This photograph shows the highly successful Billingham Synthonia under 18’s football team c1951/52. This team played for two years without losing a single match. Courtesy of Charley Peacock.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
Kenneth mitchell, my grandad, front row in the middle
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Looking back at this Synthonia Team who were unbeaten in the 51/52 season, I am racking my brains to remember he date South Bank Juniors played them in the under 18 North Riding County Cup at their ground in Billingham, where we went on to win 8 goals to 3 goals, then went on to win the North Riding Cup later in the season. I may have been the team after this team who represented Synners this day?.I remember after the match having a word with Pop Arundal and I think he may have remembered me from our encounter a couple of years previously when he had given me short shrift for having the temerity to ask to play for his team and not waiting for him to select me, and as I had managed five goals that day I am sure he would have remembered me afterwards. Not an easy man to do business with, but the backbone of local football who put many hours of unpaid work into the junior football Association.Junior Football and Schools football relied on these men to organise and keep running football over the years.
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I do not think it was a case of not working for ICI Anon as I was a messenger boy in the the Billingham works at the time I offered my services to the Synthonia Junior team. He did not check if I was an employee, he just looked down his nose at me, and made me feel about two inches tall. A really bad experience for some one who had just left school and making his way in that big outside World.
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Benny, I think Pop Arundal was the old school who thought only employees of ICI or their relations should play for them. Joe Carter who took over from him was a more relaxed character.
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I must make an ammendment to my last comments on Charley Peacock, I mentioned a Mr Pop Weatherall as the Manager of Synthonia Juniors, this should have read Mr Pop Arundal – put it down to a senior moment after my 75th birthday this week. I must accept thar I am getting old and sometimes confused. Who is Pop Weatherall? any suggestions…
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Charlie was a Primrose Hill boy from Lilac Road, and played for Primrose Hill Juniors before joining Synthonie Juniors. I think Pop Weatherall must have chosen him after his good form with Primrose Hill, not like you and me Anon, who got short shift from Pop Weatherall when we offered our services to him and were told he selected players to play for Synthonia Juniors and not the other way around.
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You would of played for Synthonia’s Teesside League team prior to the 1961-68 era, when they won the Teesside League 3 times 1961-64, MacMillan Bowl 3 times 1965-68, North Riding Amateur Cup twice 1962-64 & the Durham Amateur Cup a couple of times. Some of the squad were Derek Dawson, Eric & Ron Chamberlain, Dave Poole, Teddy Lowe, Ebby Neil, Lol Hodgson, Alan Bates, Eddie Holroyd, Eddie Donnelly, Vinny Evans, Dave Helyer, Les Cranks, Pat Hogg, Billy Howie & Ronnie Clare. A lot of this squad left with Peter Lax & joined Norton C.C.T.
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I think Charley did play for Primrose Hill. Don’t think John Goodchild played for West End as I played for them myself after leaving Oxbridge Juniors for a season prior to Lol Cattermole persuading me to sign for Synthonia, mainly in their Teeside League team with Ebbie Neil, Jackie Fox, Mick Walsh and Co.
John Goodchilds father was a well known school teacher who other contributers to this site will know of, think his first name was Ernie.
Synthonia always had two teams in Stockton and District minor and junior leagues, called A and B. They had numerous pitches and of course all the facilities, whereas all the other teams were lucky to have a wooden shed to change in. Synthonia was thus an attraction to most of the better players, Barry Butler was captain of their Minor league A team in 1950.
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Thanks Gran, because in the late fifties they both played in the Middlesbrough & District Junior League, which had two divisions & Synthonia had a team in both divisions, A & B teams. Charley Peacock – is he the right-winger who played a short while for Primrose Hill & did Goodchild play for Stockton West End.
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The teams did play in different leagues, Synthonia in Stockton & district, South Bank, I think, in South Bank and district. Though having said that, the Synthonia team was in an older age group than Bennie and Eddie, by about two years.
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Sorry to hear that Ken Mitchell has passed away Granville, I remember Ken as a dashing centre forward who I played alongside at Whitby Town for a couple of years before he signed for Plymouth Argyle. Ken was a very quick striker, not very big but very slippery and agile. In those days the Whitby Town team was made up of mainly Stockton and Teesside players and the club used to run a private bus from Stockton Market to the Turnbull ground every other weekend. When we had Easter games we would all stay overnight at a Whitby Hotel with our wives and girlfriends, and had our meals at the Cutty Sark in the evenings. Wondeful memories.
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Charley is not on the internet Granville I sent in this team photo for him. Charley has a large family in Whyalla in South Australia, five children and fourteen grand children at the last count. Charley played in one of the Newham Grange teams and Stockton boys teams with me in the late forties. Charley did mention that when they played Leeds United both the Charles brothers played against them and John Charles moved up from centre half to centre forward at half time and bagged three goals to sink the Synners.
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The goal tally of this forward line is impressive Charley, but your old Newham Grange School team-mate Benny Brown & Eddie(KITTY COYTE) Wilkinson scored 232 goals between them for South Bank Juniors in 1952, so to be unbeaten in two years were you in different divisions or leagues.
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The young man 2nd from the left on the top row is Ellis Holliday. He lived over the road from me in Craister St Tilery. He once had an MG sports car which was greatly admired by us kids!
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Good to see a photo of this team who I played against a few times though they were in the age group a year older than me. It was a terrific forward line, and in case Charley does not know, Ken Mitchell sadly passed away earlier this year at his home in Thornaby. In the fifties Ken used to get up in the Brunswick Singing Room on a Saturday night performing his version of Billy Ecksteins That Old Black Magic. He did play for Plymouth Argyle. Jigger Goodchild went to same school as me,the Sec.. I believe Brian Felgate lives in Wales.
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This team were undefeated for two years until they played Leeds United under 18’s team and lost 4-2. Back row L-R; Greenwood, Holiday, Chesworth, Peachy, Hussard, Coulson. Front row; Peacock(27 goals), Goodchild (34 goals), Mitchel (53 goals), Thorburn (39 goals), Felgate (52 goals), Manager Pop Arundal.
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I’ve just come across this photo and just realised my dad is on here top left kenneth Greenwood.
Unfortunately we lost him to cancer in 1988 but I’ve heard many stories of his football days and my mam has an old newspaper article still about the team he played for.
His cousin is Ellis.
Happy memories
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