Thornaby, Teesdale Park – Hopper Tales #122

Thorn(aby) in the Side

This weekend saw us heading to Thornaby, a Teesside town just west of Middlesbrough.

We would be taking in another Northern League game between two Division Two sides I had yet to see play live.

Thornaby have been a thorn in the side of many teams in recent weeks and are on a nine-game unbeaten march.

The list of grounds I still need to tick off in the Northern League is slowly dwindling and, after today, just eleven will remain. I hope to see the rest at some point this season.

I was keen to see how Thornaby have moved on after being in the news a couple of times in the last season or so.

First, there was the fire that took out a stand, club shop, office block and community room.

Second, the club hit the news negatively when they announced they were shedding their women’s team.

So, a couple of things to watch out for, aside from the game and ground.

Let’s see how we got on at Thornaby…

Thornaby – The Journey

Mrs Hopper was absent again today, choosing to stay at home and paint her nails, instead of blazing a trail with me…

I caught the 10:20 X1 to Peterlee on a cool, crisp but sunny northeast morning.

Arriving at 10:45, there was a twenty-minute wait for the 11:07 X10 to Middlesbrough. It arrived on time and I boarded, getting off at Stockton High Street at 11:50.

Four minutes later, the final bus was the #59 to Thornaby, arriving on Mandale Road at 12:10.

From here, I made my way towards my chosen watering hole but first, let’s take a look at the town of Thornaby.

Thornaby

Thornaby-on-Tees is a town in North Yorkshire, where it borders Teesside and is part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees.

At the 2021 Census, Thornaby had a population of 23,352.

The town lies four miles west of Middlesbrough and three miles south of Stockton. Darlington is thirteen miles to the west and Hartlepool is thirteen miles northeast.

Although there is evidence of settlements dating back to Prehistoric man, it was the Danes that gave Thornaby its name. The King of the Danes, Halfdan Ragnarsson, gave the land to a nobleman called Thormod. In turn, it became ‘Thormods-by’, which means Thormod’s farmstead.

Situated around the marshes of the River Tees, Thornaby started to grow along with the birth of the Industrial Revolution and construction of the Stockton-Darlington Railway.

Shipbuilders, ironworks and engineering companies started building their factories south of Stockton and Thornaby grew as people moved there for work. The town of Stockton eventually grew enough that the village of Thornaby merged with it and formed the borough of Thornaby-on-Tees.

Until 1957, Thornaby had a history as a Royal Air Force town and even served as a base for its predecessor, the Royal Flying Corps during World War One.

In 2007, a full-scale replica Spitfire was placed on a roundabout on Thornaby Road to mark this past.

Notable Natives

Grace Pace, the mother of naval explorer, Captain James Cook – Warwickshire and England cricketer, Dick Spooner – actor, Richard Griffiths – actress, Marlene Sidaway – film score composer and guitarist, Len Arran – novelist, Pat Barker and cyclist, Paul Curran.

The Last Post Bar

So, arriving on Mandale Road, I made my way to a pub that had caught my eye when looking for one in the vicinity.

I headed back to the roundabout the bus had just come round and turned left onto Westbury Street, crossing the busy A66 below. Left again onto Cranworth Street and my target was in sight.

Already, I could see that this place was different to most pubs, with a mural on the outer wall dedicated to servicemen.

Once inside, I was blown away!

This place was more like a museum that sells beer as a sideline.

Every nook and cranny, including the ceiling, is full of army memorabilia and history. While this sort of thing isn’t for everyone, I liked it.

It had that odour that you associate with old stuff and second-hand shops but not overpowering.

I ordered a pint of Coors (£3.70) and wandered around, taking pictures.

One of the gentlemen sitting at a table near the bar was happy to show me around and point out a few items, including a cap, worn at Rorkes Drift.

Amazingly, there were even more items upstairs and anyone interested in military history would have a field day here. For me, it was more a case of ‘something different’.

Bluesky

Having looked around the three rooms downstairs, I went back to my pint and caught up with my efforts to develop a following on Bluesky.

I’m still going to be active on Twitter (until it dies of natural causes) but this new platform is my new number one. The lack of adverts, sponsored posts, fake accounts/comments and bots, is a breath of fresh air.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do. You can find us by using the following link.

Bluesky Hoppers Guide

It would be great to see a few more of the familiar faces moving over to join us.

There was so much to see inside the Last Post, that I have added a gallery of the photographs. This only shows off a fraction of what is found there.

After supping my pint, it was time to walk to Teesdale Park.

I went left, back onto Westbury Street, left turn onto Langley Avenue, right turn onto Acklam Road and turn left after the golf club.

This brought me to a narrow lane leading to Thornaby FC’s ground.

Stay left until reaching the final fork in the road and take the right-hand side. Otherwise, you will end up in a car park that is hardly used, like I did!

Thornaby – Teesdale Park

Getting In

After retracing my steps, I found the correct path and headed to the entrance, on the opposite end of the ground. There is another car park here, which those more in the know than I, were using.

Once through the gates, a payment hut sits on the right-hand side.

The entrance fee was £7.00 and cash or cards are accepted throughout the ground’s payment areas.

Unfortunately, no programmes or pin badges were available (that I could find) but I did manage to get a team sheet before the game.

If anyone has a spare Thornaby badge for sale, please let me know via social media or hoppersguide@hotmail.com

North Side

The north side of Teesdale Park contains toilet facilities, the main stand, dressing rooms and the technical dugouts on either side of the halfway line.

The players’ tunnel is in the middle of the sturdily built main stand.

Three of the ground’s six floodlights are also located on this side.

West End

The western end backs onto the original car park I had mistakenly blundered my way into.

It has a covered standing area running approximately one-third of the pitches’ width.

South Side

The southern side of the ground has a grassy bank, topped with a couple of covered areas at the east end.

There is a bus shelter-style structure around the halfway line and a wooden gantry used for filming the action (presumably?).

Teesdale Park’s other three floodlights are also on this side.

Amusingly, there is also a two-seater wooden bench perched on top of the grass bank.

East End

The eastern end of the ground is a bit of a hotch-potch, and understandably so.

Thornaby Football Club was the victim of an arson attack in June 2023 and this was the area where the fire took hold.

The clubhouse needed to be rebuilt and as you can see from the photograph below, painting it is still in progress.

I was happy to be told that the perpetrators were caught, though I’m not sure of the outcome for the arsonists.

The clubhouse has been rebuilt and there is an uncovered seating area, plus a temporary looking ‘stage’ with picnic tables in front of the food kiosk.

Thornaby – Teesdale Park Gallery

Thornaby Tidbits

Technically, Thornaby Football Club was founded in 2020, though its history goes back to 1889.

Thornaby FC was the first team to represent the town, playing in the Northern League Division Two from 1898 to 1900. They then moved to the Northern Alliance for a season before folding.

Concurrently, nearby Stockton FC was a founder member of the Northern League in 1889/90. This club changed its name to Thornaby-on-Tees in 1999, changing to simply Thornaby ahead of the 2000/01 season.

In their first season as Thornaby, the club was promoted to Division One. Success was short-lived, however, and relegation followed in 2002. The rollercoaster ride continued, with the club being promoted in 2002/03.

This time they hung on until 2005/06, when they went down again. Despite finishing seventeenth in a twenty-one-team division, they were demoted due to the ground’s poor standard.

Teesdale Park was brought up to the required standards but they had to wait until 2018/19 for promotion back to the first division.

They finished third in Division One in 2021/22 but were relegated the following season. They are currently playing in Division Two of the Northern League.

Thornaby are nicknamed ‘The Blues’ and are managed by Dean Browne.

Controversy

Thornaby FC made headlines for all the wrong reasons in June of 2024. After setting up a women’s team in 2021, the committee decided to axe the entire female side of the club, in the summer of this year.

Following the announcement, the club lost its shirt sponsor, Britcab. The club chair, Garry Morris was vocal in his dissent of the decision, asking the board to reconsider. After the news hit national headlines, six of the board members resigned and the decision was overturned.

I’m happy to report that the ladies’ team is back in action and has recently made the club a decent chunk of money from a run in the Women’s FA Cup.

More on that story, here.

Thornaby – Pre-Game View of Teesdale Park

Clubhouse

Having completed a circuit of the ground, it was time to check out the clubhouse at the east end.

Considering the problems with rebuilding after the fire, Thornaby has a nice little set up. The clubhouse is split into two rooms, with a bar on the far side.

I noticed there was little in the way of club memorabilia on the walls, apart from a small number of framed shirts. I wonder if they lost a lot of club history among other things in the fire?

Things like that are worse than losing the clubhouse to me, as they are irreplaceable.

I bought a pint of Madri, costing £4.50 and took a seat. The Exeter City v Lincoln game was on TV but it wasn’t very exciting (finished 0-0).

Food

With time nearing kick-off, I wandered back outside and made for the food kiosk.

There was a good choice of food available and at decent prices, too.

I chose the corned beef pie special and enjoyed it. I was still munching on it as the teams came onto the pitch, hence the video starting a little late.

Thornaby v Prudhoe Youth Club Seniors – The Game

Form

Coming into today’s game, Thornaby were sitting in fifth place, with visitors, Prudhoe YCS, in seventh.

From twenty-one games played, the Blues have won twelve, drawn six and lost just three games. They have scored twenty-eight goals, conceding seventeen.

Prudhoe have played one game extra, winning twelve, drawing three and losing seven. They have had no problem scoring goals, with thirty-nine for and twenty-eight against.

Thornaby has started November with wins against Boldon CA (1-0) and a 4-0 victory at Redcar Town last time out. They will be hoping to push for a play-off spot come the season’s end.

Indeed, the Blues are on a bit of tear and haven’t lost since September 7th where they were beaten 2-0 at Bedlington Terriers.

Prudhoe, meanwhile, are three points behind, having played one game more than today’s hosts.

In November they have had an impressive start, winning successive home games against Sunderland West end (5-1) and Chester-Le-Street United (2-1).

With both teams in form and Prudhoe able to find the back of the net, I foresaw a close contest with goals.

Pre-match prediction – 2-2 draw

Kick-Off

Summary

This game wasn’t a goal-fest and it the football wasn’t exactly Ruud Gullitt-approved ‘schexy’ stuff.

It was competitive, however and a bobbly pitch probably contributed to the standard of passing etc.

It was the visitors who took the lead in the fifteenth minute but I should probably admit straight away that my videoing game was off it today and I missed both goals.

The goal came via Fin Baty, after the lay off on the edge of the box by Collins Unuareokpa. Baty’s shot found its way into the bottom corner of the net.

I did at least catch the next meaningful action, as Baty almost doubled his tally from a direct free-kick.

The match continued to be a battle of attrition with both sides giving everything to each personal duel.

There were times where it looked as though the players could get involved in a bit of axtra curriculars, particularly in the second half. I’m glad to say everyone remained relatively calm.

Chances were at a premium though and the half time break came with the score still at 0-1 in favour of the visitors.

The second-half saw an uptick in tempo from Thornaby. Prudhoe still had the occasional foray and chance but it seemed inevitable that an equaliser would come.

The minutes ticked on and Prudhoe were holding firm.

The breakthrough came in the 87th minute and it came from a superb lobbed effort from outside the box by Ryan Wright.

I am gutted that I missed this goal as it was a belter and a fully deserved equaliser had arrived at last.

Thornaby piled on the pressure to try and grasp all three points but the balance remained intact bewteen the two in-form sides.

The Blues are now ten games unbeaten, while Prudhoe go on to four without loss.

A full Match Report is available here, courtesy of Prudhoe YC FC’s website.

Full-time – Thornaby 1 Prudhoe Youth Club Seniors 1

Attendance – 153

Entrance Fee – £7.00

Programme – N/A (team sheet only)

League Table After Today’s Game

Up Next

Next up for Thornaby is a tough schedule that will put their unbeaten run to a severe test. In the next three games, they will play three of the four teams above them in the league.

They start with a trip to table-topping Yarm & Eaglescliffe, who play at Billingham Town‘s Bedford Terrace. (23rd). This is followed by a home game with fourth-placed Esh Winning (30th).

December begins with a trip to second-placed Horden CW (14th).

Prudhoe finish November whith games against FC Hartlepool at home (23rd) and Bedlington Terriers away (30th).

December sees them start with a trip to Sunderland West End (6th).

Weather permitting, we will be heading to Prudhoe on the 21st of December for their game with Newcastle University. With both teams playing at Essity Park, it seems like the perfect game to tick that ground off.

Thornaby Thoughts

Considering what they have gone through over the last year and a half, I found Thornaby a pleasant place to visit.

The community came together following the arson attack and with sponsors help, they have managed to rebuild, for the most part.

It looks to be an ongoing process, with some temporary looking areas and paint jobs not finished but these are minor details in the broader context of keeping a fragile non-league club above water.

I’d like to thank the club’s social media guy, ex-Middlesbrough, and Cardiff City player, Andy Campbell, for giving me some of his time.

Andy contacted me on Twitter and asked me to say hello, which I did. He found me a teamsheet for my collection and gave me some info on the team’s progress off the field.

It’s great to hear the issue with the women’s team was sorted out, as football is a sport for everyone, not just men and boys.

As I will mention below, the club may want to contact the council and seek lighting for the single-track road back to the main thoroughfare. It feels a little dangerous in the dark with only room for one-way traffic and no discernible footpath.

The clubhouse is cosy and welcoming and the food on offer was good, too. The Madri was on the expensive side but not excessively so.

Teesdale Park is a great place to visit for all non-league footy fans and if you haven’t been yet, I’m sure the club would love to see you there in the future.

Thornaby – After the Game

Following the game, I made my way out of the west end of the ground, via a door in the fence, opened to allow egress.

The walk involved avoiding cars making their way along the single-track road. There is no lighting and it’s something that Thornaby may be able to take up with the council on health and safety grounds for funding.

Back on the main road, I headed north up Acklam Road and left at the roundabout onto Mandale Road.

I had originally planned to catch a bus to Stockton but a near-one-hour wait put me off the idea and I walked instead.

I followed Mandale Road until it turned into Bridge Road and crossed the River Tees. Getting to Stockton High Street involved crossing some busy main roads and wasn’t particularly pedestrian-friendly either. I’m pretty sure I took some wrong routes along the way but I got there in one piece.

I managed the 1.6-mile walk in half an hour, arriving before 17:30, and was pleased to see that a bus was due to Durham at 17:42.

I boarded the X12 and headed for Durham.

The climax of the journey, involved nervously checking Google Maps to see if I would get there in time to catch my #65 bus home or have another hour to wait.

It also involved a loud thump on the top of the bus as we passed under a bridge. My immediate thought was that someone had jumped but was relieved to see a traffic cone fall to the side of the road.

Yeah, don’t ask, this is Durham and anything can happen.

I got there in time alright, it’s just a pity that the #65 bus didn’t! It finally showed up at 19:09.

I don’t know what had caused the delay but the exasperated driver was taking no complaints from people.

I was finally through the front door by 19:30, another successful hop in the books.

Next Up for Hoppers Guide

Next weekend I will return to Stockton for a Northern Premier League Premier Division match-up between Stockton Town and FC United of Manchester.

It may turn out to be a good choice with the covering of snow landing in the UK this week.

Stockton Town has an artificial pitch, which makes it more likely to be unaffected by the weather.

The club has a proud history and I look forward to delving into that more ahead of the game.

Opponents, FC United, were formed during the protest of the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. They have pushed through the pyramid and now find themselves just three promotions away from the Football League.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.

Onto the next!

EDIT: Due to snow, I was unable to get to the Stockton game or any alternative. The next Hoppers Tale comes from Blyth Spartans.

Hopper Tales #121 – Albion Sports

Hopper Tales #123 – Blyth Spartans