Whickham Wanderers
This weekend our wanderings took us to Whickham.
No, not a spelling mistake and a long way from the Buckinghamshire-based team.
Whickham is another team based up here in the northeast, just to the west of Gateshead. The town is located two miles southwest of Dunston, the scene of one of our most recent trips (Hopper Tales #78).
Located high up, Whickham overlooks the Tyne Valley with spectacular views over to Newcastle when the weather is good, as it was today.
We chose this as our venue for the weekend as the club had been handed an attractive FA Cup tie against phoenix club, Macclesfield.
Unfortunately, there was no appearance from Macclesfield’s Mr Marmite, Robbie Savage, but fabulous sunny weather, some chance encounters and a good game of football, made it a special day.
The Journey
With the luxury of an easy journey and a lie-in guaranteed, our day started sedately. We strolled to Greggs for the usual flaky breakfast before catching the 10:49 X1 bus to Gateshead.
The sun was already shining on us and it promised to be a very warm one, today.
After wiping pastry crumbs off us, we got off the bus at Gateshead and walked to Stand B to catch our connection.
A short five-minute wait later we got on the 11:56 #1 bus for Whickham. Around twenty minutes and many stop-offs later, we arrived at our destination, Whickham.
Now, where’s that watering hole…
Whickham – The Bridle Path
A number of good-looking options were available to us but ultimately, we decided to head for the Bridle Path. From the bus stop, this was a straight five-minute walk along Front Street.
Whickham feels much like a village or small town rather than part of the sprawling suburbs of Gateshead and Newcastle. It retains a unique character that separates it from the surrounding locale.
Stone cottages and plenty of greenery along with those views of the river can easily make you forget where you are.
I’m sure Whickham is a great place for commuting into these two nearby cities.
We arrived at the Bridle Path and immediately got the sense that this was a big pub.
Opening the door found us in a smaller dining area, with steps leading down to a much larger room. The bar was central with lots of space on either side and a pool room further along.
There were plenty of TV screens around the whole pub, showing a combination of horse racing, and of more interest to us, the Rangers v Celtic game.
We bought a Moretti and a draught Rekorderlig Dark Fruits. At £9.25 for the two, it was another reminder that we are living in crazy times. My mind cast back to our visit to Ashington (Hopper Tales #75), where we got two similar pints for £6…
Again, why the disparity between pubs and towns?
No complaints about the beer other than the price and looking at the menu, the food was reasonably priced and looked like good portions, too.
There may be cheaper options in the area but I liked it here and the lady behind the bar was very cheerful and pleasant. I’d have no problem recommending the Bridle Path to you.
Chance Encounters
As we left for an early wander to the ground, I noticed a gentleman behind us whom I had overheard asking for directions to the ground.
I told him we were heading there too if he wanted to join us and as we walked and talked, it turned out we had bumped into one of the Darlington Supporter Liaison Officers, Andrew Scullion.
He was here to watch his nephew, Sam Johnson, play for Whickham and it was great meeting and chatting with him.
Whickham – Glebe Sports Ground
As we neared the ground, we got our first glimpse of the floodlights over the houses on Rose Avenue.
Getting In
The turnstile was separated into three different lanes. One for card, one for cash and one for people who had bought a special yellow wristband the day before.
We chose the card lane and paid £8 each to enter.
We also bought a programme for £2 just inside the gate. Unfortunately, no pin badges were on sale. 😢
Another Encounter
Another gentleman came over and introduced himself to us once we were inside the ground.
He said his name was Ray Ion and told us he was a keen reader of our blogs, which was nice to hear. He was also a font of information about northeast football and a friend of ex-Northern League chairman, Mike Amos.
In fact, Ray told me so much information that I remember hardly any of it, although he will be happy to know I found the book he mentioned about Bobby Charlton. A copy is winging its way to me via eBay as I write.
We exchanged phone numbers and I moved on to start my walk around the ground.
Programme
The programme comprises 34 pages of matt paper and contains the usual messages from the manager, chairman etc. An interesting article about the future of the FA Cup caught my eye, too.
A potential deal is being struck with the Premier League to sell TV rights to the cup overseas along with the Premier League rights.
Excuse me?!
Since when did the Premier League own the FA Cup and what right do the FA have to sell its members down the river in such a way?
Absolutely shocking stuff and I hope everyone voices their disgust to the FA from the grassroots upwards to prevent this semi-sale of a national treasure.
Anyway, rant over. Let’s take a look at the Glebe Sports Ground.
East End
We entered on the southeast corner of the ground and this is clearly the focal point on a matchday.
To the left of us was the social club and an outdoor patio that was already busy with people sitting outside drinking in the sunshine, along with their beers.
Although the music didn’t suit my individual taste, a DJ was pumping out tunes under a red cover next to the programme seller, while to our right was the main structure at this ground.
The Jack Gilbert and John Farrey Stand is a small covered stand with a seating capacity of approximately 150.
It’s hard to gauge the exact number as they are wooden benches rather than individual seats.
It is named after two servants of the club.
Jack Gilbert, a former chairman and John Farrey, ex-player, manager of the junior sides, secretary and treasurer.
Further to the right is a small building selling snacks. and another brick building which is presumably a storage area for the club.
Teamsheet
While we were in this area, we were handed a teamsheet by a club volunteer, which was a nice touch, too.
North Side
Wandering past the snack hut brought us round the corner to the north side of the Glebe.
The main feature on this side of the ground is the two brickwork benches for the coaching staff and substitutes.
West End
The western end of the ground is devoid of any structures other than two of the four impressive floodlights that dominate the ground.
A wooden fence and trees are the backdrop to this end of the the Glebe.
South Side
The southern side of the ground is the strangest one. A rope separates spectators from the pitch and is the only part of the ground that doesn’t have a concrete and metal rail fence.
The reason for this is that the Glebe Sports Ground shares football with cricket. It is rather reminiscent of Northampton Town’s old stadium, the County Ground in that regard.
On closer inspection, you could see the boundary line of the cricket pitch encroaching onto the playing surface.
The pitch is of natural grass and has quite a pronounced slope from south to north. There are four floodlights, one located in each corner.
The ground has an official capacity of 4,000 but based on what I saw today, I’m highly sceptical of that figure.
I think 2,000 is more likely and the 4,000 figure that I’ve seen listed is possibly for the cricket ground, which is obviously a much larger playing area.
Maybe someone with more knowledge of this could leave a comment below?
Whickham Tidbits
Whickham FC was formed in 1944 as Axwell Park Colliery Welfare.
Initially, the club played in the Derwent Valley and Northern Combination Leagues before switching to the Wearside League in 1974.
They joined the Northern League Second Division in 1988 and currently ply their trade in the NL Division One at the ninth tier of English football. Today’s opponents, Macclesfield are currently in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, two steps higher up the pyramid.
The club’s finest moment came in 1981 when they defeated Willenhall FC to win the FA Vase.
This made them the last northeast club to win a trophy under the twin towers of the old Wembley Stadium.
The 2021/22 season saw the club finish in seventh place in Division One, their highest-ever finish.
You can read more about the history of Whickham FC via their website, here.
The club’s nickname is the Lang Jacks.
Lang Jack, or John English, was a former resident of Whickham renowned for his height, heavy drinking and fearsome temper.
One particular story tells of a stone-filled cart being knocked over, killing his dog. In a rage, he lifted the cart, horse and all and tipped it down the side of a bank.
You can read more about ‘Lang Jack’ here.
Whickham – Glebe Sports Ground Gallery
Whickham – Pre-Game View of the Glebe Sports Ground
Whickham Social Club
After looking around the ground, we headed back through the turnstile and into the social club.
There was a large queue for the bar by this time but luckily, there was a temporary bar at the entrance too.
We managed to get a couple of pints from there (£8.40 for two pints of Madri) and took them back into the ground.
This meant I didn’t get to see much of the social club but it was nice to see fans of both sides mingling and chatting.
We found a nice shaded spot under a blue marquee. On the table under the marquee was a warning that cricket balls are hard, so please watch the game.
Great tip!
We were hoping to find another one of our Twitter followers who was keen to say hello but unfortunately, we couldn’t seem to find him, despite exchanging messages.
I’m happy to say we did eventually meet him later on.
Whickham v Macclesfield FC – The Game
Form
Despite this being an FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie, this would be Whickham’s fourth game in the competition this season. They had already seen off Carlisle City in the Extra Preliminary Round and got past Whitley Bay at the second attempt in the Preliminary Round.
In the league, a decent start has seen them win three, draw one and take a heavy 4-0 defeat at Whitley Bay (Hopper Tales #34). They currently sit in eighth spot in Division One of the NL.
Opponents Macclesfield are coming into the season fresh on the back of promotion.
They have started the new season promisingly with three wins, two defeats and a draw. This sees them also occupying eighth position in the NPL Premier League.
Today would be their first FA Cup game of the season.
My pre-match prediction was for a 1-3 Macclesfield victory.
Kick-Off
Summary
Whickham pushed their more illustrious opponents hard in today’s game.
Macclesfield were worthy winners but they will also know they were in a game. The scoreline was slightly flattering but nobody can argue with the result in the end.
If Whickham had put away their second-half penalty to bring the scores level at 2-2, who knows what would have happened?
A big shoutout to Connor O’Keefe in the Silkmen’s goal for a tremendous double-save from that incident.
I captured it on video and you can see that while the penalty save was good, the follow-up save was probably even better.
Superb stuff!
Probably the biggest difference between the two sides was the level of fitness and this explains Macclesfield dominating more as the second half wore on under the blazing sun.
Macclesfield’s player-manager is Mark Duffy, who had a brief loan spell at Stoke City a couple of years back. Good to see he is still playing and moving on to management.
I wish him every success.
As I write this article, the FA Cup draw has taken place for the next round. Macclesfield have been rewarded with a tasty-looking home tie against local rivals Buxton of the National League North.
I will put a full match report here, if and when I find one.
Whickham v Macclesfield – In-Game Gallery
Full-time – Whickham 1 Macclesfield 4
Attendance – 826
Entrance Fee – £8.00
Programme – £2.00
Whickham v Macclesfield – Match Highlights
Up Next
Next up for Whickham is a return to Northern League action when they travel to Dean Street, home of Shildon (Hopper Tales #73) on September 9th.
Then it will be back to the Glebe when they host Crook Town (Hopper Tales #43) on the 16th of September.
For the Silkmen, a postponed away trip to Radcliffe Borough will see them play back-to-back games at the Moss Rose.
First up, will be the visit of Ashton United on September 9th. There will then be a break before facing Stafford Rangers on 23rd September.
Thoughts
Whickham and their volunteers did a good job of hosting a bigger-than-usual game and the occasion passed smoothly and without real incident.
The one slightly sour note was the large number of younger fans behind the goal throwing things onto the pitch at the end of the game. Although no real intent was meant, it only takes one item to hit a player and the incident becomes a much bigger one.
A couple of club officials were quick to point this out to the group, too.
They were also responsible for some laughter, as a tall Macclesfield fan behind the same goal decided to taunt them after Macclesfield scored. I think he had taken offence at some of the songs they were singing at a Macclesfield player and was quick to give stick in return when the same player scored.
The back and forth between this lone Macc Ladd (yeah, I loved that band years ago) and about thirty young kids was pretty funny and happily, both parties seemed to know the line wasn’t to be crossed.
The extra bar being laid on was a good idea, although the till didn’t seem to want to play nicely. It may have even closed down after we got our drinks, I’m not sure.
A lovely sunny day certainly helped the occasion and it was almost like a town picnic, as people sat in the grass eating and drinking with family and friends.
A decent number of Macclesfield fans made the three-hour trip up north and they mingled in with the Whickham fans with no problems.
Whickham – After the Game
After the final whistle, we made our way around the pitch and as we reached the halfway line, I ran into a familiar face from last week. Jason, the guy who kindly sent me a badge from Consett AFC (Hopper Tales #80) was there with his wife and it was nice to thank him in person and say hello again.
We also finally caught up with Sam, our Twitter friend, although with our bus due at 17:12, we had hardly any time for conversation. Still, it was nice to finally catch you, Sam!
We quickly made our way out of the ground and back down Rose Avenue. Right, along Front Street and crossed the road to our bus stop five minutes away. In almost no time, our bus appeared and we were on our way back from another successful hop.
A couple of young twins who had been to the match chatted with us on the ride back to Gateshead, so hello to both of you if you come across this article.
We arrived in Gateshead around 17:25 and had to wait approximately twenty minutes for our bus back home.
We arrived back through our front door before 19:00 and Mrs Hopper made some lovely chicken and bacon wraps to round off the day.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Next week, we travel a little further afield to the Wham Stadium, (or Crown Ground if, like me, you hate sponsored names) home of Accrington Stanley.
Initially, we had planned to travel to Wigan Athletic but international call-ups scuppered that.
With our train tickets to Wigan already booked, Accrington makes a great alternative via Preston, for a minimal extra ticket cost.
Looking forward to it… onto the next!
