produce on the night.

Charlie Clamp gave the well supported visitors the lead in the first half, while goals in the second half from Liam Flanagan, Jon Vass and Casey Stewart rounded off a comprehensive 4-0 victory, that saw Selby move just behind Armthorpe in the table into sixth place.

So, after twenty two years, no arguments with the home players, no punches thrown in the back of the net, and no being chased out of town by the angry locals. Armthorpe was welcoming, it was hospitable and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Maybe the problem was us after all!!

A Welcome Homecoming

Wortley  1  Leeds Medics & Dentists  2

Yorkshire Amateur League – Supreme Division  

It’s hard to imagine that you could be into December and not yet played a home game this season.

Well, this is the case with West Leeds based Wortley FC, the side newly promoted to the Supreme Division of the Yorkshire Amateur League at the start of the season. They won the Championship at a canter last time around and no doubt had high hopes of creating an impression this time around.

I’d originally got them pencilled in for a visit on a midweek night in August, until it transpired that all of their initial home games were postponed, and it turns out that was to do with the ongoing construction of new dressing rooms at their ground.

Beyond that, I did try and make a visit back in November, but the weather put paid to that plan, and to be honest, it has done ever since. Prior to Saturday they had only played four league games all season, and to put that into perspective, Athletico from the same division have played fourteen!

So, with an affirmative from the helpful club secretary on the Friday afternoon (subject to biblical weather in the interim period), the game against the wonderfully titled Leeds Medics & Dentists was on, and Wortley were homeward bound.

Of course, biblical weather did not arrive, in fact Saturday was one of the most beautiful days of the year, perfect for football, and once again a prompt service from Hon Sec confirmed all was ok. I was subsequently pointed in the right direction of the ground, otherwise thanks to my shoddy research and presumptive nature I would have ended up in the wrong place! The first two places I thought they played at turned out to be wrong!

Wortley then, the easiest way to get to it is to take the M1 onto the M621 and then head to the exit just after Elland Road. A right at the roundabout takes you onto the main road that runs parallel to the Blue Hill Lane where West Leeds Rugby Club is located.

Why West Leeds Rugby Club? Well, in the league directory this is detailed as the clubs headquarters, and the ground is stated as being on the same road, but, the ground is actually just off Blue Hill Lane round the back of some houses, while the Rugby Club is indeed the football clubs eating and drinking space.  

I arrived as the footballers were milling in the car park, which gave me confidence to have a pint safe in the knowledge that all was present and correct. I would have had some dry roasted peanuts, but they didn’t stock the correct variety, as readers of my blog will now be well aware of. #KPnutsonly

Suitably refreshed, I headed down to behind the rugby pitch, out of the gate and down to the cul-de-sac where the pitch is located, right at the end, across a muddy track and upon something of a plateau.

With a smart brick built clubhouse of the new variety behind the goal, the pitch is railed on three sides. On one side is a huge bank which provides a good view of the game, as long as you stick to one end of it as some trees block the view otherwise. The pitch looked in good nick, but talking to referee Damian Edge before the game, he did say the area in front of the dugouts was a touch on the sticky side.

It was good to talk to Damian to be fair, a former rugby union man turned football, he has spent the last few weeks calling games off and going shopping on a Saturday so this was welcome for him to actually have a game to officiate.

The visitors, who are made up of medical students (as you would expect) came into the game without a win to their name yet this season, having finished runner-up last time around. However, in the first period they were comfortably the better side. Goals from Alex Diaz and Colm Hicks gave them a 2-0 lead and they were certainly good value for that.

The second period was a different ball game. Wortley got into their rhythm and spent much of the half on top, pulling a goal back through substitute Callum Bell, but despite plenty of late pressure they couldn’t find the equaliser that they deserved on the second forty five minute showing.

It had been a good game, at a tidy venue, but for Wortley, the defeat will no doubt have hurt, but the relief of finally being back home after all this time is perhaps for them the highlight of the afternoon. They’ve got some serious catching up to do though, lets hope the weather Gods are smiling on them.

Northern Lights

Stockton Town  2  Sunderland RCA  0

Northern League – Division One

It is without doubt, to my own detriment, that I haven’t watched enough football in the North East.

Yes, the league clubs have all been done, the new and the old at Middlesbrough and Sunderland, the Step 1-4 stuff (minus Dunston but that’s another story), but I have to be honest, the Northern League has been relatively uncharted territory.

When you look at it pragmatically though, there is no reason why I haven’t ventured up more often. 

Firstly, it’s not as far away as you might think, secondly, the top tier is comfortably the best Step 5 league on the isle bar none, the Vase results confirm that, thirdly, the grounds are great and the support excellent, and finally, the welcome is so very friendly.

This season though, circumstance has forced my hand a little, for the better. You see, an extra division is dropping in at Step 4, so all three of the Northern Step 5 leagues are promoting three clubs each. So, by definition, I’ve got my eye on the Northern League to see who might be moving into the Northern Premier League next season.

Hebburn Town are splashing the cash and were pre-season favourites, while also in the mix as we stand are Consett, Shildon and Newton Aycliffe. However, the best record of the lot, and victors over Hebburn only a week earlier are Stockton Town, the FA Vase finalists from two seasons ago, a club very much on the up, and with a midweek game on the plastic, it was from my own point of view, a no brainer!

I did a quick Google Map exercise when I saw the fixture and noted  I could get home in just less than two hours, so that made my mind up, it was happening and it was happening very soon.

The journey to Stockton is dead easy, take the A1 and the A19, and then depending on the traffic you can either carry straight on to the A66 Darlington Road and enter Stockton that way, or, as I did, turn off a bit earlier and travel up through the pretty town that is Yarm. Those of us of a certain age will remember listening to Dance Anthems on Radio One and hearing about the nights at ‘Tall Trees’ in Yarm, when the likes of Judge Jules, Pete Tong and Tall Paul would be on the decks.

I timed my journey North to perfection, but without prior knowledge, the home of Stockton Town is not that easy to locate. I mean, you can see it, it sits on the junction of two roads, but access is via a Sixth Form Centre, and unless you know that, then like me, you run the danger of sailing straight past it!

You park in the large educational establishment car park, and it’s in front of you that you spot the clubhouse, which looks very much like a room in the school sports centre that has been converted for that purpose. But, it was a good idea, because it’s large, spacious and comfortable, and pre-match it got busy, crowds are up at Stockton, they average around the 400 mark.

Stockton Town as a club are not that old. They are only around thirty years in existence, and found senior football when they joined the Wearside League from the Teeside League in 2010. They won it four seasons on the bounce from 2013 to 2017 and made the move to the Northern League.

The Second Division of the Northern League was won at the first attempt, but the clubs start to their First Division campaign in the 2017-18 season was a disaster with nine straight defeats. That said, they did finally finish sixth and get to Wembley, only to lose to Thatcham Town in the Vase Final.

This season it’s looking very good, a win against tonight's visitors Sunderland RCA would take them top.

Football in Stockton isn’t all about Stockton Town though. Stockton FC were a huge name in North East football, with FA Amateur Cup glory, FA Cup runs, and a Northern League side from 1985 after the club re-formed, they were massive in their day. However, in 1999 they became the club that is now Thornaby and re-located to the town. It was time for someone else to pick up the mantle.

The ground is very easy to describe. Located in the confines of the college, it’s surrounded by a tall caged fence, with access to all four sides of the pitch. On the West side is a seated stand with a small covered terrace next to it. The dressing rooms and a the tea bar form part of a portakabin style building that also sits towards the bottom end of this side of the ground. Otherwise it’s hard standing all the way round, and of course, the reason I had no fears  going up on a December night, an artificial pitch.

I have to say the club were incredibly friendly. From the moment I walked in the club officials were happy to chat, and talk about what this season may bring in Northern League circles. Let’s get this very clear, doubts have arisen in the past about Northern League sides actually wanting promotion, well trust me, Stockton Town absolutely definitely want to go up!

The crowd on a cold night was just over 300, but looking in the programme it was incredible to see some of the average crowds of the teams. The divisional average would be way over every Step 4 league in the Country. Stockton and Consett get over 400, Whitley Bay, Bishop Auckland, North Shields, Guisborough and Hebburn get over 300, while very few get under 200 through the gates. It’s incredible really, but a real testament to the strength and the quality of the Northern League.

The football, well I have to say at the top end, from what I’ve seen, the standard is easily Step 4, and this was very much the case tonight. Stockton have, and will play better this season, but a goal in each half was enough to give them the three points and leapfrog Hebburn.

Nathan Mulligan opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Jordan Robinson netted with a header against a resolute and well organised outfit from Wearside, but it was the clubs fifth straight win, and as we stand, no one would bet against them getting one of the three promotion spots.

What a great club though, it just felt right from where I was looking in at them. They appear organised, efficient, well supported, tight and welcoming. I genuinely liked what I saw and enjoyed what I experienced. I wish them well for the future and I hope they get a Northern League / Vase double this season! In some ways they reminded me a little of South Shields, on a much smaller scale I might add, and look what’s happening with them?

The Northern League and clubs like Stockton Town, it really sums up what non-league football is all about.