So to the UTS Stadium and another lengthy trip for me and today's visitors as Dunston FC take on Runcorn Linnets in the Northern Premier League Division One North West - again hardly a strong advertisement for regional football. The Linnets' website records a 12 hour round trip after the match....
The home club 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 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) saw the club rechristened
Dunston UTS, and UTS won the FA Vase in 2011/12 beating West Auckland Town 2-0
at Wembley.
Last time out Dunston were
Northern League Division One champions, finishing 17 points clear. The Fed were
thus promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One North West, but were
forced to remove UTS from the club name, due to league rules prohibiting
advertising in the team name.
The away side started as
Highfield and Camden Tanneries Recreation Club in 1918. Renamed as Runcorn FC
the Linnets won the Cheshire County League in its first season, and enjoyed a
League and Cup double in 1937. In 1968 the club became founder members of the
Northern Premier League, winning it twice, and the pinnacle was the Alliance
Premier League title in 1982.
During the 1993/94 season the
Linnets' stadium at Canal Street nearly fell apart. A perimeter wall collapsed
during a cup game with Hull City, the roof blew off one stand and the main
stand was destroyed by fire. This crippled the club and relegation, for the
first time ever, followed.
In 2000 Canal Street was
sold, with the club moving to the Halton Stadium at Widnes, and rebranding as
Runcorn FC Halton. However the Linnets' precarious financial position forced a
move out of the Halton Stadium, first to Southport's Haig Avenue and then to
Prescot Cables' Valerie Park. Unable to pay players' wages the club finished
bottom, suffered a second successive relegation and in 2006 resigned from the
league and ceased activity.
Runcorn Linnets FC was formed
on 28 April 2006 at the spiritual home of Canal Street in the Quayside function
rooms next to the Linnets Park housing estate. The new club joined Division 2
of the North West Counties Football League and ground shared at Witton Albion's
Wincham Park. The Linnets were promoted as runners up in their first season to
Division 1 (now Premier Division), missing out on the title on goal difference.
The club moved to its new
stadium on Murdishaw Avenue in 2010 at the end of its R2R (Return 2 Runcorn)
project. The following six seasons all saw top six finishes, including
three consecutive second places - but the NWCFL Challenge Cup was won in 2013.
After three consecutive
seasons of finishing runners-up, Runcorn finished fourth in the 2016/17 season,
which was their lowest in four years. In the 2017/18 season, Runcorn Linnets
finished the season in first, four points ahead of second placed Widnes, who
also gained promotion. Runcorn also went on to have the highest number of goals
scored and the fewest goals conceded. This meant a first ever promotion to a
division which was re-named the Northern Premier League Division One West
(now North West) - a creditable 6th place was achieved in the first campaign.
Both sides have one win, one draw and one defeat in the league thus far.
So a swift sortie down
Bridgewater Canal with barges 'Juschillin', 'Moor to Life', 'Thingummybob' and
'Phoenix - Rising from the Hashish' before those TOILETORIES. ELCTRICAL
signs....
Then a wry smile as a Ford
Transit passes, Van Solo emblazoned above the driver's cab, and an even wryer
smile at a pub sign 'Education is important, but beer is importanter'
attributed to William Shakesbeer....
The M60 and M62 provide
numberplates A11 URS and WHII NOT but much of the early journey to the M62
Summit, Scammonden Reservoir, Windy Hill, that farm in the middle of the
motorway and Rakehead Viaduct is invisible, such is the ferocity of the
rain and the swirling mist. Over the Pennines the weather improves but the
temperature fluctuates wildly between 13 and 20C.
Overtaking a convoy of 3
cranes assisted by an Abnormal Load Escort it's onto the M1 then the A1(M) with
the weather taking another turn for the worse at Wetherby but improving by Old
Mother Shipton's Cave. Bypassing Ripon, Bedale, the giant Heck factory,
Catterick, Scotch Corner it's on to Durham, the Riverside and the Angel of the
North, with some stunning views of North Yorkshire, Teesside and Tyneside in
the sunshine, before I turn off at junction 70 of the A1.
Right onto Dunston Road and
the UTS Stadium is on the corner at the Wellington Road junction; a small car
park is already full so I park again Heed First, a hair stylists naturally !!
Turnstiles at both ends and £7 in for a crowd of 281, including a healthy
Linnets contingent - not bad considering the Toon and Gateshead are both at
home this afternoon.
Inside the near end holds the snap shed, clubhouse and changing rooms and behind is a Secure Store warehouse. To the right is The Tommy Cooney Stand, covered terracing, whilst the top end is open and backed by trees and housing. And on the left is the main stand with 20 tip up seats for spectators, but 24 for directors and officials, and eight wooden bench rows either side of the press box.
This is another game where a
fierce crosswind causes mayhem. It's a wind strong enough to cause havoc with
the six Runcorn Linnets flags, including the Left Side Ultras, but barely
disturbing the two Dunston banners, and a wind strong enough to blow pensioner
Bill's yellow Linnet cap off his head - but not out of the ground this
week....wisely he refrains from replacing the cap and tucks it into his bag.
The Fed are in royal blue
with white trim, their keeper in all orange, whilst the Linnets are in yellow
and green hoops, their shotstopper in sky blue and grey.
Linnets start the better but
both sides struggle with the blustery conditions. However it's the Fed who take
the lead on 17 minutes; a training ground move free kick from Liam Marrs
is cut back by Mark Fitzpatrick and Luke Page sidefoots home as Runcorn's
defence switches off.
Seven minutes later Dunston's
Michael Pearson is tripped in the area, and Fitzpatrick converts the
penalty for 2-0. Within a minute Linnets lose possession and Cedwyn Scott
pirouettes on the 18 yard box before slotting home to make it 3-0 to the Fed on
25 minutes.
A shellshocked Linnets side
fight back however; six minutes later Louis Corrigan's free kick is headed in
at the far post by Declan McGivern. And a minute before half time Ryan Gibson
is given time and space in the box to smash home at the second attempt to make
it 3-2 at the break.
The second period is all
Runcorn, Paul Shanley nodding over from a free header, and Connor McCarthy
arcing wide from a one on one. Moments later he curls over the bar from 18
yards prompting my neighbour to comment 'Getting closer'...
And so it proves, with third
time lucky as Ryan Wade's gorgeous cross is met with a firm McCarthy header
planted into the bottom corner to make it 3-3 with twenty minutes to go; the
yellow and green army behind the goal go berserk.
Both sides go for the win but
Fed fashion the better chances, with Scott lobbing onto the top of the
net, and then in injury time outpacing his marker and seeing his shot hit the
trailing leg of Linnets' keeper Bayleigh Passant and smuggled clear. 3-3 at the
finish - thrilling stuff !!
