FA Vase, Step Two – Redcar Athletic
As with my home town of Uttoxeter, Redcar is most well-known countrywide for its horse racing track.
It is also home to two Northern League football clubs; Redcar athletic and Redcar Town. There are also rugby, cricket, speedway and sailing clubs in town.
Redcar Athletic have had a great start to the current campaign sitting second in the Northern League Division One. However, they would face tough opposition for today’s FA Vase game against West Auckland (4th in Division One).
This would be our second game in this year’s competition, having previously taken in Boldon CA versus Seaham Red Star (Hopper Tales #110), in the first qualifying round.
We hope to follow this trophy to its dramatic conclusion under the Wembley Arch, but that is very much funds-dependent.
So first, let’s look at how we got on at Redcar Athletic…
Redcar – The Journey
The day started with me knowing that today would be a little different… no Mrs Hopper to accompany me.
She has managed to pick up one of the many bugs currently doing the rounds. Today then, I will be flying solo.
The day’s weather was grey and misty and, given the forecasts, I had no hopes for it getting brighter.
As some of the required buses are hourly, I decided to minimise the risk by leaving early. I first caught the 10:22 X1 from Hetton to Peterlee, arriving at 10:45.
From here, there was a twenty-minute wait for the 11:07 X10 to Middlesbrough.
Arriving at Middlesbrough bus station a couple of minutes shy of noon, I headed to Platform 4 to catch the 12:05 X4 to Redcar. Forty minutes later, the X4 deposited me at Redcar’s Green Lane bus stop.
The bus stop was on the coastal road, so I wandered down to the seafront and snapped a couple of photographs.
Clearly a popular spot for dog walkers, as canines of all varieties strutted their stuff on the promenade.
Before we head to the ground, let’s first look at the town of Redcar.
Redcar
Redcar lies on the North Yorkshire coast, eight miles east of Middlesbrough.
The town started life as a fourteenth-century fishing hamlet and due to its low-lying location, garnered the name Reed-Kjarr (Anglo-Saxon terminology for Reed Marsh).
The coastline off Redcar is quite treacherous and many wrecks lie in the sea off its shores.
It also hosts the world’s oldest surviving lifeboat – the Zetland. Constructed in 1802 by Henry Greathead at his South Shields boatyard, it now rests in the museum named after it, having saved over five hundred lives.
A photograph of the boat is included in the following link – RNLI – The Zetland’s final launch.
During the Victorian era, Redcar, with its eight miles of sandy beaches, became a popular seaside resort and in 1846 a railway line was built to connect people with the town.
With the discovery of iron ore in the nearby hills, Redcar expanded further.
The iron and steel industries flourished in the area, bringing plentiful employment to the growing population. In 2015 a global downturn in steel prices saw production cease and the furnaces shut down.
Redcar’s most famous attraction, the racecourse, was built in 1875 and still thrives to this day.
In 2011, Redcar Beacon was constructed and was immediately nominated for the Carbuncle Cup, for worst building design – it came third.
The ‘vertical pier’ was built at a cost of £1.6m to replace Redcar Pier, damaged by numerous incidents with boats and fire, before finally being demolished in 1981.
Having passed Redcar Beacon on the bus, I thought it looked like a huge helter-skelter ride, like the ones you see at fairgrounds.
Notable People From Redcar
Chris Norman, original lead singer of the seventies band, Smokie; actor, Pip Donaghy; actress and film producer, Katharine McEwan; actress, Wendy Hall; footballers, David Wheater, Ronnie Burke, Bradley Halliday, Finlay Cartwright, and cricketer, Paul Jarvis.
Redcar Athletic – Green Lane
So, knowing that I was early, I took a slow walk from the seafront, towards the football ground, arriving around 13:00.
Getting In
The gates weren’t even open when I arrived. However, people were around getting the place ready for customers who arrived when they were supposed to.
One of those people – who looked a lot like Hull City and Middlesbrough player, Dean Windass in a bobble hat (I’m sure locals will know who I mean) – said I could pay him.
Cash or cards are accepted throughout the ground.
I also asked about pin badges and programmes and ‘Dean’ told me to follow him. We walked to a portakabin that serves as the club shop.
Although not open yet, he got me a pin badge (£3.50) and charged me a tenner for the badge and entry fee. Thank you, kind sir!
At this point, programmes hadn’t arrived yet, but I was assured there would be some. In fact, I will review that now, as you would normally get one as you enter the gate.
Programme
£2.00 gets you thirty-two glossy pages, with eight being full-page adverts.
There is some cracking content by Dave Edler, the first team secretary, including an amusing tale of his recent journey to Tow Law Town.
The programme features all the usual stuff, such as match reports, stats, league tables, fixtures and a three-page feature on visitors, West Auckland.
Overall, a superb effort from both Dave and the club.
Snack Zone
Once inside the ground, there is a little area for snacks (again, not open when I arrived.)
Pizza, burgers, hot dogs etc. and drinks were available from two separate vendors.
There were some useful wooden huts available for people to sit and eat their snacks, sheltered from the North Sea elements.
The clubhouse is located in the wooden cabin behind the pictured snack bar, while the dressing room facilities are in the brick building to the left.
The turnstiles are located at the northwest corner of the ground and I will start my circuit of Green Lane by heading to the north end.
A lovely mural decorates one side of the clubhouse, leading towards the pitch, bearing the phrase ‘Born of iron… made of steel’.
North End
the northern end of Green Lane features a covered standing area with plenty of colourful banners attached to the back wall.
The structure begins in the northwest corner and reaches just beyond the edge of the penalty area on the same side.
The rest of this end is a fence, with a large net to catch errant footballs.
East Side
On the eastern side is a hard-standing area with a path that runs around the ground.
Three of the six floodlights are located on this side of Green Lane.
Beyond the fence, is the edge of the world… at least it feels that way. Other than a few small trees adjacent to the fence, there is nothing but a void beyond.
South End
Like the east side, the southern end is a fence, with shrubs behind it and a net behind the goals.
At least you can tell there is a world beyond at this end, with the Cleveland Hills rising in the misty distance.
West Side
The west side contains the technical dugouts and three further spectator structures. The other three floodlights are also located on this side.
The dugouts straddle the halfway line.
Beyond the dugouts, there are two covered stands, each containing fifty seats. There is also another covered standing area with banners on the back wall, at the far end of the west side.
This means that all of the covered spectator areas are in the northwest corner of Green Lane.
Redcar Athletic – Green Lane Gallery
Redcar Athletic Tidbits
The Redcar Athletic Football Club was formed as recently as 1993, taking the place of Teesside Athletic, which had folded due to administration difficulties.
Whilst using the same name, they shifted their base to Green Lane, where they have played ever since.
The club spent their initial years in the Teesside League before joining the Wearside League in 2005.
The Steelmen applied for and were granted £860,000 funding from the Football Foundation. This was used to improve the facilities at Green Lane.
In 2010 the club changed its name to the current Redcar Athletic.
After finishing runners-up on three occasions, they finally won the League title in 2018, securing promotion to the Northern League Division Two.
Following the second Covid-shortened season of 2021/22, the club was awarded a spot in Division One for the following campaign, due to points per game at that point.
After having a best-ever finish of sixth in 2022/23, the club finds itself in second place this season and is looking to challenge for the title.
The Steelmen are managed by ex-Marske United boss, Carl Jarrett, who took over in January 2024.
Redcar Athletic – Pre-Game View of Green Lane
Clubhouse
When it finally opened, I entered the clubhouse to get a pint and a sit-down.
A pint of Steelman’s lager was reasonably priced at £3.80. This came served in a nice hard plastic glass with the club crest on it, to be used inside or outside.
It was tastefully decorated and had a nice, modern feel about it. It had decked flooring and tables with comfortable chairs and a nice club mural on the left-hand wall.
Framed shirts and memorabilia adorn the walls along with an unused TV.
Redcar Athletic v West Auckland – The Game
Form
As mentioned, Redcar Athletic are currently second in the Northern League Division One and their opponents are in fourth.
However, there are seven points between the two teams while the Steelmen have also played two fewer games than West Auckland.
Additionally, Redcar soundly beat West 4-0 on their previous visit for July’s league fixture.
It should be noted, though, that after an indifferent start, West have gone five games unbeaten and are climbing the league.
Both teams should be promotion contenders come the season’s climax.
Of course, none of this counts for much in a one-off cup competition. Accordingly, both clubs would be thinking of advancing to the first round proper of the FA Vase.
West Auckland have twice previously reached the final of the competition. Disappointingly, they came away beaten in both 2012 and 2014.
In conclusion, given the league form and background, I was predicting a close game, with the home side edging it… 2-1 to Redcar Athletic.
Kick-Off
Summary
An even start to the game was broken dramatically when Joe Taylor fiercely struck a shot from outside the area.
The thirty-five-yard effort clipped the underside of the crossbar before hitting the back of the net.
What a goal!
Luckily, I managed to catch it in the video below.
West’s Nick Liversedge was called upon to keep the score at 1-0, with a Redcar corner headed toward goal.
The equaliser came just before the halftime whistle.
Inevitably, ex-Redcar Athletic player Layton Watts was the man to get it.
You can see the goal in the video below.
The first half had been pretty even, with Redcar maybe edging things. In the second half, West showed a slight superiority, without making it pay.
Consequently, it almost cost them ten minutes before the final whistle, with Adam Boyes hitting the crossbar for Redcar.
Both defences held firm and the game was destined for a tense penalty shootout.
All the action from that is in the video below.
Penalty Shoot-Out
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the West Auckland website.
Attendance – 211
Entrance Fee – £7.00
Programme – £2.00
Redcar Athletic v West Auckland Match Highlights
Up Next
Next up for Redcar will be a home game against Birtley Town as they return to league action on September 24th.
Another home game against league leaders Boro Rangers on the 28th sees out September.
October 1st sees the new month begin with a trip to Carlisle City, before another away game at Northallerton Town on the 4th.
For West Auckland, the month ends with a trip to Carlisle City on the 28th.
October begins with back-to-back home games against Birtley Town (4th) and Penrith (12th).
Redcar Athletic Thoughts
Upon entering Green Lane, the first things you notice are the lovely flat pitch with its red surrounding fence and the feeling that you may have been shrunk and have become a spectator at a Subbuteo game.
The pitch is lush, green and flat, like a newly ironed Subbuteo cloth, while the fences that surround the ground on two sides have nothing but a misty void beyond them.
It felt a little like a huge table football game, with the constant threat of a giant hand reaching down to ‘flick’ the players.
Abstract thoughts aside, the ground looks modern and well-maintained and, away from the pitch, the facilities are good, too.
Snacks were reasonably priced and also, there was plenty of cover to eat them under. Either the wooden huts or inside the clubhouse.
It was lovely to not only find a programme but a good one and much respect is deserved for that.
The clubhouse is in keeping with the rest of the ground, modern and tastefully decorated.
The hard plastic glasses with the club logo were a nice touch.
Better advantage could be taken from these facilities, by opening up sooner to customers. For example, Sunderland v Middlesbrough was on TV and would have dragged more money into the club coffers had it been shown in the clubhouse.
Extra revenue shouldn’t be ignored.
Redcar Athletic prides itself on being a community club, which was evident today. Youngsters were walking around collecting money for the local hospice and a penalty competition was held on the pitch at halftime.
You can read more about Redcar’s community aims and aspirations on the website, here.
In conclusion, Green Lane is a nice place to watch football.
Redcar – After the Game
After the penalty shootout ended, while the Redcar players celebrated, I made my way to the exit to ensure I caught my bus.
The 17:20 X4 arrived on time and I was back on the way home.
We pulled into Middlesbrough bus station at 17:55, where I then had a fifteen-minute wait for the X10 to Peterlee.
Reaching Peterlee at 18:58, meant quite a long wait for the 19:35 X1.
You may recall that Mrs Hopper and I were trapped here a couple of weeks ago, when the hourly X1 didn’t show up, meaning we had the better part of two hours to wait for the next one.
Consequently, you can imagine my trepidation when the 19:35 bus was late. Following reassurance from Mrs Hopper on the phone that the bus was showing on her GoNothEast mobile app, it eventually pulled into the station at 19:50.
This got me into Hetton just over twenty minutes later and I was back through the front door by 20:15.
A little over three hours since the final whistle for a thirty-five-mile journey…
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week will hopefully see the return of Mrs Hopper from injury.
As she returns from the treatment room, we will be travelling deeper into North Yorkshire. A first visit to the Calvert Stadium, home of Northallerton Town, where a Northern League Division One game against Whickham awaits.
The teams are currently 14th and 18th respectively and both will be looking for three points to improve their standing.
Northallerton is the southernmost outpost of the Northern League and I’m looking forward to our visit.
Onto the next!
