Oh, I do Like to be Beside the Seaside…
Today saw us heading south, to Marske, or Marske-by-the-Sea to give it its full Sunday name, on the fantastic Northeast Coast.
I’m lucky enough to live in an area with several coastal teams to visit, which means plenty of opportunities for fresh sea air and, more importantly, fresh fish and chips!
Why do they always taste so good sitting in the sea air?
One of the things I enjoy about this hobby is exploring places I know nothing about and learning bits of information about the towns and their people.
Today would be another such journey, as I know nothing about Marske, including how to pronounce the name!
I have been told that locals know it as ‘Mask’ but let’s find out for ourselves, shall we…?
This afternoon’s game would see Marske United pitted against West Allotment Celtic in the Northern League Division One.
Marske – The Journey
Despite being just 37 miles from Hetton, the journey takes two and a half hours and involves three buses.
Therefore, to get there in plenty of time to enjoy a bit of the town meant leaving fairly early.
A cool, damp and dreary grey day awaited me as I walked to the bus station.
Good People
I caught the 09:22 X1 to Peterlee and was happy to see a bus driver who I chatted with a while back. I don’t remember where I’d been but he commented on my Washington Redskins (they were still called that at the time) hat.
Like Mrs Hopper, he is from North America, enjoys the NFL and is a really nice person.
Once again, he lived up to the billing and made me realise what a big difference small things can make to your day.
It may seem small but simply being treated with respect and politeness makes a huge difference to people. Every time someone got on his bus, he greeted them warmly and waited until they were in their seats before driving off.
Why don’t all drivers do this?
Many times I have seen old people struggling to get in a seat before being thrown around by an impatient bus driver setting off before they can do so. It was also interesting to note how people responded positively to him as they left the bus, too.
Be nice, folks, we all win.
I arrived in Peterlee at 09:44 and waited for my connecting x10 bus. It arrived at 10:09 and we set off for Middlesbrough…
Not so Good…
On the other end of the spectrum are the annoying people!
Between 10:09 and 10:56 when we arrived in Middlesbrough, the other passengers and I, on the upper deck were ‘treated’ to a rude pair of girls.
I can’t tell you how annoying it was to sit silently raging as they talked incredibly loudly, with ethnic music pumping from their phones. All punctuated by the regular sound of one of them popping bubblegum in between yelling.
How ignorant do you have to be to dominate a whole bus full of people with your own self-importance and annoy them with music nobody else wants to listen to?
Despite many intense stares in their direction from various angles, including mine, they were completely oblivious.
What a relief it was to reach our destination!
Ten minutes later, I was on the 11:05 X4 and back on a nice, quiet bus.
The journey goes through Redcar before reaching Marske and follows the North Sea coast for a stretch.
It must be a lovely view in the summer, but through dirty windows that are probably due for their three-yearly (whether they need it or not) clean and on a grey, damp day, not so much.
As we entered Marske-by-the-Sea, I got off at the first bus stop at 11:45 and headed back toward the beach.
Despite the choppy seas and misty skies, there is something about the seaside that draws me in and it was lovely to just stand there watching for a short time. There were plenty of other people walking their dogs or just enjoying the sea air.
What a fantastic beach by the way!
Marske-by-the-Sea
Marske-by-the-Sea is a North Yorkshire coastal village eleven miles east of Middlesbrough.
It nestles between the larger town of Redcar to the north, New Marske village to the west and Saltburn-by-the-Sea to the south.
The village has held many names over the years, including Marsch, Mersche, Mersc, Maresk and Mareski.
The original name of ‘Marsch’, gives us its original meaning of ‘marsh’, taken from the Anglo-Saxon language.
There is a large graveyard atop the cliff, known as St. Germain’s Churchyard. Only the tower remains of the 11-century Norman church and is a Grade I listed building, used by sailors as a landmark.
Marske Hall was built in 1625 by William Pennyman (though I’m guessing he had a little help!)
Pennyman was the 1st Baronet of Marske and the High Sheriff of Yorkshire. During the Civil War, Pennyman, a royalist, fought a battle against Cromwell’s forces on Marske Beach.
Despite seeing off Cromwell’s forces on this occasion, he was later fined £1,200 by the overall victor and sold off the manor house.
In 1964, the hall was turned into a care home for the disabled before being sold to a private company in 2019.
Marske used to have an airfield once used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force.
This has since been abandoned and turned into a housing estate called ‘The Landings’. The estate has roads named after planes and similar aviation themes.
Notable People from Marske
There is a real dearth of famous people from Marske for some reason.
Charlotte Hughes was the longest-living person in recorded British history, dying at the age of 115 years and 228 days.
Singer, Georgina Anderson, reached number 63 in the charts posthumously. The brave young lady was diagnosed with liver cancer and sadly passed away aged just sixteen with a promising career denied her.
Captain James Cook‘s father is buried in the St. Germaine Churchyard.
‘Captain’ William Earl Johns, the author of the ‘Biggles’ adventure books, was stationed at Marske Airbase during World War One.
The Clarendon Public House
While you were reading about Marske, I was walking back into town from the beach and found myself at a pub.
Surprised, huh?
My chosen watering hole was the Clarendon Public House, located on the High Street.
Inside, is a large, roomy pub with a central bar that you can walk all the way around, should you wish to for some strange reason.
I ordered a pint of Guinness, costing £4.15 and sat on the far side of the pub.
A brief chat with a couple of patrons led to me asking about the pronunciation of the town name.
I said I’d heard it was pronounced ‘Mask’ and the gentleman passionately informed me, “It’s pronounced ‘Marsk’! There is an ‘R’ in it! It’s Marsk, not mask! A mask is something you wear on your face!”
Well, okay then, ‘Marsk’ it is!
I was enjoying the Guinness and my new friend told me the beer wasn’t great at the Marske United clubhouse. I chose to believe him and stayed for a second pint of the black drink of the Irish gods.
He also confirmed that the nearby chip shop is excellent, which I was happy to hear.
There are no prizes for guessing where I went next.
I’m not known for my penchant for taking photographs in toilets (honestly!) but sometimes, you just have to!
Lockers Chippy
£10.90 got me a huge portion of cooked-to-order fish, chips and mushy peas and a good conversation with the owner of Lockers chip shop on Marske High Street.
We chatted about football (he is a Boro fan) and put the footballing world right between us until more customers arrived and I left.
Despite the owner being great to talk to, the biggest… takeaway… for me was that the food was excellent!
Don’t just take my word for it though, I found a report online that tells me they were nominated for a National Chip Shop award in 2023.
If you find this review, Paul, it was good to meet you and thanks for the chat (and the lovely food).
By the way, Paul confirmed that locals do indeed call the town ‘Mask’. So our passionate friend in the pub is in the minority, as I heard everyone else calling it Mask while I was there.
Marske United – Mount Pleasant
I wandered on with the rest of my food and found a bench to finish it up on just outside Marske United’s Mount Pleasant ground.
After putting my rubbish in the nearby bin, it was time to go inside.
Getting In
Entry to the ground is at the northwest corner via steps up to the turnstiles.
Card or cash is accepted and the cost is £8.00.
Unfortunately, no programmes or team sheets were available for this game.
Once inside, I went on a lap of the ground, first heading to the right-hand side, the west end of the ground.
West End
This end of the ground has a couple of small, covered structures, which house the small group of Marske United ‘ultras’.
There is a row of lopped trees behind the fence, which I’m sure will look a lot nicer once they have grown back.
South Side
The southern side of the ground is where the technical dugouts are located, on either side of the halfway line.
Three of the grounds six floodlights are on this side.
As with the west end, this side consists of flat standing areas, though there is a raised grassy bank on which some people choose to stand.
A ramshackle collection of wooden fences separates the ground from the row of houses beyond.
East End
The east end is another flat standing area, with a couple of shipping containers, presumably for storage.
There is more space at this end than the rest of the ground, with around 20 feet between the boundary fence and the pitch.
A net is in place to catch errant footballs.
North Side
The north side is the hub of the Mount Pleasant ground.
Starting in the northeast corner, there is a long, narrow covered structure that contains mostly flat standing, but also a row of seats in front of the fence.
This structure takes us up to the halfway line and the area where players enter the pitch.
The dressing rooms are down a set of steps between structures.
Beyond this is the first of two seated stands and the bigger of the two.
The second stand is on the other side of the steps and is the smaller of the two seating areas.
Between these two stands is another set of steps that lead down to the clubhouse, club shop, toilets and a snack/refreshment area.
A small uncovered and slightly elevated standing section lies between the second seated stand and the can bar next to the turnstiles where we entered.
The ground’s other three floodlights are located on this side of the ground.
The pitch is natural grass and the capacity at Mount Pleasant is 1,500.
Club Shop Area
With my circuit completed, I headed down the steps to the club shop area.
I got a pin badge from the friendly lady in the shop, costing me £4.00.
Alongside the replica shirts, scarves and hats, there were also a couple of shelves of old programmes, although I didn’t have time to look through them.
As for the clubhouse, I’m not entirely sure if it could be accessed without leaving the ground. Maybe this is why they give you a little ticket when you enter the ground.
If you go through the gate to get to the clubhouse, presumably you show your ticket to get back inside, although this is only clear to regulars.
For sponsorship purposes, Mount Pleasant is currently called the John Keegan Stadium.
Marske United – Mount Pleasant Gallery
Marske United – Pre-Game View of Mount Pleasant
Marske United Tidbits
The Marske United Football Club was founded in 1956.
Initially playing in the Cleveland and South Bank Leagues, they progressed to the Teesside League by 1976.
1980/81 saw the Seasiders win their first silverware, winning the Teesside League and North Riding County Cup trophies.
They won the Teesside League again in 1984/85, moving on to the Wearside League for the following season.
Another North Riding County Cup success was achieved in 1985/86.
Marske were Wearside League runners-up in consecutive seasons for 1993/94 and 1994/95. The latter of the two seasons also saw them win the North Riding Senior Cup and the Wearside League Cup.
Their biggest win was against North Shields in 1994, beating them an amazing 16-0.
1995/96 saw them finally win the Wearside League title.
Runners-up status in 1996/97 allowed Marske to progress to the Northern League Division Two.
A third-place finish in their first season was enough to gain promotion to Division One, though they were relegated again in 2003/04.
Promotion was achieved again in 2010/11, after another third-place finish.
They won the Northern League Cup in 2013/14 and were Northern League champions the following season. Marske declined promotion to the Northern Premier League on that occasion.
The Rise and Fall
2017/18, progressed to the FA Vase semi-finals, losing out to local rivals, Stockton Town.
During the same season, they won the Division One title for a second time, this time accepting promotion to the NPL Division One East.
In 2021/22, Marske achieved promotion to the NPL Premier Division. They finished the regular season as runners-up and defeated Shildon and Stockton Town in the playoffs.
The club’s record attendance came in the playoff final against Stockton, with a capacity crowd of 1,500.
Unfortunately, financial difficulties almost led to Marske’s demotion in January 2024. An agreement was reached with the governing bodies and Marske dropped two divisions, to the Northern League Division One, where they currently play.
Marske United are managed jointly by Craig Skelton and Simon Kasonali.
They Played for Marske United Team
Terry Cochrane – Jordan Hugill – Roy Hunter – Jason Kennedy – Nathan Thomas.
I came across a YouTube video that shows how Marske United had to rebuild and start again following their double demotion and thought it would be a good inclusion for anyone interested.
Marske United v West Allotment Celtic – The Game
Form
Before today’s game, the two clubs were in 13th and 19th, the hosts being the higher-placed team.
The Seasiders have played 31 games, winning twelve, drawing five and losing fourteen. In those games they have scored 49 goals, conceding 55.
The visitors have played 29 games, winning seven, drawing five and losing seventeen. During the season, Allotment has scored 29 goals, conceding 64 times.
Since the New Year, Marske has played four times, drawing two and losing once. Last time out, they took a heavy 5-0 defeat at Redcar Athletic‘s Green Lane ground.
West Allotment has played just two League games in 2025, losing both games at home, Newcastle Benfield (0-1) and Whitley Bay (1-6).
With all this info in mind, I was expecting a closely fought game with the home side edging it with a narrow victory.
Pre-Match Prediction: Marske United 1 West Allotment Celtic 0
Kick-Off
Summary
This game was by no means what you would consider a classic, however, there were two teams showing full commitment to the cause and a superb winning goal for the visitors.
Of course, this goal came about ten minutes after I remarked to someone that the game has “0-0 written all over it”. 🙄
A couple of strong penalty claims for Marske were waved away by the match official.
Unfortunately, I only recorded the tail end of the challenge that caused the most indignation on the home bench, but I can tell you I thought it was a penalty.
The Marsked Stinger
The goal, when it came, was well worth the wait.
Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to record it but fortunately, West Allotment Celtic’s halfway line Veo camera did!
Enjoy…
Both teams continued to work hard as the game drew to its conclusion, but Allotment did enough to keep the Seasiders at bay and hold on for a tremendous away win.
If and when a Match Report becomes available, I will post it here.
Full-time – Marske United 0 West Allotment Celtic 1
Attendance – 239
Entrance Fee – £8.00
Programme – N/A
Marske United v West Allotment Celtic – 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 Marske is a trip to Whitley Bays’ Hillheads Park on February 15th.
This will be followed by two games back at Mount Pleasant, with Shildon (22nd) and Newcastle Blue Star (25th) as the visitors.
The Seasiders will begin March with a trip to Seaham Red Star on the 8th.
West Allotment Celtic have a hectic February ahead, with five more games scheduled.
First up is a trip to league leaders, Redcar Athletic on the 11th. They then have two home games at East Palmersville, facing Kendal Town (15th) and Newcastle Blue Star (18th).
These are followed by successive away games at Guisborough Town (22nd) and Shildon (25th).
Marske United Thoughts
Marske United is a club looking to consolidate and rebuild after its financial problems and subsequent double demotion.
It must be a strange feeling of dej-vu for them to be back in the Northern League again after progressing so far.
Mount Pleasant has a higgledy-piggledy feel to it, with several structures that don’t necessarily match each other. This does, however, give it a unique character.
It was disappointing to find no printed programme for the game and I feel it should be mandatory for clubs to make a team sheet available to paying customers.
As I didn’t go inside, I can’t comment on the clubhouse.
I feel that signs should be posted to make non-regulars aware of it and how to get in and out, as this is not immediately obvious to people who don’t know.
The club shop is small but has most things fans would want to buy, including the obligatory pin badge for my collection.
Again, I can’t comment on the snacks/refreshments as I was pleasantly rounded from my visit to Locker’s chippy and a couple of pints of Guinness.
I wish Marske much luck in their journey back up the leagues. It may not come easily, or quickly, but I hope they return to where they were on sporting merit before cash problems took over.
A shout-out to the young ‘ultras’ from both clubs, too. They kept up a constant atmosphere and provided me with this week’s cover photo.
Marske – After the Game
After the final whistle, I returned to the High Street and turned left.
The bus stop was just a short walk away, by the Zetland Hotel at the southern end of the village.
My bus was scheduled for 17:15, so it was nice to catch one at 17:00 and get ahead of things. The X4 arrived in Middlesbrough at 17:35, leaving a half-hour plus wait for my connection.
The X10 left Middlesbrough bus station at 18:10 and I decided to get comfortable…
… I woke up at 19:00 to find the bus already at Peterlee bus station! Luckily, the driver had got out to talk to a colleague and I hurriedly got off, mightily relieved not to be on my way to Newcastle.
The connecting bus came at 19:35, ten minutes after a large pack of feral kids had descended.
By 20:00 I was back through the front door, another successful Hop in the books!
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week I will head to Newton Aycliffe and their Moore Lane Park ground.
The occasion will be a Northern Premier League Premier Division game against Derbyshire’s Belper Town.
I hope to run into an old friend of Hoppers Guide, Mike Ward, while at the game, will be good to catch up with him.
As ever, I am looking forward to checking out a new ground.
Onto the next!
