My Picture of the Year

My last post of 2007 is my own individual award to my favourite photograph of the year, amongst the hundreds I’ve taken over the past twelve months.
The picture I’ve chosen as my own personal favourite was taking at Matlock Town’s Geoquip Stadium and shows what should have been the winning goal for Gateshead in the 1-1 draw with the Gladiators, the photograph looks like the ball is about to hit the net but the keeper managed to get his hand to the ball.
The picture was taking from the back of the covered terrace behind the goal and shows the Causeway Lane side of the ground with the distinctive club shop alongside, nestled within the grounds picturesque setting.
Happy New Year!

My Matchday - 154 Birtley Town Council Sports Complex

Birtley Town 0v3 Marske United
Arngrove Northern League 2nd Division
22nd December 2007
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Birtley is a small area to the south of Gateshead on the county border between Tyne & Wear and County Durham, to be more precise if ‘The Angel of the North’ took a slight glance to her right she would be looking into Birtley.
Birtley Town are newcomers to the Northern League after a successful phase in the Wearside League, after initially joining the league in 1992, the past four seasons has produced two titles and two runners-up spots, the second of those tiles last season gave the green light for promotion after making the necessary ground improvements, including new changing rooms and installing floodlights.
The Birtley name is a past associate of the Northern League, alas for only one season, after being founder members in that historic opening season of 1889-90, they resigned and continued playing in various leagues including the Wearside League and the Northern Alliance until reforming as Birtley Town in 1945.The present set up was formed in 1992 with the club merging with Birtley St. Josephs school in 2002 to develop the playing side from under-7’s through to under-18’s, including a girls team and reserve side, this achievement gave the club the FA Charter Standard Community Award.
The ground itself has the necessary standards required for the step up to Northern League 2nd Division, the ground is set way back from the entrance gate, which doesn’t have a welcome sign or any clue to let you know you’ve arrived at a football ground, a man with a Birtley scarf next to a table with a box of programmes is sufficient evidence that I’m at the right place. The main spectators point is at the far side, across two neighbouring football pitches with the main Eastern railway line facing into the ground, this includes a basic 100 seated stand and a standing shelter separated by the dugouts, with both stands decked in ‘The Hoops’ club colours of green and white. The other three sides are left open, but a patch of land has been marked out on the near side which will be the new clubhouse, thanks to my ‘man in the know’ El Queso Grande the club will be transferring a building from a local senior school, to be reconstructed at the ground.
Birtley’s opponents were my friends from Marske United (my fave club on Teesside) who came away with a well earned 3-0 victory, mainly thanks to some poor first half finishing and some very dodgy goalkeeping from the Birtley number 1. The opening period was sluggish and a bit of a non event, it was as if the players had already started on the Christmas pudding or feeling the affects of a pre-Xmas Friday night out, but Marske finished the half much stronger which they took into the second period. A goal from McPhillipson on the hour started the rout, pouncing on to a loose ball on the edge of the box and shooting home on the half volley, this was followed by two goalkeeping gaffes from corner kicks, firstly for Ben Thompson who’s flicked header went through the goalies hands and limped into the net, followed by a routine catch dropping kindly into the path of defender Michael Waller who gladly accepted his early chrimbo present from the keeper.
Even though it was a bad defeat for Birtley Town, largely due to postponements elsewhere; they stay top of the division, the clubs main priority this season isn’t promotion, but to establish themselves within the Northern League and build towards the future, which looks highly probable as this time Birtley are here for the long haul, unlike the towns original team almost 120 years ago.

LINKS - Marske Utd Match -http://www.marskeunitedfc.co.uk/ReportBirtleyDec07.htm

Ground no.154- Birtley Town Council Sports Complex (13 pictures)

Football Travel Blog - December Blog of the Month

The 100 Football Grounds Club is gratified to receive the inaugural Blog of the Month for December from the Football Travel Blog, webmasters Shane Whaley and Andy Carlisle notified me with the news, saying “We love the content and pics, a good example to all of us”
Many thanks lads, another good ego boost and I’m honored to be the first to win the award, full details here.

My Matchday - Blue Flames Sports Ground

West Allotment Celtic 0v1 Billingham Town
Arngrove Northern League Division One
1st December 2007
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(Revisiting Ground no.90-1st visit Newcastle Utd 1v0 Berwick Rangers, 10th October 2002)

This is the first of a few revisits that I have planned over the next month or so, the Blue Flames Sports Ground at Whitley Park has been home of West Allotment Celtic since 2001, after the previous six years cohabiting at Whitley Bay’s Hillheads ground.
This ground is based in Benton; my first and only visit so far was to mark the official opening of the headquarters of the Northumberland FA, whose offices are located here along with the adjoining Blue Flames Conference & Leisure Centre.
West Allotment is a small village east of Newcastle, Celtic were formed in 1928 when the community’s original team West Allotment Primitive Methodists (formed 1908) merged with the local junior side, playing at the clubs first ground at Holystone where old stables were used as changing rooms. A successful period playing locally throughout North Tyneside lead to the decision to play at a higher grade, the club joined the Northern Amateur League in 1938, now playing at the Farm Ground, where this time the sites main feature was a cowshed, which was dismantled in nearby Heaton and moved bit by bit by the supporters and rebuild at West Allotment, again used as changing rooms.
The club languished in the NAL and were near to closure, until moving to new quarters at Backworth Welfare in 1968; the club progressed through the 1970’s and finally made the step up to the Northern Alliance in 1983-84 where they became the best side in the league, champions on eight occasions; including a hat-trick of titles between 1998-2000.
The club debuted in the Northern League in 2004-05, winning Division Two and adding the Craven Cup in their first season, the club have quickly established themselves in the Northern League, this season they’ve struggled a bit, but the results have improved in recent weeks and Allotment have started to slowly move away from the bottom three trap door.
The grounds Blue Flames name originates from being the former site of the British Gas Sports Ground, the ground has seen some major changes since my last visit, bringing it up to level 5 standards. There is open grass standing areas on three sides of the ground, with the main spectator’s area all congregated on the near side, this comprises of a main stand which is to the left of the pitch, this is split into two sections to give way to the players tunnel in between, the stand has approximately 100 plate style seats in club colours of white with green trimmings. When entering the ground at the payment cabin there’s a covered stand to your immediate right with the clubhouse to your left, all these amenities are on a hill with the pitch below so your view of the game is excellent, especially on another cold day like today when you can go inside the clubhouse and press your nose up to the window and still see the game while you get a warm.
This was my second match of the afternoon and the main feature; I had earlier dipped my toe into the Northern Alliance to watch Heaton Stannington, which is only a 5 minute (hop) drive away, I had seen 7 goals earlier but I had to settle for only seeing one more, as Billingham Town took maximum points with the only goal coming midway through to second half. A draw maybe would have been a fair result as Allotment had plenty of opportunities, especially in the second period, however it was Town who took their chance with a goal from Stephen Flockett on 69 minutes, following in to head home after keeper Morton did well to save the initial shot. Town could have put the game to bed 10 minutes from time, when the keeper fouled giving away a penalty, but he made amends saving the spot kick from Steven Huggins, Billy Town dropped deep in the last ten minutes to protect their lead and comfortably seen the game through to take the three points back home to Teesside.
Although this isn’t a new ground for my list, I made this revisit a ‘must do’ as I was yet to see the main tenants West Allotment Celtic playing at this venue, this is the clubs fifth home after Holystone, Farm Ground, Backworth Welfare and Hillheads, so a lot of grounds for Allotment and one I’m sure that they can call home for many years to come.

Blue Flames Sports Ground – Matchday Web album(16 pictures)