Dunston

Dunston UTS FC is a non-league football club originally formed for workers of Her Majesty's Stationary Office in the Team Valley Industrial Estate as Whickham Sports FC in 1975, and who are now located south of the city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne near to the huge Metro Centre retail complex.

Founder John Thompson was the club’s first manager, as the team started out life competing for six seasons in the Northern Amateur League, before they moved into the Northern Combination League as Dunston Mechanics FC. 

A league Championship eventually came in 1986-87 under manager Alan Stott, in the club’s first year being known as Dunston Federation Brewery FC. The title arrived after moving into their new home on Wellington Road called Federation Park after a season at Marley Hill.

Wearside League titles followed in 1998-99 and 1990-91 with Peter Quigley as manager, which was followed by a runners-up position in 1990-91. The sustained success led to a place in Division Two of the Northern League while improvements were made to Federation Park.

Their debut 1992-93 season saw the divisional title being lifted, leading to promotion to Division One. The same season saw the side reach the last eight of the FA Vase before going out to Gresley Rovers.

Bobby Scaife took over as manager from the start of the 1997-98 campaign, taking the team to runner-up place in 2000-01, before Dunston were crowned Northern League champions in 2003-04 and again in 2004-05. 

Former assistant boss Perry Briggs was appointed as manager in the summer of 2006, leading the side to seventh place prior to the club changing its name to Dunstan Federation FC. After two sixth place finishes Billy Irwin became manager.

The club was renamed Dunston UTS FC in 2009 after signing a sponsorship deal with local firm UTS Engineering. Fourth place in 2009-10 was followed by third in 2011-12. This paled into insignificance compared to the FA Vase run, which saw a win against Staveley Miners Welfare in the semi-finals result in a final at Wembley Stadium. 

Fellow league side West Auckland Town were brushed aside 2-0 as Andrew Bulford netted twice for Dunston to lift the trophy. Their defeated opponents would end dreams of a return to the capital with a quarter final victory in 2013-14. A new clubhouse was opened shortly after.

Chris Swailes was appointed as manager in October 2016 as the side rebuilt, gradually regaining their previous levels and then going on to be crowned as Northern League champions in 2018-19 for a third time. A ground record attendance figure of 2,250 saw neighbours Gateshead come out on top in an FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie. 

The league success led to promotion to Division One North West of the Northern Premier League. UTS had to be omitted from the club’s title owing to regulations laid down by the competition although it was still added wherever possible to reflect the ongoing sponsorship.

Their participation was severely disrupted for two seasons owing to the abandonment owing to the pandemic affecting football. Two sixth place finishes ensued as the club stabilised in their new environment. Former club Vase winner and manager Swailes stood down from his post in April 2023. His assistant Jon McDonald took over the role.

Dunston FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One East in the 2023-24 season.

My visit

Friday 3rd October 2008 

I called in on the club during a marathon days groundhop. I had just had a chance liquid lunch with my Scarborough supporting mate  Bunner and his wife Anita in the departure lounge of Newcastle Airport before they flew for their holidays in Turkey while I took the metro to Newcastle Central, before changing to National Rail for the journey to the Metro Centre.

I eventually negotiated the pedestrian way out to Wellington Road. I don't suppose too many pedestrians want to leave the centre that way by foot without shopping, so it was not as easy as it sounds. The ground was around a ten minute brisk stroll away.

As luck would have it, the ground was locked but I found a few views of the ground over the perimeter wall. A nice touch was the garden gate which led to a path through bushes and trees to the turnstiles. Wellington Road, as I will call it for simplicity sake, was a neat venue, far removed from the nearby industrial estate.

The pitch had a hard standing path all the way around it with neatly cut grass behind. The near end was open and had a further path taking the players from the changing rooms. The clubhouse was also at this end near the turnstile in the corner. 

The far end was pretty much a mirror image, save for the lack of any buildings. A covered terrace straddling the half way line was on the far side while a similar sized Main Stand with seats stood opposite. The only sensible nearby drinking option would be to use the clubhouse on the ground. The area was pretty much devoid of any other pubs.

I headed on to catch a bus that would take me to the International Stadium, home of Gateshead FC for my next look at the venues that make up that part of the world.