Six Of The Best - Mariners Sail Through, Dunston Fed Up......

And so to The 1st Cloud Arena aka the Mariners Arena in Jarrow for an FA Trophy Second Round tie, and local derby, between South Shields FC and Dunston FC.

A few references have been found to the origins of a town football club playing in the 1870s, but the first recorded public appearance of a named South Shields AFC was in 1888. Several other local clubs flickered but it was the South Shields Adelaide Athletic club, set up in 1899, that went on to be elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1919 as South Shields FC.

 

Lack of public support that meant only the sale of its best players and FA Cup runs kept Shields in business. Inevitably, without money to bail the club out of impending bankruptcy, the only possible viable alternative to closure was to move. In 1930 the club left the town, resettling and welcomed at Gateshead, where it adopted the name of their new home.

 

A new club was established in 1936, nicknamed 'The Babes', before becoming 'The Mariners' in 1950 on its move from Horsley Hill to Simonside Hall. Shields played in several leagues until joining the Northern Premier League in 1968.

 

However 'insufficient match attendances' prompted the directors to sell Simonside Hall in 1974 with a view to returning to Horsley Hill. In a controversial and quite disastrous land fiasco both sites were transformed into housing estates. The club was penniless and homeless - and history repeated itself as the team went to Gateshead again, re-emerging as Gateshead United FC, taking Shields' place in the NPL.

 

A new club, South Shields Mariners FC, was formed immediately, based at the council's Jack Clark Park, and began a 17 year crusade for a home of its own. The club progressed through the Northern Alliance and Wearside League to the Northern League.

 

In 1992 the redundant and vandalised sports club and ground of Filtrona FC in Jarrow became available. It was purchased by club chairman John Rundle and the Mariners had a new home - Filtrona Park. Rundle was a volatile character, twice publicly threatening the club with closure, and (in)famously locking the gates at Filtrona Park ahead of a home match in 2006.

 

At the end of the 2012/13 season South Shields was relegated from Northern League Division One, and the club was forced to move to Eden Park in Peterlee after their lease expired. Two seasons with average attendances of 69 and 70 meant the club faced a huge challenge to survive.

 

After being taken over by new chairman Geoff Thompson in the summer of 2015 he subsequently bought Filtrona Park, renamed it Mariners Park, now The 1st Cloud Arena, and the club moved back. Under the captaincy of ex Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca the Mariners won Northern League Division Two title in 2015/16.

 

The 2016/17 season saw a famous quadruple - the Northern League Division One title, after a 32 game winning streak, the Durham Challenge Cup, the Northern League Challenge Cup and a 4-0 victory in the FA Vase at Wembley against Cleethorpes Town. Average attendances increased to 1,226 - a bit different to 69 or 70...

The Mariners achieved promotion from the Northern Premier League Division One North at the first attempt as champions with 103 points. Two failed play off attempts, after finishing both times as runners up, and Covid, meant Shields only reached the National League North, finally, as champions, in 2023. A 7th first place season boded well but last term was a major disappointment with a 17th place finish: this time the Mariners are second behind Fylde, after Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at (Dial M For) Merthyr.

The away side, Dunston, was established as a works team by John Thompson and other HMSO employees in 1975 as Whickham Sports FC, playing at Longbenton. Sports started in the Newcastle City Amateur League, before moving up to the Northern Amateur League.

A league and cup double was won in 1978 and, on the strength of this early success, the team moved to their current home at Wellington Road. Shortly after, in 1980, the side joined the Northern Combination and was then renamed Dunston Mechanics FC in 1982.

1986/87 saw the club win another league and cup double, with a further name change to Dunston Federation Brewery as part of a sponsorship deal, and a move up to the Wearside League. Back to back titles in 1989 and 1990 preceded a move to the Northern League in 1991.

League and cup doubles were achieved again in 2003/04 and 2004/05, and in 2007 the club name changed once more to Dunston Federation FC after the brewery was bought by Scottish & Newcastle and sponsorship ceased. A new sponsorship deal in 2009 with UTS (Utility Technology Services), with the club rechristened as Dunston UTS, saw UTS crowned as FA Vase winners in 2011/12, beating West Auckland Town 2-0 at Wembley.

In 2019 Dunston won the Northern League Division One champions, finishing 17 points clear. The Fed were thus promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One North West, now East, but forced to remove UTS from the club name, due to league rules prohibiting advertising in the team name. 

Third in 2024 and second last term saw play off heartbreak both times; this season The Fed are seventh, after a 4-1 away demolition of Consett on Tuesday, with games in hand.

To Manchester with its new Santa, Christmas Markets and Schola Mancuniensis 1870. Numberplates en route are P1RK U, MAY 0D and T1CKS.

Then past the Etihad and Coop Live before reaching Seel Park at Mossley. On through a revamped Huddersfield Station to Versa Leeds Studios and the National Railway Museum at York.

And next Darlington, celebrating the 200th anniversary of rail travel, before Durham and its Cathedral. Thereafter Chester-le-Street, home of Durham CCC, and The Angel of The North brings me to the Tyne Bridge and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

And Newcastle, home of The Lazy Bear, Victoria Comet, Gunner Tavern, and naturally, The Magpie, doesn't disappoint. The Biscuit Factory, Ouseburn Farm and Seven Stories takes me back to the Tyne Bridge. Then Baltic Square and Quayside towards the Millennium Bridge, the Northern Design Centre and the Glasshouse, formerly known as Sage.

That brings me to Greys Monument, the Castle and Grainger & Bigg Markets. Further on I chance on the Cathedral, Life Science Centre and the Discovery Museum.

The whistle stop tour sees me arrive at St James Park and the Stephenson Monument. And the finish ends up at the Great North Museum plus the Laing Art Gallery.

Matchday arrives and via Nexus through Gateshead and its Stadium, Felling, Pelaw and Hebburn (is a place on earth). I stop off at Hebburn Town FC, established in 1912 and FA Vase winners in 1920. 

I walk round the Trustmark Group Stadium with its Hungry Hornet Cafe and Bob Tatum Stand, one of the original Hebburn Hecklers. Then with potential 86 minute tram delays I arrive at Jarrow, renowned for the 1936 March, and to Bede, famous for St Bede or the Venerable Bede, and also Barbour headquarters.

Inside the 1st Cloud there is the main Wolf Competitions Stand, and opposite is the Durata Stand, flanked by the Clock Stand (more a balcony), clubhouse and marquee. There is covered terracing at both ends, with today's segregation starting at Sima Shed at the far end. An artificial pitch lies behind the 200ish Dunston fans in the away area and entry is £10 to stand - the crowd today is 1,203.

Shields are in claret, blue and white, whilst the Fed wear a psychedelic blue and white strip. The Mariners start on top and Danny Ward clips the bar after 6 minutes.

But for all their slick interpassing and dominance it's UTS who take the lead on 19. Home keeper Tom Watson fluffs his lines, hesitating then charging off his line and clattering onrushing Dunston forward Dan Nelson. The result is a yellow card and a penalty kick which Nelson duly despatches.

The Fed's goal is leading a charmed life as 9 minutes on Shields hit the woodwork again - this time the post for what would have been an unfortunate own goal. However seconds later David Carson plays in Lennon Wheeldon who shoots through the legs of away custodian Dan Lowson to tie matters up.

That precedes three further home goals before the break. The first sees Paul Blackett outmuscling his defender and shooting high into the net (31), Wheeldon scores his second from Ward's cutback (38) and Blackett gets his double in similar circumstances to his first; 4-1 to the Mariners at half time.

The second period is all about damage limitation for Dunston. They survive until the hour when Todd Alcock pinches the ball just outside the box and lays off to captain Will Jenkins who fires into the opposite corner across Lowson.

Surprisingly the Fed pull one back with 11 to play. Daniel Dodds' error is punished sumptuously by Josh Richardson for 5-2, and Dunston hit the post with a minute left; the rebound is wastefully blazed over when it should have been buried 🥴

But fittingly the final word goes to Shields. A long ball beyond the final defender and Cedwyn Scott, from his own half, showing electric speed, runs on, outpacing the last man, and then beautifully dummying Lowson before putting the ball into an empty net; the 6-2 annihilation is complete 😊

Andy Is Talk Of The Town - (Lily)White Light Extinguished.....

And so to the Acoustafoam Stadium on Coppice Green Lane in Shifnal for a Northern Premier League Division One West match between Shifnal Town FC and Mossley AFC. Acoustafoam - 'The Sound of Silence' - apart from the 30 or so Mossley away diehards...

Although clubs with similar names have played in the town since Victorian times the modern incarnation of Shifnal Town FC was founded in 1964 as St Andrews Youth FC, based at Idsall School and playing in the Wellington & District League. The Reds soon changed their name to Shifnal Juniors, then became Shifnal Town in 1972.

Having won the Shropshire League in 1976 Town joined the West Midlands (Regional) League. The club, now playing at Admirals Park, won promotion to the Premier Division and were champions in 1981 and 1982 - but were denied a Southern League place due to a lack of floodlights.

The lease on Admirals Park was terminated in 1985 forcing Shifnal to resign and revert back to Idsall and the Shropshire League. A new ground, Phoenix Park, was acquired and success in the Shropshire League saw the Reds step up to the Midland Football Combination in 1993.

A successful first season enabled Town to become a founder member of the new Midland Football Alliance. The club finally succumbed to relegation in 2003, back to the Midland Combination.

A reorganisation of the leagues saw Shifnal return to the West Midlands (Regional) League in 2006. The Reds joined the Midland League in 2021 and achieved promotion as runners up last season to take their place in the Northern Premier League Division One West this time. They are currently 6th of 22 with 22 points from 13 matches.

Mossley AFC, The Lilywhites, from Seel Park, was formed in 1903 as Park Villa, changing their name to Mossley Juniors and then Mossley AFC in 1909. They moved into Seel Park in 1912, which at 850 feet above sea level was the fourth highest non-league ground in the country.

Their history covers various local leagues and disbandments twice, reforming in 1919 and becoming a founder member of the Cheshire County League. The Lilywhites moved up to the Northern Premier League in 1972 and were champions in 1978/79 and 1979/80 but were prevented from entering the new Alliance Premier League due to ground grading requirements not being met... A familiar story 🤔 

As non-league giants in the 1970s Mossley featured in the Granada ITV show 'Mossley Goes To Wembley'... Ultimately it resulted in defeat in the FA Trophy Final in 1980 to Dagenham - as legendary Leo Skeete spearheaded the attack.

But Mossley overreached themselves and only avoided financial oblivion by selling their ground to the local council, who leased it back to them. In 2009 two floodlight pylons collapsed and the rest were condemned....

The club was relegated in 1993 and again to the North West Counties in 1995. The Lilywhites ascended, rejoining the Northern Premier League Division One in 2004 and achieved promotion to the Premier in 2007 but were immediately relegated back to Division One where they remain - 13th, of 22, last season and this time they lie 12th - after surprisingly beating Bury 2-1 at home on Tuesday in front of 1,032.

Of recent times the club hit the headlines in April 2015 when Jay Hart of Clitheroe FC was caught having sex, after the match, in the Seel Park dugouts with a female Mossley fan following a 4-1 defeat. He was sacked and kicked out of his home by his girlfriend....

Under a brooding sky with showers and sunshine the keen wind turns increasingly raw. Numberplates this time are SU51SAY, C1RCA and F11LET (Fillet Construction).

Past Dunham Forest, Flame n Spice and the Dog & Partridge it's a return visit to the M6. Today's graffiti is LUPO 22 KAZU 🤔....

Then beyond a Hog n Cracklin van, a Buffaload lorry and Phantom Motor Company hoardings, we hit congestion at Arclid. After Mitchell Spray Booths we join the A5, Watling Street, at Gailey.

Then White Pump Farm, Weston-under-Lizard, Crackleybank and the back roads takes us to Idsall School, adjacent to the ground. £10 is the admission fee and the crowd is 222 today.

Inside there's the club shop, Players Bar, Legends Bar and changing rooms on the near side. The far end is a walkway with pub tables, backed by a steep bank and a new housing development.

The main stand is on the far side, with a warm up pitch behind; the near end abuts Idsall School. And all around a plethora of advertising hoardings, including Jaspers Arms, The Ugly Duckling, The Winking Frog, Severn Volts and Querky Developments.

Town are, for no discernible reason, in their away kit of yellow and blue, sponsored by KEA Automation. The Lilywhites, unsurprisingly, are in white and black, sponsored by Hyde Accessible Transport.

It's an abject opening half hour with Mossley's Obua Mugalula flashing a shot across goal and Mason Fawns hitting one well over. But the match livens up on 32 minutes as Shifnal keeper Andy Wycherley makes an astonishing save from Reece Webb-Foster's header.

Seconds later the Reds (Yellows today !) have their first meaningful effort but Shaquille Leachman-Whittingham disappointingly pokes wide. However four minutes late Town take the lead; some penalty area pinball results in Kev Monteiro smashing the ball past an unsighted Fin Madigan and it's 1-0 to Shifnal at the break.

Straight after the restart the Lilywhites' Rio Alston fires one straight at Wycherley. But the visitors draw level on 56, Wycherley making a fabulous save from Mugalula's effort, but the ball is diverted to Webb-Foster and he taps in for 1-1.

Seven minutes after a horror story in the Mossley rearguard, both centre backs leaving the ball to each other and Monteiro nips in to get a shot away. But in the aftermath he is clattered by Matt Kardacz - the result is a yellow card and penalty kick.

Eventually 39 year old veteran Matt Barnes-Homer tucks the ball, er, home, sending Madigan the wrong way. Barnes-Homer then has a fierce strike tipped over by Madigan.

At the other end Webb-Foster fails to hit the target with a quarter of an hour to go. Then on 84 Wycherley produces another terrific save, clawing Fawns' chip beyond the post.

But with a minute left the game is over - a neat Shifnal team move puts Jack Loughran through on goal. Madigan gets a hand to his rasping shot but there is sufficient impetus for the ball to nestle in the corner of the net: 3-1 to the 'Reds'.

Still time for Wycherley to make two good reaction saves in injury time, but it finishes Shifnal Town 3 Mossley 1. Town move up to 3rd, the Lilywhites fall to 15th.

Second Class Citizens See Red - Where There's A Gill There's A Way !!

 And so to the Paycare Stadium aka Bentley Sports Pavilion in Darlaston for a Northern Premier League Division One West match between Darlaston Town FC and Clitheroe FC.

The original Darlaston FC was established in 1874, with their first recorded match taking place in 1893 in the Walsall and District League. The club moved to the City Ground in 1900, and adopted as their nickname The Citizens.

In 1908 Darlaston joined the Birmingham Combination, winning it in 1910/11. Promotion to the Birmingham & District League followed, but the Citizens returned to the Combination in 1928/29 and were crowned as champions in 1937/38.

Post war Darlo won the 1945/46 title, and became founder members of the West Midlands Regional League Premier in 1962. Demotion followed in 1982 due to 'poor ground facilities'....

Darlaston FC added 'Town' to its name at the beginning of the 1996/97 season, but were relegated in 2002. Promoted back to the Premier in 2007 the City Ground suffered vandalism in 2009, damaging the pitch and floodlights, and Town folded in 2013. The City Ground was repossessed by Walsall Council and remains demolished and derelict....

The phoenix club, Darlaston Town (1874) FC was set up the following year, playing at the Sports Pavilion and joining the West Midlands (Regional) League Division Two. The club was granted a place in the Premier Division in 2019 after a 20 match unbeaten run.

The Citizens joined the Midland League Division One in 2021, and were immediately promoted to the Premier via the play offs. Two seasons later they went up again, to the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands, also through the play offs, beating Lichfield City 3-1 in the final. A restructure at this point saw the club revert to Darlaston Town FC.

After finishing 7th, out of 21, last term Darlo moved laterally to the West Division for this season. A poor start this time sees them next to bottom in 21st with 9 points from 12 games.

And so to the visitors from Shawbridge, Clitheroe FC from the Ribble Valley. The Blues were formed in 1877 as Clitheroe Central at the Swan Hotel in Castle Street, initially playing in local leagues, before moving to the Lancashire Combination in 1903 and dropping Central from their name.

They became founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982, and soon after won 3rd, 2nd and 1st divisions in consecutive seasons. FA Vase finalists in the 1995/96 season, they won the 2003/04 championship to reach their current level at Step 4 in the Northern Premier Division One North, now West. Last season the Blues finished 10th of 22, but this term they stand in 15th with 13 points from 10 matches - the £50 season ticket price experiment has been abandoned, after a failed play off attempt in 2023.

It's a grey, cloudy day as we hit the M6. Numberplates today are PH16LAV (Peter Higson Plumbing again !!), 4SK and BOL3R.

Riga Jengr graffiti is before Haste and Yang Ming lorries and then Jerico Group. Billboards for Nitrous Competitions, Rae of Sunshine and BadRhino Living Large precede Game Changing Cheese, Mammoth Hire and Land of Lights lantern festival.

Past Hanchurch Interchange we leave at junction 10. Then the Black Country Route, Axcess 10 Business Park and the Bentley Sports Pavilion on the outskirts of Darlaston. It's £10 in and today's crowd is 137, with a handful from Clitheroe.

Inside the near side hosts the LT9 Bar, clubhouse and changing rooms then The Halfway Line kiosk and finally a small covered seated stand. Both ends are walkways with two sides backed by residential housing and two tree lined; there are also two adjoining football pitches.

The far side has the Sue Jones Stand - covered standing - and The Dave Powers (Fingles) all seater stand. Advertising hoardings include Wink Cars and Ginger Apple Signs & Graphics.

Darlaston are in blue and white, sponsored by Allsee and the Blues, sponsored by CR Safety & Consumables, are in change all red...

The Citizens have the first chance on 9 minutes through Callum Knowles, but Clitheroe take the lead seven minutes after. A free kick in their own half sees Darlo switch off and the ball reaches French winger Veron Parny in acres of space. His cross finds centre forward Luke Gill - not the cleanest of contacts but sufficient to flatfoot home keeper Josh Bishop and the ball trickles home.

Jordan Windass should have doubled the advantage shortly after but shoots wide when he ought to have hit the target. However it is 2-0 after 39 minutes as a poor back pass lets in Gill again and he fires through Bishop's legs.

A James Rowland free kick for the Citizens, over the bar, is the only home response. The break arrives with the Blues 2-0 up.

Nine minutes into the second period home captain Alex Foreshaw is shown a red card for a wild challenge on Leon Creech. After an ugly skirmish Creech is substituted, injured.

It's game over on 63 minutes as Lewis Trickett nets at the near post to make it 3-0. Gill has other opportunities for his hat trick but is denied by last ditch defending.

A raft of substitutions sees Clitheroe become increasingly sloppy. Darlaston subsequently have a shot cleared off the line.

The Blues don't learn and on 82 Jake Collins takes advantage of James McLenaghan's flap at a cross to pull one back for Darlo. However Clitheroe unconvincingly see out seven minutes of stoppage time to take the spoils 3-1; The Citizens stay next to bottom whilst The Blues rise to 13th.