My Matchday - 434 Blackhall Colliery Welfare

Hartlepool United U-18s 2v2 Hull City U-18s

Youth Alliance League - North East Division

Tuesday 27th January 2015

 Hartlepool United Academy play home matches in the former pit village of Blackhall Colliery  The village is situated on the North Sea A1086 coast road between Pools and Horden. The colliery closed in 1981 with an industrial estate built over part of the site, and following the pit closure the once busy village became a commuter link on the east coast.
Blackhall beach was the setting for the final scene in the 1971 film Get Carter starring Michael Caine, when(*spoiler alert*) Carter is shot by a sniper after a chase across a coal-strewn beach. The film shows the beach black with coal dumped by the mine's conveyor system. Following its closure £10 million was spent removing the huge concrete tower, the conveyor and clearing tons of coal from the now spotless beach. 

 Blackhall Colliery Welfare FC was formed in 1927, winning the Wearside League on three occasions during the 1930's. Just before the Second World War they joined the North Eastern League which they took part in until 1955. During the 1951-52 season they had their best run in the FA Cup, reaching the First Round proper after navigating four qualifying rounds they were knocked out at home to League club Workington 5-2. They later returned to the Wearside League in 1987 but struggled badly and unfortunately called it a day after failing to complete the 1991-92 season.

 The Welfare ground is still used by a village team as Sunday league and former Durham Alliance League side Blackhall Hardwick FC play at the Welfare. The ground is fully railed off with hard standing on three sides including a five step terrace at the far side. The changing rooms are in the new cricket pavilion which was officially opened in 2011 by former Newcastle United, Manchester City and England centre-half Steve Howey. Within the Welfare Park is the local bowls club, cricket pitch and children’s play ground, as well as the Blackhall War Memorial.

 Hartlepool United faced league leaders Hull City in a Youth Alliance League fixture rescheduled from the 17th January. Pools denied the Tigers the chance to extend their lead at the top of the North East Division coming back to grab a well earned draw.
The hosts made a bright start and took the lead on the half hour mark when Dylan Armstrong found room in the box to pick out full back Scott Howes who fired in from ten yards. The advantage only lasted a minute, as Jake Buckle stepped up to take a free kick wide on the right and surprised everyone by curling his 25 yard shot into the top corner of the net.
Hull took the lead early in the second half when Mitch Langton was giving a simple task when the defence failed to clear a corner, but they fought back to earn a deserved draw when fantastic wing play from Jack Blackford saw him pick out Connor Smith, arriving into the box to fire in the equaliser.

Matchday Stats
HUFCU-18 2(Howes 30 Smith 71) HCFCU-18 2(Buckle 31 Langton 47)
Att.43(HC)
Admission:none
Top Bloke - Jack Blackford(Hartlepool United)

Foetoes (Web album of 19 pictures from Blackhall Colliery Welfare)

My Matchday - Victoria Park

Hartlepool United 1v3 Newcastle United
Pre-season friendly
17th July 2007
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Revisiting Ground No.37 - first visit 14th August 1984, Hartlepool Utd 2v4 Newcastle Utd, Pre-season friendly.
Football’s back (was it ever away?) and my return to spectator action started at a ground where we are always made welcome, Hartlepool United, who on my list of football priorities come in fourth spot with obviously Newcastle and Gateshead first and second, “Have sunderland lost? third, then “Did Hartlepool win?” fourth.
The grounds origins began in Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year of 1886, when West Hartlepool Rugby Club purchased land from the North-Eastern Railway Company, by 1908 the rugby club folded and a new football club Hartlepools United were formed taking up the vacant land, top amateur side West Hartlepool initially ground shared with United after losing their Park Road ground until they too folded in June 1910, with the professional club then taking over that clubs assets.
Pools were the perennial survivors of the Football League, surviving re-election on a record 14 occasions, as well as its host, the ground itself is a great survivor, during World War One German Zeppelins on a bombing raid targeting the surrounding steelworks and shipyards flattened the main stand, it also took a hiding by a German Naval attack on the town, the clubs vain attempts to receive compensation from the German Government fell on deaf ears, they even had the cheek to have another go at the ground during the Second World War, but luckily this time, not unlike the German football team, missed their goal.
A temporary main stand was built after the original was destroyed in that attack in 1916, it stayed right up until 1986 with the only improvements made being patching up work on the leaky roof with congregated iron, the Clarence Road end of the ground lay flat and exposed until finally the ‘Nice one Cyril Knowles Stand’ was opened in 1995, this has a range of blue and white seats with the directors box in the middle of three sections, it also has the players tunnel and executive boxes at the top of the stand.
The north end of the ground is the away section, the Rink End has covered seats which were installed in 1992, opposite is the Town End terrace which is also covered and of a similar size which gives the stadium an equal balanced look.
The Millhouse Stand now renamed the Camerons Brewery Stand has a cantilever roof separated into two tiers, divided into seats in the upper with standing underneath, the ground still has the classic tall floodlight pylons which were installed belatedly in 1968 after a young up and coming manager named Brian Clough led Pools to promotion to Division Three.
Residents of Hartlepool have throughout the years been giving the tag ‘Monkey Hangers’ after the legendary tale of the hung monkey, thought to be a spy, when a French warship was washed up on the Hartlepool coast during the Napoleonic Wars, I think once upon a time the local folk may have took offence at this, but now it’s all taking in jest, the clubs mascot and former town mayor is H’Angus the Monkey, who was also in action earlier in the week, finishing second in the Mascot Derby to some Hippopotamus from Stoke City.
Hartlepool v Newcastle has become quite a regular pre-season fixture in recent years, the last appearance from the Toon was in 2004, a 6-0 win which included an Alan Shearer hat-trick, my personal last visit was in 2002 where I was to witness the United debut of a one Titus Bramble, who on that evening reminded me of that big plasticine man Gillespie from Tony Harts Morph, the great lummox had a nightmare start to his Toon career and set the trend for the next five years.
Again there were new debutants at this years fixture, Joey Barton and David Rozehnal had very impressive starts and of course it was Big Sams first game in charge, starting with a win with hopefully many more to come, but the top man on the night was Shola Ameobi, complete with a new hip, he was like a modern day Steve Austin, rebuilt and ready for action, it could be a big season for the Nigerian from Walker, Shola grabbed a brace on the night with a Michael Owen goal sandwiched in between, amazingly only the second goal I’ve seen from the England star in a black and white shirt, this was after Pools took a shock lead from James Brown (he felt good!)
Overall it was a very entertaining game, which didn’t lose any of its flow considering all the substitutions that were made, both teams can be pleased with their nights shift, again I enjoyed another revisit to Victoria Park and hope Pools have a good 2007/08 campaign and a long and successful stay in League One and beyond.
Revisiting Victoria Park Web album (25 pictures)
Links-HUFC Match Report
NUFC Match Report
Update May 2008 - Another false dawn with 'Big Sam' and as far as Shola Ameobi is concerned, his season peaked with this good performance v Hartlepool, he never impressed when giving his chance, and was finally loaned out to Stoke City in the January transfer window.

My Matchday 132 - Darlington Arena

Darlington 0v3 Hartlepool United

Football League Two

March 25th 2007

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A match I’ve been really looking forward to, the only league Derby clash in the North-East this season and my first visit to the Darlington Arena.
Darlo and Pools rivalry stretches back 99 years when they first came together in the old North-Eastern League in 1908,they were both elected into the Football League in 1921, through the then newly formed Third Division North,and they've been the fiercest of enemies ever since,with only twelve seasons apart during this time.
Darlington moved from Feethams, their home of 120 years in 2003, the shift was the brainchild of egotistical fanatic and former safe cracker George Reynolds,whose dream it was to build a new football arena and name it after himself (so his immortality was assured )and take ‘The Quakers’ all the way to the Premiership,but it’s a crime he didn’t realise that it’s good players on the park that are essential and not the players surroundings which would ever make his fantasy come true,but crime is something the former Darlo chairman is all too familiar with.
The original Reynolds Arena name only lasted until April 2004 when ‘Gorgeous Georgeous’ went bankrupt and was nicked on charges of money laundering.The club went into administration with club creditors ‘The Sterling Consortium’ eventually taking control of the club,but not without a stubborn residence from the former chairman.The first steps of the new ownership was the removing of all evident Reynolds Arena signs, and indeed the alleged legacy(so immortality denied) and after a brief rebranding as Williamson Motors Stadium the ground is now named after new sponsors,local radio station for the Tees Valley area 96.6 TFM.
The ground consists of a single tier which bowls parallel around the stadium,divided into 40 blocks of seats,the only distinction between each stand is the black and white lettering imbedded within with the sea of red seats with the words Quakers(predictable) DFC Darlington(expected)and Come On Darlo(that’s more like it!)spelled out legoland style,there is also sponsors executive boxes in the South Stand,along with a police control box,there is a perpex strip to release more natural light,which circles the top of the stand,the stadium is completed by a giant widescreen television in the North-East corner.
The choice of red seats is a strange one considering Darlington play in black ‘n’ white,I remember a few seasons back Mr.Reynolds wanting to change the club colours to red and white stripes(well he is Mackem bred) but this went down like a lead balloon amongst the Darlo faithfull,so I suppose he got his own way in the end with his choice of seat colouring.
I ordered my ticket for the South Stand online and what a great seat I got, next seat to the directors box,just in front of the press area,along side the TV cameras,I was seated behind the SKY Sports match reporter(did anyone see iz?)I couldn’t have got a better view,it was if Darlo knew I was there representing ‘The 100 Football Grounds Club’website,so they give me the best available seat in the house.
The match had a cracking atmosphere with the hint of an undercurrent of local hatred (there was a bit of bother)both sets of fans sang throughout,trying to outdo each other in the choral stakes with Pools fans coming out on top, likewise their team,who produced a splendid second half performance to run out easy winners in the end by three goals to nil,and stretch their unbeaten sequence to a club record 22 games.The match was also to witness the best goal I’ve seen at a game this season,a brilliant chest and volley,’Roy Race style’ from Eifion Williams.
The capacity of the stadium is 27,500,but it is limited to only 10,000,which is a shame considering more fans would have liked to have been at this game,I must confess that I didn’t really attend this game as a neutral, I’ve always had a soft spot for Hartlepool United,my personal experiences in the past of attending games at Feethams and Victoria Park being the reason for this,let’s just say that the supporters of the team that play in blue and white are a lot more friendly and are more hospitable than their bitter rivals from along the road.
My overall impression of The Darlington Arena is it’s just another purpose built stadium.yes..it has great facilities and is a pleasant arena to watch football,but there’s no spirit or character,I’m positive any die in the wool Darlo fan would happily take that walk within the Town Centre,stroll past the cricket pitch,click through the turnstile and take their place in the old ‘Tin Shed’,happy days indeed, but now just a distant memory.

Links -
Match Report
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