Dunston and Skem complete preparations for Saturday .. and more about Frankie

Before reporting the last league games for Dunston UTS and Skelmersdale United in advance of the FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie between the clubs on Saturday, a bit more about Frankie.

Yesterday I posted that the Northern League clubs were right behind the fund raising campaign to get Frankie the treatment he needs. Dunston UTS, the club I am currently following, have been doing their bit to help raise awareness and funds. At their league match against Chester Le Street last night the Dunston lads showed their support.

Dunston UTS: Proud to say 'Fists Up for Frankie'

Also at the match a collection was taken to add to the fighting fund. A great effort. Well done lads.

The match at the UTS Stadium last night was not the ideal preparation for Saturday's big match. Dunston lost a competitive match for the first time this season. Leading 2-0 at half time thanks to an own goal and a towering header from centre back Dale Burrell, the lads from Gateshead had another victory in their sights. It was not be as an avalanche of goals from the Cestrians saw the visitors run out 5-2 winners. It would appear that the UTS Stadium is the place to go if you want to see the onion bag bulging. The coverage on the Dunston twitter feed (@dunstonutsfc) was exceptional with footage of the goals posted as they went in - including THAT goal from Burrell. I also note that the Dunston twitter feed has changed their profile picture to show the team giving 'fists up for Frankie'. Nice one lads.

Skelmersdale have completed their preparations for the big one by drawing two matches in the Northern Premier League. On Saturday in Skelmersdale they shared eight goals with Stafford Rangers in a thriller and on Monday they drew 1-1 away at Ashton United. When I was watching Boston United in the 1990s, Stafford Rangers were regular visitors to York Street. Also in the Conference at that time were Stalybridge Celtic and I recall being amused by the fact that the Conference hosted a couple of Rangers v Celtic fixtures each season in that era.

With Skem being the draw masters and the UTS Stadium being the place to go for goals, what price a 5-5 draw on Saturday? Whatever the score I will be there with at least two (possibly three) of my brothers. Cannae wait. Only 3 sleeps to go!

Fists up for Frankie: Northern League Clubs support local 3 year-olds battle against childhood cancer

Fists Up for Frankie

 I am now a few weeks in to my journey on The Road to Wembley from Scotland and I have seen three great matches all involving three teams from the Northern League. I have been struck by the friendliness of the rivalries and the way in which visiting supporters are made welcome when travelling away to watch their team in action. This is in sharp contrast to some of the vitriolic rivalries in the SPFL that I have become accustomed to. There is a real sense of community in the Northern League.

This sense of community has helped to raise awareness of a devastating instance of childhood cancer. Frankie Sherwood is a three year old whose parents are avid football supporters. Frankie has an aggressive form of childhood cancer known as stage 4  neuroblastoma.

Frankie Sherwood suffering from stage 4 neuroblastoma

 I first became aware of the plight of this young fella when I took a pic of the Penrith Stadium Announcer Craig McGlasson and he asked to be photographed with the hashtag #fistsupforfrankie

Penrith Stadium Announcer shows his support for Frankie

 The idea is quite beautifully simple. Pics are taken with the subjects raising clench fists to show solidarity with the plight of Frankie Sherwood. The footballing community of the Northern League have backed this campaign to the hilt and below is a selection of the pics that have been taken in the last few weeks to publicise Frankie’s fight for life.

Penrith showing fists up for Frankie

Sunderland Ryhope Community Association show their support

West Allotment Celtic with 'fists up'

 

North Shields raising awareness

Heaton Stan FC have fists up for Frankie

The situation as far as I can gather is as follows: Neuroblastoma can not be treated in the UK and the cost of getting effective treatment in the US is going to cost something in the region of half a million pounds. Full details of Frankie’s situation and details of how to donate can be found via https://www.gofundme.com/28mzxuk and also via the twitter feed  @helpfrankie and also on twitter you can check out the hashtag #fistsupforfrankie. So far the campaign has raised £100,000 in less than two months – so go check out the links above and make a donation. Every little helps.

From a footballing perspective, soccer sometimes gets bad publicity due to the conduct of the players and officials involved the beautiful game. This really is a heart-warming story of the non league community in the north of England working together to make a very positive contribution. Good luck to Frankie and well done to the member clubs of the Northern League for their support. 

It is Thear-ly extra time ... then Dunston strike

Wednesday August 24th

FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay
Penrith 1 Dunston UTS  2

(report written on Thursday Aug 25th and published on Sunday August 28th)

At the end of the hottest day of the year the Frenchfields Stadium hosted Penrith v Dunston episode 2. It was the men from Gateshead who were able to turn up the heat at the end of a steamy night as a last minute winner from Lian Thear propelled Dunston into the next round.

Regular readers will know that this match caused all kinds of ructions in the Donkin household. A short late Summer break for Scarborough and York was booked for Wed 24th through to Sunday 28th August. My wife and I were teaming up with my good friend Howard Nimmo for this wee adventure. With the game in Dunston last Saturday finishing level a replay last night was required. So yesterday I headed for Penrith while my wife headed south by train to meet up with Howie baby.

Howard Nimmo and Mrs Donkin enjoy the sun and the cricket in Scarborough while Mr Donkin heads for Penrith

After the game I travelled across country in the dead of night to Scarborough  so this post is being written in The Doghouse in Scarborough on Thursday morning.

Despite the domestic problems caused by the fixture it was another great game. This is how it all panned out.

Pre match communications: Dunston and Penrith have both been very helpful throughout but this match required very little prep as all Scottish links and club details had been sorted out for the original tie 6/10

Three people in particular from Penrith have helped me throughout this leg of my journey. Many thanks to Stadium announcer Craig McGlashan, midfielder Matthew "Wizzer" Read and Scots Physio Susan Pollock. In the pic below Craig is holding up the 'Fists up for Frankie' sign. Much more about this campaign in the posts that will follow this report.

Matthew "Wizzer" Read limbers up for the match

Craig McGlashan: Stadium Announcer with Scottish name!

Pre match pint: As with the Sunderland RCA game, I headed for the Cross Keys first. Prior to the Sunderland RCA game I had a pint of Tirrels in there and it was nectar. This time the Tirrels served was cloudy and off. I was eventually given Ale Fresco from Greene King as a replacement ... but not good 3/10

Programme: Given that this match was only confirmed on Sat evening it was a good effort to knock out a decent read in 3 days flat. I liked the article on the Northern League - which I now know is the second oldest league in the world. Also a good photo on the cover showing Martyn Coleman scoring Penrith's second goal in the first match between the teams 7/10

Ground: Picturesque  and atmospheric. I have warmed to the Frenchfields. On a balmy night with the floodlights on it was a great place to be. 8/10

Atmoshphere: A great atmosphere inside the ground last night. The biggest attendance on the 'Road' so far with 203 paying customers in attendance. Over 70 of these had travelled over from Gateshead. Many of these had arrived on the same bus as the team and hence checked in at about 6.00 pm and were able to spend some time in the Penrith bar lubricating ttheir vocal chords. No singing yet on the 'Road'  but both sets of supporters offered great vocal encouragement to their favourites. Penrith are a very hospitable club and the Dunston players, officials and supporters were all made very welcome. An evening fixture at any level played under floodlights always has a special atmosphere. 8/10

As the sunsets over the French field Stadium the floodlights are turned on

Scottishness: Sue Pollock the Scots Penrith Physio was once again in attendance. Other than that the bagpipe playing Dunston website editor Ken Fitzpatrick was marked absent. Given the result  from last nights's match then over the next week or so I will be trying to find out if there are any further links between Dunston and Bella Caledonia 6/10

Susan Pollock: The most photogenic Physio in the Northern League

Entertainment: Another great game between two well organised and skilfull teams. Penrith shaded the first half with the muscular, combative Bonny Blues centre forward Martyn Coleman leading the charge. Coleman opened the scoring in the second minute when he latched on to a loose ball in the penalty area to apply a smart finish. Unfortunately the same player blotted his copy book on the half  hour mark when he failed to score from the penalty spot. As a kid growing up I was fascinated by my Dad's many tales of watching Newcastle United in the 1950s. One such story referenced the Newcastle keeper from that era Ronnie Simpson. According to my dad Ronnie would save many penalties by diving one way and kicking out a leg in the other direction to deflect the spot kick to safety. Last night the Dunston keeper Stefan Holden did something of a Ronnie Simpson. Coleman drove the ball down the middle but with the keeper committed to a dive to his left he flicked out a leg in an upward direction to divert the ball for a corner. In the second half Dunston took control and set about clawing back the one goal deficit. Their slick relentless pass and move football was a joy to behold. The Dunston lads are quite happy to pass pass pass until they can probe an opening. Collectively they trust their technique and their ability to control the ball quickly. One such long inventive passing move was finished off in the 61st minute when rapid slick interplay resulted in James Lucock finding himself in splendid isolation in the penalty box and he coolly slotted the ball past the keeper and just inside the far post. With the game heading for extra time, Dunston applied the hammer blow in time added on for stoppages. Lian Thear tried his luck with a shot from outside the box and with the aid of a cruel deflection his strike found the net. Dunston UTS just about deserved to win the tie as they passed Penrith off the park in the final 45 minutes. Great stuff 9/10 (Pics below courtesy of Ben France photography)

Combative Martyn Coleman tussles with Dunston's Dan Capeewell 

Penrith players celebrate the opening goal

Match day catering: still no pies available at the Blues Cafe but the roll and sausage was fine 6/10

Value for Money: Six quid to see a rousing cup tie played out in a beautiful setting with the added drama of a last minute goal. Great 9/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: Last night was a truly memorable occasion. To see the sun setting over the rolling Cumbrian countryside with the match unfolding in the natural amphitheatre that is the Frenchfields Stadium felt very special. This was my first match under floodlights on the 'Road' and matches under the lights always have that je ne sais quoi! I think the cows enjoyed it too. 9/10

Action from the first half and the cows stroll down the hill to take in the match

The lights are on and the action continues apace in the second half

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Match Rating 71/100

Before signing off, I feel I have to applaud one last time Penrith AFC. A very friendly well organised club and it was a pleasure to meet Craig McLashan, Wizzer, Susan Pollock, Karl Collinson, Geoff the Cumbrian Groudhopper and ace photographer Ben France. I wish Penrith all the best for the rest of the season and I will follow their results with great interest.

So it will be back to the UTS Stadium on the 3rd September to see Dunston take on Skelmersdale United. It was great to meet Dunston Programme Editor Steve Raith match reporter Tom Clark last night and I am looking forward to following their team once again in early September. Bring on the Skem!

Miles travelled to attend this match 226
Total miles so far on the Road to Wembley from Scotland 708

Penrith here I come ... today is match day!

On Saturday Dunston UTS and Penrith shared 6 goals in an exciting FA Cup Preliminary Round tie in Gateshead. As the rain fell the goals poured in.

Your correspondent soaked in Dunston

Tonight the replay takes place and the action moves to the picturesque French fields Stadium in Penrith.

The French fields in rolling Cumbrian countryside

I will be there as Penrith becomes my third stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. The tie must be decided tonight with extra time and penalties on the agenda if needed.

Who will emerge victorious to take on Skelmersdale United in the next round on Saturday September 3rd? Will I be heading to Dunston in early September or will I be making my third journey to the French fields?

Visit this blog tomorrow to find out.

So what does Skelmersdale mean to me ?

So what does Skelmersdale mean to me?

Before I answer the above question I have a footnote from yesterday’s post. I have been advised by regular blog reader and good friend Dougie Ritchie that Doug Coutts who as reported played for Skem in the early 1970s also played for Berwick Rangers in their famous 1-0 victory in the Scottish Cup against the then mighty Glasgow Rangers. Dougie reckons that makes him a hero of Scottish football. Agreed!

When the draw for the FA Cup First Qualifying Round was made and I saw the name Skelmersdale come up as a potential stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland my memory immediately dredged up two incidents from my formative years. One is football related the other is not.

It immediately occurred to me that I have seen Skelmersdale United once before. On the 15^th March 1969 to be precise. As an 11 year old living in Redcar in Teesside my Dad took me to the semi final of the Amateur Cup between Skelmersdale United and North Shields played at the neutral ground of my then spiritual home Ayresome Park Middlesbrough.

My recollections of the game are pretty sketchy. All I remember is that the match ended in a draw and on the bus back to Redcar I suggested to my Dad that we should go to the replay the following Saturday in Southport. Unsurprisingly my father said no. Some of the detail of the match in Middlesbrough has been filled in for me by the wonderful Kev Panther the programme editor and historian of Skelmersdale United. The match finished 1-1 in front of nearly 8000 fans with over 3000 of these travelling up from West Lancashire. I do also recall that the match was played on a muddy pitch and Kev’s archived match report notes: “The conditions were abnormal. A pitch that was heavy to start with became a morass of clinging mud and Skem’s lightweight men clearly flagged as the game wore on”. Ayresome Park was famous for it’s clinging mud in those days! North Shields won the replay and went on to lift the Amateur Cup at Wembley. Skem’s golden Wembley moment was to follow two years later when they won the Amateur Cup at Wembley beating Dagenham 4-1.

My other memory of Skelmersdale concerns an incident at 3.00 am in the morning in a second floor flat in Skem. When I was in my late teens I had a habit of going on spontaneous hitch hiking tours of the UK often with my pals from Penicuik Norman Kidd and Struan McCall.

Hitch hiking 17 year olds Norman Kidd (left) and blogger set off to Skelmersdale 

Hitch hiking in threes was never a good idea even in the 70s as lifts were pretty hard to come by. Norman, Struan and I set off early one Penicuik morning with the intention of getting to my brother Stephen’s house in Coventry by nightfall. We made it as far as a service station in West Lancashire just off the M6 by about 8.00 pm. The lifts then dried up and at 0230 we were still trying to get to Coventry. A car drew up and the driver said are you going south lads? We got in with Norman in the front seat and me and Struan in the back and then the driver said: “I am not actually going south but I can offer you a place to sleep at my flat in Skelmersdale”. Struan and I looked at each other and shook our heads theatrically but Norman was answering: “Aye, Barry. That’s very gid of ye ken”. For those not familiar with a strong North Edinburgh dialect ‘Barry’ means ‘Great’ and ‘ken’ loosely translated means ‘ye know’.

Fifteen minutes later we were getting out of his car and heading up the stairs to his second floor flat. Once inside he said: “you two (Norman and I) can sleep in the living room and Struan (the best looking of the three of us) can sleep with me in my bed”. Struan politely declined saying that he was fine sleeping in the living room. “OK, Norman (the next best looking of the three of us) you can sleep with me in my bed”. Norman indicated that he too would rather sleep in the living room. Then for the first time he looked at me with that ‘any port in a storm’ look and said “OK Chris you will have to sleep with me”. “No way” I replied. He got a bit agitated and tried a couple more times to persuade one of us to sleep with him and then gave up. Then he left the flat!

It was now 3.00 am and we tried the door and we were locked in. We were panic stricken. 1975 was a less enlightened era and we were imagining all kinds of things regarding his motivation and also what might happen next. However, the bottom line was that we were three 17 year old boys locked in a house by a strange man so I guess our panic was understandable. We got his address from an envelope and I phoned 999. Norman had taken a bread knife out of the kitchen drawer and was stomping around the flat eyes out on stalks and nostrils flared. I am not sure what he intended to do with that knife and I am pretty sure Norman did not have a clue either. After a few minutes I got through to a desk officer working on the night shift at Skelmersdale Police station.

Officer: (slow sleepy Lancastrian drawl) “Hell – ohhh”

Me: (panicking speaking rapido and staccato) “We-are-locked-in-a-house-by-homosexual-please-please-help-us”

Officer: (painfully slow Lancastrian drawl) “You have been locked int owse by omosexual. What’s yer address lad?”

Me: (hyped beyond belief speaking so quick it was difficult to get the words out) “16-Boyd-Orr-Drive-Penicuik-Midlothian”

Officer: (very slow drawl) “Mid-low-thee-an. Yer a long way from home lad!”

The conversation continued and the Officer promised to send a car round. In the meantime the always cool and collected Struan was systematically going through the pockets of the guy’s suits in his wardrobe. Bingo. He found a key. We let ourselves out and started the long walk back to the Service Station. Two things happened on that 3 hour walk. Firstly a police car stopped, identified us as the caller and asked if we were ok. Surprisingly the driver did not give us a lift to the service station. Secondly the guy pulled up wound down his window and shouted: “You ungrateful little bastards I have had the Police round at my house” and then drove on. We made it to Coventry by midday and Skelmersdale became a fading memory – until the FA Cup draw was made a week ago.

I am looking forward to following Skelmerdale United as part of my Road to Wembley from Scotland. Let’s hope that by the time they get knocked out that my memories of Skelmersdale are a bit less salacious.

Skelmersdale United await the winners of the Penrith v Dunston replay. Skem have strong links with Jocko-Land - including Ian St John as former coach!

As regular readers will know, the unique feature of this particular season long journey to the FA Cup Final is that it is ‘The Road to Wembley from Scotland’. Hence for every match I am looking for Scottish links to the teams involved. On Wednesday I need to go to the Preliminary Round replay between Penrith and Dunston UTS but waiting in the wings are Skelmersdale United. The winners on Wednesday will play host to the men from West Lancashire on Saturday September the 3^rd and I will be there. Hence, in advance of the tie I have been in touch with Skem, as they are popularly known, to hopefully flush out some Scottish connections. The programme editor Kev Panther (whose own grandfather was from Tayside incidentally) has kindly provided me with loads of material and some of it is gold dust. Take a bow Doug Coutts, Graham and Gaz Burnett and Ian St John – yes the Ian St John.

Doug Coutts is an Aberdonian who as a youngster in the early sixties played for his home town team with distinction.

Doug Coutts of the Dons

A cultured centre half, Doug made 121 appearances for Aberdeen Between 1960 and 1965 scoring 4 goals. I can’t really work out why the Dons were playing a friendly against Blackpool in January 1961 but the match programme described Doug as “fast and strong and very cool for one so young. A part-timer who works for the Inland Revenue”. Doug never did go full time and his next four teams were all part-time outfits. He played for Berwick Rangers from 1965 to 1969 before settling in Lancashire.

In 1969 he signed for Wigan Athletic who at that time were a non league team. Doug helped the Latics to win the Northern Premier League title in season 1970-71. 

Wigan Athletic 1970-71: Doug Coutts is front row extreme left

After three seasons with Wigan Doug played for Altrincham for a year before he signed for Skelmersdale United in 1973. In the twilight of a distinguished career, Doug served Skem with solid performances and is fondly remembered for his contribution.

In more recent times Skem have benefited from the goalscoring performances from Garry Burnett. Garry (or Gaz as he prefers to be known) is one of Skem’s favourite sons and scored a barrowload of goals for them before he was transferred to Colwyn Bay in February 2012.

Gaz Burnett now with Colwyn Bay

Gaz is still banging in the goals and as recently as last Saturday scored the winning goal in an FA Cup tie as Colwyn Bay progressed in the world’s greatest football competition with a 1-0 away win at Shaw Lane. Garry’s father is a proud Scot so as far as I am concerned that makes him a 100% Jock. Certainly he is qualified to play for Scotland and indeed he has. He was with the Wigan Athletic Academy as a schoolboy and while with the Latics was capped for Scotland at u-15 level. His dad Graham Burnett was also a more than useful footballer. In the 1980s he played in the same Motherwell youth and reserve teams as Gary McAllister and went on to have two trials for Rangers but was not signed up. Graham then went on to play for a decade in Junior football playing for both Lanark United and Forth Wanderers. The only downside to the Burnett family story is that both Gaz and Graham are lifelong Rangers supporters … boo!

Ian St John is a Scottish football icon and also a man who has scored a winning goal in an FA Cup Final. In the mid sixties he had a strong connection with Skelmersdale United because even though he was at the height of his powers with Liverpool and Scotland he still found time to coach the Skem boys. With the help of his tutelage Skelmersdale United reached the FA Amateur Cup Final in 1967. This season is the 50^th Anniversary of that achievement.

The Skem players benefit from Ian St John's wisdon

St John shows the Skem lads how it is done!

My own early memories of Ian St John are from the FA Cup Final of 1965 between Liverpool and Leeds United. In an era when the only live football on TV was the FA Cup Final, the match at Wembley in May 1965 made a big impression on the 7 year old Chris Donkin. There is some amazing colour Pathe News footage of this match available from YouTube via this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u59t5QpcoMk

Some of the ‘tackling’ in this match has to be seen to be believed. The match finished 0-0 and so extra time was played. After Roger Hunt of Liverpool and Billy Bremner of Leeds exchanged goals the match seemed to be heading for a replay and then Ian St John scored THAT goal. I was amazed when St John scored the winner. A cross from the right was played in four feet behind him. He somehow managed to arch backwards and contort his neck muscles to head the ball goalward and into the net. I got a football annual that summer and the picture shown below was featured and I just stared and stared at what my Dad called a jack-knife header and wondered how did he do that?

St John scores the winning goal in the 1965 FA Cup Final with a jack-knife header

 Years later Ian St John recounted his memories of that final: “I can remember the game as if it was played the day before yesterday. How we failed to wrap the game up in the first 90 minutes remains a mystery to me. It would have been a travesty if we had left Wembley without a victory over a Leeds side that was exceptionally skilful but nasty too. Some of their tackling would have landed their players in the Tower in today’s sanitised game when you cannot breathe on opponents without getting booked. My unorthodox headed goal that won the match was the most satisfying of my career. Hardly a day goes by without somebody reminding me of it”.

Thanks again to Kev Panther of Skelmersdale United for providing most of the information in this post. The connection between Skem and Bella Caledonia is strong. Perhaps they should be renamed Skelmersdale Thistle!

It is raining goals in Gateshead as Dunston and Penrith draw 3-3

Saturday 20^th August 2016

FA Cup Preliminary Round

Dunston UTS 3 Penrith 3

For yesterday’s match I had only one hope. My wish was that the match finished in a decisive result and did not go to a replay. With a 3 day break booked in Scarborough starting Wednesday with my old mucker Anne Donkin and my good friend Howard ‘Howie Baby’ Nimmo I was hoping that the tie would be decided yesterday. As it turns out, on Wednesday I will be heading for Penrith and Anne will be heading for Scarborough to meet up with my pal Howard. On Thursday I might be heading for the divorce courts!

The match was a great spectacle yesterday. Played in torrential rain and a strong wind, two well matched teams shared 6 goals in an exciting tie. Penrith just shaded it on organisation and teamwork and Dunston had a small plus when it came to skill and flair. Two of the six goals were great goals that would have graced a football match at any level. It was great to be there with my son Brian, my brother Martin and Martin’s pal Phil Storey. A draw was a fair result and despite the Scarborough complication I am looking forward to the replay. Here is how it all looked yesterday.

Pre Match Communications: Once again I have no option other than to award full marks here. As with the Sunderland RCA tie, the good people of Penrith have been very generous with their time and have provided timely updates regarding their club’s preparations for this tie. This tie was my first experience of liaising with Dunston and the web site editor Ken Fitzpatrick was great in not only telling me about his club but also identifying the Dunston UTS links with Bonny Scotland. Ken also sent me details of the nearest pub to the ground and emailed a map showing the pub and the ground. It was a pleasure to meet up with Ken yesterday. Thanks again for all your help pal and see you in Penrith on Wednesday. 10/10

Ken Fitzpatrick the Dunston UTS bagpipe playing website editor

 Pre Match Pint: The nearest pub to the UTS Stadium is the Royal Hotel in Gateshead. On a Saturday lunchtime you expect a pub to be heaving with beer swilling punters. At 1.30 on Saturday the barmaid had two customers to attend to. One was a man with a heavy smoker’s grey face, who essayed a hacking cough that strongly suggested prolific phlegm production.  The other was his female smoking partner. When Brian, Martin, Phil and I checked in we trebled the customer base. No hand pulled beers available so overly cold Guinness was the order of the day 3/10

The grey skinned Royal drinker gives Phil, Martin and Brian directions

Programme: At £1 the programme was reasonably priced. With the exception of the cover, the 48 page publication was in black and white throughout. Two good articles describing the history of both clubs and interesting match reports from recent Dunston matches. A good effort 6/10

Ground: The UTS Stadium is clearly lovingly maintained by the office bearers and probably other supporters and volunteers. It is trim, well appointed and fit for purpose. A neat wee main stand on the half line on one side and a neat wee 4 step covered terracing on the other side. Other than that you are exposed to the elements. A single building behind one of the goals houses the changing rooms, the tea room and the bar 7/10

Arriving at UTS Stadium at 1430

Spectators watching the action from the Stand

Supporters of both teams watching from the terracing

Atmosphere: Very convivial and pleasant despite the rain pouring throughout the match. I am still at the stage on the ‘road’ where I have yet to hear any singing. However, the 188 spectators in attendance offered good encouraging vocal support for their favourites. 7/10

The Penrith 'Loyal' fans hang up their flags in the terrace before kick off 

Your blogger 'soaks' up the atmosphere. Pic courtesy of Ken Fitzpatrick

Scottishness: The link between Penrith and Bella Caledonia has been previously reported and the Scottish Penrith Physio was again in action yesterday. Susan Pollock was only called on to the pitch once and her tartan magic sponge again worked a treat as the stricken player was soon on up on his feet and able to continue. The link between Dunston and Bonny Scotland is a bit more tenuous. Dunston Legend and former player Chris Swailes once played for Hamilton Accies and web site editor Ken Fitzpatrick plays the bagpipes! 5/10

Penrith Scots Physio Sue Pollock keeps an eye on Tyler Bowman to ensure he does not have too many of those pies

Entertainment: You will struggle to see a better game played between two teams plying their trade in the Northern League. With the rain lashing down all afternoon the pitch was slick and this encouraged adventurous pass and move football. Both sides had excellent players in the forward positions. The front two for Penrith of Coleman and Connelly were a threat all afternoon and for Dunston the lone front man Morien was ably supported by my man-of-the-match Oli Leedham. Leedham has a turn of pace, a winger’s trickery and the ability to spot a killer pass. On the evidence from yesterday young Mr Leedham is headed for bigger football arenas. Penriths’s goals were scored by Street, Coleman and Faustino and the Dunston goals scored by Halliday, Heslop and Pearson. The goals from Faustino and Heslop were both excellent long range efforts from outside the box and were both sublime strikes. The 86^th minute headed Dunston equaliser from Pearson has sent us all across the Penines in midweek. The home side were deserving of the draw as after going two goals behind just after the interval they laid siege to the Penrith goal throughout the second half. 9/10

Another set piece for Dunston (in blue) as they lay siege to the Penrith goal in the second half

 Match Day Catering: Three words here: “oh ya beauty!”. I had a first half mince pie that cost £1.20 and was culinary perfection. Warm, gravy loosened, mince in a light pastry casing. Phil had the pasty and was equally impressed. At half time we all headed for the bar and took the wrong turning and ended up in the tea room. After we had all helped ourselves to a free cup of tea and a nibble of now-divided-into-small-sections pie and pasty we realised we were probably in a room that was allocated to entertain Dunston Committee members and visiting office bearers from the Penrith club. Still, nobody seemed to mind and we felt very welcome. After the match we did find the bar and I was slightly surprised to see the mince pies now being offered to the players as a wee snack before they headed home. 9/10

The Tea Room at half time - free tea, pies and pasties!

 Value for Money: Six goals for six quid. Two good, well matched teams going at it hammer and tongs in the driving rain. Brilliant! 9/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: On the Road to Wembley from Scotland I am going to be attending most of the matches on my own. My son Brian works on Saturdays but this fixture coincided with his annual holiday and hence may be his only jaunt on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. It was great to travel down with Brian and share the day with him. It was also fab to hook up with my brother Martin who lives in Newcastle and his big pal Phil. Thanks guys. I asked Brian if there was anything quirky that was noteworthy from the whole day and he responded that the sight of those excellent pies being trotted out for all kinds of different audiences at all different times of the afternoon was memorable. With pies as tasty as that – why not! 9/10

Looking at the camera Martin is flanked by Phil on his right and Brian on his left

After the match the Dunston players are tempted by the famous mince pies

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Rating 74/100

So, it’s off to Penrith on Wednesday night for the second and final instalment of this intriguing tie. My brother could hardly believe I intended to be there given that I had a short holiday booked with my wife starting the same day. Martin: “What is more important football or your marriage?” Me: “Football of course but I was hoping not to have to make the choice!”

Miles on the clock for this match 256

Total Miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 482

Last night Penrith lose and Dunston win as teams gear up for the big one on Saturday

Last night both Penrith and Dunston played out Northern League fixtures as the teams gear up for the FA Cup Preliminary Round tie in Gateshead on Saturday.

Penrith played host to Shildon at the Frenchfields Stadium. The Bonny Blues of Penrith went down 3-1 to the visitors from County Durham. After a relatively uneventful first half the Cumbrian side opened the scoring early in the second period. However, they were undone by 3 goals from Shildon as they completed their not entirely ideal preparations for the visit to Gateshead on Saturday. The pic below is kindly supplied by the excellent sports photographer Ben France

Super Kevin Connelly on the rampage for Penrith last night

Dunston made the trip to Guisborough for their Northern League match. They returned to Gateshead with all three points thanks to an own goal in the first half and a second half counter. Between these strikes Guisborough equalised. Dunston hung on to record their first Northern League win of the season. Final score Guisborough 1 Dunston UTS 2. A moral boosting victory for Dunston ahead of the big one.

A bit blurry - but the ball is definitely not over the line 

As the pic above shows it could have been 3-1 but this phantom goal was correctly disallowed. Who needs goal line technology when you have eagle-eyed fans with a mobile phone in their hands!

So, attention turns to the match on Saturday. Who will emerge victorious to take on Skelmersdale United in the first qualifying round on the 3rd September?

Dunston UTS v Penrith - the winners will host Skelmersdale in the next round

I was caught unawares yesterday when I discovered that the draw for the first qualifying round was made earlier than usual. I have found out that the winners of the Dunston UTS v Penrith will play Skelmersdale at home in the next round on Saturday the 3rd September. This is good news for me as it means that The Road to Wembley from Scotland will allow me to spend a bit more time in the far north of England before the journey takes me much further south. I will be making a return visit to either the UTS Stadium in Gateshead or to the scenic Frenchfields Stadium in Penrith in early September.

Skelmersdale will provide stern opposition for either Dunston or Penrith as they play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. The Northern Prem is significantly higher in the football pyramid than the Northern League where Dunston and Penrith ply their trade.

The Skelmersdale team pose for a team photo prior to the start of season 2016-17

In due course I will be getting in touch with Skemersdale FC to explore their Scottish links - talking of which ... I was back in touch with Ken Fitzpatrick the website editor and photographer from Dunston UTS asking if he had unearthed any more links between Dunston UTS and Bella Caledonia. Ken, who has been very generous with his help for this blog, told me that he can't think of much more but that he does play the bagpipes!

Dunston website editor Ken Fitzpatrick playing the bagpipes at Bannockburn

Ken sent me a link to his flickr page showing him playing the pipes in many locations including Bannockburn. The battle of Bannockburn was a famous victory for the Scots over the English in 1314 in the First War of Scottish Independence. Much blood was spilled in pursuit of a famous victory. Hopefully no blood will be spilled on Saturday when Dunston UTS play Penrith but I wonder which team will record a famous victory to see them march on to do battle with Skelmersdale?

Diving in Boldon and in Edinburgh ... a tenuous but interesting link between Dunston UTS and Scotland

Only five days to go until the big game. On Saturday Dunston UTS will play Penrith at home in the FA Cup Preliminary Round and I will be there as this is my next stop on the 'Road to Wembley from Scotland.

The two teams have met once before in the FA Cup. They were drawn to play each other in 1991 and the first match ended 2-2. The replay must have been some game as it finished 6-6. In that era there were no penalty kick shoot-outs so the tie went to a second replay and Dunston (then known as Dunston Federation Brewery) won 2-1. A total of 19 goals scored in the tie! I am hoping to see some of that goal action on Saturday.

At the weekend both teams were in Northern League action in the lead up to the big game and both teams suffered disappointments. Penrith lost 0-2 at home against Bishop Auckland.

The end of the match on Saturday and Penrith are beaten by Bishop Auckland

Dunston drew 2-2 away to Jarrow Roofing in Boldon and reading the match report on the Dunston UTS web site it appears as if it was a game they should have won. Leading 2-1 with time running out it appears that they were cheated out of a useful away win by a dive from the Jarrow player. The web site match reporter is understandably very careful with the words he uses describing the incident as follows: 'As the game entered the 90th minute, Gilhespy tangled with Chow on the edge of the box, Chow dived to the ground and the referee awarded a free kick to Jarrow.' The report concludes by saying that 'Dunston again gave away a late goal as Chow bought a free kick on the edge of the box'. I can fully understand why the report is phrased this way but reading between the lines I think that Dunston are annoyed at the gamesmanship of the Jarrow player ... now time for a rant!

Up here in chilly Jocko-Land diving has also been the hot topic of the week (hence I am making this tenuous but interesting link between Dunston UTS and Scotland). Just over a week ago I was at Tynecastle to see my beloved Hearts take on Celtic.  In the 36th minute Hearts were awarded a penalty when Jamie Walker was 'felled' in the box. I was sitting behind the goal at the other end of the pitch and it looked for all the world like a stick-on penalty. Jamie certainly made it look convincing. TV pictures showed that he was not fouled and that Walker dived. He explained: 'I felt contact and I went down'. Poor show Jamie on two counts: (i) he could not have felt contact as there was no contact and (ii) no player should want to 'go down' with the ball at his feet - tying to 'win' a penalty in this manner is a horrible blemish on the modern version of the beautiful game.

.. and the Judges marks are 5.8, 5.9, 5.8, 5.7 and 6.0

Worse was to follow. The SFA, quite rightly,  retrospectively handed Walker a 2 match ban for simulation last Monday. My beloved Hearts unfortunately chose to appeal knowing that the appeal would not be heard until Thursday. Hearts had an important league cup tie against St Johnstone on Wednesday and Walker was hence eligible to play. Ironically he scored a penalty for my beloved Hearts in that match. This whole incident looks bad and my beloved Hearts have not come out of this with any credit. On Thursday the appeal was dismissed and the two game ban now applies. The point of this rant is that football clubs should be careful what messages they are sending out - as actions such as the appeal are absorbed by supporters who believe that their football club will always act in an honourable manner. I was at Pittodrie on Saturday to watch Hearts play Aberdeen and the consensus among most of the Hearts support was that somehow the club had been shafted by the SFA. They chanted 'fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA, fuck the SFA' continuously for 10 minutes in the first half. I am a dedicated and devoted Hearts fan but I found this embarrassing. My beloved Hearts have done great work changing the image of the club over the last few years emphasising the organisation as a family friendly club proud of their history and their community focus. Hopefully the ill judged stance of defending the indefensible is now behind us and is not repeated and it would be good if Jamie Walker, who is a very talented young footballer, changes his ways and tries to stay on his feet in future. There is no place for diving in football - be it in the Northern League in Boldon or the SPFL at Tynecastle. Rant over.

Hopefully the only diving I will see on Saturday is diving headers flashing goalwards. I am feeling a real sense of anticipation regarding the game between Dunston UTS and Penrith on Saturday. Even more so now as I will be joined at the match by my son Brian who will be travelling with me  from Midlothian to the game. Brian is now 31 but I just love spending time with him. I spoke with a very old friend Alan McCusker Thompson last week and always a man for good advice and memorable soundbytes Alan said "take your time and enjoy your time. It is beyond riches". Nice one Al

The UTS Stadium on Saturday here I come ... cannae wait.

Dunston's Scottish Links emerging! Local boy Chris Swailes goes from Boston United to Scotland (via everywhere!) and eventually arrives at his home club

As regular readers will know, the unique feature of this particular Road to Wembley is that it is The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Hence I am looking for Scottish Links involving the clubs I will be watching along the road. Yesterday I made contact with the good people at Dunston UTS who will be hosting the next match that I will be watching - the FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against Penrith on Saturday week. I asked them if they have any Scottish links. They told me that local Gateshead man Chris Swailes who played for them from 2011 to 2014 while in his forties, had a connection with Hamilton Academicals.

Chris Swailes proudly sporting the Dunston UTS colours

I first came across Chris in October 1991 when the family moved to Boston in Lincolnshire. Chris was the regular centre half for Boston United and on many occasions I saw him strutting his stuff as an elegant young ball playing defender during season 1991-92. In total in his spell at York Street he made 30 appearances for the Pilgrims and scored one goal.  On the 15th January 1992 Boston United played Slough Town in a Conference fixture and Chris was featured as the Pilgrim in Profile in the match programme

Chris Swailes a Pilgrim with Scottish connections

It is fascinating to note that Chris' favourite player was the Glaswegian Paddy Connelly then plying his trade in the SPL for Dundee United. An early sign that Chris had an affinity for Bella Caledonia. They do say that Geordies are really only Scotsmen with their brains bashed out! I don't suppose that Chris ever managed to achieve his ambition of becoming a millionaire.

From Boston United Chris moved on to play league football for Doncaster Rovers, Ipswich Town, Bury, Rotherham and Oldham Athletic. In 2007, in what I suspect must have been the realisation of a lifelong dream, Chris crossed the border and signed for Hamilton to play his football in Bonny Scotland. He served the Accies with distinction and in total made 52 appearance and scored 10 goals for the men from New Douglas Park over the next 2 seasons.

After leaving the Accies Chris went on to play for Gateshead and Blyth Spartans and finally signed for Dunston UTS in 2011 at the age of 40. Chris represented Dunston for 3 seasons playing 98 games and scoring 15 goals. In this three year spell at the UTS Stadium he also picked up an FA Vase winners medal. However our man Swailes was not done with Scotland yet.

In January 2015 he left the UTS Stadium to rejoin Hamilton Accies, this time as Assistant Manager to Martin Canning. Chris was only at New Douglas Park a few months but was instrumental in securing a 7th place finish for the Accies in the SPL in season 2014-15.

Chris returned to the North East to resume his playing career signing for Morpeth Town at the age of 44. Despite his almost pensioner status he amazingly helped Morpeth win the FA Vase less than three months ago when Morpeth beat Hereford 4-1 at Wembley. Chris scored Morpeth's first goal in the final. At the age of 45 one of Dunston UTS's favourite sons Chris Swailes is still playing. I raise a glass of whisky to a Geordie with strong Scottish connections.