Seaham Red Star 7-2 Chester-le-Street Town, Tuesday 27th July 2021

Seaham Red Star 7-2 Chester-le-Street Town, Friendly, Seaham Town Park, att. c.80

Just as if a tree falls in a forest and there’s no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound…if I don’t have any physical proof of my visit to this friendly, did I attend? In my rush to leave the house, I forgot my phone, so no pics today (I’ve added one from a game last season). Still, could be worse – the other nite I forgot my phone, so I couldn’t locate Birtley’s ground, though I did come across a dog track I’d never heard of.

So, at least I knew where Seaham’s ground was and it’s one of my Northern League favourites. There’s half a terrace behind one goal with a tree laden boundary opposite. The Main Stand sits to the left of the terrace, in the terraced half, old, basic and with the requisite stanchions, while a small terrace with cover sits on the other side. Adjacent to the Main Stand lies a large pavilion containging the changing rooms. Having stood near the dugouts in the first half, a deluge near half time had me seeking the covered terrace on the other side.

Despite a high scoring game, (1st division Seaham leading Chester-le-Street 4-0 by half time, including a cracking free kick into the far top corner), my highlights were twofold; a dog had strayed into the ground and a couple of blokes, recognising it belonged to no-one, rang the number on its collar. In this (Coronavirus) age, the owner must have been a relieved man, with dognapping in predictable ascent as the demand for these 4-legged companions has gone off the scale. When the owner arrived and whistled his dog, it shot off, tail wagging like mad. (I think it was a red setter, but whatever, it was a beautiful thing).

Otherwise, it was the other red setter – the Seaham left midfielder – who amused me. Called offside from a long ball, one of his bench shouted ‘That wouldn’t have happened had you not been ginger!’ What did he mean? That he was easy to spot? Or that his gingerness was somehow related to his lack of ability in the timing of his run? One of his teammates said ‘you shouldn’t be offside from there’ (meaning he could see along the line) but perhaps if the midfielder hadn’t delayed the pass… Later, having been deprived of the ball, said midfielder was a bit miffed to be moved to left back following substitutions, and it was noticeable he didn’t look pleased as his replacement came on to score 2. Just be grateful you’re still in the team! (Easy for me to say.)

For Seaham, Northern League stalwarts since 1983, this result augurs well for the season. Red Star have never won the title, but were runners-up in 1999-2000. Maybe this will be their year, which would not be bad for a Sunday league pub side formed in 1973. For Chester-le-Street, it looks a season of struggle, and it’d be worse if they lose their centre forward, tho looked top drawer (at this level). He may have looked cumbersome, but everything stuck to him, he made runs down the channels, and scored 2. Man of the match for me, despite the hammering.

The Damage:
£4 ent
= £4

The Tunes:
Mixmag July 2005 (Gilles Peterson)

Redcar Town 4-3 Redcar Athletic / Marske United 2-0 Guisborough Town, Sunday 25th July 2021

Redcar Town 4-3 Redcar Athletic / Marske United 2-0 Guisborough Town, The Vibrant Doors Stadium, Mo Mowlam Memorial Park, Mo Mowlam Memorial Cup, att. c.100-200

What a brilliant, yet simple, idea – have a pre-season tournament and invite 4 local sides to compete, winners of each semi to play the final. And so it was that I was in Redcar on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon. I mainly know Redcar as a seaside resort, a place where, once in every 3 years, our town’s workman’s club (‘CIU affiliated’) would go (the other years being South Shields and Whitley Bay). Us kids got a pound pocket money and I remember as many as 9 buses heading from Ferryhill to these exotic places. Sadly, time has changed. The ‘rides’ at Redcar have long gone, though they were a far cry from Whitley Bay’s ‘Spanish City’….I think Redcar’s rides were in some warehouse / aircraft hanger. Anyway, happy days.

Today though, I’m seeing none of the sea. I’m at The Vibrant Doors Stadium, part of the Mo Mowlam Memorial Park, for the Mo Mowlam Memorial Cup. For those of a younger vintage, Mo was the MP for Redcar and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who was pivotal to the peace talks which culminated in the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998, but who sadly died in 2005. How time flies. As a mark of her enduring legacy, Belfast too has a park named in her honour.

The Vibrant Doors Stadium is on the Trunk Road leading into Redcar and today was very easy to spot with the parked cars in the fields adjacent. I turned into the main car park, to be asked whether I was playing or spectating. I wish! At 47, I should have called her bluff, but instead was pointed in the direction of a field which had been taken over for the weekend’s footie.

Redcar Town, the hosts, are a relatively new team, having only been formed in 2014. Their ascent has been speedy, as they have progressed from local leagues to becoming members of the Northern League second division this season. This weekend their guests were Northern League 1st division sides Redcar Athletic and Guisborough Town, as well as upwardly mobile neighbours Marske United, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One North West.

Today’s entertainment kicked off at 12:30 with the losers from yesterday facing each other – the Redcar derby. With other responsibilities this morn, I arrived with about 10 minutes left, in time to see Town nick an 84th minute winner, 4-3. Sounded like a cracker. I looked around, there were maybe 100 people watching. A bit disappointing, but I overheard an official later say ‘between 650-700’ had come in the 2 days play. I’d say there were 200+ for the final, Marske v Guisborough, as Marske fans came in numbers. Smaller than Redcar, but near enough that Athletic’s ground is closer to Marske’s than it is Town’s, Marske appear to be a club on the up. Flags put up, shirts and scarves in attendance, and even their own ultras, the ‘yellow warriors’, complete with drum and what looked like a vuvuzela. Luckily, the instruments weren’t played too often.

Mind, the ultras did have one unintended effect. They’d homed in on the only cover in the ground (save for a gazebo bizarrely covering the trophy and plinth). As someone who struggles with the sun, I edged in, but even though we were inbetween games, the teenagers were keen to holler their support. I took my Coke and had a wander to the opposite end. I wondered how Redcar Town were allowed in the Northern League with their lack of seating. ‘Standards have dropped’ I was told.

The match was surprisingly zesty, considering both sides had played the previous day. Marske edged it throughout and won 2-0 with a near post finish and a 20 yard stunner as the protagonist cut in from the left past 2 or 3 defenders. An early contender for goal of the season. Certainly goal of the month (July). And I saw a trophy lifted for the first time since yesterday. Well played, Marske!

*possibly because of a conversation I was having with an old timer, on the way home I popped in to see where South Bank used to play, a detour of about 200 metres from the main road. What a pity a legendary Northern League club closed down because of constant vandalism to their ground. Now it’s a park and community centre, Golden Boy Green, named after local Boro all-time great Wilf Mannion.

The Damage:
£7 ent £1 Coca-Cola = £8

The Tunes:
Classics (Aphex Twin)

West Auckland 1-3 Hebburn Town, Saturday 24th July 2021

West Auckland 1-3 Hebburn Town, JW Cleator Cup, The Wanted Stadium AKA Darlington Road, att. 271

As soon as this fixture was announced, I was going to it. I’d not seen a game at West Auckland’s Darlington Road before, and what with their unique history I was determined to put that right. A famous old name in north-east non-league football, West are famed for winning the 1st World Cup – an international invitational event in Turin, where, in 1909 and 1911 a bunch of coalminers beat the likes of Juventus (1911). And not by the odd goal, either – they beat Juve 6-1!

Fast forward over a hundred years and West are playing in the annual Northern League season opener, the Cleator Cup, traditionally played between the winners of the league and league cup. Of course, this being the Age of Coronavirus, it’s slightly different. It’s the leaders of the league last season when the season was expunged (Hebburn) against the last team to win the league cup, 2 years ago, West Auckland.

I expected a busy crowd. Football fans have been denied live action for months. Indeed, the night before, Newcastle took 3,000 fans to Doncaster for a friendly. So I was disappointed at a crowd of roughly 180 (official figure: 271. Where were they all? The social club?). I wasn’t the only one, as I overheard a couple of older chaps in front of me discussing same. I thought I recognised one – it turned out to be former World Cup referee and Northern League chairman, George Courtney!

I remember nearly 40 years ago he refereed one of my games, as the school he was headmaster of (Ox Close, Spennymoor) lost to the mighty Broom Cottages (Ferryhill). Actually, I can’t remember who won, but I do recall him describing their pitch as ‘looking like Wembley’. It was, indeed, a very good pitch. Later on, my dad and I would receive complimentary tickets to games he’d referee our side Barnsley, as my dad knew his mum. Reds fans will be surprised to learn he awarded us 2 penalties in one game. I say surprised, as their view is blighted by an appalling decision not to send off John McClelland in a cup game at Dirty Leeds. George obviously hadn’t received the recent memo re: sending off the last man. Mind, we never had tickets for that game.

Darlington Road, or ‘The Wanted Stadium’ is just behind the front street and is a simple, but grand little ground. As you come through the turnstiles at one corner, a raised terrace of a couple of steps lies behind the goal. On the far side is the social club, which looked a decent size but I never went in. Adjacent is a small covered terrace and next to this is the Main Stand. Both structures were resplendent in black and amber.

The other 2 sides were enclosed, but had no terracing. Near the corner flag a mobile refreshment vehicle did brisk business. Looking at the boundary wall gave an idea of the incline of the pitch, or, as I heard one elder say ‘it slopes in 4 different directions’. This was hard to disagree with, looking at the pitch. It was a wonder the players could keep control of the ball, given the surface.

It was a good game, with Hebburn (newly promoted to the Northern Premier League Division 1 East on the back of the last 2 incomplete seasons) always edging it, despite going behind. West put in a cross and although the defender was only a yard or two away, his raised arm made a penalty decision easy. 1-0 half-time, but within 10 minutes of the second half starting, it was 1-2, the second a well struck free kick. A late goal sealed the game, pleasing the Hebburn contingent in the Main Stand who I was sat near. Let’s just say one woman made some noise!

Afterwards, George Courtney led the presentation of the trophy, wishing Hebburn all the best in their new venture, sorry to see them leave the Northern League…but there’d always be space for them should they wish to return (as often happens with these ‘ambitious’ teams). Oddly, despite being members of the Northern League since 1989, they go up having never won the league. Perhaps last season was their chance.

The Damage:
£6 ent
= £6

The Tunes:
BBC6 Music (Jamz Supernova / Gilles Peterson)

Chester-le-Street Town 1-3 Newcastle Chemfica, Wednesday 21st July 2021

Chester-le-Street Town 1-3 Newcastle Chemfica, Friendly, Moor Park, att. c.50

After yesterday’s relatively long journey to see Wakefield AFC, it was nice to be close to home tonite, a short dash down the A1 to Chester Moor, the out of town location of Chester-le-Street Town FC. I’ve always thought its isolated location accounted for their poor crowds. Even though it’s right next to the old A1 (now the A167) hundreds of vehicles must pour past it everyday without the drivers even knowing about it, as it’s hidden behind a row of bungalows and a pub, The Chester Moor. Still, there’s plenty of on-site parking, in addition to a social club complementing the aforementioned pub.

Another reason for poor attendances might also be the Cestrians inauspicious Northern League history. Since joining in 1983-84, their highs have been 2 second division titles. A bit like nearby Newcastle United’s history since then too, funnily enough. Chester also play in black and white – though hoops not stripes.

As with most Northern League grounds, there’s one entrance, with a small hut and man inside taking the money. I’ve been before, 30+ years ago, for a match against Barnsley under 18s (3-1 to Chester) but I remember nought about that one, save for pestering my dad to take me. Tonite’s visitors for second division Chester are another side from division 2 – of the Northern Football Alliance, Newcastle Chemfica. I’d never heard of them before, and I’m not too the wiser having Googled them. Suffice to say, Chester started as favourites but 2 early goals from the Chemfica centre forward laid on a very comfortable victory for the visitors. 3-1 final score and a late consolation for the Cestrians which, as the defenders protested, was definitely offside. I happened to be level with the defence when the ball was played in but I guess the lino had switched off. Pre-season friendlies are for officials to gain match fitness too!

The stadium was quite tidy, with cover on 3 sides. At the end you enter, there’s a low roof over the path leading to the Main Stand (no terrace though), while the opposite end holds a decent sized terrace with high steps. Imagine the rake of a normal terrace, but with every other step taken out. There was cover at the back of the terrace, possibly old pre fab bus shelters. In my mind’s eye I can definitely picture seeing one of these in the street. The Main Stand was a modern affair, high enough up, though uncomfortable bucket seats. I gave up at half time for a wander, though the sun going in meant I was feeling a wee bit chilly in shorts and t-shirt. Still, it allowed me to check out the far touchline, another side without terrace, but backing onto a wood. Good luck finding the ball in there.

The Damage:
£3 ent
= £3

The Tunes:
Mixmag Sept 09 (Rob Da Bank)