Shildon

Shildon AFC

Ground: Dean Street

Capacity: 2,000

Club Founded: 1890

League: Northern League Division One - Step 5/9th Tier (current level)

Shildon AFC, from the old railway town in County Durham, has a proud history and has moved with the times, upgrading their Dean Street home, meaning they are fit for the future.

A Background to Shildon AFC

Early Years

The club was formed in 1890 as Shildon Town, joining the Auckland and District League before merging with Rangers & Heroes to become Shildon Athletic. They reformed, becoming a member of the Northern League as replacements for Stockton St John’s in 1903. Four years later, the club became semi-professional and joined the North Eastern League.

In 1923, ‘Athletic’ was dropped from the club name and a grandstand was erected at their Dean Street home. The 'Railwaymen’ rejoined the Northern League for the 1932-33 season. The following eight years proved to be a period of unparalleled success, with regular FA Cup encounters against Football League sides.

FA Cup Tales

During the 1930's Shildon won the Northern League four times and continued to enhance their FA Cup pedigree. The fifth league title was delivered at the turn of the new decade before Shildon settled into a team that traditionally finished in the top half of the Northern League table, with the occasional foray into the ‘proper’ rounds of the FA Cup. 

In 1961-62 Oldham Athletic defeated Shildon in the first round. The game would mark the club's last appearance at that stage of the competition for forty-one years. Shildon were relegated to Division Two of the Northern League at the end of the 1984-85 season, a couple of years after new dressing rooms and a social club had been built beneath the stand.

The Corner is Turned

The team regained their Division One status, went down and then won another promotion. Towards the end of the millennium, the Railwaymen were relegated once more before reclaiming their place. In 2003-04, the team lost away to Notts County in the first round of the FA Cup.

Tragedy struck the club when 26-year-old player Lee Hainsworth was killed in a road accident on his way to training. The Brown Street stand was renamed in his memory. It was a time when the club's future was in doubt before Brian Bunn arrived as the new chairman. He appointed Gary Forrest as team manager.

Promotion to the Northern Premier League

Forrest put together a steady side that finished league runners-up in 2009-10. The same season saw the side reach the quarter-finals of the FA Vase before going out to Northern League rivals Whitley Bay. Shildon came even closer to a Wembley final in 2012-13 when they were defeated by Tunbridge Wells in the semi-final.

After finishing league runners-up once again, the team won the Northern League for a sixth time in 2015-16. Long-serving manager Gary Forrest resigned in January 2017, and after restructuring, Shildon moved up to Division One East of the Northern Premier League (NPL).

Recent Seasons

Marske United ended hopes of promotion in the playoffs in their debut season, after which manager Daniel Moore departed. Dean Street's facilities were upgraded before the team was relegated back to the Northern League at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Back in familiar surroundings, Shildon lost in the semi-finals of the playoffs in consecutive seasons before going a step further in 2025-26, when they lost the final at home to Bishop Auckland.

My visit

Wednesday 25th January 2017

My visit to Shildon came as part of a jaunt around County Durham using a one-day bus ticket to kick off a week of football on the road, travelling England's north and Germany. I arrived in the town from Darlington by the Max x1 bus, which dropped me at the Hippodrome stop.

The town was covered in a blanket of fog as I walked down Main Street before heading up Dean Street, where I was delighted to find the gates to the ground were open. Even in the gloom, I recognised a fine venue.

The magnificent Main Stand on the far side had raised seating behind a few steps of terracing. Opposite was a long, low cover with a few steps, set back from the pitch. Hard-standing areas surrounded the pitch, with a slight grass bank in places.

Once done with my photography, I headed back to the Hippodrome stop, just as the sun began to break through the fog. I was tempted to return and take some more snaps, but I continued on my way to my next venue, Heritage Park, the home of Bishop Auckland.