TT No.173: Mike Latham - Sat 19 Jan, Northern Football Alliance Premier Division; Seaton Delaval 1-2 Blyth Tn. Attendance: 40 (h/c); Admission: £1; 20pp programme: 50 pence; FGIF Match Rating: 3*  

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The Northern Alliance, in my experience, is a league of contrasts.  You have some former Northern League clubs with grand, fading grounds, some up and coming clubs with ambitions of progression up the pyramid and others with the most basic of facilities, their pitches just surrounded by a post and rail fence and with little in the way of spectator facilities.  There’s also a wide variation in programmes and even some Premier League clubs do not issue.

What the league does have, certainly in the dozen or so visits I’ve made in the last couple of years, is a good standard of football with games usually played in a good spirit.

That was certainly the case when I visited Seaton Delaval on a glorious winter’s afternoon, the north east having missed the worst of the wet weather in the couple of days leading up to the game.  The home secretary assured me the pitch was renowned as a good drainer and that there should be few problems.

So it proved and it no time after journeying north up the A19 (what an excellent road compared to the A1) and going through the Tyne Tunnel (fare now £1.20 each way) the village of Seaton Delaval was reached with plenty of time to spare before the 1-30pm kick-off.

Seaton Delaval has a rich and fascinating history. It owes its name to the Delaval family, who originated from La Val in France. They were kinsman of Duke William of Normandy and came over with his army in 1066. Their descendents settled in Northumberland around 1095 when the King granted lands to them in Seaton.

There is an excellent website that gives plenty of information on the area (www.seatondelaval.org.uk) and the reader learns it is the largest of five villages in the Blyth valley with a population of around 7,000 and an outstanding building, Seaton Delaval Hall, described as a masterpiece and completed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1727.

The Wheatridge Park ground of the football team is to be found on the Astley Road (A192) to the north west of the village. It is located behind some newly built apartments, long-standing allotments and a garden centre on the right-hand side, just before the Hastings Arms on the left. As with many clubs in the north-east there are few clues to its location, not a sign to be seen and the entrance is up a narrow track that opens out into a well grassed area behind some wind-shielding trees behind the nearside goal, where the car-parking facilities are plentiful.

Admission is only £1 and a 20-page programme just 50 pence. The club was formed in 1920 and disbanded in 1968, re-forming in 1983 when they re-joined the Northern Alliance.  Judging by the adverts in the programme you can get just about everything in Seaton Delaval: gears and sprockets, custom designed signs, picture framing, fish and chips, tandoori take-aways, a flattop haircut for £6.10 (but only on Fridays and Saturdays) and traditional ice cream.

Wheatridge Park is a modest but perfectly acceptable venue.  The playing pitch is indeed splendid, and looks in superb condition for this time of year.  The main facilities are on the side running parallel to the road where a dressing room block also incorporating a small canteen, dressing room block and a covered standing area has been constructed.  The only other cover on the ground is the tiniest stand I have ever seen straddling the halfway line on the far side. 

Upon walking round to investigate, it is occupied by three veteran supporters, one of whom is the groundsman.  I complimented him on his pitch and we had a good chat.  Like me, the trio were just glad to be out and about enjoying a game of football on a decent afternoon after all the recent bad weather.

The sides are both in mid-table and not surprisingly the game is hard-fought and tight. The goals come in the first half-hour, the visitors’ impressive no.9 striking twice in four minutes with a far post header from a free-kick and a cool, one on one finish when put clean through before the home side reply with a penalty awarded for handball.

The referee, an experienced official with a good manner and pleasant disposition but clearly not one to trifle with, controls the game expertly and it is another good exhibition of Northern Alliance football.  By kick-off time a crowd of around 40 had built up for this local derby and like me they all enjoyed a good game in pleasant surroundings. 

A visit to Seaton Delaval comes highly recommended.  With no floodlights they are obviously going to have to remain at this level of football but there seem to be enough enthusiasts around in the village to keep the flag flying and continue to provide an excellent facility for the locals.

contributed and amended 21/01/08