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==Current squad==
==Current squad==
:''As of 22 November 2010.''<ref name="Player Pen Pics">{{cite web
:''As of 6 February 2010.''<ref name="Player Pen Pics">{{cite web
| title = Player Pen Pics
| title = Player Pen Pics
| url = http://blythspartansafc.co.uk/new_php/?cat=13
| url = http://blythspartansafc.co.uk/new_php/?cat=13
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{{football squad start}}
{{football squad start}}
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{{fs player|no=|nat=England|pos=GK|name=Jake Cunningham}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=England|pos=GK|name=Dan Lowson}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=England|pos=GK|name=Dan Lowson}}
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{{fs player|no=|nat=England|pos=GK|name=Jake Cunningham}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=Indonesia|pos=DF|name=[[Phil Cave]]}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=Indonesia|pos=DF|name=[[Phil Cave]]}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=Canada|pos=DF|name=Stuart Wright}}
{{fs player|no=|nat=Canada|pos=DF|name=Stuart Wright}}

Revision as of 12:49, 6 February 2011

Blyth Spartans
File:BlythSpartans.png
Full nameBlyth Spartans Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Spartans
Founded1899
GroundCroft Park
Blyth, Northumberland
England
Capacity4435 (563 seated)
ChairmanEngland Tony Platten
ManagerEngland Mick Tait
LeagueConference North
2009-10Conference North, 13th

Blyth Spartans A.F.C. are a semi-professional football club who play in the Conference North, and are based in the town of Blyth, Northumberland, England. They are often the most Northerly team in whichever league or cup they are playing in. They are managed by former Hartlepool United and Darlington manager Mick Tait.

They were founded by Mr. Fred Stoker in September 1899, who was the club's first secretary before forming a practice as a distinguished physician in London’s Harley Street. He thought it appropriate to name the team after the Greek Spartan army in the hope that the players would give their all as they went into "battle" on the field of play.

History

In the beginning, the club played only friendly matches before joining the Northumberland League in 1901. The first recorded honour being a league success in 1901 followed by further victories in1905/06 and 1906/07. The club then joined the Northern Alliance, remaining there for six seasons winning the league in 1908/09 and 1912/13.

In 1913 the club moved upward joining the ranks of the semi professionals in the North Eastern League and remained there until it folded in 1958. The fierce competition meant that honours were far and few between, the league was however won in 1936/37 season and the league cup won in 1950 and again in 1955. After the demise of the North Eastern League the club tried their luck in the Midland League and Northern Counties League, both ending when the leagues folded. The early 1960s saw the revival of the North Eastern League with the club doing quite well. However the league suffered many problems and eventually folded for good.

The club was now at a loss for a suitable semi-professional league and in 1964 decided to turn amateur and join the ranks of the Northern League. During the 29 years the club were members their record was second to none, winning the Championship on 10 occasions and being runners up 5 times. However, a new regime at the club were keen to progress up the league pyramid and a successful push ended with promotion to the Northern Premier League in the 1993/94 season.

The clubs first ever season in the Northern Premier League was memorable, winning the First Division Championship and the Unifilla First Division League Cup. Since gaining promotion the club held its own in the Premier division, finishing 6th and 7th in its first two seasons as well as lifting the Presidents Cup defeating former Conference side Runcorn in the final.

In recent years the executive looked firstly to John Charlton followed by Paul Baker as team managers but these successive managers were without the required success demanded by the fans, and so the experienced Harry Dunn was appointed in October 2004 for a second time. In 2005/06 Harry Dunn and his assistant Graham Fenton continued creating a further notch in the Spartans history by winning the Northern Premier League Premier Division as well as the Northern Premier League Chairman’s Cup and the Peter Swailes Memorial Shield, and with it promotion to the Conference North. In their first season in the Conference North Blyth cemented themselves in the top half of the table whilst even enjoying a brief stint in 1st place. The season ended with Blyth narrowly missing out on a playoff position on the final day finishing 7th.[1]

After an initial successful first season, Blyth found themselves at the opposite end of the table the season after. But some wins towards the end of the season including a 2-0 win against Champions Kettering Town saw Blyth preserve their Conference North status. The third season was a similar story with Blyth again struggling for much of the season but grabbing important wins towards the end of the season to avoid the drop. A relatively comfortable 15th place finish did not give much clue as to the frantic battle against relegation which had preceded it.

After two successful campaigns to preserve Conference North status the end of the 2008/09 season saw the end of Harry Dunn’s second spell at Croft Park. No time was wasted in appointing his successor and on 9 May former Hartlepool United, Darlington & Sheffield United Reserves Manager Mick Tait took up the post for his second spell in charge at Croft Park.[2]

FA Cup exploits

Blyth Spartans have reached the first round proper of the FA Cup on 32 times; the second round 15 times; the third round 4 times, the fourth round once and the fifth round once.

Blyth reached the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1977-78. Having beaten Chesterfield and Stoke City (who had recently been relegated from the top flight) the club drew 1-1 at Wrexham. The replay took place at Newcastle United's St James' Park, watched by a crowd of 42,167 Blyth eventually went out losing 2-1.[1]

In 1980 Blyth played Hull City in the 2nd Round which saw two replays, the final of which was played at Leeds United's Elland Road.

Blyth's next memorable cup run came in their first season as a Northern Premier League Premier Division club in 1995/96 when they travelled to high flying Division Three side Bury and won 2-0. In the second round Blyth again were on their travels this time to Division Two side Stockport County where they lost 2-0.

In 1997/98 under the managership of John Burridge Blyth travelled to Second Division side Blackpool. A memorable game saw Blackpool run out 4-3 winners with a last minute winner.

It was 11 long years before Blyth reached the 1st round again. But finally in 2008 Blyth hit the cup trail again. Qualifying Round wins against Whitby Town, Buxton and Sheffield FC saw Blyth reach the 1st Round for the first time since 1997. A home tie against League Two promotion chasers Shrewsbury Town saw Croft Park host league opposition for the first time since 1981. The result matched the occasion as Blyth ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.[3]

The Second Round saw Blyth travel to League Two strugglers AFC Bournemouth who included Darren Anderton amongst their players. A hard fought 0-0 draw on the South Coast saw Blyth take Bournemouth back to Croft Park where Ged Dalton put Blyth through to the Third Round with a last minute winner. Both games were shown live on Setanta Sports.[4][5]

In the Third Round Blyth played Premiership opposition competitively for the first time in their history when they welcomed Blackburn Rovers to Croft Park. In a game again covered live by Setanta Sports Blyth fell to a 1-0 defeat with the only goal coming via a direct free kick from Chilean player of the year Carlos Villanueva in 59th minute.[6][7][8]


Notable FA Cup games -

Croft Park

Blyth play their home games at Croft Park, which was opened by Mrs Clarke of Bellister Castle, Haltwhistle on the 1 September 1909. The first match was a friendly against Newcastle United which ended in a 4-2 defeat.[1]

In 2007 Croft Park underwent an extensive redevelopment which saw much of the ash terracing levelled and replaced with concrete terracing. New dugouts and a wheelchair enclosure were also added. Further developments have been made to meet full Blue Square North criteria. These developments include extending the Port of Blyth main stand roof to cover the bottom tier which has had seats installed, building a roof over the Plessey Road terrace, providing cover for 1100, and building three new turnstiles at the Princess Louise Road end.

Following the 2008/09 FA Cup run some of the money raised has been spent on covering the Kingsway Terrace. For the first time Croft Park is now covered on all four sides. The pitch has also been moved by a metre to improve the view from the terraces. And the old goal posts have been taken down and replaced with new modern equipment.[9]

To celebrate Croft Park's centenary Blyth played a Newcastle United side, the team who provided its first opposition. Just like the first game the result finished 4-2 to Newcastle United.[10]

Famous Fans

Graeme Swann - The England cricketer announced on BBC's Football Focus that he supports both Newcastle United and Blyth Spartans

Paul Guerin - The guitarist from rock band The Quireboys is a fan of the club and the band recorded a single for the club during their 2008-2009 FA Cup run. [11]

Current squad

As of 6 February 2010.[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG Dan Lowson
— GK England ENG Jake Cunningham
— DF Indonesia IDN Phil Cave
— DF Canada CAN Stuart Wright
— DF England ENG Chris Swailes
— DF Northern Ireland NIR Wayne Buchanan
— DF England ENG Michael Simm
— MF England ENG Robert Dale
— MF England ENG Danny Groves
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Nicky Deverdics
— MF England ENG Neal Hooks
— MF England ENG Michael Tait
— MF England ENG Liam O'Mahoney
— MF England ENG Stephen Turnbull
— MF England ENG Kris Wilkinson
— FW England ENG John Alexander
— FW England ENG Paul Brayson
— FW England ENG Eoin Ridley

[1][13][14]

Notable former players

See also: Category:Blyth Spartans A.F.C. players

Past Managers

Mick Tait - May 2009 – current.

Player/Assistant Manager Chris Swailes June 2010 - current.

Former assistant Adam Sadler June 2009 - January 2010

Harry Dunn - October 2004 – April 2009

Assistant Graham Fenton

Graham Fenton - Caretaker Manager September 2002

Paul Baker - November 2002 – September 2004

Player/Assistant Graham Fenton

Assistant Tom Wade

Tom Wade - Caretaker Manager November 2002

John Charlton - July 2000 – November 2002

Assistant Graeme Clark

Mick Tait - September 1999 – July 2000

Assistant Tony Harrison

John Gamble - October 1998 – September 1999

Assistant Lawrie Pearson

Alan Shoulder - May 1998 – October 1998

Assistant John Gamble

John Burridge - March 1997 – May 1998

Peter Harrison – November 1995 – March 1997

Tony Lowery/David McGreery Joint Managers - September 1995 – November 1995

Harry Dunn – April 1994 – September 1995

Dave Robertson Caretaker Manager February - March 1994

Peter Feenan – March 1993 – March 1994

Ronnie Walton - April 1990 – March 1993

(Nigel Walker Joint Manager February - March 1992)

Tommy Dixon - November 1988 April 1990

Dave Clarke - May 1988 – November 1988

Assistant Geoff Hart

Jim Pearson – November 1985 – May 1988

Assistant Fred Turnbull, Coach Dave Clarke

Peter Feenan - May 1984 – October 1985

Assistant Ronnie Walton

Mick Dagless - November 1983 – May 1984

Assistant/Coach Brian Main

John Connolly Player Manager - November 1982 – November 1983

Coach Mick Dagless

Bob Elwell - June 1981 – November 1982

Coach Tony (Anthony) Britt

Jackie Marks - October 1978 – May 1981

Coach Peter Flaherty

Brian Slane - April 1977 – October 1978

Coach Jackie Marks

Alan O'Neill 1976 - April 1977

Coach A.Cruddance

Billy Bell - August 1972 - 1976


Allan Jones 1970 - May 1972


Following information incomplete:

Tony Knox - August 1967 - October 1967

Jim Turney - Winter 1957 - Summer 1967

Duggie Wright - Player Manager in 1955 then Secretary/Manager in 1956

Honours

  • East Northumberland League Champions 1903–04, 1905–06, 1906–07
  • Northern Alliance League Champions 1908–09, 1912–13
  • North Eastern League Champions 1935–36
  • North Eastern League Cup Winners 1950–55
  • Northern League Champions 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88
  • Northern League Cup Winners 1972–73, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1991–92
  • Northumberland Senior Cup Winners 1914, 1915, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1952, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1992, 1994
  • Cairns Cup Winners 1905–06, 1906–07
  • Tynemouth Infirmary Cup Winners 1908–09, 1909–10, 1932–33
  • Tyne Charity Shield Winners 1913–14
  • Tyne Charity Shield Joint Holders 1925–26
  • Northumberland Aged Miners Homes Cup Winners 1909–10, 1911–12, 1919–20, 1936–37, 1938–39
  • Northumberland Aged Miners Homes Cup Joint Holders 1920–21
  • Debenhams Cup Winners 1978
  • J.R. Cleator Memorial Cup Winners 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1992
  • Beamish Trophy Winners 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
  • Northern Premier League Premier Division Champions 2005–06
  • Northern Premier League First Division Champions 1994–95
  • Northern Premier League First Division Cup Winners 1994–95
  • Northern Premier League Presidents Cup Winners 1996–97
  • Northern Premier League Chairmans Cup Winners 2005–06
  • Peter Swailes Memorial Shield Winners 2005–06
  • South Tyneside Football Benevolent Fund Gazette Cup Winners 1995–96[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Blyth Spartans AFC - A Brief History". www.blythspartansafc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-04-08. Retrieved 2007-05-21. Cite error: The named reference "blythspartansafc.co.uk" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Blyth Spartans AFC - Spartans Announce New Manager". www.blythspartansafc.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  3. ^ "Blyth Spartans 3-1 Shrewsbury". http://news.bbc.co.uk. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2009-06-07. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  4. ^ "AFC Bournemouth 0-0 Blyth Spartans". soccernet-assets.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  5. ^ "Blyth Spartans 1-0 AFC Bournemouth". soccernet-assets.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  6. ^ Shea, Julian (2009-01-05). "Blyth Spartans 0-1 Blackburn Rovers". http://news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-06-07. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  7. ^ "Blyth Spartans turn down Newcastle ground as they look for FA Cup home banker". www.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  8. ^ "Blyth Spartans - League, FA Cup, FA Amateur Cup & FA Trophy records". www.fchd.info. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
  9. ^ "Under Development". www.blythspartans.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  10. ^ "Centenary Match Arranged". www.blythspartans.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  11. ^ "The Quireboys to rock Blyth Spartans". The Journal. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  12. ^ "Player Pen Pics". Blyth Spartans A.F.C. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  13. ^ "Current Squad". www.blythspartans.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  14. ^ "Spartans sign Guy Bates". 2 February 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  15. ^ Turnbull, Simon (1997-03-05). "Football: Monaco mastery denies Dalglish". www.independent.co.uk. London. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  16. ^ club honors

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