There has been a football club in Whitley Bay since 1896. The first incarnation was known as Whitley and Monkseaton FC, it was later renamed to Monkseaton FC and then to Whitley Bay Athletic in 1950 before becoming just plain Whitley Bay FC.
The town itself is based on the coast close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The club is based at Hillheads Park which is a mile or so away from the seafront. In 1955 Bay became members of the North Eastern League before they joined the Northern League in time for the 1958-59 campaign and then finished as runners-up in their second season.
During the 1960's the 'Seahorses' were one of the most prominent amateur clubs in the country. They lifted the Northern League title in 1964-65 and again the following season, as well as ending as runners-up on three occasions. The FA Amateur Cup also featured prominently for Bay in the same period.
In 1964-65 Hendon ended their run in the quarter-finals and then again a year later in the semifinal tie at Roker Park. In 1968-69 Sutton United ended dreams of a Wembley appearance with a semifinal victory at St Andrews. In 1970-71 Dagenham proved too strong in a last-eight encounter.
A poor period in the 70's saw Bay have to apply for re-election to remain in the Northern League before fortunes gradually turned around. The 1987-88 campaign ended with a fourth-place finish which was enough to go up to Division One of the Northern Premier League.
In 1989-90 the club reached the third round proper of the FA Cup, defeating league clubs Scarborough and Preston North End before Rochdale ended their run. 1990-91 saw the title being lifted and promotion to the Premier Division of the competition where they remained until the end of the 1994-95 campaign.
1999-00 saw the end of Bay's foray into the Northern Premier League as they were relegated back to the Northern League. However, it allowed the club to compete in the FA Vase where they would go on to leave their indelible mark over the ensuing years in a period where the Northern League dominated the competition.
Bay enjoyed the greatest successes in its history as support gathered to see the club win the FA Vase in 2001-02 when Tiptree United were overcome by a solitary goal at Villa Park under manager Andy Gowans. A league title was also collected in 2006-07 before Bay went on to create history by winning three consecutive Wembley FA Vase Finals.
Glossop North End were defeated 2-0 in 2008-09 with the goals coming from Paul Chow and Lee Kerr. Wroxham were hammered 6-1 the following year. Both scorers from the previous year netted again and were joined on the scoresheet by Andy Eastaugh, Adam Johnston, Paul Robinson, and Josh Gillies.
The Vase was lifted for a third consecutive season at Wembley in 2010-11 when Coalville Town were defeated 3-2 in a pulsating final as Kerr was once again on the mark with Chow netting a brace including the winner four minutes from time for the side managed by Ian Chandler who oversaw all four triumphs.
Marc Nash was next in the hot seat, remaining as manager until February 2018 when Andy Gowans returned for a second spell in charge. He was followed by Michael Mulhern in December 2018 and then Nathan Haslam in March 2019.
In April 2020 Tony Fawcett and Derek Forrest were named as joint managers. Eighteen months later Forrest was left in sole charge. Nick Gray took over in January 2022, taking the side to fourth pace in 2022-23 before Liam McIvor, Gary's assistant, replaced him in January 2024, staying in the post for five months before being succeeded by Jay Bates.
Whitley Bay FC will play in the Northern League Division One in the 2024-25 season.
On a summer's day in 1984, I took a shopping bus to Newcastle with my brother Nick and as part of the day, we took the Metro to the coast to have a look at Whitley Bay. In those days it was still a relatively thriving holiday resort with a busy seafront.
The big news was a recent gig at the ice rink by Duran Duran, whose member John Taylor had opened up a wine bar in town. We walked to Hillheads past the town's impressive cricket club and went inside for a look.
It seemed pretty basic with one stand and plain uncovered standing everywhere else. I was disappointed after reading the figures about the place in the non-league annual. It just goes to show that people can do anything with statistics!
Thursday 2nd October 2008
Fast forward twenty-four years and I was back in Whitley Bay. Scarborough Athletic were drawn away to Esh Winning on the following Saturday in the FA Vase so I booked a value train ticket to Newcastle to travel up after doing a shift at work. I was to use Whitley as my base for two evenings' stay to enjoy the area's nightlife and to do some serious groundhopping.
Thursday 2nd October 2008
Fast forward twenty-four years and I was back in Whitley Bay. Scarborough Athletic were drawn away to Esh Winning on the following Saturday in the FA Vase so I booked a value train ticket to Newcastle to travel up after doing a shift at work. I was to use Whitley as my base for two evenings' stay to enjoy the area's nightlife and to do some serious groundhopping.
I took the Metro from Newcastle Central on the thirty-minute journey to the coast. I soon found my B&B on the promenade and soon worked out that the town had seen more prosperous days. The less said about my accommodation the better.
It was obvious that the town was now used by commuters to Newcastle, contractors in the building trade working in the area and stag and hen parties. The light had beaten me on the day of my arrival so instead I plumped for a night out locally. It's fair to say it was lively!
The next morning I passed on breakfast and grabbed something from a shop, which I presumed safer as I set off walking to Hillheads Park. I eventually got to the ground after a brisk walk and found a fence I could see over from a car park behind a goal as the ground was locked up. In front of me was flat standing.
The Main Stand dominated proceedings with a covered area for standing spectators to its side. The are some offices and portacabins alongside this by the turnstiles. The ground had improved and had been tidied up with a secure perimeter fence enclosing it.
Not a bad venue in my opinion but it could do with some cover elsewhere for fans wishing to stand.
Not a bad venue in my opinion but it could do with some cover elsewhere for fans wishing to stand.
