West Auckland Town FC
Ground: The Northern Metal Recycling Stadium (Darlington Road)
Capacity: 2,000
Club Founded: 1893
League: Northern Premier League Division One East - Step 4/8th Tier (current level)
When asked who the first World Cup winners were, most people will answer Uruguay. However, as this post reveals, West Auckland Town FC can claim the milestone.
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| Replica of the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in the West Auckland Working Men’s Club & Institute |
Club History
Early Years
West Auckland Town FC emanates from the old mining
community in County Durham, where a fascinating history of competitive football began when the club
competed in the Wear Valley League before moving to the South Durham Alliance
in 1900 and then the Mid Durham League five years later.
The club had yearned to join the Northern League, where they eventually became members for the 1908-09 season. However, a far greater adventure was to befall West Auckland later that campaign.
World Cup Winners
Businessman, tea magnate, and sports enthusiast Sir Thomas Lipton wanted
to hold a football tournament featuring the leading clubs of Europe. The
Italian, German, and Swiss FAs complied, but the English FA refused to send a
team.
One was that an invite was mistakenly sent to the northeast when it was
meant for Woolwich Arsenal, owing to a mix-up over the clubs' initials. The other was that the businessman had received a
touching letter from a young member of the West Auckland team and decided that
they deserved an opportunity.
The team travelled to Turin in April 1909, with several players having to
raise the money themselves. Despite the long trip, Auckland defeated German
side Sportfreunde Stuttgart 2-0 with goals from Whittington and Dickinson. The final ended in a 2-1 victory over the Swiss club FC Winterthur as J.
Jones and Bob Jones scored the goals.
Retaining the Title and its Cost
West Auckland were awarded the magnificent trophy, becoming the unofficial champions of the world. They returned to Turin in 1911 to retain the trophy following
wins against Zürich and then host club Juventus, who were hammered 6-1, keeping the trophy in perpetuity.
The cost of the trip took its toll, so the trophy was
pawned to the landlady of the local hotel on the team’s return. The club folded in debt and left the Northern League in 1912, reforming two years later as West Auckland Town FC. After competing in regional league
football, the club was admitted to the Northern League in October 1934 to
replace Esh Winning.
Northern League Champions
The 1950s were a boom time in the area as neighbours Bishop Auckland
dominated the first half of the decade in both the Northern League and the FA
Amateur Cup. ‘West’ followed on with a golden period of its own.
The team finished as league runners-up twice. However,
West Auckland weren’t to be denied in the 1959-60 season as they were crowned Northern League champions and reached the FA Cup first round, before
retaining the league title the following season.
Wembley Appearance
In 1960, a village appeal managed to raise enough money to buy back the
Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy for the football club. The 1960-61 season also saw a magnificent run in the Amateur Cup, reaching the final
at Wembley against Walthamstow Avenue, which the Londoners won 2-1.
The following campaign saw West reach the first round of the FA Cup once
again, where they went out to Barnsley in a replay. The team also reached the
semi-final of the Amateur Cup, where Crook Town won the tie at Ayresome
Park.
Theft of the Famous Trophy
Following this, the club became a middle-table Northern League club before
being relegated to the recently formed Division Two in 1982-83. They returned as champions at the end of the decade.
The famous Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy was stolen and never recovered despite a £2,000
reward for its return. Thanks to sponsorship from Unilever, the owners of the Lipton brand, a replica was later made.
Italian Dream Turns into a Nightmare
After relegations and promotions, the 1998-99 season saw West Auckland reach the FA Cup first round for a
third time. Yeovil Town were the victors on penalties. Several managers came and went at Darlington Road, where the team received a reprieve from relegation in 2008-09.
Former Hartlepool United legend Brian Honour was appointed as the new
team manager. The club embarked on a dream journey to commemorate the
centenary of their Lipton Trophy win to play Italian giants Juventus. However, the trip didn’t quite work out as expected, as reported in the Northern Echo.
Returns to Wembley
Peter Dixon built a fine side which finished as Northern League runners-up in
2011-12. The same season saw the club reach the FA Vase final at Wembley after a fine run which culminated in an aggregate victory over Herne Bay in the
semi-finals before West went down to fellow Northern League side Dunston UTS in
the final.
West Auckland returned to Wembley in 2014 after defeating St Andrews of
Leicester in the FA Vase semi-final. In the final at the national stadium,
Dixon’s side were defeated 1-0 by Sholing. A decade containing occasional relegation scraps ensued, before the team were defeated in the 2023-24 playoffs by Heaton Stannington under manager Gary Forrest.
Gareth Young was apointed as manager, taking his side to promotion through the playoffs in 2025-26 after Whitley Bay and Shildon were defeated, as West Auckland went up to the Northern Premier League (NPL) Division One East.
My visit
Wednesday 25th January 2017
The start of my week on the road had begun well, especially now that the
sun had broken through the fog. I’d visited two clubs in Darlington as well as
the homes of Shildon and Bishop Auckland before a bus deposited me in the
centre of West Auckland.
The statue commemorating the ‘World Cup’ win on the green separating Front Street was the first thing that caught my eye. It never failed to captivate me how a small mining town could achieve such a magnificent thing.
The statue commemorating the ‘World Cup’ win on the green separating Front Street was the first thing that caught my eye. It never failed to captivate me how a small mining town could achieve such a magnificent thing.
It was just a short stroll down Darlington Road to the entrance to The Wanted Metal Stadium, as the ground had been renamed in a sponsorship deal. Unfortunately, the gates were locked, but I hadn’t travelled all that way to be disappointed. I wandered down Oakley Manor, a new cul-de-sac with neat housing.
Towards
the bottom of the road, the housing gave way to allow me a view for photos. I
also straddled a gate to enter a field at the bottom end to enhance my options. The ground was neat and tidy, but mainly open flat standing, apart from along the roadside, where there was a seated stand with a players' tunnel in the middle, and a small covered standing area.
I’d been keeping an eye on bus times towards Crook via Bishop Auckland, which was my destination. I was also trying to work out how much time I had to fit in all my plans. I managed to find a spare thirty minutes. I entered the quiet West Auckland Working Men’s Club & Institute, where the friendly lady behind the bar served me a pint of Sam Smith’s Sovereign Bitter.
I asked if I could see the famous trophy. It was no problem! The replica was kept in a secure cabinet in the club since the original
had been stolen. The lady put the lights on for me so I could have a proper
look. She said it was a fairly regular request from visitors.
The club was pretty typical of many such places in the northeast. The
no-nonsense punters said what they thought while watching the Racing Channel
on TV. I enjoyed listening to them relate tales about the price of ale in
London. I kept silent!
My visit to West Auckland had been relatively short, but it ticked all the boxes. I really needed to return for a match at some point.
