Welcome to Shaun Smith's Groundhopping blog ...748.Newbiggin Welfare
AFC Newbiggin Central 0-4 Heaton Stan ‘A’
Neville Cowey Cup - Group 1
Wednesday 14th April 2021
AFC Newbiggin Central joined the Northern Alliance at the start of the 2020-21 season. The club is based at the welfare ground, which last saw Northern Alliance action in 2005, when it was home to Newbiggin Central Welfare, who played 18 consecutive seasons within the top two divisions from 1987-88.
Heaton Stan ‘A’ made it two wins from two cup games with a comfortable win at Newbiggin Central. After taking an early lead through Kye Jones they had to wait until the 69th minute to double their advantage, when Chris Walker slotted home from close range. Kevin Westphal had fortune on his side to add their third, before Callum Harris headed home from a corner-kick in injury time.
Stats
18.15 ko
AFCNC 0
HS’A’ 4(Jones 5 Walker 69 Westphal 77 Harris 90+2)
48 onlookers
749.Josephine Butler Academy
Bedlington 4-1 Rothbury
Combination Cup- Group 2
Saturday 17th April 2021
Bedlington FC are living a nomadic existence at the moment. According to the league website they have relocated to St Benet Biscop Academy, but since the restart, their two home fixtures have been at Gallagher Park in the town, and the Josephine Butler Academy in Ashington.
The Academy is named after Josephine Elizabeth Butler (1828 – 1906) She was a feminist and social reformer, born in Milfield, Northumberland. She campaigned for women's suffrage, better education for women, the end of coverture in British law, the abolition of child prostitution, and an end to human trafficking of young women and children.
Bedlington returned to the Butler Academy 4G enclosure for their rematch with Rothbury, the first fixture finishing 1-1 at Armstrong Park ten days ago. This time Bedlington took maximum points with a solid second half performance. They took the lead at the end of the first half when a right wing cross was met by David Stobbart at the far post. Andrew McClennan quickly doubled their lead after the restart, before Rothbury halved the deficit, when Paul Dunn ran through on goal to make it 2-1.
Bedlington took full control with a brace from Connor Stroughton, who headed in from a right wing cross, before cracking in a neat volley in the 86th minute to make it 4-1.
Stats
12.25ok
BFC 4(Stobbart 45 McClennan 52 Stroughton 82,86)
RFC 1(Dunn 77)
15 Onlookers
750. Ella Park
Ellington 2-4 Gateshead Redheugh 1957
Amateur Cup - Group 4
Saturday 17th April 2021
Ellington is a former mining village on the Northumberland coast, 4 miles north of Ashington.
Ellington was the site of the last remaining operational deep coal mine in the North-East,
closing in January 2005. It was also the last deep mine in the UK to extract coal from under the
sea. The colliery was used as the fictional 'Everington' mine in the Stephen Daldry film
Billy Elliot, which was released in 2000.
Ellington joined the Northern Alliance from the Tyneside Amateur League in 2018.
Ella Park is located down a dirt track off Lynmouth Road. The facility has 3 grass pitches and a
4G enclosure. The senior team pitch is fenced off on one side and behind the goals, with a pair
of (looks like a work in progress) dugouts.
A hat-trick by Redheugh number nine Stewart English set them on their way to a 4-2 win at
Ella Park. The striker fired two first half goals before completing his hat-trick early in the
second period. Ellington hit back with a good header and a fine finish from their number nine,
but the visitors wrapped it up when Tom Hogan tapped in the fourth midway through the half.
Stats
16.15ko
EFC 2(#9 52,65 awaiting details)
GR1957 4(English 19,21,47 Hogan 68)
18 onlookers
Kirkoswald is a village, civil parish, and former market town located in the Lower Eden Valley of Cumbria, about 9 miles from Penrith. (population approx. 900)
The village, referred to colloquially as "KO", takes its name from the church of St Oswald. He was the King of Northumbria who, according to legend, toured the pagan North with St Aidan in the 7th Century.
Kirkoswald FC was founded in 1946 and have been members of the Westmorland Football League since 1969.
The Old Showfield
Croft Pl,
Kirkoswald,
Penrith
CA10 1DL
The ground is situated through a narrow lane off the main street. On arrival there's the car park and changing rooms which proudly states the club name in large letters. The pitch is next to Stan Cricket Club, which has its pavilion in the far corner of the pitch.
Non-League grounds visited 454
Westmorland League grounds 3
Kirkoswald v Keswick
High Sheriff’s Cup
18.45 ko
Art.28hc
Kirkoswald made a promising start and took the lead through Liam Robinson in the 10th
minute. The visitors hit back in the 33rd minute when a shot from outside the area was
knocked onto the post by the ‘keeper only to fall to Jamie Little for a simple tap in. They
increased the lead five minutes later with a flicked header from Richard Bannister following a
mad scramble in the box.
Keswick had the advantage of the slope in the second half and went further ahead in the 69th
minute when a right wing corner was met at the far post to make it 1-3.The match was wrapped up in the dying minutes with Andy Frampton getting on the score
sheet to top off a good performance.
63 miles door-to door (returning via A69)
dept.1430 arriving 1735
With Lee, Teddy & Katie(driving Suzy)
Before hitting the A66 we stopped off in Barnard Castle for an hour or so. (eye-tests-a-go-go!)
I was delighted to pick up a rare Liverpool 2nd Ref.623 Subbuteo team for a fiver from a charity
shop, while Katie was over the moon to see Bargain Hunt favourite David Harper outside his
antique shop. On arrival everything in the village was closed including the shop and both its
pubs, so we waited in the car out of the rain until kick off. The full match was completed before
the fall of darkness and we were treated to a decent game played at a friendly little club.
KoFC 1(Robinson 15)
KwFC 4(Little 33,69 Bannister 38 Frampton 87)
From tomorrow, spectators are officially allowed to attend games again, just as long as its not played on private land or the purchase of a match ticket is involved, which may generate a large crowd. However if a game is played on council land or is part of a public park its fine. Apologies if I’ve got these facts wrong, but the statements coming from the FA are as plain as the instructions this shitstorm of a government has preached over the last 12 months.
On Wednesday night I called up to Winlaton to drop some bits and pieces off at my son’s house. On the way back along Shibdon Road I noticed the players taking the field on Shibdon Park, so I pulled into the car park and watched - Blaydon Community 0 Newcastle East End Reserves 3, which was a good game and my third visit to this ground.
Finally, just yesterday, I drove down the A19 to Middlesbrough as I had agreed to purchase some rare Subbuteo teams on Facebook Marketplace. I arranged to meet the seller outside the rugby ground in Acklam, but the bugger didn’t turn up. However, the trip wasn’t a complete waste of time as just around the corner Cleveland and Boro Rangers Reserves were warming up just before their North Riding League fixture. I pulled into the car park ten minutes before the kick off and was thrilled to see my Groundhopping companions Lee & Katie there as well, which topped off a great week of games, when I accidentally stumbled onto some much missed live football action.
745. Eastwoods Football Fields
Prudhoe YC Seniors Development 3-5 West Jesmond
Northumberland Minor Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 3rd April 2021
Eastwoods Football Fields is directly behind Kimberley Park and across the road from the Prudhoe Youth Club and Eastwood Park.
PYC took the lead in the 13th minute through Ben Milner before West Jesmond responded, with both Mylo Ferraro and Marc Cowley latching onto right wing crosses. Michael Beck made it 1-3 at half time with a good run and finish, then from the restart Ferraro added his second and Adam Johnson made it five with twenty minutes remaining. Prudhoe staged a mini fight back with 2 goals in four minutes from their centre forward James Reay, but the visitors saw out the game to earn a home tie against Cramlington United in the next round.
746. Mill Hill Playing Fields
Cleveland FC 0-0 Boro Rangers Reserves
North Riding League 1st Division Mini-League
Saturday 10th April 2021
Cleveland FC are based in the Acklam area of the Boro. The Mill Hill facility has several pitches with the senior team using the pitch at the far end which runs parallel with St Mary's Walk.
For a nowts-each, this was a quite entertaining game. Cleveland wasted some good opportunities to forge ahead and wasted a golden chance in the 15th minute when a penalty-kick sailed high over the bar and into the bushes behind the goal. The match was very open and could have gone either way in the second half. In the final minute Cleveland had a player sent off and Rangers should have pinched it when a close range header went the wrong side of the crossbar.
Stats
PYCSD 3(Milner 18 Reay 77pen,80)
WJ 5(Ferraro 18,50 Cowley 35 Beck 42 Johnson 69)
13 onlookers
Stats
CFC 0
BRR 0
34 onlookers
Red card - Cleveland #6 (89th minute)
