A New Mission Begins
This week, we visit Maiden Castle (part of the Graham Sports Centre), home of Durham United, as a new mission begins for HG.
Having hit the 200-grounds mark with last weekend’s trip to Guiseley AFC, the quest for ground number 250 begins!
We start the new mission by visiting Durham United, one of the closest grounds to my home.
They will face Newcastle University in a Northern League Division Two clash at their ground, adjacent to the River Wear.
Newly promoted to the Northern League ahead of this season, Durham have been on something of a learning curve.
This makes today’s opponents, Newcastle University, a good match-up; promoted to Division Two themselves as recently as the 2018/19 campaign.
I look forward to seeing how Durham acquit themselves, and checking out ground number 38 of the 42 Northern League clubs.
The aim is to complete the Northern League this season, with just four more remaining.
For today, however, let’s get on with checking out Durham United.
The Journey
Not a lot to say here, as Durham is just one bus ride away from home and takes around 25 minutes.
The day began with a 10:49 #65 bus, arriving in Durham at 11:16.
Despite the rain and stormy weather of late, today was a lovely sunny day in the Northeast, and a very welcome respite it was.
While I make my way towards my first watering hole, sit back and have a read about the city of Durham.
Durham History
Durham is a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham, built on and around a loop of the River Wear.
It lies 18 miles south of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, 25 miles northwest of Middlesbrough, and 88 miles due north of Leeds. Hetton-Le-Hole is 7.5 miles to the northeast.
At the 2021 Census, Durham had a population count of 23,175.
The city takes its name from the original title, Dūnholm. This comes from the Old English words ‘Dun’, meaning ‘hill fort‘, and ‘holm‘, meaning ‘islet’ or ‘small island’.
Thus, Durham is a ‘hill fort on the island‘.
Durham Cathedral and Religious Seat of Power
Durham was founded in 995 A.D. as a refuge for the relics of St. Cuthbert amid Viking raids along the Northeast coast.
Durham’s Castle and Cathedral take centre stage atop the hill at the centre of a loop in the river, dominating the city’s skyline.
The Normans built the cathedral after their conquest of England in 1066; its foundation stone was laid on 11th August 1093. Reconstruction and many additions have been made over the years, but the cathedral’s central portion remains the old Norman structure.
St. Cuthbert, the Venerable Bede, and the head of King Oswald are all interred within its walls. In 1986, the castle and cathedral were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Durham is second only to York in the north of England’s religious hierarchy, and religion was hugely influential in the area’s growth. The Prince Bishops epitomise this, holding power from the 11th century until 1836.
The #65 bus I use to reach Durham is still called the Prince Bishops service, operated by Go North East.
Durham Coalfield & Mustard
The coal mining industry massively exploited Durham and the surrounding county, with its multitude of pits powering the Industrial Revolution. From the River Tyne in the north to Bishop Auckland in the south, the Durham Coalfield covers many square miles.
The last colliery closed in 1994, and the end of mining brought more hardship and unemployment to Durham.
Other industries that helped Durham grow included carpet-making, weaving and mustard-making. Indeed, mustard was invented in Durham, and there has been a recent revival. In 2024, Anya Kirkby relaunched Durham Mustard.
The city is reinventing itself as a place of tourism, digital, and fintech services. The University plays a key part in this through its Venture Lab.
Durham University is England’s third-oldest, founded in 1832.
Notable People from Durham
Politician, Dominic Cummings – Film and television director and screenwriter, Tom Shankland – Bass guitarist of Stealer’s Wheel and Jethro Tull, Tony Williams and Lioness footballer, Steph Houghton.
The Half Moon Inn
While you were reading about Durham’s history, I had found my first watering hole of choice, the Half Moon Inn, on New Elvet.
Inside, the bar is directly in front of you, as you enter, with seating around the room.
I ordered a pint of Guinness, costing £5.15, and took a seat. I struck up a conversation with a guy from Scotland wearing a MAGA hat. Presumably, Make Aberdeen Great Again?
Despite the hat, he was a nice guy to talk to, and we discussed football in Scotland and my hobby of groundhopping.
I also directed him to a pub in Stirling (where he is from), the Curly Coo, which he hasn’t visited yet.
We had a good time at the Curly Coo, talking to the owner and a customer who just happened to be a lecturer on whiskey.
Handy in a whiskey-themed pub!
The Half Moon Inn has another bar behind the first one, and another room, with more seating. Outside, there is a beer garden area that stretches down to the River Wear. I imagine it would be a nice place to chill in the summer.
This time of year, you come inside to avoid the chill!
The Dun Cow
I left the Half Moon Inn and headed to my second pub of choice, the Dun Cow, situated on Old Elvet.
The Dun Cow is reportedly Durham’s oldest pub, and takes its name from a story about the city’s history.
When the relics of St. Cuthbert were being transported away from the ever-present dangers of Viking Raids, the procession followed two milk maids said to be hunting for a lost dun cow.
The coffin got stuck on the hill that stands over the meander in the River Wear, and it was judged that fate had decreed this is where the saint’s bones should rest.
Of course, that it was a superb place to build an easily defended fortification, had nothing to do with it…
I entered the lounge area of the pub after opening the door to the bar. Easy to miss if you aren’t familiar with the place, with the unmarked sliding door set in an alley.
The lounge area was quiet, with just two other people in there who left shortly after I arrived.
I ordered a pint of Guinness, which cost a staggering £6.50 and left me wishing I had stayed in the Half Moon Inn!
I sat alone and sipped an overpriced pint for a while before leaving.
A shame, because the reviews of the place are far better than my experience today.
Ah, well, you can’t win them all.
Moo-ving On
Cow puns aside, it was time to move on and make the rest of the walk to Maiden Castle.
I decided to take the path along the River Wear, as this is more scenic than the udder route… sorry!
Along the way, I came across a statue of The Durham Cow, which references the story I mentioned above.
A nearby stone slab bears the following inscription:
“Durham Cow – Legend would have you ruminating idly up by those massive piles, but what cow prefers a rocky mound to a riverbank, and who believes that story of a dream, an ox, two milk maids, some footsore monks and a haphazard encounter that puts stop to their endless zigzagging and seeds a building beyond all their colossal imagining. Here and now, you seem real enough – Andrew Burton 1997.
He sounds as if he believes in the story as much as I do! 😂
A bandstand lies near the Durham Cow, as well as a tribute to the brave fallen of the Durham Light Infantry.
The weather vane atop the bandstand seems a direct copy of the Father Time one at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Not sure what the connection is, although there is a cricket pitch nearby.
I also walked past the Durham Amateur Rowing Club and Durham City Rugby Club’s ground, where a game was in progress.
Pictures from the morning and my 1.5-mile walk to the ground are in the gallery below.
Eventually, I arrived at the Graham Sports Centre at Maiden Castle, home to both Durham United and Durham Women.
Durham United – Maiden Castle
Getting In
A turnstile to the left of the main sports centre building provides entry to Maiden Castle.
Payment is via cash or card at the gate. I paid a total of £11.00 for entry, a programme and a pin badge.
The club’s Twitter account provided me with a breakdown of the individual pieces. Entry is £6.00, pin badge £3.00 and programme £2.00.
Programme
The programme costs £2.00 and consists of 20 matt paper pages.
Be aware that it is issued unstapled, so you could lose pages if you aren’t paying attention.
It’s nice that the only advert is reserved for the back page and is merely a call for club sponsorship.
Well done to the club for keeping ads away from the programme.
In terms of content, there is a welcome page, a club history, player profiles, and five pages on the opposition and their squad.
It also includes the usual fixtures and results, plus team line-ups.
Surprisingly, no league table is included, so this would be a welcome addition.
All in all, a decent effort – 7/10
West End
Entry to Maiden Castle is at the west end of the ground, and that is where I will start my perimeter walk.
The first thing to realise about Maiden Castle is that it is a multi-sport venue, and a running track encircles the pitch.
This means that this end has a large area between the pitch and the fence that surrounds it.
The view from this end of the pitch wouldn’t be very good
North Side
The technical dugouts stand on the north side of the ground.
Between them stands a structure presumably used for recording action. However, I didn’t see any sign of activity in there today. Maybe the Durham Women’s team uses it?
The dugouts both look as though they have received some rough treatment at the hands of disgruntled substitutes. There are panels missing from both, although vandalism can’t be ruled out, either.
Four of Maiden Castle’s eight floodlights are spread along the length of this side of the pitch.
East End
Like the west end, the eastern end of the ground has a large area of running track and sand pits beyond the pitch.
Unlike its opposite end, the pitch is far more accessible here, should you prefer standing behind the goal. The fence is up against the playing area, affording a much better view of the action.
Indeed, I took my video of the ground from here, which you can find further down the page.
I was still standing here when Newcastle University scored its first goal. Unfortunately, I missed it, as I was putting my phone away after recording. 😳
South Side
The Graham Sports Centre dominates the south side, but it is also here that the grounds’ main viewing area is located.
A seated and covered stand, made up of a few different sections of separate seating with a more permanent-looking roof above them.
The seating looks like the temporary stands that you see at non-league grounds up and down the country. However, having them all together under one roof makes it feel much better.
That said, there is no back or sides to protect you from the elements, and as today’s sun waned, the chilly northeast breeze soon had people, including myself, pulling their hoods up and battening down the hatches.
The changing rooms and players’ entrance are located at the east end of this side of the pitch. There are toilet facilities inside the sports centre and also behind the seating area.
A cafe is also available in the sports centre, though I’m not sure what foods they offer.
Durham United – Maiden Castle Gallery
Durham United Tidbits
The Durham United Football Club was formed in 2012.
As such, there is little history to write about, but what little there is contains stories of success.
Originally associated with the Durham Federation school, the club developed several youth teams.
In 2015, a split from the school occurred following a change in management.
Hereon, the club rebranded itself as Durham United.
They joined the Wearside League in 2021 and won promotion to the top division the following year.
A partnership with Durham University led the team to play their home games at Maiden Castle, which the University owns. In exchange, University students have a chance to play in non-league football for the club.
In the 2024/25 season, United won the Wearside League Premier Division, earning promotion to the Northern League Division Two for the first time in their short history.
They have a joint management team of Chris Maiello and Cameron Bhamra.
Durham United – Pre-Game View of Maiden Castle
Durham United v Newcastle University – The Game
Form
Coming into today’s game, Durham United occupy 17th place (of 22), while Newcastle University sit in 12th place.
From 25 games played, United have won eight, drawn four and lost thirteen, scoring 39 times, while conceding 57.
If you are thinking, “Wait, those figures don’t add up!”, you would be right. Durham were deducted three points for a paperwork issue, after a player was registered after the deadline in one of their early-season games.
During November, United played five games, winning two and losing the other three.
Last time out, they were defeated 3-0 at home by Alnwick Town, who are in their second season in Division Two, following promotion.
Today’s opponents, Newcastle University, have played 22 games, winning nine, drawing seven and losing six. They have scored 35 goals while conceding 29.
During November, they have managed just three games, winning twice and drawing once.
Last time out, they enjoyed a good 3-2 away win at AFC Newbiggin.
Given all this info, I am expecting a close game, but with a few goals.
Pre-match prediction: Durham United 2 Newcastle University 3
Kick-Off
Summary
As alluded to earlier in this report, Newcastle University took an early lead.
As I finished recording a sweep of the ground, I was putting my phone back in my pocket when I heard a cheer. I looked up to see the Uni players celebrating, but I have no idea how the goal came about.
All I can tell you is that Kane Morris scored, and the away side led 1-0.
The University side was the better team throughout the game, limiting United to a meagre amount of chances.
That said, United’s defence held the Uni to just a single goal lead by the break. A chance to tweak things and maybe get back into the game.
Half-Time – Durham United 0 Newcastle University 1
Second Half
Unfortunately for the home team, the game proceeded in much the same vein, with the Uni side dominating once more.
Two further goals were added in the second forty-five, via Stephen Pennington in the 68th minute, and Joel Manning eight minutes later.
You can see Manning’s headed goal in the video below.
A disappointing showing from United in today’s encounter. They will survive their first season in the Northern League, in my opinion, but will need to improve to preserve their status in the coming seasons.
Moving up the leagues is a learning curve for any team, and for one as young as Durham United Football Club, even more so.
I’m sure, with Durham University education associated with the club, that learning will be swift, and measures will be taken.
I look forward to seeing how they progress in the coming seasons.
If and when a Match Report becomes available, I will post it here.
Full-time – Durham United 0 Newcastle University 3
Attendance – 43
Entrance Fee – £6.00
Programme – £2.00
Durham United v Newcastle University – Match Highlights
If and when match highlights become available, I will post them here.
League Table After Today’s Game
Up Next
Next up for Durham is another home game, with Billingham Town the visitors on 20th December.
They then travel to the bottom-placed team, Esh Winning, on Boxing Day.
The New Year begins with another road trip, to Darlington Town on the 3rd January 2026.
Newcastle University‘s next game will be a home tie against Alnwick Town on the 18th December, in the Northumberland Senior Cup.
They get back to league action on the 20th, when they host Grangetown Boys Club, with a third successive home game, against Prudhoe YC Seniors, on the 27th.
The New Year begins on the 3rd January, with a trip to Tow Law Town.
Durham United Thoughts
Durham United is a club on the rise.
Though they are struggling with the transition to their new league this year, that is only natural. Given time, I’m sure they will adapt to their new surroundings and flourish.
The Maiden Castle complex is large and designed for a multitude of sports. This means a running track surrounds the pitch, something that annoys football purists.
I prefer to think it is about taking advantage of situations that help a club to progress, and United have done just that.
Speaking of which, I think the club should take full advantage of its partnership with Durham University.
I imagine many students are willing to help out with things like recording match action, writing and producing the programme. This benefits both the student and the club, with the students gaining valuable experience.
I would also appeal to the students to get along and support the team. 43 people attended today’s game, the lowest in the entire Northern League.
Would it be wrong of me to suggest a possible merger with Durham FC?
They themselves merged with Durham Corinthians in 2023, forging a stronger unit.
Not for me to say, but maybe something to think about?
If you visit Maiden Castle, don’t expect Old Trafford or Anfield. This is non-league football and a team finding itself at a new level of competition. The facilities are decent, though it would be nice to see a hot food van parked up for spectators to use.
Durham – After the Game
Following the game, I made my way out of the ground and headed back to the path along the River Wear. This time, I would need to cross the Maiden Castle Footbridge to the other side.
Google Maps showed me a path that led through a green area to Magdalene Street, where I could catch the #65 bus.
What Google Maps didn’t show me was that the path was pitch-black and in the middle of a wood… uphill.
I followed the river path up to the point where Google Maps told me to turn right.
Lost in the Woods
I eyed the dark path doubtfully, but decided to trudge on.
After a while, the path became less discernible, even when using the torch on my phone. Switching between the torch and Google was also not helping my night vision, and the paths became entangled, muddy and unreadable.
Eventually, I decided I was lost and took the only option I could think of… go downhill and return to the river path.
Eventually, I emerged back at the river feeling rather miffed at Google and myself.
I had wasted about twenty minutes hiking through the dark woods before re-emerging.
There was no chance of my leaving the path a second time. I followed it right up to the New Elvet Bridge I crossed earlier in the day, grateful to be back in civilisation.
At least I got a decent photo of the river and cathedral at night as I wandered along the river path.
After negotiating the last few roads, I waited for the #65 bus on Claypath.
Fate must have started feeling sorry for me, as the bus turned up five minutes later, and by 18:25, I was back through my front door.
Another successful Hop in the books.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week, I resume my mission to complete the 42 SPFL grounds of Scotland, with a trip to Forfar Athletic’s Station Park.
They will face Edinburgh City in a League Two fixture that is crucial to both teams for different reasons.
Forfar are on the edge of the playoff race, while Edinburgh face a desperate race to avoid the relegation playoff game.
Following my recent trip to Angus for the Brechin City v Turriff United game, I look forward to revisiting the county.
Before I discovered Ember’s bus service, these two grounds were out of reach for me in a single day, so it was great to discover them.
I’m also on the lookout for Forfar bridies! Lorna McWilliam was kind enough to get me hooked on them during my visit to Brechin.
It doesn’t take much to hook me on a savoury meat-and-pastry combo! 😂
Onto the next!
