Riding South into North Riding
This weekend saw us venture into the southern reaches of the Northern League, as we visited Guisborough town.
I believe I am right in thinking only Yarm & Eaglescliffe and Northallerton Town are further south than Guisborough Town’s home ground.
These grounds are not the easiest for us to reach via public transport and involve either a bus/train/bus or three buses.
We chose the three-bus option, as this works out cheaper overall and theoretically, not much difference in time.
Of course, this is public transport in 2024 Britain, so we all know that doesn’t count for much, as we found out on the way home…
Anyway, let’s take a look at how we got on in Yorkshire’s North Riding.
Guisborough – The Journey
The day started with a slow meander to the bus station to catch the 10:22 X1 going south to Peterlee.
I explained to the driver that we were heading for Middlesbrough (with GoNorthEast) and what would be the cheapest way to get there. He gave us a £6.80 North East Rover ticket each.
We arrived in Peterlee at 10:44 and awaited our connecting bus.
It arrived at 11:07 and I boarded, scanned my ticket and… red light. It didn’t like my ticket for some reason. The driver looked at it and told me it wasn’t valid for the X10 to Middlesbrough. I explained what had happened and luckily, he waved us on.
Now we would have the same problem on the return journey. I hope the next bus driver will be just as understanding.
We arrived at Middlesbrough bus station around 11:55 and just a short ten-minute wait saw us board the #5 Arriva service to Guisborough.
Thirty-seven minutes later, we finally arrived at our destination. Two hours and twenty-two minutes for a thirty-four-mile journey. It sounds like a long time until you see the journey back…
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire.
It lies on the northern border of the North York Moors National Park, ten miles southeast of Middlesbrough.
As of the 2021 Census, the town had a population of 18,878.
It isn’t known exactly where Guisborough got its name, although the consensus is that it was named after an old Norse chieftain called Gígr, thus making it ‘Gígr’s fortification’.
Guisborough may date back as far as Roman times but there is no definitive proof of such. The major Roman artefact found in the town was a helmet, now residing in the British Museum, and known as the Guisborough helmet.
Roman, or not, the town appeared in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Gighesbore.
Gisborough Priory is a well-known 12th-century landmark in the town, despite being in ruins. It even provides the football club with its nickname of The Priorymen.
Guisborough grew mostly as a commuter town for the steel and chemical industries in the surrounding towns of Middlesbrough and Redcar.
Notable Natives
Famous people who have called Guisborough home, include;
Author, Richard Milward; Early Doors actor, Mark Benton; movie stuntman and Guinness World Record holder, Curtis Rivers; two-time FA Cup winner with Sheffield United, Fred Priest; Grand National-winning jockey, Bob Champion and Former Yorkshire cricketer and Middlesbrough footballer, Alan Ramage.
Guisborough Town – King George V Stadium
Getting In
As you can see, when we arrived, the turnstiles were closed but the gate was open. Someone told me to come on through when they saw me.
We later paid our admission fee after I had done my circuit of the ground, costing £8.00 each via cash or card.
The first thing I needed to learn about Guisborough, was how to pronounce it!
Is it said as ‘Gize’ in the same way as ‘guide’? It is ‘Geez’ like in the breeze?
I wasn’t sure, but upon walking through the gate I asked one of the friendly people wandering around getting ready for the match.
Spoiler alert: It’s neither of the above – Guisborough is pronounced Giz-bruh, like the ‘biz’ in business.
We live and learn.
South End
I gave Mrs Hopper the card and she disappeared into the clubhouse while I had a wander around.
Let’s start with the southern end, where the entrance gate is.
Apart from the turnstile, there is little of note at this end of the ground.
Guisborough Swim and Fitness Centre lies behind this end and forms part of the boundary.
East Side
On the eastern side is a covered terrace that straddles the halfway line.
This is a much more solid-looking construction than some of the stands at this level, with steel girders holding up corrugated back and roof.
Guisborough Town FC is emblazoned on the lip of the roof. The rest of this side of the ground contains a path that allows for more unsheltered standing room.
Three of the six floodlights at the KGV Stadium are on this side of the pitch.
North End
The northern end of the ground has no structures.
Behind a small grass bank is a little area where kids can play football on a small pitch with goalposts.
This was well utilised with quite a few children forming two teams and it kept them busy throughout the game. It is a great idea for parents who want to bring kids along who don’t want to stand/sit still for ninety minutes.
West Side
The main side of the KGV Stadium is on the west side.
This contains the main stand, the dressing rooms a clubhouse and an extended function room.
The dressing rooms are the first building in the southwest corner and the players’ entrance to the pitch is also in that corner.
The main stand starts in the southwest corner, after the dressing rooms and extends to just shy of the halfway line.
The technical dugouts are on either side of the halfway line and the stadium’s other three floodlights are also on this side.
The clubhouse and function room are located behind the main stand.
The ground’s north, west and east sides have a line of evergreen trees that shield the pitch from the wind and provide a scenic backdrop that is pleasing to the eye.
Guisborough Town – King George V Stadium Gallery
Guisborough Town – Pre-Game View of the King George V Stadium
Clubhouse
Between the dressing rooms and the main stand is a path that leads round to the clubhouse entrance.
Inside is a spacious room with a bar at the far end and a small club shop at the other.
There are a few TVs on the walls and a pool table opposite the club shop and memorabilia decorates the walls.
There are toilets in the corridor beyond the bar and the Priory Suite function room is beyond this.
We ordered pints of Moretti and an Inch’s cider, costing £8.80 for the two. We also purchased a club crest pin badge priced at £3.50.
Team sheets were also available on the bar counter.
Team Sheet
Old Friends
It was also great to meet our old friend from West Auckland in the clubhouse.
It was Dave Bussey who took the time to show us around the Darlington Road ground and also let me get my hands on the Thomas Lipton Trophy.
He epitomises the people surrounding the clubs in the northeast and is largely responsible for our falling in love with the Northern League.
Always a pleasure to run into him again and catch up.
West Auckland narrowly missed out on promotion last season and will be looking for a similar scenario come the end of this season.
They also won the Durham County FA Frank Pattison Challenge Cup Final, by beating Whickham 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Best of luck for the season, mate!
Guisborough Town Tidbits
The Guisborough Town Football Club was formed in 1973.
Town are nicknamed The Priorymen, after the town’s famous priory.
Originally, the club played in the Middlesbrough & District League and South Bank & District League.
They joined the Northern Alliance in 1977, finishing third in their inaugural campaign.
Things got even better from there. They finished runners-up and League Cup winners the following season.
Did I say things got better?
The 1979/80 season saw them win the league without losing a single match. They also reached the final of the FA Vase, losing 2-0 to Stamford.
The club joined the Midland League Premier Division, which in 1982, merged with the Yorkshire League, thus becoming the new Northern Counties East League. They finished that first season in fifth place, giving them a spot in the NCEL Premier Division.
1985 saw the club decide to voluntarily drop a league by joining the Northern League Division Two. They were promoted to the top division after finishing as runners-up in 1986/87.
They won a silverware double in 1988/89, winning both the League Cup and the Cleator Cup, while also reaching the 1st round of the FA Cup. After EIGHT qualifying games, they were rewarded with a home tie against Third Division Bury. The tie was played at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Park, with Bury winning the game 1-0 in front of a crowd of 5,990.
1989/90 saw the Priorymen win the North Riding Senior Cup and retain it the following year. They won the trophy again in 1992/93 and again in 1993/94. Four times in five seasons!
2004/05 brought relegation as Town finished rock bottom of Division One.
Five years in the wilderness ended with promotion as runners-up, coupled with a fifth North Riding Senior Cup success. They won it for a sixth time in 2013/14.
They Played for Guisborough Town
Tony Coleman; Paul Cross; Ray Hankin; David Jenkins; Danny Johnson; Chris Leadbitter; Kevin Scott; Chris Swailes and es-Stoke City defender, Nicky Mohan.
Guisborough Town v West Aukland – The Game
Form
Coming into today’s game, the Priorymen sat in fifth position in the division, while West Auckland were one place below them (goal difference) in sixth.
Guisborough had played ten league games before today’s game, while West had played twelve.
It was an auspicious start for Town as they won their opening game 1-3 at Northallerton. However, a 1-0 defeat at Kendal Town brought them back down again.
Another victory/defeat followed before Town hit a decent run of form, drawing twice before going on a three-match winning streak leading into today’s game.
Those three games included a 5-1 home win over Birtley Town, a 0-3 win at Easington Colliery and last time out, a 2-1 win over Penrith, here at the KGV.
West Auckland’s season also got off to a winning start with a 3-0 home win over Seaham Red Star. Things went a little askew after that with a 4-0 defeat at Redcar Athletic and a 1-5 reverse at home to Newcastle Blue Star.
Another heavy 4-1 defeat at Blyth Town signalled a change of fortunes. They won four of the next five, including a four-goal beatdown of West Allotment Celtic and a six-goal thrashing of Whickham.
Last time out, West scored a 1-0 win at West Allotment Celtic. The one defeat in that span came at home to Kendal Town (0-1).
Given all this info, I was predicting an even 1-1 draw and after last week’s correct 2-2 prediction at Belper Town, I was confident…
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!
Kick-Off
Summary
The first half was largely uneventful and we had to wait until the 40th minute for the first real close escape when Dylan McAvoy’s cross hit West’s bar.
The deadlock wasn’t broken until the last minute of the half but I did manage to record the tail-end of the goal.
Fast forward to 0:55 if you just want to see the goal, scored by James Harrison.
At halftime, we left our position behind the goal and wandered around to the main stand.
Mrs Hopper has had a sore back for the last couple of weeks, so a change of position was needed.
The change of scenery coincided with a change of game, with more action and three more goals.
A second West goal came in the 61st minute, with a deep cross from the right corner floating to the back post, where Harrison had the easy task of slotting it home unmarked, for his second.
Nine minutes later, the hat trick was completed when a hopeful forward punt was headed back into Harrison’s path.
He was in a predatory mood and it was no surprise when the net bulged for a third time.
As the game drew to a close, West grabbed a fourth in injury time, with Josh Scott poking past the keeper in a one-on-one as West broke clear.
This convincing victory made a mockery of my prediction and saw West leapfrog Town into fifth place.
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the West Auckland website.
Attendance – 347
Entrance Fee – £8.00
Programme – Team sheet only
Guisborough Town v West Aukland – Photo Gallery
As no match highlights are available, I will post the pictures I took during the game as a poor alternative.
League Table After Today’s Game
League table courtesy of the northernfootballleague.org website
Up Next
Next up for the Priorymen will be a trip to West Allotment Celtic on September 14th.
Another away trip awaits them on the 17th as they visit the wonderful Tow Law Town ground (17th).
Two home games round off September with the visits of Shildon (21st) and Whitley Bay (28th).
For West, their next game will be against Whitley Bay at Darlington Road on the 10th.
They will face a trip to Seaham Red Star (13th) before a home game with Crook Town (17th).
September is completed with back-to-back away games, facing tough trips to Redcar Athletic (21st) and Carlisle City (28th).
Both teams will be looking to play a part at the top of a very competitive league as the season progresses.
Guisborough Town Thoughts
According to one of the volunteers I was talking to, Guisborough has 32 junior teams and a women’s team.
He was keen to point out that they want to put something back into the community but it works both ways.
Young players brought up by the club are more likely to play for the Priorymen than other local clubs.
The KGV Stadium itself is in good shape and looks well looked after. The stadium is part of a larger community complex in lovely surroundings.
As is usual in the Northern League, visitors are welcomed with open arms.
Both cash and cards are accepted in all parts of the ground.
Last season, Guisborough produced a glossy programme, so it was a little disappointing that they only produced a team sheet for today’s game. Again, after talking to a volunteer before the game, he said there were several problems with producing programmes.
They were losing money on them and selling as few as eight on a matchday. Couple this with finding content and a volunteer to provide it and it’s easy to see why clubs can be reluctant to produce one.
I saw a lot of hype about the pies here but, to be honest, I didn’t think there was anything special about the one I had. It was warm, rather than hot and was just… a pie… not bad, not great.
It was great to see youngsters provided with a little playing area with two sets of goalposts to utilise during the game. The excitement ran throughout the game as they ran around, literally having a ball.
Fans for life can be created by involving kids and the club clearly know this and provide plenty of avenues for them to join in.
Guisborough – After the Game
Following the final whistle, we made a quick trip back into the clubhouse for the toilet, before heading off to catch the buses home.
The #5 Arriva bus arrived at 17:10, depositing us at Middlesbrough bus station at 17:40.
I could probably write a whole blog about the characters that dwell in this bus station, but suffice it to say, it’s great for people-watching…
Half an hour of incredulity later, we hopped on the X10 GoNorthEast to Peterlee.
You will remember that our tickets were invalid for this journey and after another explanation of what happened, we were grateful to find another understanding driver, who waved us on.
We arrived in Peterlee with a forty-minute wait until the X1 back to Hetton. At least, that’s what we were prepared for.
So, when the 19:35 bus didn’t show up and the digital board now showed the next (and last) bus to Hetton was due at 20:25, we were a little… peeved.
I use the word peeved because my mother reads these blogs… 😂
Peterlee bus station is not the best place to spend ninety minutes of anyone’s life and it became very tiring, very quickly.
The X1, luckily for us, did show up at 20:25 and we arrived at our front door just before 21:00, four hours after leaving Guisborough’s ground.
We could have got to the Mediterranean in that time!
Oh well…
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next up for Hoppers Guide is another checkmark in the Northern League, as we re-visit Ryton & Crawcrook Albion.
They will be playing Chester-le-Street Town in the NL Division Two.
We have already been to Albion’s ground last season but unfortunately, the game was called off just before we arrived.
Looking forward to seeing some match action this time at Kingsley Park.
Onto the next!
