South Shields F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = South Shields


fullname = South Shields Football Club
nickname = The Mariners
founded = 1974 (current incarnation)
ground = Filtrona Park, South Shields
capacity =
chairman = Gary Crutwell
secretary = Philip Reay
manager = Gary Steadman
league = Northern League Division One
season = 2007–08
position = Northern League Division Two, 2nd (promoted)
pattern_la1=

South Shields F.C. are a football club based in South Shields, England. They have a long and complicated history, with three distinct incarnations taking the name. The current club was founded in 1974 and plays in Northern League Division One at Filtrona Park.

History

First incarnation

Reports in the local Gazette suggest that the South Shields Association Football team's first recorded result was a 2-1 win in September 1889 against Gateshead Albion, though mention was made of three games the previous season. South Shields Athletic formed in 1897 to play in the Northern Alliance, but folded in 1902.

South Shields Adelaide, nicknamed the Laddies, were formed in 1899 by Jack Inskip, and after joining the Northern Alliance, moved to the North Eastern League in 1908–09, becoming a limited company, Adelaide had been dropped from the name in 1905 and in 1913 the club unsuccessfully applied to the football league polling no votes.

In 1919 they contested the post war Victory Shield alongside Newcastle, Sunderland and others, and joined the extended Football League Second Division in 1919–20 amassing 28 club votes. The first game was a 1-0 defeat at Fulham watched by 20,000 and though big crowds were commonplace, at Shields' Horsley Hill ground, success proved elusive.

The biggest recorded home crowd was in 1926–27 when 24,348 turned out for an FA Cup quarter final with Swansea Town, and the Welsh underdogs from Division Three (South) spoiled the party.

Relegation came the following season, and after two Division Three (North) seasons the club folded in 1930 despite finishing seventh, and was taken over in its entirety by Gateshead.

econd incarnation

That was it until 1936–37 when, with financial support from the Shields gazette, the team re–formed in the North Eastern League and enjoyed immediate success in both league and Durham Challenge Cup before war broke out.

Gates often exceeded 10,000. The record at Simonside Hall (the club's home from 1951) is thought to be 18,000 for the 1957 – 58 FA Cup tie with York City, though the figure 21,000 has also been reported.

Numerous great FA Cup days included the 4-1 defeat at QPR in 1970, and the 10 goal feat by Chris Marron – claimed to be an FA Cup record – in the 13-0 win over Radcliffe Welfare United in 1947.

Enforced moves resulted from the folding of the North Eastern League in 1957-58, the Midland League in 1959-60, the Northern Counties League in 1961-62, the re-formed North Eastern League in 1963-64 and the North Regional League in 1967-68.

The Northern Premier League was next stop, though club folded in 1974. Its demise was common knowledge before the event, and even though the club reached the FA Trophy semi-final losing 3-0 on aggregate to a Morecambe side it had beaten 6-0 and 7-1 in the League – only 1,117 bothered to watch the home leg.

Third incarnation

The club in its present form was born that year after a second defection to Gateshead by the town's club, and the sale of Simonside Hall, given to the club by supporters. The re-formed club under chairman Martin Ford, was based at the council's Jack Clark Park, and began a 17-year crusade for a home of its own.

After two title winning seasons in the Northern Alliance, and a run to the quarter-finals of the FA Vase, Shields joined the Wearside League. Ultimately it fell to chairman John Rundle and his family to provide the holy grail of a new ground at Filtrona Park, which was generously re-developed and first used by the club in 1992.

In 1994-95 the club won the Wearside League for the second time in three years, and were promoted to Northern League Division Two. They were promoted again to Division One the following season. However, in 1999-2000 the club were relegated back to Division Two, with chairman John Rundle publicly threatening to fold the club if they went down (though he did not follow the threat through).

After several season in the second division, in 2006 John Rundle again threatened the club with closure, locking the gates at Filtrona Park before a home game. However, a new committee was formed and the club was saved from extinction. Since then Shields have improved greatly, a disappointing fourth-place finish in 2007 was followed by promotion in 2008 back into the first division.

tadium

Filtrona Park is the home of South Shields F.C.. It has links with the nearby Filtrona factory which manufactures cigarette filters.

Notable Former Players

flagicon|Ireland Mick O'Brien

References

*

External links

* [http://www.southshieldsfc.co.uk Official Website]
* [http://south-shields-mariners.blogspot.com Supporters Club Website]