THE NORTH-EAST 1979-1980
Non-League soccer in the North-East was well-established
by the time the 1970s drew to a close. The undisputed top competition was,
as had been the case since the mid-1960s,
the Northern League. There were, however,
a number of other leagues with long histories,
including the Northern Alliance, the Northern
Amateur League, the Northern Combination,
the Teesside League and the Wearside League.
During the 1980s there was repeated talk
of mergers between competitions and all the
leagues mentioned in the last sentence are
thought to have been involved in these at
some point. In the event, the Northern
Alliance, the Northern Amateur League and
Northern Combination joined forces in 1988
to form a 3-section, expanded Northern Alliance,
wherein the Combination became the second
tier and the Amateur League the third level.
Elsewhere on this site there are sections
on the Alliance, the Teesside League and
the Wearside League. It proved impossible to trace
very much on either the Northern Amateur
League or the Northern Combination for some
time, but some tables from the 1980s are
now on the Nthn Am + Comb page. Final tables for both competitions
have been found, however, for the 1979-1980
season, so here these are:
NORTHERN AMATEUR LEAGUE
|
1 |
ANNITSFORD WELFARE |
34 |
26 |
2 |
6 |
92 |
45 |
54 |
|
2 |
WEST ALLOTMENT CELTIC |
34 |
24 |
4 |
6 |
88 |
36 |
52 |
|
3 |
ASHINGTON RESERVES |
34 |
20 |
6 |
8 |
100 |
52 |
46 |
|
4 |
WHICKHAM SPORTS |
34 |
18 |
8 |
8 |
65 |
37 |
44 |
|
5 |
PONTELAND UNITED |
34 |
20 |
3 |
11 |
77 |
65 |
43 |
|
6 |
N.E.I. PARSONS |
34 |
14 |
10 |
10 |
75 |
60 |
38 |
|
7 |
DIXON SPORTS |
34 |
15 |
6 |
13 |
73 |
52 |
36 |
|
8 |
CLARKE CHAPMANS |
34 |
16 |
4 |
14 |
81 |
84 |
36 |
|
9 |
LONGBENTON (-2) |
34 |
17 |
3 |
14 |
80 |
57 |
35 |
|
10 |
R.P.A. |
34 |
13 |
9 |
12 |
66 |
60 |
35 |
|
11 |
BOHEMIANS |
34 |
10 |
12 |
12 |
57 |
64 |
32 |
|
12 |
ST. CUTHBERT’S |
34 |
12 |
6 |
16 |
55 |
70 |
30 |
|
13 |
BYKER C.C. |
34 |
11 |
6 |
17 |
65 |
77 |
28 |
|
14 |
GATESHEAD RESERVES (-2) |
34 |
12 |
5 |
17 |
50 |
78 |
27 |
|
15 |
TYNE ATHLETIC |
34 |
9 |
6 |
19 |
62 |
92 |
24 |
|
16 |
SMITH’S DOCK |
34 |
9 |
5 |
20 |
54 |
84 |
23 |
|
17 |
N.E.E.R.C. |
34 |
4 |
6 |
24 |
52 |
123 |
14 |
|
18 |
HEATON UNITED |
34 |
4 |
3 |
27 |
52 |
108 |
11 |
|
|
|
612 |
254 |
104 |
254 |
1244 |
1244 |
608 |
NORTHERN COMBINATION
|
1 |
PRUDHOE EAST END |
30 |
23 |
5 |
2 |
87 |
29 |
51 |
|
2 |
WESTERHOPE |
30 |
23 |
3 |
4 |
81 |
31 |
49 |
|
3 |
DUDLEY |
30 |
16 |
9 |
5 |
87 |
39 |
41 |
|
4 |
ROSE VILLA |
30 |
15 |
9 |
6 |
67 |
57 |
39 |
|
5 |
LINDISFARNE |
30 |
16 |
5 |
9 |
70 |
59 |
37 |
|
6 |
HIGH PIT SOCIAL CLUB |
30 |
13 |
6 |
11 |
51 |
47 |
32 |
|
7 |
WINLATON HALLGARTH |
30 |
12 |
7 |
11 |
45 |
41 |
31 |
|
8 |
SWALWELL (-2) |
30 |
15 |
2 |
13 |
64 |
56 |
30 |
|
9 |
PARSONS ATHLETIC |
30 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
55 |
53 |
30 |
|
10 |
CRAWCROOK OLD BOYS |
30 |
11 |
6 |
13 |
56 |
55 |
28 |
|
11 |
RYTON |
30 |
9 |
5 |
16 |
57 |
73 |
23 |
|
12 |
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY |
30 |
7 |
6 |
17 |
37 |
58 |
20 |
|
13 |
GOSFORTH ST. NIGH |
30 |
7 |
4 |
19 |
48 |
79 |
18 |
|
14 |
BURNOPFIELD |
30 |
7 |
4 |
19 |
40 |
81 |
18 |
|
15 |
NORTHUMBERLAND POLICE |
30 |
6 |
4 |
20 |
56 |
89 |
16 |
|
16 |
D.H.S.S. |
30 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
39 |
93 |
15 |
|
|
|
480 |
196 |
88 |
196 |
940 |
940 |
478 |
The only other detail it has been possible
to trace to date relates to Dunston UTS,
who won the Northern Combination 1986-1987,
with a record of 22 wins and 7 draws in their
30 games, with 75 goals scored against 23. The club’s league playing record
for the season is shown below and indicates
that there had been some changes in the constitution
of the Combination during the 1980s.
|
August |
23 |
SEATON SLUICE |
5-0 |
W |
|
September |
03 |
RYTON |
6-4 |
W |
|
|
06 |
NEWCASTLE TURBINIA |
1-0 |
W |
|
|
10 |
WINLATON HALLGARTH |
1-0 |
W |
|
|
13 |
Wallsend Rising Sun |
5-0 |
W |
|
|
20 |
WARK |
3-0 |
W |
|
|
27 |
Stobswood Welfare |
3-3 |
D |
|
October |
04 |
Newcastle University |
2-0 |
W |
|
|
18 |
Ryton |
2-2 |
D |
|
November |
01 |
NORTHERN S.C. |
5-0 |
W |
|
|
08 |
New York J.E. |
1-1 |
D |
|
|
22 |
Alcan Lynemouth |
3-0 |
W |
|
|
29 |
PARSONS ATHLETIC |
2-2 |
D |
|
December |
20 |
HEDDON INSTITUTE |
2-0 |
W |
|
|
27 |
Newcastle Turbinia |
1-1 |
D |
|
January |
03 |
WALLSEND RISING SUN |
2-1 |
W |
|
|
10 |
Haltwistle Crown Paints |
4-1 |
W |
|
|
31 |
STOBSWOOD WELFARE |
4-1 |
W |
|
February |
07 |
Wark |
4-1 |
W |
|
|
14 |
Northern S.C. |
2-0 |
W |
|
|
21 |
BENWELL BLUES |
2-0 |
W |
|
|
28 |
HALTWISTLE CROWN PAINTS |
4-2 |
W |
|
March |
07 |
Seaton Sluice |
1-0 |
W |
|
|
14 |
Parsons Athletic |
1-1 |
D |
|
April |
04 |
Heddon Institute |
2-0 |
W |
|
|
15 |
Winlaton Hallgarth |
1-1 |
D |
|
|
18 |
NEW YORK J.E. |
3-0 |
W |
|
|
25 |
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY |
2-1 |
W |
|
May |
05 |
Benwell Blues |
1-0 |
W |
|
|
09 |
ALCAN LYNEMOUTH |
0-1 |
L |
There is a little more information of Dunston’s
years in the Northern Combination at:
www.dunston-uts-footballclub.webspace.virginmedia.com/northern-combination.htm
