Around the Alliance - part three

The third and final part of my mini-tours around the grounds of the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division for this season, I've enjoyed visiting these clubs and attended some great games, I look forward to continuing the series next season.
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Ground no.168 - Sporting Club of Cramlington
Cramlington Town v Shankhouse

16th April 2008

Cramlington is a small town 9 miles north of Newcastle in Northumberland, Shankhouse Black Watch joined the Northern Alliance 2nd Division in 2000, winning promotion in their first season and changing their name to Cramlington Town a year later, last season the club won promotion to the Alliance Premier after finishing runners-up to Gillford Park in Division One.
Sporting Club of Cramlington is based within the grounds of Cramlington High School, the ground was opened in November 2003 at a cost of £10,000, thanks to local funding and an award from the Football Foundation, giving the ground the basic requirements of spectator barrier system, dugouts and technical area.Additional facilities for both school and community use, were provided by Northumberland County Council, using capital from the sale of surplus school land to allow the original £3m sports complex proposals to be developed.
The Sporting Club is an active place, I missed the kick-off as I struggled the find a parking space, as well as the Cramlington Town match there was another five or six games taking place, mostly involving junior girl matches on the many football pitches around the complex.
The game was very competitive with an above average count of late tackles, near neighbours Shankhouse scored the only goal of the first half; be it a fortunate one, a cross from left back Heppell took an unkind deflective, spinning over the helpless keepers head. The result seemed settled after an hour, a scramble in the box produced a few efforts at goal with one shot stopped on the line by a defenders hand, the referee had no hesitation in giving a penalty and a red card, Armstrong made no mistake with his spot kick. Shankhouse looked comfortable, soaking up any pressure from the ten men, looking more likely to add to the score until five minutes from time when a great save from the keeper stopped a late consolation goal from Town, but from the resulting corner the ball fell to Miller on the edge of the box who’s shot went through a packed defence and into the net. Then amazingly, to everyone’s surprise, Cramlington rescued a point in injury time via the same player, again a corner kick wasn’t cleared and the ball fell nicely in his path, blasting a shot into the roof of the net. Overall a spirited and entertaining game with both clubs sharing the spoils in the Crammy Derby.
Matchday Stats
Unofficial HC attendance 44
2-2 scorers - Miller(86,90+1) -/- Heppell(19) Armstrong-pen(59)

Ground no.170 - Cochrane Park
Newcastle University v Carlisle City
26th April 2008

Newcastle University have several sports facilities throughout the city but the principal competitive venue for football, rugby and cricket is found at Cochrane Park, located north-east of the town centre.
The venue houses 4 football pitches, 3 county standard rugby pitches, 1 cricket square and 5 tennis courts, with the ground the football club use situated at the far side of the complex. The site has an attractive looking pavilion, used as team changing rooms, with a function suite and bar facilities.
Newcastle University have played within the Alliance since 1988 and have been in the Premier Division since the 2000-01 season, last season they finished 6th their highest position to date. The University’s football club squad is now picked from current students only, they struggled earlier this season, but have finished the campaign well, lifting themselves off the foot of the table.
Carlisle City provided physical opposition to the students, after a goal from Foote on 19 minutes, City equalised after half and hour, a good finish from Gardner from a tight angle making it level at the break. Uni were the better side in the second half, taking the lead on 66 minutes when Kewn turned a right wing cross goal wards, a defender on the line tried to stop the ball with his hand but the shot proved too strong, the goal scorer appealed for handball, but within a second later turned away to celebrate the goal, forgetting about his penalty plea. The Students secured the win and capped a fine 2nd half display with a late goal from Crockett, giving them another valuable 3 points in their pursuit of avoiding the drop.
Matchday Stats
Unofficial HC attendance 11
3-1 scorers; Foote(9) Kewn(66) Crockett(85) -/- Gardiner(32)
















Ground no.172 - South Newsham Playing Fields
Blyth Town v Alnwick Town
12th May 2008

Blyth Town were originally formed as a junior boy’s team in 1995, the adult side began in 2002-03, the previous seasons Under 18’s made the step into senior football and won the Alliance 2nd Division title in their debut season. The club now run 26 teams from Under 6’s boys to men and girls Under 10’s to ladies.
The adult side progressed, winning promotion to the Alliance Premier in 2005 and this season they’ve won the NFA Senior Benevolent Bowl, beaten Wark last month at Whitley Park by a goal to nil.
The ground lies on the main A1061 road into Blyth, where you find the car park and the club pavilion, which has recently undergone major improvements, including expansion to the changing rooms and a function suite.
On arrival I noticed the players walking away from the ground, crossing the road and heading through a pathway in between two housing estates, this lead towards a large playing field with two football pitches, one of which was a daisy field roped off for use as the venue for the match. Obviously this couldn’t be the home ground of Blyth Town, being not correctly fenced off, without dugouts and not meeting the Level 7 requirements. I made enquiries about the main ground and was told after a league inspection, it was deemed unfit for use, with the club giving special dispensation to play at this ground until the former is passed fit. Looking at the club website it shows they have 8 pitches, 4 at South Newsham and 4 at South Beach, the fixture was listed as South Beach-pitch 2, so after being disappointed at not seeing the club play on their proper home ground, at least I’ve scored for an extra ‘tick’ and I’ll make a revisit when they’re back across the road playing on the main pitch.
Alnwick Town were the visitors to South Newsham Playing Fields, sorry… that should be South Beach-pitch 2, I didn’t know it at the time, but last season I witnessed their last game in the Northern League before Demotion into the Alliance, last seasons squad have now gone and they find themselves a place behind Blyth in 13th
They returned back up the A1 with a comfortable 2-0 win, with a goal in each half, the first a header directly from a corner on 14 minutes from Patterson and the second from Keen on 65, there was more chances to add to their tally but the front two struggled to stay onside, blaming the linesman for their badly timing forward runs.
At half time Blyth Town made a couple of substitutions, one of them was a lively left-winger who was shithot fast and keen as mustard, he was constantly involved although his eagerness saw a couple of late tackles, one of which resulting in an unfortunate accident, as he overstretched he snapped his leg, letting out a scream which could be heard as far away as Ashington. The upshot of this was the game was stopped for 25 minutes as the lad couldn’t be moved, with the players and spectators having to hang around waiting the arrival of the ambulance. I spoke to a few Alnwick supporters and we agreed the game should be stopped, with only 10 minutes left to play, the 2-0 score line should stand, I decided that personally the game was over and decided to head home, hoping I wouldn’t find that Blyth Town made a remarkable recovery winning 3-2 in those last ten minutes, however it did stay 0-2 so I didn’t miss anything and I managed to get home for the second part of Coronation Street.
Blyth Town have major ambitions; with their main wish to eventually become a Northern League club, they’re also looking to make major developments at South Newsham, to establish themselves and show there’s more than one club in Blyth.
Matchday stats
Unofficial HC attendance 32
0-2 scorers; Patterson(14) Keen(65)

Around the Alliance - part two

Another in the series of my mini-tours around the grounds of the Northern Alliance Premier, continues with three more additions, a ground in Newcastle, a jaunt into Northumberland and a trip to the only club representative from County Durham.
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Ground no.165 Bullocksteads Sports Complex
Heddon v Wallington (League Cup s/f)
29th March 2008

Bullocksteads Sports Complex is based in the Kenton Bank Foot district of Newcastle, in the shadow of Kingston Park. It’s a ground I’ve visited several times before, as both spectator and player, but not for a number of years, however this occasion counts as an official ‘ground tick’ as it’s the home venue of Northern Alliance Premier outfit Heddon FC.
The ground has 13 grass pitches catering for both football and rugby, used mainly by Northumbria University. The main football ground, complete with a fence and dugouts, is a short walk from the Sports Bar, which also houses refreshment facilities and changing rooms.
Alliance League clubs Heddon Institute and Proctor & Gamble Newcastle amalgamated to form P & G Heddon FC in 2002, the club was renamed Heddon FC for the 2002/03 season, a season which concluding with promotion to the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division.
The game I attended was a League Cup semi final, or to give the competition it’s full name (pause..deep breathe) the Longhorn Hardware Stan Seymour League Cup. Heddon were up against Wallington, a club based near Scots Gap in Northumberland, who may be a league below them, but horrendous weather conditions proved a leveller and gave them a great opportunity of causing a cup upset.
As I approached Kingston Park the rain started, by kick-off time the conditions worsened with heavy rain and a swirling wind. The game started with Heddon having the wind behind their backs and Wallington struggling to venture out of their own half, even the keepers long clearances failed to cross the half way line, each kick blowing towards the dugouts and out of play.
The half ended goalless, Heddon had most of the possession but failed to really test the keeper, by this time I was watching the game upstairs in the Sports Bar which gives a good view of the pitch and also gave me time to defrost. The conditions meant if a goal were to be scored, then only one would decide it, the decisive moment of the game arrived on the hour mark with the match winner scored by Peter Southern. The underdogs doggedly defended their lead, holding on to booked a place in the final against current league leaders Walker Central, when they’ll be hoping to cause another shock and lift the cup for the first time.

Matchday facts
Unofficial HC attendance 28
score 0-1 scorer - Southern(60)

Ground no.166 Eden Lane

Peterlee Town v Ashington Colliers
9th April 2008

Peterlee was founded in 1948 as a new town, named after (you guessed it!) Peter Lee, a well known local miner. The football club was formed in 1976 as Peterlee Newtown, joining the Wearside League in 1979. They became founder members and first winners of the Northern League Division Two in 1982, they played within the two levels of the Northern League, until a disastrous period of consecutive relegations saw the club land in the Northern Alliance.
For their first Alliance season in 2006-07, the club dropped the ‘new’ bit changing their name to Peterlee Town, they finished bottom of the league, but fortunately they were saved from further relegation, due to the expansion of the league.
Eden Lane is a tidy looking ground, which is has been well maintained, preserving it’s Northern League standards. The main stand which looks out towards to North Sea, is painted dark red with five rows of bench seats, there’s also a diminutive covered shelter on the far side terrace, with the rest of the ground combining pathway and grass bank standing.
The match was a cracking game, it was if both teams were trying to keep the score down, missing plenty of good chances. An even first half saw Colliers take an early lead through Scott, but a dodgy penalty in first half stoppage time gave an opportunity to draw the game level, but a routine save from the keeper preserved the visitors half time lead. After at least a half dozen clear cut openings the Newtowners finally found the net through Howe, who made up for his earlier penalty miss. This produced a fantastic finale with both teams going full pelt for a winner as the game swung back and forwards, but as the game looked to be heading for a draw, a goal deep in to injury time from Gee gave Peterlee victory and on the balance of chances missed they deserved it.
I went for a cup of tea just before half time, the bloke who served me asked where I was from, when I told him “Gateshead” he repeated my answer but added a grunt prefix, he asked why I was here, so I told him it was because I liked visiting grounds and had never visited Eden Lane, even in the clubs Northern League days. A tinge of sadness then came over his face “ oh aye! happier times” he replied. I almost felt sorry for him, I felt the need to give him a cuddle and tell him everything will be ok. It’s these type of folk that keep these football clubs going, lending a hand because of their devotion to the club. He didn’t just make tea, he swept the floor, retrieved the wayward footballs from over the wall and even shouted tactics from behind the dugout. So on his behalf I hope the clubs stay in the Alliance is a brief one and a return to those happier Northern League times are not too far away.

Matchday facts
Unofficial HC attendance 20
score 2-1 scorers Howe(68) Gee(90+2) -/- Scott(17)




Ground no.167 Hirst Welfare

Ashington Colliers v Gillford Park
12th April 2008

After seeing Ashington Colliers at Peterlee, I was back seeing them in action three days later (they’ll think I’m a new fan) at their home at Hirst Welfare.
The Hirst Welfare Centre is a multi-use community facility, that has all weather floodlight synthetic football pitches, as well as grass pitches, one of which is used by the Colliers, there’s also a community centre with a café, gym and office space.
The club is the reserve side of Ashington FC, whose new ground is in the process of being developed over the hill on the other side of the complex, they joined the Northern Alliance leagues in 2000, two successive promotions brought them into the Alliance Premier in 2006, last season they finished 9th.
Again, like my previous Alliance game, I enjoyed a tremendous match played in great spirit with the added bonus of two tremendous goals. Gillford Park travelled over from Cumbria with lingering hopes of still winning the title, unbeaten on their travels all season, four points behind leaders Walker Central. They looked a good bet to catch them, playing some neat football and taking a half time lead through defender Taylor, who capitalised on a loose ball from a corner kick. Colliers on the other hand missed some good chances, continuing the trend from Wednesday night and as the game progressed it became more likely that Gillford would grab a second and clinch victory, that was until two pieces of magic in the space of 5 minutes turned the game around.
Firstly an equaliser on 71 minutes from centre-forward Brown, scoring a superb volley, meeting a left wing cross which flew into the roof of the net, the goal came totally out of the blue, so much so that me and the linesman looked towards each other in shock, before nodding in agreement that we had just seen a cracking goal. Four minutes later and an even better goal, this time Butters picked the ball up in midfield, then surprisingly rifled a 25 yards screamer, giving the keeper no chance, it was a pity there was only a crowd of under 20 to witnessed such a great strike.
Apart from a disallowed offside goal from Gillford , Colliers finished the game strongly and wrapped up the game with a third, this time midfielder Hutchinson getting on the end of a left wing cross, which he celebrated as if his lottery numbers had come up, capping a great win for the black and whites against one of the leagues best sides.
I chatted to a few of the local contingent and was told some useful info regarding the first teams new ground, let‘s just say there’s been a few hiccups and the only football your likely to see within Hirst Welfare in the near future is on the Alliance pitch.

Matchday Facts
Unofficial HC attendance 19
score 3-1 scorers Brown(71) Butters(75) Hutchinson(86) -/- Taylor(12)

Around the Alliance - part one

Ground no.154 - Grounsell Park
Heaton Stannington v Newcastle University
1st December 2007



Stannington are based east of Newcastle city centre in High Heaton, formed way back in 1919 as previous members of the Tyneside and Northern Amateur Leagues, before joining the Northern League prior to the First World War, the club were elected as non-playing members when football recommenced after the Second World War because the ground was still being used by the
military during the 1945-46 season. The club resigned from the league in 1952 and joined the Northern Alliance where they’ve largely played ever since, apart from a ten year break in the Wearside League between 1972 and 1982.
The ground was formerly known as Newton Park but is now recognized as Grounsell Park and has the basic standards for this level, with a white perimeter fence and dugouts on either side, spectators stand in front of the clubhouse on a built up patio area to view the game from over the home dugout where there’s also a diminutive shelter. The car park is inside the entrance grounds with a large portakabin used for changing rooms and storage in the corner.
Heaton Stannington looked to be heading for a comfortable win, but for a plucky comeback from a young University side, coming back from 4-1 down to 4-3 made for a great finish, although Heaton had good chances to secure the victory themselves, they held on the take the three points, so both teams put on a good show, pity it was in front of a near empty ground.

Matchday facts
unofficial HC att. 8
Score 4-3 – scorers: Yates(9,51,54), Scott(45 )-/- Blunt(38,80), Robertson(64)




Ground no.156 - Monkchester Green
Walker Central v Shankhouse
29th December 2007

Walker Central is another club due east of Newcastle, tucked in between Byker and Wallsend; formed in 1988 by amongst others, former Newcastle United player Lee Clark and scout Brian Clark, they won promotion to the Northern Alliance Premier in only their second season. In 1995 the club added Central to their name and won the Alliance title for the only time so far in 2000-01.
In 2004 the club received the FA Charter Standard Community Award, as well as the senior side there is and now over 20 boys and girls junior teams of all ages
The ground has the basic requirements with a spacious clubhouse and changing facilities called the Peggy Shepherd Pavilion (opened by MP Kate Hoey) set back from the park, the club are ambitious and have looked into the possibility of installing lights and eventually progressing to the Northern League.
A great first half performance saw the league leaders race into a four goal lead, it was hard to tell if Walker were good or if Shankhouse were.. well…shank! but an improvement in the second half saw Central only add one more to their total after missing a hatful of chances with the visitors grabbed a consolation goal themselves.
There was a decent crowd present due to the fact that other games close by were hit by the wet weather, amongst those were three ground hoppers who made the long trip from Staffordshire to bag a couple of grounds in Newcastle (they later went up the road to visit Team Northumbria) they like myself enjoyed a very good game with the home side looking a good bet for the title.

Matchday Facts
Unofficial HC att.52
Score 5-1 - scorers - Cave(14) Mills(17) Miley(32,35) Lamb(55) -/- Binney(64)

Ground no.159 Ponteland Leisure Centre
Ponteland United v Heddon
19th January 2008

Ponteland is a suburb north-west of Newcastle, just over the Northumberland border, located close to Newcastle Airport and neighbouring upmarket Darras Hall, a favoured setting for the north-east’s rich and famous.
Ponteland United were formed in 1900 and have played in the Northern Alliance since 1983/84, finishing runners-up in the league twice during the ‘90’s, they’ve also lost nine of the various leagues cup competitions, so the club have won nothing in their time but have come mighty close. In 2006 the club formed a junior section, merging with local side Blue Star Junior FC producing players to eventually make the progression to the senior side.
The ground is situated within the grounds of the Ponteland Leisure Centre, fenced off separately from the complex and the nearby local rugby club, with changing facilities in a building attached at the far side of the centre, there’s a doorway sharing access for players and paying customers with the dugouts at the far side of the ground.
The game didn’t fall victim to the wet weather, with the pitch holding up well, giving way to an enjoyable match
An enjoyable, but at times physical encounter between Ponteland and local rivals Heddon on a pitch which held up well surviving the preceding weeks wet weather, allowing some good football from both teams. Heddon were the better side, it could really have been game over by half-time, after missing several good chances, a fine headed goal from ‘McElroy was all they had to show for their efforts at the break. ‘Pont’ improved in the second half with an equaliser out of the blue courtesy of a long range effort from Willis, but a late winner by Zubairn finishing off a fine move gave Heddon a deserved victory.
The match saw plenty of dirty tackles flying about, surprisingly not only were no players sent off, but there wasn’t a single yellow card issued, I suspect the referee must have forgotten his cards which added to the frustration of the management, players and both sets of supporters, but on a personal level added to the afternoons entertainment.

Matchday Facts Unofficial HC attendance 45
Score 1-2 - scorers - Wills(58)-/- McElroy(30) Zubairn(83)

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