South Shields

South Shields FC is a non-league football club from the town on the south bank of the River Tyne of the same name that has a long and complicated history with many name changes and amalgamations. The current incarnation was formed in 1974. 

South Shields AFC's first recorded result was from 1889. Other clubs at that time were South Shields Athletic and South Shields Adelaide, who dropped the Adelaide from their name in 1905. Confusion reigns as to the records of each club but all seem linked. 

South Shields's earliest home ground was the athletic Ground on Mowbray Road before moving to Horsley Hill in 1904. Adelaide, it would appear dropped that moniker, going on to win the North Eastern League in 1913-14 and the following season under player-manager Arthur Bridgett. 

The club joined the newly extended Football League Division Two for the 1919-20 campaign with Jack Tinn as manager. Shields reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1925-26, going out to eventual winners Bolton Wanderers, and again in 1926-27 where they went out to Swansea Town in front of 24,348 fans packed into Horsley Hill.

Simonside Hall

South Shields was close to bankruptcy and took the decision to move lock stock and barrel to become Gateshead FC who took over the entire club. The Shields Gazette newspaper helped the team reform in 1936 which saw a successful application being accepted to join the North Eastern League.

The new incarnation played at Horsley Hill with former goalkeeper from the League days, Ernie Hoffman as manager. The league title was lifted in 1938-39, before the 'Babes', as they were nicknamed at the time, finished runners-up on three occasions. Problems with the operators of greyhound racing at Horsley Hill forced the club to look for an alternative home.

Simonside Hall

Simonside Hall was built and moved into in 1950 as the venue was soon developed into one of the best non-league grounds in the north of England. Gates averaged over 7,000 and featured a few runs to the second round of the FA Cup.  The league title was won once more in 1957-58 after York City ended the cup run.

The 'Mariners' moved to the Midland League following the success, going out in the cup second round away to Oldham Athletic in their debut season after Crewe Alexandra had been thumped 5-0 in a replay in the previous round, and then Bradford Park Avenue at the same stage in 1959-60.

Shield's former Jack Clark Park home
as scanned from a book

The following season saw a transfer to the Northern Counties League which ended in a runners-up spot and then rejoining the reformed North Eastern League which ended in a second-place finish in 1963-64 after the former Newcastle United and Irish international, Alf McMichael had been appointed as manager.

1964-65 saw a move to the North Regional League, where the title was collected in 1966-67 in a period that the prolific goalscorer Len Smith surpassed over 1,000 goals for the club. The club became founder members of the Northern Premier League for the 1968-69 campaign, with the side ending fifth in the first two seasons.

Filtrona Park

1969-70 also saw a run to the third round of the FA Cup. Oldham Athletic had been disposed of before the Mariners were defeated 4-1 by Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. The team went on to reach the second round in 1971-72 before going out against Notts County. It would be the FA Trophy that would provide one last hurrah for the second incarnation of the club.

Alfreton Town, Matlock Town, Burscough, Wealdstone, and Worcester City before Morecambe ended any dreams of a Wembley appearance in the semi-finals. Despite this, the directors decided that poor attendance figures at Simonside Hall merited its sale and the relocation of the club once again along the Tyne, where it would become Gateshead United.

There was lots of anger displayed, not least from the Supporters' Club that had raised the cash to purchase Simonside Hall. There were some plans discussed about a return to Horsley Hill, but both sites were eventually built on with housing. 

The present incarnation was set up soon after, initially as South Shields Mariners, with the club playing at the basic Jack Clark Park while winning the Northern Alliance as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Vase in 1975-76 which ended in defeat to Friar Lane Old Boys. 

League success led to promotion to the Wearside League in readiness for the 1976-77 season. The run would continue in their new environment. The Wearside League title was lifted in their debut campaign under manager Tony Cassidy as well as in 1992-93 and 1994-95 after the club had moved into their new Flitrona Park home in 1992. 

The Mariners progressed to the Northern League as members of Division Two following their successes, winning promotion to Division One at the first attempt. In 1999-00 the side was relegated back to Division Two. Filtrona Park had been generously developed by Chairman, John Rundle and his family who had threatened to end the club if they went down.

He threatened to close it down again in 2006 before a new committee took over. Things picked up, on and off the pitch and the Supporters Association was reformed with promotion being won in 2007-08 after Micky Taylor worked the oracle as manager after helping keep the side in the Northern League and avoid relegation to the Wearside League.

Rundle stated his intention to sell Filtrona Park in 2012. The club's supporters and board tried to get enough money together for a mortgage to buy the ground from Rundle, but they came up short. It looked like the club would be left homeless and facing extinction until Rundle gave them a one-year extension to give them time to find further finance to secure the deal. 

However, the club could not raise the required monies so they decamped to play at Eden Lane, Peterlee from the start of the 2012-13 season. Consequently, this led to poor form on the pitch and relegation. Things once again looked very bleak for the club as double-digit crowds headed the twenty miles to see Jon King's side in action.

That was until local businessman Geoff Thompson bought the club and Filtrona Park in the summer of 2015. Things were about to change massively for the better. The Division Two title was won twelve months later before Lee Picton and Graham Fenton replaced King. Their side won the Northern League title in 2016-17 but also delivered national glory.

The Mariners defeated the likes of Runcorn Linnets, Marske United, Morpeth Town, and Coleshill Town to reach Wembley in the final of the FA Vase. In the showpiece they dismantled Cleethorpes Town 4-0 with a brace from David Foley and other goals from Carl Finnigan and Dillon Morse.

The all-star side of the day included former League defender Jon Shaw as well as Sunderland hero Julio Arca who captained the side and drew in the crowds to the renamed Mariners Park. 2017-18 saw the lifting of the Division One title in the Northern Premier League before the side ended as runners-up in the Premier Division a season later.

Buxton were defeated before Warrington Town won the final at Mariners Park. Two years of abandonements followed owing to the Coronavirus pandemic before South Shields again ended 2021-22 in the playoffs. Warrington returned once more, this time winning their semifinal tie on penalties.

By this time Picton had moved upstairs to an executive role, with Fenton in sole charge before he was replaced by Sunderland's former striking superstar, Kevin Phillips, a year after the club had turned full-time. Phillips took the side to the Northern Premier League title and up to National League North before he resigned at the end of his first season in charge.

A record home crowd of 3,800 had also seen Shields in the second round of the FA Cup, going out to Forest Green Rovers in front of live TV cameras. Julio Arca stepped up as manager, but only lasted a few months until he was succeeded by Elliott Dickman.

South Shields FC will play in the National League North in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Friday 3rd October 2008

I was near the end of an exhausting whistle-stop tour of the grounds around Tyneside when I arrived at Filtrona Park. The ground was very conveniently located a few minutes walk from Bede Metro station, down an industrial road called Shaftesbury Avenue.

The ground at the time was pretty basic on three sides. It consisted of a small area of open flat standing of mainly concrete with only the dugouts breaking the monotony down one side. However, the far side from the ground entrance was very impressive.

The main feature was an unusually designed Main Stand with a large wall dividing the seating level from the terracing. The seats were claret with the paintwork sky blue, to reflect the club's colours. A small covered area was in front of an impressively large two-storey clubhouse, which also contained the changing rooms and club facilities.

The ground had everything a club of the status of The Mariners could have wanted at the time, all in one area of the ground to minimise the effects on spectators from bad weather.

Many thanks to Tony Foster for supplying the evening photos of Mariners Park