South Shields F.C. (1889)
| File:South Shields FC.JPG | |||
| Full name | South Shields Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Mariners | ||
| Founded | 1974 (current incarnation) | ||
| Ground | Filtrona Park, South Shields | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 | ||
| Chairman | Gary Crutwell | ||
| Manager | Gary Steadman | ||
| League | Northern League Division One | ||
| 2009–10 | Northern League Division One, 11th | ||
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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.[1]
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 was dropped from the name in 1905. 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 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.
Relegation came in 1928, and after two Division Three (North) seasons the club folded in 1930 despite finishing seventh, and was taken over in its entirety by Gateshead.
Second 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 Queens Park Rangers 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 the next stop, though the club folded in 1974. Its demise was common knowledge before the event, even though the club reached the FA Trophy semi-finals, 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 Northern League 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 seasons in the Division Two, John Rundle again threatened the club with closure in 2006, 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 Division One.
In 2010 Shields won the Northern League Cup, beating Ashington 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Stadium
Filtrona Park is the home of South Shields F.C.. It has links with the nearby Filtrona factory which manufactures cigarette filters. The ground was also 'home' to Gateshead in April 2003 when the International Stadium was out of bounds due to the installation of a new athletics track.[citation needed]
Notable former players
Dave H Hutchison (1921-1928 captain, half-back transferred from Dundee FC)
Mick O'Brien
John Rowland- Jack Vickers
- Warney Cresswell
- Paul Massingham
