Heed Hopper: July 2009

Newton Aycliffe 8v0 Wigan Robin Park
Pre-season friendly
25th July 2009

Newton Aycliffe have achieved their ambition of reaching the Northern League. The club stepped into the Wearside League last season from the Durham Alliance and took the title at the first time of asking. The championship was won by three points over nearest rivals New Marske SC, scoring 121 goals over 36 games with healthy crowds of over 250 for the title run in.
I visited Newton Aycliffe last season at their temporary home at Shildon Sunnydale Stadium, as development work commenced at Moore Lane.

A grant of 300,000 from Sedgefield District Council as well as funding from the Football Foundation meant the required facilities and floodlights were in place by the end of last season.The ground has a new changing room block, admission hut and a building with incorporates a committee room, refreshment bar and toilets. The pitch is fully fenced off with hard standing on all sides. All that remains to complete the project is a main stand. This should be in place before the deadline to meet the step 6 criteria in March 2010. The stand is already marked out at the far side opposite the team dugouts.

Aycliffe’s opponents for this pre season warm up were North West Counties club Wigan Robin Park.
I don’t know if it was the fact that Newton Aycliffe were a far superior football side or that it was a case of the Robins being bobbins. I think maybe it was the former as the home side played some great passing football and carved their opponents up with ease and flair.

The opening goal came on 13 minutes when full back Wood exchanged passes in the box before picking his spot from a tight angle. The home side missed several good chances, mainly thanks to the Robins keeper, who, as you may not have guessed by the score line, actually played a blinder.

A three goal burst in the last quarter of an hour before half time gave the score a more realistic look. Two goals from the impressive Cairns with a well timed run and cool finish and then a strong header meeting a good right wing cross. In between he set up his strike partner Gardiner for an easy tap in to make it 4-0 at the break.

The goal scoring continued in less than two minutes from the restart. Subsitute Caley scored his first of two goals with another sub Broom also grabbing a second half brace. The score could have been much more if it wasn’t for the three goals which were marginally chalked off for offside, as well as the referee blowing the whistle early to stop the onslaught . And so after double checking my notebook, consulting calculator and abacus, then consulting with the linesman it all added up to a full time score of - Newton Aycliffe 8 Wigan Robins Park 0.

I’ll make the effort to revisit Moore Lane again, to see them in competitive Northern League action and to also check out the main stand once it’s up and running.

Their league programme get underway on August 8th with the historic first Northern League fixture hosted by Moore Lane Park against Hebburn Town.

During the game I chatted with a lady photographer who; when noticing my notebook and pen in my hand asked the question “Are you somebody then?” I replied with “Well…not quite”

With today being my 44th birthday, I still have a little bit more time on my side and hopefully… when I grow up…this may one day be the case

Matchday facts

NAFC 8 (Wood 13, Cairns 35,44 Gardiner 41, Caley 47,82 Broom 55,62) WRP 0

Att. 107(HC)

Admission £2

Programme:none

After the briefest of mid season breaks, the 100FGC returns for which will be the blog’s fourth season

There’s a lot to look forward to over the coming season. My main priority this season will be in the Conference. Gateshead make their return to the Premier of Non-League f

ootball, where I’ll be trying to take in as many games on the road with the Heed Army as possible. However after studying the fixtures, this could prove to be a difficult task. There’s some great towns and grounds that I’m looking forward to visiting, as we hope to establish ourselves in the Blue Square Premier (I’ll start using the sponsored name from now on)

I can always turn a negative into a positive, and personally the one positive thing to come out of the Toon’s relegation is I can now get to the grounds that were too far out of reach. Which I couldn’t travel to independently, but now easier to access by cadging a lift or through an organised coach party.

So there are two prolonged trips to South Wales as well as the longest journey in League football – Newcastle to Plymouth to navigate.

This will give me a chance to see United sporting their new two-tone banana kit in the company of the newly named Toongerine Army.

My lifetime work of trying to finish the 92, is a continuous crawl. A case of two steps forward, three steps back. I’ll continue to chip away at the League grounds to at least give myself a respectable running total and of course my favourable trips north of the border will again feature this season.

Local interest sees two new clubs enter the Northern League; Gillford Park and Newton Aycliffe. A new ground for Penrith and I still have to travel further west to visit Whitehaven, so I can again complete the ‘set’ of “the second oldest league in the world”.

Serial favourites ‘Around the Alliance’ and Wearside League Wanderings will again be making a reappearance during the year as well as the odd toilet block for the world renowned ’Football Bog Blog.

I’ll be taking advantage of the Appreciation Society Facebook group, which was set up with much thanks and applause by Mr. Steven Clifton. I’ll be posting more pictures as well as listing my forthcoming fixture lists, so you know where to see/avoid (delete where appropriate) me over the campaign.

So hopefully with good health and work commitments not causing too many problems, I’ve a lot to get through, so without further ado it's now officially the 2009-10 season, a new dawn fades at..

216 - Farnacres, Beggarswood Park

(Home of Rutherford AFC)

Whickham 3v0 Ashton Town

Pre-season Friendly

4th July 2009

Whickham FC share the Glebe with the cricket club. So with the sound of leather on willow in full swing, they started their pre-season programme at Beggarswood the home of Northern Alliance club Rutherford AFC.

Rutherford are actually the oldest club in Tyneside. Formed in 1878, originally as Science and Art FC, becoming founder members of the Northumberland FA in 1883.

The club change it’s name in recognition of its founder Dr.John Hunter Rutherford, originally playing their home games on the Town Moor in Newcastle.

Now based in the Lobley Hill area of Gateshead, the ground is situated west of the Team Valley, just off the A1 motorway.

The ground is found off a country lane which runs parallel to the motorway, the entrance is at the bottom of a bank, with the clubhouse and changing rooms found at the top of the hill. The pitch is opposite, enclosed with grassbanks, fully fenced off with a set of brick dugouts.

Whickham’s opponents were North West Counties League Division One side Ashton Town. The reason they travelled all the way from Ashton-in-Makerfield for a friendly was a simple one; so they could have a night out in the Toon.

Thoughts of a night in in the big city must have been playing their minds, as Whickham won the game at ease 3-0. A penalty by Pitt, a hilarious own goal and a cracking strike from Kerr (My goal of the season so far) gave the Whickham lads a good work out and it wasn't too bad a game to start off my season