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 of 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.
The playoffs were reached in 2023-24 which saw defeat on penalties in the final against Stockton Town after a win against Pontefract Collieries.
Dunston FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One East in the 2024-25 season.
Friday 3rd October 2008
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's sake, was a neat venue, far removed from the nearby industrial estate.
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