03 November 2011 : Northern League News
Darlington RA have appealed to local fans to come along, and support them as they enjoy their best season for several years. The RA have been one of the surprise packages of Division Two this season. They finished sixth from bottom last term, but with the addition of some new players, they're challenging at the other end of the table in the new campaign, and today they have a chance of some FA Vase glory against fellow second tier outfit Gillford Park.
Secretary Chris Griffin said: "With Darlington being away today in the Conference, then we're hoping that some of their fans will come along and watch us instead. We're having our best season for five years. We've struggled in recent years, but now we’re playing some really good football, and we're winning games. There are lots of local lads in the team, who have proved that they can play at this standard of football. Players like Phil Pentony, Steve Cheeseman and Mike Barnett have done well for us. Our management team of Nick Harrison and Jamie Smith have also learned a lot from their first season, and now they've put together a very good team, which is capable of challenging for promotion."
There's nothing like a tie in a national cup competition to inject some fever in the locality, and Griffin hopes that more Darlington people will cheer them into the second round for the first time since 1978, when they lost to Whickham.
"Our recent Vase record has been nothing to shout home about," he said. "Before this season, we'd lost in our first game in each of the previous four seasons. We're having a much better season in the league, and we'd love to have a good run in the Vase to go with it."
Elsewhere in the North East, there is a local derby at Dean Street between Shildon and West Auckland. Shildon manager Gary Forrest said: "We've put in some good performances recently. We're maybe not playing the same fluent, fast flowing football of previous seasons, but we've got a different set of players. We've kept more clean sheets this season that we did in the whole of last."
West Auckland manager Peter Dixon added: "It will be our toughest game of the season so far. It means a lot to both clubs, because of the locality of the two teams."
Billingham Town manager Carl Jarrett has told his players to forget about their recent league win against today's opponents South Shields. Town won 5 1 at Filtrona Park earlier in the season, and Jarrett said: "The lads must forget about that result earlier in the season, and not be complacent, thinking that they will do the same again. This game is for big for the club, not only because of the prize money, but also because the club has down well in the competition before, and there is always a buzz around the place when the Vase comes along. It should be a good, entertaining game."
Consett are at Guisborough, where they won 4 1 earlier in the season. Manager Kenny Lindoe said: It's important to have a good Vase run, because we've been nothing more than mediocre at times in the league. We would love to have a repeat of the run of four years ago, but we're not consistent enough at the moment. We played really well to win at Bedlington, but then we were just OK in our next game at Billingham Town."
South Shields reckon that the proposed sale of their Filtrona Park ground is an opportunity for the club to move forward. First Division club Shields are the tenants at Filtrona Park, which is owned by former chairman John Rundle, and has just been put on the market with an asking price of around £400,000.
There are rumours that the club is in danger of losing the right to play at Filtrona Park, but secretary Phil Reay said: "We don't see the sale of the ground as a threat, but more of an opportunity for the club. There are covenants on the land that it can't be developed for housing, and that it must be used as a sports ground. The present owner has been up front all along about what's been happening, and we've been expecting this for a while. We were offered the chance to buy everything, but we couldn't meet the asking price. So instead, should a sale go ahead, we're prepared to sit around a table and talk to the new owners.”
"There is plenty of potential for a new owner, especially as we're quite a strong community club, with junior teams as well as a Northern League club."
Alnwick are saying that they're in no rush to appoint a new manager. Doug McKeown and his assistant Stave Gibbard resigned last week following a disagreement over club policy even though they are in the top five of Division Two.
Secretary Cyril Cox said: "Our intention is to stay local with the manager's appointment, and that we'll be promoting from within. We've go a lot of young kids within the club, and we're trying to build a club and teams for the future. We don't want to do anything that will disrupt that."
Easington have told the league they will fulfil their home game with Whickham, and are hoping that last week's problems are behind them. Easington have been charged for failing to play last Saturday's game at Gillford Park because they couldn't raise a team, an offence which carries a fine and a points deduction. But they took a step closer to normality in midweek when Steve Riley took over as caretaker manager.
Club secretary Alan Purvis said: "Steve is confident that he'll have at least 14 players available for today's game. Hopefully, last Saturday was a one off, but we weren't helped by the fact that out of 33 players registered, only seven were available to play.
"However, some of them are able to return this week, and if we can get half our injured players back playing, then our problems will be almost resolved."
World Cup final referee Howard Webb is the guest speaker at a sportsmen's evening being organised by West Auckland in their clubhouse on Friday November 4. Tony Roscoe is the comedian. Tickets costing £30 are available from the club and from chairman Stuart Alderson on 07818 223798.
Hebburn manager Paul Bennett says that his FA Cup minnows will stay in a hotel the night before their FA Cup tie next Saturday even though the game takes place only five miles away at Gateshead. Second Division Hebburn were handed the tie in last Monday's draw, and Bennett said: "One or two people are disappointed with it because they were hoping to play somebody from outside the area, but I'm not. I think it's a fantastic draw for South Tyneside, because it will enable plenty of people from Hebburn to go to the game. The game will certainly create a bit of a buzz, and add to the general FA Cup fever. There's no big counter attractions either because Newcastle are playing on the Monday night.”
"As far as we're concerned, we're going to enjoy the experience. We know that it's going to be a very hard game because they train every day, so fitness is going to be imperative. But I'm sure that we'll give a good account of ourselves on the day." Hebburn have enjoyed overnight stays in the last two rounds, at home to Runcorn and away to Radcliffe, and Bennett says that the idea has worked well. “The hotel stays have helped the players focus. I thought that 75 per cent of our 4 2 win last Saturday was down to the fact that everybody went down the night before and prepared properly. It made a massive difference and proved that we were right to do it."
Ashington have been drawn away to Grimsby Town, another of the big Blue Square Bet Premier clubs. Striker Jamie Clarke said: "Whoever we got at this stage was always going to be difficult, but we'll give the game a right good go. I don't think we have anything to fear, and we'll definitely be up for the scrap. We'll be preparing as best we can, and we'll be travelling to Grimsby the afternoon before the game. The place is buzzing, both with last Saturday's win and the draw. I've been in plenty of dressing rooms in my career, but the celebrations in our dressing room after the Guiseley win were a bit special."
Ray Simpson
The Northern Echo