Dunston 1-1 Stockton Town, Saturday 18th February 2023

Dunston 1-1 Stockton Town, Northern Premier League East, UTS Stadium, att. 280

Today was all about killing 2 birds with one stone. My partner wanted a trip to north-east shopping Temple of Mammon, the Metro Centre, while I could make a first ever visit to UTI Park, next door, home of Dunston UTS of the Northern Premier League East. Indeed, I parked up at the Metro Centre and walked the 15 minutes to the ground.

Although only formed in 1975 as a works team, Dunston’s rise has been rapid and they leave behind an FA Vase victory (2012), back to back Northern League and Cup doubles (2004 and 2005), as well as 3 successive league cups (1998-2000). Not bad for a side set up less than 50 years ago who’ve progressed via the Newcastle City Amateur League, Northern Amateur League, the Northern Combination and the Wearside League. A final Northern League Championship in 2019 saw them continue their upward trajectory to the Northern Premier League. They’ve had name changes too. Previously, they were Dunston Federation Brewery, after local sponsorship…and lately Dunston UTS after another package. However, league rules now stipulate they can’t include a sponsor’s name anymore, but credit due to UTS who still sponsor the ground.

Today they play Stockton Town. Both are at opposite ends of County Durham, the hosts on the banks of the Tyne, the visitors the Tees. So, a derby of sorts, and with both sides going well in the league (Stockton 2nd, Dunston challenging for the play-offs) I anticipated a decent crowd. It was a disappointing 280.

Furthermore, the Dunston PA introduced Stockton as ‘our friends from County Durham’. Technically, true…but no more true than Dunston being from County Durham. And while Dunston may claim membership of the artificial entity calling itself ‘Tyne and Wear’, well, aren’t Stockton a unitary authority these days? Let’s keep it simple. They both play in the Durham Challenge Cup, so were both in County Durham at some point. Maybe our (County Durham’s) branding needs to be a bit more Yorkshire in its fundamentalism.

I get there early and have a beer in the clubhouse, which I have to leave the ground to enter. I’ve got there before the Stockton supporters coach, so grab a cosy spot in the corner before the rush. It’s behind one goal, and first half I choose to find a perch on the left hand touchline, in the stand. Be nice to have a sit down. And it’s a fine view, as 2 teams go hammer and tong at each other. Dunston take the lead and thereby control, but a serious injury and 10 mins of inaction upsets their rhythm, Stockton equalising in the last minute of the first half.

By now, I’ve gone for a wander around the ground and as the equaliser goes in, I find myself near a couple of certain vintage. ‘That’s never his goal’ as the PA announcer credits Eliot Beddow, a winger player I’d been immensely impressed with at Thornaby the year before. ‘It was already over the line’ corrects the linesman. Well, I was in line with it and you could see Beddow’s cross going wide till a defender running towards goal panics and puts it in. I’d have thought the linesman had a perfect view too, but apparently not.

Second half, I go and stand under cover opposite the main stand. There’s kids in this stand…5 of them….making one hell of a racket. They trot out all the old favourites; ‘We’re the Dunston boys making all the noise’…’I’m Dunston till I die’…I couldn’t stand it any longer and went to stand outside again. Still, better they’re in here than causing bother, eh? A high quality game ends all-square leaving both sides in promising positions to press on, and me to wander back to the Metro Centre and pick up my partner. I trust they’ll have enjoyed it more than the time my dad and I went to see Barnsley play and my mum had to spend an afternoon in Oldham…

The Damage:
£9 ent
£3 Claspers Citrus Pale Ale (500ml)
£1.40 tea
= £13.40

The Tunes:
BBC 5live

Hebburn Town 1-4 Stockton Town, Saturday 11th December 2021

Hebburn Town 1-4 Stockton Town, Northern Premier League East, Hebburn Sports and Social Ground, att. 367

You can’t beat a double header, and once I’d realised Hebburn were kicking off at 1pm and South Shields were at home at 3, my mind was made up. Hebburn, south side of the Tyne and inbetween Gateshead and South Shields are in their 1st season of playing in the Northern Premier League East division following their promotion from the Northern League. Opponents Stockton are on an identical path, though they’re making a better fist of the new league, challenging for a place in the top 4 while the homesters are lower midtable. A season of consolidation, then.

After the recent Storm Arwen in the North-East, Hebburn’s ground could do with some consolidation, as blown down wooden fences were propped up behind the main stand, and surrounding garden fences were flattened. Otherwise, it’s a smart stadium, albeit one with only 3 floodlights. Is that why they’re kicking off at 1pm? The main stand, on the far touchline from the main entrance, is a lower division version of rail seating, as one can sit down, or stand up and lean on the railing. I felt sorry for the one (old) guy who obviously wanted to sit down while all around stood up.

Not that there’s a shortage of seating at the Hebburn Sports and Social Ground (catchy!) Either side of the Main Stand are 2 open stands of seating, 50 or so seats in each, while there’s more open seating behind the goal. Judging by the cheers for the goals, away fans heavily outnumbered Hebburn on these two sides. The nearside touchline, the one with the managers’ dugouts, had a long line of fans, while behind was another football pitch. Presumably, the ‘Sports Ground’ incorporated cricket back in the day, though they’d have to pull up the touchline paving to do it now. Feasible though…(not sure about the pressbox, on the halfway line)

The far goal had a small roofed structure but nobody to stand in it. Why walk 100 metres to stand on your own when you can take pride of place on the 1st floor balcony of the sports club which overlooked the pitch? It was certainly busy up here, as the locals quaffed their beer and enjoyed the view. The sports club was tremendous, more pub than non-league social club. There were too many in here too enjoying a beer, the warmth…and Man City live in a Premiership game. I get that – but if you’ve paid to see Hebburn v Stockton, watch Hebburn v Stockton.

There were certainly more goals than Man City’s solitary effort, yet another controversial penalty decision from VAR. (Since when is an armpit ‘handball’?) Stockton ran out 4-1 winners. Sounds like a mauling, but it had me hooked till the end, when the Anchors broke away to finally kill the home team off. Leaving earlier would’ve cost me a goal…but saved me 2. By the time I got to South Shields, 3 miles or so away, I’d missed an opener for either side.

The Damage:
£7 ent
= £7

The Tunes:
BBC5Live