North Shields Football Club is a football club based in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England. They have reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup twice in their history: in 1933–34 and 1982–83. Following their promotion from Northern League Division Two, they achieved promotion to Northern League Division One from which they were promoted from in 2022 as Champions to the Northern Premier League Division One East. They also won the FA Amateur Cup at Wembley in 1969, beating Sutton United. During the 2014–15 season, North Shields repeated their 1969 success by defeating Glossop North End 2-1 AET at Wembley in the final of the FA Vase.
Contents
History
North Shields Athletic 1896–1915
The club was formed in 1896 as North Shields Athletic playing initially in the South Shields and District League. They subsequently became members of the Northern Combination and were runners-up of this league in the 1900–01 season. The club moved to the Appleby Park ground at Hawkey's Lane, North Shields around 1900.
After eight seasons as a Northern Combination club, in 1904 North Shields Athletic joined the Northern Alliance. They soon were successful, winning the league for two successive seasons in 1906–07 and 1907–08. Following this the team were admitted to the North Eastern League and North Shields Athletic remained members until 1914–15 when competition was suspended owing to the First World War. At least two players, Alan Grenyer and Harry Chambers went on to play for the full England team after starting their careers with North Shields Athletic.
Preston Colliery 1919–1928
After the First World War the club emerged as Preston Colliery and upon resumption of football played the 1919–20 season in the Tyneside League. The following season they competed in the Northern Alliance and from 1921 they were re-admitted to the North Eastern League. Success proved elusive for the Preston Colliery team and after a next to bottom finish to the 1927–28 campaign they were relegated to Division 2 (which had been formed a few seasons earlier by absorbing the clubs' previous league, the Northern Alliance).
North Shields 1928–1992
The club became North Shields F.C. at the start of the 1928–29 season and were immediately divisional champions and promoted back to Division 1 of the North Eastern League where they remained playing (except for a seven-year suspension of the league caused by the Second World War) until 1958.
North Shields achieved their best to date performance in the FA Cup in reaching the second round proper in 1933–34 (this feat was not equalled for forty-nine years). In the first round Shields defeated Midland League Scarborough 3–0 at Appleby Park. They were drawn away in the next round to local rivals Football League Third Division North club Gateshead who won the tie, 1–0.
A few years prior to the war-time cessation, in 1936 the club saw their record attendance at Appleby Park of 12,800 in a local derby match against South Shields. In 1944–45 following the post war resumption of the league Shields won the league cup. Shortly afterwards in 1949–50 the team won the North Eastern League championship, achieved a second-placed finish in 1951–52 and took the League Cup winners crown again five years later. That season, 1956–57, was to be temporarily their penultimate as members of the North Eastern League as that league disbanded after the 1957–58 campaign.
The disbandment was caused by the withdrawal of Football League clubs' reserve teams - a fate that also befell the Midland League. The remaining teams from both leagues combined into a single Midland League. North Shields were runners-up of this grouping in 1959–60 (by three points to Peterborough United who were elected to the Football League for the following season).
This league arrangement was short-lived and from 1960 the north-eastern teams organised themselves into a ten-team Northern Counties League. North Shields were champions of this league in its inaugural 1960–61 season. The league was renamed the North Eastern League in 1962 but only survived a further two seasons.
Upon the folding of that league, North Shields joined the Northern League from the 1964–65 campaign and shortly thereafter achieved success. A year after joining they were runners-up and three years later with former Scotland defender Frank Brennan as manager North Shields recorded a unique quadruple in 1968–69 of league winners, league cup winners, FA Amateur Cup winners and joint winners of the Anglo Italian Amateur Cup (after an aggregate draw over two legs against Italian Amateur cup winners Almas).
North Shields FC 1992–
Despite it being a couple of weeks after the start of competition, North Shields were accepted into Division 2 of the Wearside League - a drop of 5 levels down the football pyramid. Former player Dave Callaghan became the manager and put a new team together.
The club's stay at this level was short-lived, earning promotion - as 1992–93 division 2 runners-up - to Division 1 of the Wearside league. Initially the club played at their Appleby Park ground but after a few months relocated to St John's Green, Percy Main and thence for a couple of years from 1993 to 1994 on to Swallow Sports Ground, Wallsend. Thereafter, the club relocated back to North Shields to the Ralph Gardner Park which has since been developed into a 1,500-capacity stadium.
For four years in the late nineties (1995 to 1999), the club adopted the name of their forerunners, North Shields Athletic and under this name were Wearside League champions in 1998–99. The club name reverted to North Shields FC in 1999 and success continued with Wearside League runners-up and two league championships in the four seasons to 2003–04.
Following these successes the club rejoined, after a 15-year absence, the Northern League at division 2 level. The team endured a run of lower table finishes until Anthony Woodhouse arrived as player-manager in 2009 from local rivals Whitley Bay. In his second full season the club finished 4th. After a series of top eight finishes he was replaced in April 2012 by former Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa player Graham Fenton.
Two years later in 2014, North Shields F.C. clinched promotion to the Northern League First Division by winning the Northern League Second Division Championship - clinching the title with a 3–1 win at rivals South Shields. A then record attendance at their current ground of 1,312 was established at the Good Friday game in their final home game of the season against West Allotment Celtic - who were also promoted that season. Shields received the trophy after a 3–0 win.
Shields scored 141 goals, with a goal difference of +108 and 100 points. Gareth Bainbridge was the leading scorer with 55 goals, 47 of these in the league, a total greater than any other Northern League player. He was rewarded with the Northern League Player of the Year Award for 2013–14.
Reforming of the club
The twists and turns of North Shields' history continued right up to the start of the new 1992–93 season and beyond. The mishandling of the club over the previous couple of years has been well documented, and culminated in the appointment of an administrator by club director Chris Wynne, who was claiming repayment of a debt of some £98,000. The administrator moved in with the brief of resolving the creditors’ situation, and endeavoring to ensure the continuance of football in North Shields. Wynne's co-director Vic Halom was removed from his post as general manager of the club and hopes were high that the Robins would soon be put on an even keel.
The players were managed by Colin Richardson. North Shields gained promotion to the HFS Loans league after winning the Northern Counties East League Premier Division title, finishing 24 points ahead of runners-up Sutton Town. North Shields also won the League Challenge Cup, defeating Armthorpe Welfare FC 5–0 in the final, and the Presidents Cup, while reaching the final of the Northumberland Senior Cup.
It became clear that North Shield's ground, Appleby Park (pictured right), would have to be sold to repay creditors, and the administrators negotiated a ground-sharing agreement with Whitley Bay, which met with the approval of HFS Loans League officials.
The future of North Shields looked bright, as manager Colin Richardson prepared his squad for the challenge of their higher status, winning their first three pre-season friendlies, including a 4–1 demolition of a strong Sunderland AFC side which included several of their FA Cup final line-up.
Suddenly, players and officials were hit by the news that a sudden reduction in the valuation of the Appleby Park site meant that insufficient cash would be released to repay creditors in full, and as a result, the administrators were unable to make the agreed ground-share payment of £35,000 to Whitley Bay. Furthermore, it looked inevitable that North Shields Association Football Club Limited would go into liquidation. A group of interested people attempted to re-negotiate the ground share terms with Whitley Bay without success. With no ground on which to play, North Shields membership of the HFS Loans League was terminated a little over a week before the season got underway, with the Robins scheduled to journey to Workington FC.
Players
As of 24 February 2025.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Team management
Current backroom staff
As of 1 January 2025
Management Committee
Chairman / Treasurer: Dennis Scarth
Vice Chairman: Lindsey Coulthard
Club Secretary: Chris Lowther
Digital Solutions Manager: Gary Williamson
Commercial Manager: Steve Cherry
Head of Media / Welfare Officer: Sean Mulligan
Stadium Manager: Anthony Reed
Hospitality Manager: Sam Cave
Volunteers
Kitman: Terry Reed
Kitman: Paul Reed
Official Club Photographer: Chris Chambers
Videographer: Joe Kenja
Videographer Apprentice: Thomas Williamson
Media: Dom Ilderton
Media: Felix Cox
Volunteer: Mick Woodhouse
Volunteer: Gordon Barlow
Volunteer: Joe Cave
Honorary
President: Malcolm Macdonald
Vice President & Volunteer: Trevor Campbell
Records
Attendances
Record Attendance, (Appleby Park) – 13,000 (v. South Shields FC 1936)
Record Attendance, ( Ralph Gardner Park) – 1,500 (v. Highworth Town FC – FA Vase Trophy Semi-Final, 28 March 2015)
Results
Record Win – 13-2 (v. Newbiggin AFC 1965 - Northumberland Aged Miners Homes Cup QF)
Record Defeat – 0-16 (v. Marske United FC 1994 - Wearside League)
Most goals in a game – 7, Andy Hay (v. Harton & Westoe 2001 - Wearside League)
Cup records
Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1933–34, 1982–83
Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round, 1983–84
Best FA Vase performance: Champions, 2014–15
Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Champions, 1968–69
Stadium
Appleby Park
North Shields Athletic moved to Appleby Park in 1900 and developed the stadium on Hawkey's Lane into one of the finest non league stadiums in the country. The 1969 Amateur Cup Final Programme notes that "Appleby Park is one of the finest grounds in amateur soccer with accommodation for 15,000, dressing-rooms of Football League standard, and a thriving social club." The ground record attendance was 12,800 watching the local derby with South Shields in 1936. The ground was one of the finest non-league stadiums in the country and disputedly the fourth best in the North East after St James', Roker and Ayresome Park.
The stadium was blighted with subsidence problems having been built on the site of a former colliery and it wasn't uncommon for holes to appear in the pitch, one of which developed during the course of a game and resulted in a home player ending up waist high in a hole!
North Shields played at Appleby Park until 1992 after the club encountered financial difficulties and subsidence at the ground forced the club into selling the land. The stadium was eventually sold to developers and by 1993 the stadium was replaced by new housing. The site is now replaced with a street named after the old stadium, Appleby Park.
St John's Green, Percy Main
The 1992–93 programme records this as being the home ground of the club. This is the current ground of Percy Main Amateurs F.C.
Swallow Sports Ground, Wallsend
The 1993–94 programme records this as being the home ground of the club. The ground was on Kings Road in Wallsend.
Ralph Gardner Park:
After 2 years of playing at various grounds around the Wallsend area the club finally reached an agreement with North Tyneside Council and a new ground known as "Ralph Gardner Park" was built in the Chirton area of North Shields. 2010–11 saw the commencement of a sponsorship deal with local funeral director Daren Persson which has seen the stadium carry his name. The stadium is affectionately known as "The Morgue" to the North Shields "Ultras" supporters. Attendances at "RGP" has been known to pass the 300 mark on occasions.
League results
As of end of 2022–23 season
Honours
INTERNATIONAL
Anglo Italian Amateur Cup
Joint Winners: 1968–69
NATIONAL
FA Amateur Cup
Winners: 1968-69
FA Vase
Winners: 2014-15
LEAGUE
Northern Combination
Runners-up: (As North Shields Athletic) 1900–01
Northern Alliance
Champions: (As North Shields Athletic) 1906–07, 1907–08
North Eastern League
Division 2
Champions: 1928–29
Division 1
Champions: 1949–50
Runners-up: 1951–52
League Cup Winners: 1944–45, 1956–57
Midland League
Runners-up: 1959–60
Northern Counties League
Champions: 1960–61
League Cup Winners: 1960–61
Northern League
Division 1