Wearside League Wanderings - part three

197 - Beechfield Park
Coxhoe Athletic 1v2 Teesside Athletic
Shipowners Charity Cup Round 2
3rd January 2009

Coxhoe Athletic played in the Durham Alliance before joining the Wearside League in 2004-05, they’re located in a small village in County Durham, a few miles south of Durham city. Coxhoe is situated just off the Durham services on the A1 motorway, with the ground easy to find, found at the beginning of the village.
Since I started the Wearside League Wanderings series, Beechfield Park has became one of my favourites so far. Imagine any suburban street in Britain, amongst the rows of houses and gardens there’s always one home that stands out amongst the others. The lawn is always cut to perfection, the picket fence always looks like it’s just had a fresh lick of paint, there’s no litter or straggly weeds to be seen, everything is spotless and lovingly cared for by it’s owner, or as in this case the groundsman, as this is the football ground equivalent of the best garden in the street.
The ground is built on top of a hill, just off the main road and over a grass verge, with a few steps leading to its entrance, where a gentleman is waiting to take your admission money. At this side is a diminutive shelter, put together with green congregated iron with a red peaked roof, decked out with a leather bench seat. At the far side is a similar structure but slightly larger and again the seating is the leather benched variety. The main stand is known as the Purvis Stand, this is parallel with the half way line and has three rows of red flip seats, with the dugouts situated at either side and a disabled area next to it. Downstairs behind the stand is a canteen and refreshment bar, changing rooms and toilet block, the ground is complete with a green perimeter fence and has hard standing all round.
This match was in the Shipowners Charity Cup, one of the three knockout competitions in the Wearside League. Teesside took a stranglehold on the game midway through the first half with two goals in the space of three minutes. The first came when a long throw in, caused a scramble in the penalty area, with Drazdauskas coming up trumps to toe poke the ball home. Minutes later a corner kick was played out to left-back Lochren on the edge of the box, whose fine first time effort sailed high into the net.
Coxhoe started the second half in need of an early goal to get themselves back into the game and to make the match more interesting to us neutrals. That’s exactly what happened, as Sheridan scored with a fine individual effort from the edge of the box only five minutes after the restart.
The goal gave the Coxhoe side a huge lift, as they pushed for an equaliser, although Teesside always looked dangerous on the counter attack. The home side thought they had clinched that decisive goal but it was controversially chalked off for offside, this was their best chance as the visitors defended well throughout and comfortably seen out the game to book a place in the next round.
I found Beechfield Park a smashing little ground, it’s obvious to any casual visitors that the park is lovingly cherished, so I must give a special mention to groundsman Stan and the staff at Coxhoe for making this venue such a gem.
Matchday stats
CAFC 1 (Sheridan 50) TAFC (Drazdauskas 22, Lochren 24)
Att 58 (HC)
Admission £1.50
Programme: none

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207 - Harton Colliery Welfare Ground
Wearside League 1v2 Cambridgeshire County League
FA National Systems Cup - Preliminary Round
28th March 2009

This ground is a bit of a bonus for me, Harton Colliery Welfare was a venue I thought I missed out on, after the grounds residents - South Shields Harton & Westoe, resigned from the league back in September. The club were members of the Wearside League from 1994 with a best season finish of 5th of 20 clubs in 2000-01.
The venue played hosts to a Wearside League select team in the FA National League Systems Cup, a competition for league representative sides further down the pyramid, with the cup winners rewarded with a place in Europe, representing the country in the UEFA Regions Cup.

The league’s opponents were the Cambridgeshire County League, and despite a very strong wind the match was a very entertaining game, with both sides representing their respective leagues with pride.
Cambridgeshire took the lead in the 18th minute, a great through ball found the big centre forward Mhishi, who stayed onside before going round the keeper then unselfishly squaring the ball to Joey Abbs, his team mate from Fulbourn Institute FC, who was left with a simple tap into an empty net. That goal looked like being the difference between the two sides at the break, but with the very last kick of the half, New Marske striker Rob Jones’s ‘daisy cutter’ effort from 20 yards out, made it level at the interlude.
The second half was played in similar fashion, a very open affair with no prisoners taking in the tackling stakes, with the referee making decisions that frustrated both sets of players.
As a neutral I though Cambs looked the better side and more likely to clinch the winning goal, this they did in the 74th minute, sub Johnny Bridgeman latched on to a through ball and placed the ball wide of the keeper at the far post to send the travelling hordes (well about a dozen of them) home happy on their long journey back south.
Harton Collery Welfare has a covered terrace at the far side, approximately three-quarters pitch length with both dugouts at the front and four beanpole floodlights in each corner. Admission and match programme is obtained by the Welfare building, which is used as changing rooms with also houses a spacious bar and refreshment facilities, the complex also has a cricket pitch, bowling green and all-weather 5-a-side pitches.
I’m unaware of any plans for Harton & Westoe to reform, although there’s always the possibility of a new club setting up in this part of Shields and using the Welfare as their home, which seems more likely as I can’t imagine this ground and facilities going to waste for too long.

Matchday stats
WLg 1 (Jones 45+2) CCLg 2(Abbs 18, Johnny Bridgeman 74)
Att. 65(HC)
Admission £2
Programme £1
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208 - Silksworth Welfare Park
Ashbrooke Belford House 1v1 Windscale
Wearside League
8th April 2009

Ashbrooke Belford House have played in the Wearside League since last season, after stepping up from the Durham Alliance. Home matches are played in Silksworth, which lies approximately three miles south-east of sunderland town centre, ground sharing with fellow Wearside League club Silksworth Community FC at Silksworth Welfare Park.
The park has a war memorial, bowling green, bandstand and children’s playground, with the park pitch brought up to the standard ground requirements, which is fully enclosed with four floodlight pylons at each side, changing rooms, outside bog and a set of anti-vandal cupboard-type-dugouts, the same type as they have at Ryhope CW.
Asbrooke played hosts to Windscale, who took the lead after 38 minutes, somewhat against the run of play when the best player on view Adam Lamb (or “Dazzler” to his team mates) ran on to a through ball and caught out the keeper, by taking his shot first time from outside the box.
The second half saw Asbrooke apply much of the pressure, equalising just past the hour mark when Benson picked the ball out wide before cutting inside from the right and smashing a left foot shot, giving to goalie no chance.
One thing I noticed was the home dugout was fully occupied with playing staff, while the away section was empty with just the Windscale manager standing in front, meaning only twelve travelled over from Cumbria, the 11 players and the gaffer, no subs or physio, just enough to fill three cars, so well done to them on such a good performance and entertaining game with a draw probably a fair result.

update - posted from 'Falcon' on Non-League Zone;

Enjoyed your view on the Belford House v Windscale game, I assume it was you who asked the lone Windscale man ( me ) in the dugout about our goalscorer, well for your information it was the Windscale secretary in the dugout as the management team were unable to travel for the first time ever due to work. Also with so many injured players at the moment we did well to travel with the team we had and thought we were good value for a point and could even have snatched it at the end.

I look forward to seeing you in West Cumbria :-)

Matchday stats
ABH 1(Benson 62) WFC 1 (Lamb 38)
Att. 19 (HC)
Admission and programme: none

Wearside League Wanderings - part two

The second part of my trips around the Wearside League, where I visited a new club, the return of a former Wearside League side and one of the leagues longest established clubs. The three games provided plenty of entertainment and produced 15 goals.

189. Shotton Park
East Durham United 3v4 Teesside Athletic
Wearside League
1st October 2008

East Durham United are a newly formed club, admitted into the Wearside League last season, finishing 17th,when they ground shared with Northern Alliance club Murton. This season they've relocated 6 miles east to the Shotton Recreation Ground, home of defunct Northern League club Shotton Comrades, in the County Durham village of Shotton Colliery.
Now known as Shotton Park, the ground is found on Station Road, where the car park is at the entrance to Shotton Community Park, which you have to walk through to gain access to the ground at the top of the hill.
The changing rooms are found in a separate building opposite the ground entrance, so the players use the same gate as the supporters as access into the ground from behind the goal, once inside there’s the refreshment bar and toilets to your left and a small section of built up terracing to the right and hard standing on all four sides. There’s a covered terrace at the park side, which originally had benched seats when the Comrades played here, while opposite the dugouts look quite unique. There’s just one large block which is share between home and away teams, when the match was on it looked chocablock, the dark orange roof is the same style as the stand. The ground looks well maintained and is well lit with six tall twin lamp pylons.
I had a choice of staying at home watching Champions League on the box or venturing out on a chilly early autumn evening, to bag a new ground and watch some local non-league action, there’s no doubt, I had made the right choice. Teesside Athletic brought a few of their regular followers and the teenagers who I had earlier passed hanging around the park, doing their usual adolescent stuff, looking bored, playing with their mobiles, while the ones who were coupled up did a spot of ‘necking on’, swelled the attendance by coming into the ground for kick-off time.
Teesside took an early lead on eight minutes when Bell volleyed the ball into an empty net from outside the box after a poor clearance from the keeper, then just after the half hour, the game looked to be heading Athletics’ way, when Thompson had an easy tap-in after a good cross from the right flank.
Then a crazy six minutes leading up to half time, a lifeline for United when a corner kick was sliced into his own net by Wood and minutes later it was level, Kane getting on the end of a free kick wide from the edge of the box. East Durham’s joy was short lived as Teesside regained the advantage, Hunter nodding home virtually on the goal line from an initial corner kick, but the half ended all square, when a foul on Kane allowed Wells to make no mistake from the penalty spot.
After a well earned breather for the players and spectators, I was greedy for more goals after witnessing six in the first half, but I had to settle for one solitary goal in the second half, this went to the visitors on the hour mark, when a fine run and cross fell to Kensington, who got in front of the defender to slide the ball home. Both teams continued to create chances, but Teesside held the advantage, adding to United’s frustrations by booting the ball out of the ground at every opportunity and comfortably holding on to take the three points.
It’s good to see Shotton Park getting used again, two good teams produced a great game so I was pleased to be in attendance, so much better than staying at home watching that inferior Champions League rubbish methinks.

Matchday stats.
EDU 3(Wood OG 39, Hunter 42, Wells 45pen )TAFC 4(Bell 8, Thompson 33, Hunter 44, Kensington 60)
admission and programme; none
Attendance 39(H.C.)

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190. Shildon Sunnydale Stadium 2000
Newton Aycliffe 2v3 Kirbymoorside
Monkwearmouth Charity Cup 1st Round
4th October 2008
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham within the Sedgefield constituency, which was founded in 1947 and is the oldest ‘new town’ in England. The towns football club have returned to the Wearside League this season after a 15 year absence, stepping up from the Durham Alliance, the club originally played in the league for ten years until they resigned mid season in 1993-94.
Newton Aycliffe’s temporary home is the Sunnydale Leisure Centre in Shildon, while developing work continues at their Moor Lane ground, this fact made this ‘tick’ a priority while I still had the chance to visit before the club moved back home.
The Leisure Centre is just outside Shildon on Middridge Lane, with the 2000 stadium found on the opposite side of the road. The ground has an eight lane running track and a decent stand, with blue frames and supports and six rows of red flip seats, with ‘2000’ picked out in blue, its capacity is approximately 300, with a small standing section at the front. The perimeter of the pitch is roped off, giving you a closer view, so your not too far from the action, which is usually the case at athletics stadiums. The changing rooms are in the pavilion building, which is to the far left of the stand parallel to the corner flag, there’s no refreshments available, apart from a hot drinks machine across the road in the Leisure Centre.
In damp windy conditions, the match saw the Wearside League’s two newest clubs met in the opening round of the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup, the weather had a hand in the opening goal, a wide free kick from 30 yards out, by Kirby’s Damon Cox, missed everyone and bounced high into the net with an assist from the swirling wind. Minutes later the home team equalised, McMullen played a one-two, before side footing the ball into the corner with his right foot. Aycliffe dominated the rest of the first half, missing several good chances and were unlucky not to have a handsome lead.
After 15 minutes the game came to a standstill, the officials held lengthy discussions with the dugouts, apparently one of the linesman had pulled a calf muscle and couldn’t continue, so unless someone stepped in the match would be abandoned, thankfully a lad from the Newton Aycliffe bench reluctantly took the flag, meaning the game could continue and I wouldn’t lose out on getting a new ground to my list.
Kirbymoorside took the lead against the run of play on 67 minutes, a scramble in the box eventually fell to Sarjo Cham, who slid in to score. The game swung to and fro with both teams missing sitters, but NA became more dominant and finally equalised on 82 minutes, left back Campbell ventured forward and his cross come shot found the far right corner.
The game looked to be heading for extra time, something I wasn’t pleased about, the game had kicked off at 2pm, I had an appointment in Newcastle at 4.30pm, so this meant the disappointment of having to miss out on the extra 30 minutes, things personally got worse when a serious tackle and a bad injury meant a lot of added on time.
During the game a lad on the Kirbymoorside bench, was constantly warming up, hoping to get on and show what he could do, the lad was; to put it politely..a bit of ‘a poseur’ he had some sort of hairdo going on, the likes of I’ve never seen before and was the only player on show wearing gloves. He got on after about 70 minutes and didn’t make much of an impact, apart from the inconvenience of getting his sparkling all-white strip dirty. It was approaching 3.55pm, so I unfortunately had to get going, so I began to exit the stand., just then the Kirby right winger was making a strong run forward and managed to get a decent cross into the box, then appearing from nowhere was said player, with a fantastic diving header; Uyi Ehima. What a player! What a goal! Brilliant! The referee blew the whistle as soon as the game restarted, so I was happy I saw the whole game, all thanks to a tremendous goal from the lad with the hair and gloves!
Matchday Stats
NAFC 2(McMullen 11, Campbell 82) Kirby 3(Cox 8, Sarjo Cham 67, Uyi Ehima 90+5)
Admission £2
Programme: none
Att. 54 (H.C.)

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193. Ryhope Recreation Ground
Ryhope 2v1 Kirbymoorside
Wearside League
12th November 2008

Ryhope is a coastal village 3 miles south of Sunderland town centre, on the southern tip of the town borough. The word Ryhope originates from Old English speak; reof hoppas which translates as “rough valley”
Ryhope CW rejoined the Wearside League in the 1950’s, their most successful period coming the following decade when they won the league on three occasions and added another four trophies within the league’s cups competitions. In 1988 they merged with Sporting Club Vaux, renamed as Vaux Ryhope until reverting back to their original name in 1992.
When approaching on the main B1286 road which runs through the village, the ground was easy to spot, eight tall pylons lit up the night sky making it clearly visible, I then just had to work out how to get there, as it’s tucked within a housing estate. I noticed a few cars parked off the main road, so followed suit and found the entrance to the park within a side street.
A short walk through the recreation park, past the tennis courts and around the Ryhope Cricket Club’s pitch, led to the football ground. The clubhouse is outside the entrance gate, which is more like a café, with an array of tables and chairs, serving hot food and a proper cup of tea - out of a pot and in a mug, you can also view the game from the window inside, but you have to move the net curtains first.
Inside the ground , on the nearside there’s a changing room block to the left, with a hard standing terrace and dugouts to the right, these are basically a large aluminium cupboard, which can be closed and locked up when not in use. The other three sides are grassed standing, with the only cover coming via an old Perspex dugout on the far side.
After an even but goalless first half, Ryhope started the second period looking more positive, taking the lead after only five minutes, when the Kirby keeper’s trailing leg tripped up the striker. After arguing with the referee and receiving a yellow card for dissent, he had no chance with the spot kick converted by Hill. The lead was brief, two minutes later a long ball from the right back to the far post was met by Alexandra** with a towering header which gave the keeper no chance, he jumped so high that it looked(from my angle) that he jumped higher than the crossbar, so it wasn’t a surprise that the forward received an injury from his long fall back to earth. The match winning arrived on 74 minutes, a great run and cross from the right winger, picking out a perfect pass to the in coming McMahon, who had the simple task of shooting past the goalie from 15 yards out. Kirby had a golden opportunity to earn a draw in injury time, but the offending player shot over the bar from 5 yards out, when it looked easier to score, much to the annoyance of the away section of the dugout.
Ryhope Community Park looks like it receives a lot of tender loving care, the pitch and the perimeter of the ground is spotless, there’s plenty of scope for improvements if need be, but the club seem happy enough at this level, the Wearside League having been their stamping ground for over 50 years.
Matchday Stats
RCW 2(Hill 50pen, McMahon 74) Kirby 1(Alexandra 52)
Admission £2
Programme: none
Att. 51(HC)

My Matchday - 138 Green Lane

Teeside Athletic 1v6 Whitehaven Amateurs
Monkwearmouth Charity Cup Final
May 12th 2007
att.approx 200 (+3 dogs)

It’s that time of the year when the football season draws nearer to closure,when the titles have all been decided and all that’s left are play-offs and cup finals,so the options become rather limited as far as watching live fitba are concerned,however I not about to let my wee band of loyal readers down,so I took a 100 mile round trip down to North Yorkshire to not only view a new ground,but also see a cup final clash with two sides playing for one of the oldest football trophies in the world.
Based in the coastal town of Redcar in Cleveland,Teesside Athletic are a club on the rise with a bright future ahead,they became one of the first clubs to receive FA Charter Standard Community Club Status,as well as having their senior side playing in the Wearside League and a reserve team,the club also run sixteen junior sides from ages 6-18 as well as a Ladies team and three junior girl teams making up over 250 playing staff.
Formed in 1993 playing in the Teesside League,the club took the step up into the Wearside League (level 7) as recently as 2005-06 season, finishing a respectable 5th (of 18) in their first season,they currently lie in 9th position this season but have progressed by reaching two cup finals,they face recently crowned Wearside League champions Birtley Town in the League Cup Final later this month and today they host Whitehaven Amateurs in the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup Final.
The Green Lane ground lies just off Redcar sea front with views of the cliffs at Marske in the distance,at the moment the ground is pretty basic but there’s plans for major improvements, the ground is surrounded by a green panel fence and the club has recently launched a ‘sponsor a panel’scheme to raise finances,there’s also plans afoot to equip the ground with floodlights and spectator facilities,so currently there is no covered stand,not unless you count the unused dugout at the far site of the ground which would actually give the ground a seating capacity of four (see picture) On arriving at the ground there’s a car park and club house which sells a range of club souvenirs including pin badges and scarfs,quite impressive for a club at this level,the building also houses the changing rooms and the players enter the pitch via the same entrance as the supporters.
Today I had the pleasure of being accompanied by a couple fellow ground baggers with fellow 100FGC member Alan Price (squad no.26) as well as another Alan who I was meeting for the first time,both take in as many matches as possible throughout the season,I know that Mr.Price usually hits the 100 mark a season while the other Alan has had a busy time having attended an impressive nine matches in the space of this week.
The Monkwearmouth Charity Cup is a competition played amongst the Wearside League clubs and the current holders Teesside Athletic were hosting the final against their rivals from Cumbria,Whitehaven Amateurs,the final isn’t played at a neutral venue but home advantage wasn’t a telling factor today as it was the most one sided game I’ve seen this season,with the game being over as a contest by half time.
Whitehaven started the game brightly in the opening period,and it was no surprise when they took the lead on 27 minutes with Craig Robson’s clever lob over the keepers head from 18 yards,this opened the floodgates and the visitors added to their lead with a penalty from Jonathon Wight on 36 minutes and then a spectacular left footed volley from the edge of the box by Steven Hewitt five minutes before the break gave Whitehaven an unassailable lead at the end of the first 45 minutes.
Teesside improved after the break, but for all there possession they never seriously threatened in front of goal and Whitehaven added to their total with Craig Robson grabbing two goals to complete his hat trick in a five minute spell midway through the second half,the first on 65 minutes with a first time shot from a left wing cross and then he escaped his marker again to put his side 5 -0 up with a cool finish.To add more misery to Athletic’s afternoon they missed a penalty on 83 minutes with a fine save from keeper Jack Fryer and from their next attack forward Wight grabbed his second of the afternoon and Whitehaven’s sixth with a bullet header from a right wing corner,there was just enough time left for a late consolation goal from the hosts through a scrabbled goal by Steve Thompson.
So it finished 6-1 with Whitehaven dominated throughout and worthy winners of the Monkwearmouth Cup but a hugely disappointing performance from Teesside, although there’ll be better days ahead from a club that has a good infrastructure in place and an ambition to progress further.

LINKS –
What’s the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup

Matchday pictures courtesy of Mark Fletcher

(no.6008 is a good one)

Update - May 2007

Teesside got over their disappointment of losing out on the Monkwearmouth Cup by winning the Wearside League Cup with a cracking result against league champions Birtley Town in their own backyard, they came away with a 2-1 win with goals from James Smuk and Ian Mudd.

Well Done!