Consett 0-3 Shildon, Tuesday 18th January 2022

Consett 0-3 Shildon, Durham Challenge Cup 2nd Round, Belle View, att. 354

Consett’s old ground till 2013, Belle Vue Park, looked full of character; at its peak containing two large stands (one later knocked down), plenty of terracing (including paddocks in front of the seating) and banking formed from colliery waste. The new ground, ‘Belle View’ leaves me cold – literally, on a midweek night in January. There are two stands, identical in design if not size, which look like they were delivered by lorry and put up in an afternoon. They probably were. Four rows of seating, low to the pitch. Everything is pristine – but not in a good way. However, with no terracing and a plastic pitch, it is anodyne to say the least.

Any semblance of enjoyment is taken from the quality of the football and the general crowd hubbub (Consett currently being the best-supported side in the Northern League, with an average of over 500. Tonight’s Durham Challenge Cup game brought a lower 354). There’s no worry of matches being postponed, a la the previous ground, and the ball does run smoothly as the home side generally like to pass it around. But am I the only one irritated by the glare of the pitch from the floodlights? Or the lack of anything approaching a tackle? (As I mused the latter, a player finally went through his opposite number to earn a booking.) I was further annoyed by my tea, though I blame myself for this one. I should’ve told her to leave the teabag in, because had I not seen her wringing the thing out in my cup, I’d swear it’d never seen a teabag.

Consequently, I found myself rooting for the Railwaymen of Shildon against the Steelmen. Promoted to the Northern Premier League East this season, Shildon are a division up on tonight’s opponents. Consett, endeavouring to follow in their rivals’ footsteps, have been virtually unbeatable in the Northern League this season and possess crowds far in excess of Shildon. Would home (plastic) advantage be key? No. After an early miss from Consett when the centre forward tried to lift it over the keeper, Shildon ran out comfortable winners, 0-3.

The opener was a deft bullet header from star striker Billy Greulich-Smith. I thought he’d put it wide, as did everyone else judging by the lack of acknowledgement. It was only when the players started celebrating did most of us know different. I’d chosen the wrong end, thinking Consett would put up a fight, so wandered along the touchline to get a closer view of the Shildon attack. There’s a decent gap in the crowd, I thought. Yes – because the bloke nearest appeared to be giving a running commentary on the game. Highly bloody irritating, but he was obviously a regular, knowing all their names. I headed to the (slow) queue for the tea in time to seethe keeper get not quite enough of a paw onto a 20 odd yarder. At least the clubhouse was sizeable, and warm…and pristine. So that was half-time, before Shildon got an early penalty, second half. Game over.

The Damage:
£7 ent
£1.50 programme
£1.20 tea
£0.90 Snickers
= £10.60
The Tunes:
New Long Leg (Dry Cleaning)
Tomorrow’s Harvest (Boards of Canada)

Crook Town 1-3 Shildon, Saturday 17th July 2021

Crook Town 1-3 Shildon, Friendly, Millfield, att. c.150

Under normal circumstance, my opening game of a season would be in some European clime, probably a Europa League qualifier in Poland or somesuch. But times have changed. Coronavirus has wreaked havoc with football attendance for nigh on 17 months, while I’m now ‘home’ in the north-east helping an ailing father. Maybe one day I’ll see abroad again!

Enough of that though, as I try, for a second consecutive season, to see a match at every one of the 40 Northern League sides. I think I made it to 19 last year, before the pandemic curtailed the season. Speaking of which, today’s visitors Shildon were promoted from the Northern League to the Northern Premier East on the back of results over TWO incomplete seasons. Good luck in their new venture, hopefully ambition won’t lead to a fall…

I’d previously planned on going to see Annfield Plain v Esh Winning today, as I started last season watching Esh away in a friendly, but a late cancellation due to Covid in the home camp meant a quick change of venue. Well done to Esh and their Twitter feed for letting us know!

I plumped for Crook, partly as I expected a decent turnout and partly as it was one of 2 Northern League grounds garnering a mention in the recently published ‘British Football’s Greatest Grounds’ (the other being Tow Law’s Ironworks Road). And it’s a doozy. Wrought iron gates at the entrance, in the club colours of black and amber, boldly pronounce ‘Crook Town AFC’ as well as the ground’s official name. Being surrounded on 3 sides by housing, the turnstiles and social club are on this side too.

You enter behind the goal, where banking or steps lead up to a large (by NL standards) open terrace. Picnic tables lay at the top, every one being used on a searingly hot day. A pint and a view high up behind the goal. Perfect. The terrace continues around the touchline, with a rickety old roof for cover. The stanchions were again painted in club colours. This is one well looked after ground, as exemplified by the main stand, beautifully painted. This is where I took a pew, mainly to escape the hottest day of the year (probably).

Opposite was a grass bank looking for all it’s worth like a meadow, with flowers in full bloom. A number of folk sat at the top of the bank…maybe they’d read the warnings at the base of the 3 floodlight pylons on that side, ‘No standing on the grass’. But you’d have to walk on the grass to the floodlight to read the sign. Go figure.

Behind the goal was another grass bank, meaning elevated viewing from all 4 sides of the ground. Today, 3 pensioners enjoyed the view from their deckchairs in a back garden, while a young blonde lady sunbathed/watched from on top of her shed roof. Best view in the ground!

The teams came out to no fanfare whatsoever and I was rather surprised to look up to see both sides ready to start. Still, makes a change from various DJs trying to ‘get the crowd going’. The less said about the football in that 1st half, the better. Let’s just say they were warming up, and getting used to the fact the grass was so dry the ball wouldn’t run properly. That, and a lack of ability. I know it was hot, but looking at the size of some of these players, no wonder it was pedestrian. It seemed the size of your thighs denoted whether you got a game in central midfield, as it wasn’t passing ability. Still, it could be a bit tasty, such as when the Shildon captain, midfielder and bearer of extremely large thighs was laid out by a wispy youth on the oppo side. ‘Fuckin’ laugh? I’ll smash you in half!’ I love a friendly.

There were goals in the second half, however. The opener was set up by the Shildon right back, who had the excuse (again) of physique rather than age for his slowness. Unfortunately, his weak header back to the keeper was seized upon by a quick thinking forward who latched onto it and stroked it past the keeper. Later, said right back hit a thunderous shot off the bar from 25 yards, so he could kick a ball, however much it looked like he was panicking every time the ball came to him. At 47, my hopes of a game at semi-professional level are not over.

The goal awoke Shildon though who equalised a couple of minutes later and ran out easy 3-1 winners. A competitive workout in the end, with both sides throwing in some challenges and effort from both sides. Let’s see what the season brings!

The Damage:
£6 ent
£2 hot dog
£1 Coca-Cola
= £9

The Tunes:
BBC 6Music (Jamz Supernova)

Shildon 5-0 West Auckland, Saturday 5th September 2020

 Shildon 5-0 West Auckland, Northern League Division 1, att. 300

Welcome to ...

It is the perfect storm: my dad is having health issues up in County Durham (I live in London), I’m inbetween work and there’s no watching any football above the 7^th tier.  Thus, it’s a perfect opportunity to do what I never did when I actually used to live in County Durham: go and catch some Northern League action!

Behind the goal.

The Northern League is the second oldest in the world and represents an untapped mine of stadia.  I’ve cast my eye on it over the years…famous old names like Bishop Auckland, or Crook Town…teams coming and going (a constant theme of the league)…some teams going bust (like my own town’s team, Ferryhill Athletic).  So, with 40 teams across 2 divisions, where to start?

Dean Street's pride and joy.

Well, despite the north-east being a ‘hotbed of soccer’, that interest these days tends to be focused on the Big 3:  The Mackems, the Mags and the Smoggies.  In the meantime, teams in the Northern League often survive with crowds of under 200.  Looking at the excellent ‘attendance grid’ on the Northern League website, I could see 3 teams bucked this trend and regularly brought in over 300: Stockton, Consett and Shildon.  I was keen to see a game at one of the older grounds, and with capacity capped at 300 throughout the league, the Shildon-West Auckland derby caught the eye.  I applied for a ticket online, was one of the first 300 and received confirmation.  Turn up on the day, give my name, they’ll check their list and charge me £7 accordingly.  Good job I did, it was sold out.  (Most of the first division was sold out on opening day.)

Like a council house opposite a handsome mansion.

Shildon is about 5 miles from Ferryhill, and I’d been once, ever.  A mate and I were drawn away in some local CIU pool tournament (we lost).   I was actually pleasantly surprised at Shildon (the place) as they certainly made an effort with monuments to their railway heritage.  Though everything from cafes to guesthouses to pubs seemed to be named after Timothy Hackworth, a local railway engineer from the 1800s, ironically, the one thing NOT named after him is the local railway museum, ‘Locomotion’.  But I bet that was still ‘The Timothy Hackworth Museum’ of my youth.  Anyway, if steam trains are your thing, you could double up with a visit.

The only toilet facilities on site (main toilets closed).

The Ground, Dean Street, is right in the heart of town, so nowhere near the railway station.  The entrance, on Dean Street (!), is opposite a north-eastern terrace typical of mining villages throughout this part.  The surrounding wall of the football stadium takes me back to Ferryhill Athletic’s old Darlington Road ground (minus the ‘Ferryhill Ath.’ in black paint on a white background), hewn from the same brick as the terraces which surround it.  Straightaway, a blast from the past.

New meets old as a dugout is built into the stand.

Once inside, you’re met by a beautiful old stand on the half way line to your right, high and very handsome, but sadly closed to the public.  Hopefully this is not permanent.  It also houses the social club (closed due to Covid-19) and the dressing rooms (though Shildon were housed in a portacabin adjacent).  If any Northern League sides would like to know what the Shildon manager is telling his players at half-time, simply stand next to the open window of said structure.  The pre-match PA announced there’d still be refreshments available at the kiosk, including ‘tins of beer’.  A particularly weather-beaten trio of middle-aged women took advantage of the Fosters.

The red and white seats add a touch of colour.

Opposite the old stand is it’s modern equivalent, the kind of small stand that was probably hoicked there in parts on the back of a lorry and put up over a weekend.  Tidy, unspectacular, and not a patch on its older sibling.  Half the crowd were seated here, but with an aging father at home, I was keen to socially distance.  Sorry, I meant…as a miserable ba5tard, I was keen to socially distance (but this Covid-19 gives me the perfect excuse).

A pylon slightly obscures the Main Stand.

In a refreshing change for the Northern League, the Shildon manager professed the aim for this season was promotion.  Out on a geographical limb, most non-league sides in the north east eschew promotion, fearing financial meltdown.  Plus, oddly, they have more trouble attracting players as away games in Greater Manchester aren’t conducive to being home for tea.  When last season was curtailed, Shildon stood in the second promotion spot, behind Stockton.

The view down the touchline.  Was this once terracing?

The home side’s intentions were laid bare as they went nap, winning 5-0 with five different goalscorers.  Impressive stuff considering the undulating pitch.  Almost as impressive as the conversation I overheard between a middle aged bloke and a younger female discussing the relative merits of Jamaica versus the Dominican Republic.  THERE was a conversation I wouldn’t have had money on taking place at Dean Street.  Poor bloke, he’s getting a bit fed up of Jamaica.  Bless.

The Damage:

£7 ent
= £11

Programme: ‘Online’.  Does anyone over the age of 20 bother to read an ‘online programme’?  

The Tunes:
5 Live in the car.

The terrace/step on the new stand side.

The perimeter fence...with new improved social distancing sign.

Players gather in front of the Main Stand.

West Auckland pre-match huddle.  I am convinced these things don't work.

Fans look on.

Another warning, this time stamped onto the paving.

Doesn't a hump like that break rules on the height of the goals?

The view on entry.

The pre-match queue.

1st view of the floodlights.

Home time!

The main entrance on Dean Street.

The back side of the entrance.

The unoccupied (to fans) Main Stand.

That Main Stand again.  What a beauty.

Dean Street panorama.