Well a couple of weeks into this blog and maybe its time to see how the Northern Lights teams are faring.

Newcastle United have had a rebirth under controversial ownership and then had the gall to beat and to be honest out play my “other” club Nottingham Forest. To be fair to the Toon I was a Newcastle United fan for one season at the end of the sixties when they won the Fairs Cup. I did a primary school project based on the team which I still have somewhere. Ironically it’s packed somewhere waiting to travel up north with all my other football books.

Sunderland was my Grannie’s birthplace and although they do not know it yet I do have relatives there. Miriam Foster Fairbairn left the north and several children for a new life down south. I do know she lived on Bede Street near Roker Park so I have always had a soft spot for the Mackems. They are unbeaten in three games in their first season back in the Championship so its another good start.

Gateshead are another newly promoted team after a rough few years struggling and they have not lost any of their opening games but on the other hand they have not won any either. So it looks like a season to just survive at step one of the non-league pyramid. It’s called a season of consolidation if you want to put a more positive spin on it.

Next are Blyth Spartans who have started by losing both games and their manager after only two weeks. Blyth could be in for a very difficult season. If they get relegated they may be facing Morpeth Town in the Northern Premier League. That however will only happen if Morpeth can win some games as they are like Blyth pointless so far. To be fair they have only played one game so it is probably a bit early to write them off.

Further down the pyramid we have North Shields who got a point from their first game against Lincoln United and then we come to Ashington a town with a massive football pedigree including the Charltons, the Milburns and a team that once graced the Football League. They are now in the Northern League and have started the season in style winning all four of their games, scoring sixteen goals and only conceding two. They sit proudly at the top of the league and although it is still very early they will be hoping to recapture former glories this season. 

At this point we are getting to the teams who despite having a history of success are languishing at step seven. Alnwick Town are one of these teams and they are the team who I am most likely to be watching, as there ground is only minutes from where I will be living. They have started by drawing two games and losing one. I cannot at this stage work out whether this is better or worse than their fan base expected as they do not, like Ilson fans, air their views on social media. So it is a fair start maybe, probably or maybe not. 

No doubt I will find out more at the end of September.

Part Four The longest house move in living memory

A full fifteen months after we originally bought our house we have finally moved in. I can’t face explaining the twists and turns of the move so I will concentrate on the important stuff Football! As usual Alnwick Town’s game on my first Saturday in Alnwick was postponed due to a frozen pitch. Not a surprise as most of the games I have tried to watch there have been cancelled. In fact in all the many times I have holidayed up here during the football season I have only seen one game. Looking on the bright side I can see the Alnwick Town Juniors clubs 4G pitch out the kitchen window as I type this drivel. The excellent World Cup final that hopefully you all watched last night has made up for the lack of non league action. The game even distracted me from updating the Ilkeston Town stats.
I have no idea when I will get the chance to watch live football again as the North East appear to have an unofficial mid winter break. It could be Alnwick Town or I might venture out to Morpeth Town, Ashington or even Blyth Spartans.
 

Last edited by WhiteBallProject (01/1/2023 3:42 PM)

NORTHERN LIGHTS Part Six -  Semi Final Magic!

Since I last updated Alnwick Town have reached the Semi Final of the League Cup or the Reeves Investment Services George Dobbins League Cup to give its full and rather long winded title. The Wick should have played their semi final against Willington Quay last week but it was surprisingly postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. In the final they will play Burradon and New Fordley who sound like they are straight out of Lord of the Rings but play near Cramlingham and are second in the league behind Newcastle Blue Star. Alnwick have already played Burradon in the league and beat them quite comfortable 4-1 in a bizarre game where the home side had at least three players sent off. I say at least three because they use a sib bin system up here and its difficult to know who has been sent off. Allegedly the Burradon manager was sent off and sent to the changing rooms. He reluctantly left but put a different jacket on and returned only to be sent off a second time. The ref a Mr Peter Osgood even had to put with being locked out the changing rooms obviously by accident. I wonder what mark he got out of ten?
 
I have also been to watch the Alnwick Town Development team play at the 4G that I can see from my office (fourth bedroom). They played Blyth Rangers who were second but the Devs won easily 4-0 or 5-0. The ref in this game was a young lad who had a really good game except for one ludicrous decision when he sent a Blyth off for a challenge that in my opinion did not even warrant a free-kick and I was only six yards away from the incident. When the game was all bot won Blyth used their subs quota by bringing what appeared to be their back room staff. Some of these lads have seen better days physically and the shirts were being stretched to their limits. The Devs are a sort of reserve team but oddly non of there are registered to play for the first team and like wise none of the first team are registered to play for the Devs. Its an odd set up and to all sense and purpose they are two completely separate clubs, Or are they?
 
Around the region Morpeth Town look like they will avoid relegation but Blyth Spartans looked doomed. Ashington’s title push has wavered so it appears that it is up to Newcastle United to fly the flag for the North of the Tyne! However just for my neighbour Chris I must mention South Shields who have finally gained promotion to the National League North by winning the Northern Premier League premier Division by a good margin after a nervous few weeks in April. All I need now is for Ilkeston Town to be transferred to the Northern Premier league so that I can watch them at Morpeth Town!