Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland FC is a non-league football club from the County Durham town of the same name with a rich and proud history since their formation in 1886 as Auckland Town FC.

Auckland Town were a breakaway club from a team called Bishop Auckland Church Institute who had been formed in 1882 by students from Oxford and Cambridge University’s who were studying at Auckland Castle, the home of the Bishop of Durham.

The club was founder members of the Northern League in 1889-90 before the club left to join the Northern Alliance after just one season; before returning in 1893 as Bishop Auckland FC. Success was just around the corner at Kingsway; which was shared with the cricket club.

Auckland lifted the FA Amateur Cup in 1895-96 after defeating Royal Artillery Portsmouth by a solitary goal in the final at Walnut Street in Leicester. The victory was followed up in 1898-99 as the club became Northern League champions.

A scan of the Main Stand at Kingsway

The 1899-00 season saw a second Amateur Cup win. This time Lowestoft Town were defeated 5-1 at Leicester. The following season saw a second Northern League crown arrive at Kingsway. The title was retained in 1901-02 as the team finished runners-up in the Amateur Cup after going down 5-1 to Old Malvernians at Headingley.

Bishop’s were also beaten finalists in 1905-06 when Oxford City ran out 3-1 winners at Stockton-on-Tees. The same season also saw the team defeated at Molineux by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup.

The 1908-09 campaign saw the club clinch their fourth Northern League title after defeating South Bank in a play-off. The following season saw the title kept by Bishop Auckland, while a six championship was collected in 1911-12.

Kingsway, as scanned from a book

The Amateur Cup was won for the third time in 1913-14 by courtesy of a 1-0 win against Northern Nomads at Leeds. The team progressed to the following year’s final but lost out 1-0 to Clapton at The Den.

The early 1920’s were to see two great consecutive seasons as the Norther League and Amateur Cup double was completed in 1920-21 and 1921-22. Both cup finals were at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Park; with Swindon Victoria and then South Bank the runners-up.

An eighth Northern League title was lifted in 1930-31 before ‘The Two Blues’ won the Amateur Cup in 1934-35 with 2-1 win against Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge after the first game had ended goalless at Ayresome Park.

A scan of the old terrace at Kingsway

A couple of second place league finishes were bettered in 1938-39 as a ninth Northern League was won. The team completed the double with Amateur Cup victory in a 3-0 win against Willington at Roker Park, Sunderland with future Liverpool manager Bob Paisley in the team.

After peace was restored following World War Two, Auckland were soon collecting honours once more. The 1945-46 Amateur Cup final saw a 3-2 defeat to Barnet at Stamford Bridge, along with a run to the FA Cup second round, although the Northern League title was secured in 1946-47.

A couple more league runners-up positions were achieved before the tenth Northern League title came in 1949-50. The same season saw Willington defeat Bishop Auckland 4-0 at Wembley in the Amateur Cup Final.

However, the Amateur Cup would see an awful lot of the club in the 1950’s as the club entered a golden period.

Successive Northern League titles were won in 1950-51 and 1951-52 to complete a hat trick of successes. The Two Blues reached Wembley in the Amateur Cup final of 1951, where they were defeated by Pegasus.

After finishing as league runners-up in 1952-53 as well as reaching the second round of the FA Cup where the side were eliminated by Coventry City in front of 17,000 fans at Kingsway; Auckland won the Northern League in 1953-54 as well as reaching Wembley once again.

The Amateur Cup final of 1954 against Crook Town turned into an epic as the first game ended in a draw. A replay at St James’ Park failed to separate the teams. Crook won the third game 1-0 at Ayresome Park.

Striker Seamus O'Connell moved to Chelsea as the 1954-55 season was arguably the greatest in the clubs fantastic history.

The Amateur Cup was won in front of 100,000 fans at Wembley against Hendon. A fourteenth Northern League title was won, while in the FA Cup a run saw wins over Kettering Town, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town saw Bishop’s reach the fourth round.

The team eventually went out to eventual beaten semi-finalists York City at Kingsway. The 1955-56 season tried hard to equal such amazing feats but the team went out in round two of the FA Cup to Scunthorpe & Lindsey United.

However, the Northern League title was retained and the Amateur Cup remained at Kingsway following a 4-1 win against Corinthian Casuals in a replay at Ayresome Park after the fist game at Wembley ended 1-1.

The 1956-57 campaign also saw cup glory. The team went out in the FA Cup at the second round stage to Rhyl, while the Amateur Cup was won for a third consecutive year. Wycombe Wanderers were defeated 3-1 in the Wembley final.

However, this proved to be the last honour for a few years. Following the Manchester United Air Disaster of 1958, Bishop Auckland star players Derek Lewin, Bob Hardisty and Warren Bradley moved to the Old Trafford club. Bradley went on to win England caps at professional and amateur level in the same season.

In 1960-61 Bishop Auckland were Northern League runners-up as well as going on to reach the second round of the FA Cup; where they went out to Stockport County. The team reached the same stage in 1966-67 as well as securing a sixteenth Northern League crown.

The 1970’s were a bleak decade in terms as honours. Northern League runners-up in 1972-73 and 1978-79 were as close as the club got to winning the title. However, a fine FA Cup run in 1974-75 cheered the Kingsway faithful.

Wins in the qualifying rounds against Stanley United, Whitley Bay, Spennymoor United and Lancaster City saw Bishop’s paired with Morecambe. Reward for the 5-0 win was a draw against Preston North End at Kingsway; which Bobby Charlton’s side won 2-0.

In following decade saw Bishop Auckland collect Northern League titles in 1984-84 and 1985-86. A hat trick was denied in 1986-87 as the team ended in second spot. An FA Cup first round appearance came the following season but ended in defeat at home to Blackpool.

The club looked to advance up the football pyramid and joined the Northern Premier League Division One for the 1988-89 season; and winning promotion to the Premier League in their debut campaign.

The 1989-90 season saw the Two Blues once again reach the FA Cup second round stage. After a 1-1 draw at Gresty Road against Crewe Alexandra, the team went out 2-0 in the replay at Kingsway.

The first round stage of the FA Cup was also achieved in 1990-91 and 1994-95 but ended in defeat to Barrow and then at Bury on penalties in a replay at Gigg Lane. Bishop Auckland sat comfortably in the Premier Division for several seasons before finishing as runners-up in 1996-97.

The club had been looking to try and move from Kingsway for several seasons. The town centre ground was ageing and the club had to share the facility. The club moved out at the end of the 2001-02 season; which also ended in relegation on the pitch.

Kingsway in 2017. Now purely a cricket ground

The club moved to play home games at Dean Street, Shildon while looking to develop a ground at Tindale Crescent on the southern edge of town. The Two Blues won promotion back to the Premier Division in 2003-04.

Bishop Auckland became tenants at Spennymoor’s Brewery Field where they were relegated back to Division One of the Northern Premier League. Returning to Shildon the club were relegated back to the Northern League in 2006-07.

Meanwhile, progress of sorts had at least been made off the pitch. The club received a full Football Foundation grant towards the new ground, with planning permission being granted in November 2008 as part of a regeneration project.

Kingsway in 2017. Huge crowds once cheered on the Two Blues
where the modern housing now stands

Bishop’s left Shildon to play home games at the Darlington Road home of near neighbours West Auckland Town while struggling at the wrong end of the Division One table in the Northern League as finances were stretched.

Eight years after leaving Kingsway, Bishop Auckland’s new Heritage Park home was opened by Sir John Hall in October 2010 before a match against Middlesbrough. Within a couple of years the team regularly began to finish comfortably in mid table.

Darlington FC became tenants at Heritage Park from the start of the 2012-13 season until Christmas 2016 bringing in valuable income to the landlords, who continued to finish just above half way in the Northern League top tier.

In May 2018 Ian Chandler was appointed the Two Blues manager before the arrival of Andy Toman in October 2020 who was succeeded by Chris Hardy in October 2021. He took the side, earlier helped by the goals of Andy Johnson, to the Northern League title in 2023-24, the nineteenth time that the club had been crowned champions.

This led to promotion to Division One East of the Northern Premier League, with Hardy stepping down in November 2024 to be replaced by Leon Carling.

Bishop Auckland FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One East in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Wednesday 26th January 2017

It was the beginning of a football week on the road and I decided the best way to spend some quality time before Scarborough Athletic’s North Riding Senior Cup tie at Stokesley was to visit some new places and historical football clubs.

I’d moved through the fog in Darlington and Shildon from where the Max 1 bus service had dropped me virtually outside Heritage Park. My first views were stood by a hut next to the Sainsbury’s petrol station.

Once I’d had a look and taken some photos I walked round behind the stand where I found an open gate just beyond, enabling me to take a proper look at the venue, which had quite a bit in common with the new home of Scarborough Athletic.

There was a covered terrace at the far end, with some open seating at the other from the days when Darlington were tenants. The Main Stand was all seated contained all the club facilities. The remainder of the ground was flat grass and hard standing.

Once I’d taken my photos I headed to the other side of the huge Tesco’s and waited to take the number 6 bus towards West Auckland. However, my connection with Bishop Auckland wasn’t over for the day.

From West Auckland I continued north to Willington before returning to the bus station at Bishop Auckland. I needed to catch a later train on to Middlesbrough to get a bus connection down to Stokesley.

I couldn’t leave the town without popping into Kingsway and see if there were any remains?

It had always been a regret that I’d never got to a football, match at the venue, despite Scarborough playing them in different cups over the years. I’d been told of passionate and even hostile home crowds.

Sadly, there was very little to show that 17,000 fans once packed in, or that this was the home of one of the great non-league clubs of all time. At least the cricket ground remained and looked nice.