This photo shows the late Bill Moss, chairman of the Stockton Sunday League, presenting the Norton Trophy to the Stockton Buffs Club captain, Ernie Seymour, at the Victoria Ground in 1973. Courtesy of Len Nicholson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
Your memory of Stockton F.C. does not go back far enough John, that was in the late sixties when they were on a downward spiral into oblivion. If you had seen them in the early fifties when they had average crowds of 3000, which Hartlepool United & Darlington would be proud of today. The ground had a capacity of 20,000.
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My memories of Stockton football team are Ronnie Laverick (winger) and Barry Jeffels (goalie) when thye played in the Wearside league. It was funny walking under the moor tunnel thinkin you were goin to a big ground – I suppose you had to start somewere !!
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Yes Dave you are right, a real strange feeling about the place (South Shield’s old ground) considering they had really good teams. Ray Yeomen was a member of the Teesside & Cleveland Coaches Association and he was a straight talker who pulled no punches, but was a genuine honest guy. Another strange place before their ground was refurbished was Hartlepool’s Victoria Park, a good playing surface but when the changing rooms were on the Clarence Road side the referee used to bang on the old tin sheeting between the changing rooms of the officials and visitors to get the away team out. The changing rooms are now in the new stand on the other side of the pitch.
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Anon, when you came out of the hall at Simonside when I played there it was a long walk to the pitch and there were hoardings either side of the walkway. It was rather a strange way of getting to the pitch. The dressing room was also rather dismal as well.
The refs changing room was at the back of the home dressing room at the Victoria ground. Ray Yeoman, Darlingtons manager at the time, stormed through to the ref complaining about sending off one of his players who was only proving his fitnes before a return to first team footie. Quite a scene occurred then – Mr Bilcliff was no shrinking violet!
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When you went through the doors in this photo the home dressing room was on the left.
Other things from the Midland League days were that South Shield’s dressing rooms at Simonside were in a kind of big house at the side of the pitch, and at Frickley Colliery they had a big coal fire in the committee room in the stand and, on the opposite side of the ground, a pit heap for terracing. Peter Mulcaster did a good job at Smith Dock in the Teesside League when he started his coaching career.
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Can remember in the late forties/fifties going to see the Synners,Billingham Synthonia, play in the then Northern League. It was a very high standard of football with teams like Crook, Two Law and of course the famous Bishop Auckland team who always attracted full houses at the old Synners ground. Also went to watch Boro reserves away in the North eastern league against teams mentioned in earlier posts, Blackhall, Horden amongst many decent teams. Used to go on the train to these games which was an adventure in itself fo a young boy, this was before Mr Beeching was about, who many believe went to far in his cutting back on the railways. Whilst on about the Synners – is the old cricket ground still used? Lovely ground, spent many an hour in the nets whilst a boy, and watching the cricket, what bliss – never seemed to rain either.
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Stewy Fellows went on to play for a few teams down South and finished playing Pro football at York City, then dropping into the Northern League where he play for various teams ie Horden, Evenwood Town.
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On the subject of Stuart Fellows – where did he finish his playing career? I was at Holy Trinity with him 1960-1964 when he left to join Newcastle where he remained till 1970.
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Another Primrose Hill lad that played for Stockton alongside Frank Seddon in the fifties was Ralph Jordinson who lived in Zetland Road, he was a big strong inside-left with a very good left peg. I was just stating facts Dave, just good to hear all the views of the contributors. Peter Mulcaster played for Thornaby S.C.(the Village Club), was at Head Wrightsons a short time then went playing for Horden C.W. with his mate Stewy Fellowes.
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I stand corrected, thanks. The North Eastern League was rather a good one.
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It was the F.A. Cup 2nd replay in season 1947-48, Benny, when Notts County beat Stockton at Ayersome Park. Stockton reached at least the F.A. Cup 1st round proper twelve times, 1952 was the last when they reached the 3rd round. George Wardle was in charge of our coaching course with Alan Murray (Middlesbrough) & Jimmy Shoulder(Sunderland) assisting him. Dave you know the saying ‘You live by the sword you die by it’? I saw some of the full backs legs after you had played against them, but personally I did not have that trouble when I marked you (Happy Days). Primrose Hill area always turned out a lot of good footballers as well as having a good team, Dennis Clarke (West Brom)& Frank Seddon(Hull City) to name just two.
Sunderland Reserves were not in the Midland League with Stockton, but were in the North Eastern League with them in the fifties, along with the reserves of Middlesbrough, Carlisle, Darlington, Hartlepool & Gateshead.
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Coincidentally, as discussion as turned to Stockton in the FA Cup 3rd Round, a programme has appeared on a well-known internet auction site for the match Notts County V Stockton, 12 January 1952.
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Anon, you were right – it was with Dave Richardson, Peter did his badge and Tony Butterfield left his mark on my ankle with 2 stud holes in it that day. Benny might like to know there were 3 Primrose Hill lads playing against Crook – Ronnie Laverick, Curly Webster and me.
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You were lucky Dave with your encounter with Tony Butterfield. I remember another Stockton lad who was a flyer playing for South Bank at Crook, Tony put him into the concrete dugout in the first few minutes that was the end of his afternoon’s football.
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I think Stockton FC reached further than the first round of the FA Cup in previous years. I distinctly remember watching Stockton FC play Notts County at Ayresome Park in a replay after drawing at Notts, Notts boasted Tommy Lawton the England Centre Forward in their team that day, and I think they won 4-1 maybe Anon can verify or not these facts.
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Stockton F.C. reached the third round of the F.A.Cup in 1951-52 season when Notts. County beat them, they had beaten Mansfield in the first round. Your pal Peter Mulcaster did his coaching badge after us,I think he done it with Dave Richardson or Steve Smelt. When you played for Stockton against Crook Town, David, you would have rubbed shoulders with Tony Butterfield, an amatuer international who was a real hardman on a football field.
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Does anybody know what happened to Steve Smelt’s career? The last I heard he was the physiotherapist at Sunderland A.F.C.
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One of my pals, Peter Mulcaster, also did the coaching badge at that time and as any football fans will know he has coached quite a few Northern League clubs over the years.
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I have been looking through the football results in on-line archives, and I think that I have found the answer. Stockton’s match at Roker Park was probably in the 1962-3 season, 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. Stockton were drawn away to North Shields and on Saturday 20th October 1962 they managed to draw 2-2. The replay was at the Victoria Ground on Thursday 25th, and resulted in another draw 3-3. The third match was played at a neutral ground, and Roker Park was chosen as it was situated between the two clubs. This took place on Monday 29th October and Stockton lost 4-2. I think that was the nearest that Stockton ever came to being in the First Round of the Cup?
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I think Stockton played Sunderland in the North Midland League at that time and then Stockton went into the Wearside League. We were knocked out in the third qualifying round of the FA cup by Crook Town in about 1967.
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Stockton’s match at Roker Park was not against Sunderland, the ground was a neutral venue, but I just can`t recall who we were playing. I think it might have been in the final qualifying round for the FA Cup. Could even have been in the late 1950s. I have vague memories of Stockton playing in white & dark blue quartered shirts, does that sound right?
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I agree with you Anon, that Stockton produced some first class footballers. I know the team I played for in the 1959 to 1962 era was a first class amateur team that held its own against professional teams in the Midland league over this period. We also defeated a Boro team captained by Bill Harris with a full compliment of Boro first teamers in the North Riding Senior Cup, we also beat York City in the Final. Teams such as Peterborough, North Shields, South Shields and the like provided stiff opposition week in week out to the Stockton Amateurs. My point was that these players were let down by second class training, coaching and management. We had certain so called business people involved with the Club, who tried to have their say in who should be playing for Stockton, when in fact their knowledge of the game was non existent. The Stockton area has always been a hotbed of young talent waiting for someone to come along and discover them, and I imagine it is the same story now. Good luck to all those local hopefuls, as you will need it to make a living out of professional football. To those that do reach the heights as per Downing, Adam Johnson, Cattermole, you have the chance of a wonderful life playing the game you love and being paid handsomely for this.
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Stockton F.C. did not play Sunderland in the F.A. Cup in the early sixties, Stockton did not get past the qualifying rounds after being knocked out by teams such as Spennymoor Utd,Bridlington Town, North Shields, Tow Law & Consett. It might of been a Durham Challenge Cup game. Whitby Town played a F.A. Amatuer Cup Semi-Final at Roker Park in the sixties.
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All this talk of Stockton FC in the early 1960s reminds me that I once went to Roker Park so see Stockton play in an FA Cup match. Does that ring any bells with anybody, and if so what were the details of that match?
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I played about the same time as Dave Corcoran and totally agree with his comments, training wasn’t a walk in the park.
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You are right Dave, training methods & coaching certainly changed for the better by the late sixties because there was F.A. coaching courses being run at the Pressick School base, Middlesbrough & the Teesside & Cleveland Coaches Association was formed which those successful on the F.A. course joined. Some of the local lads that were successful were Keith Moody, Lol Hodgeson, Stuart White, Lenny Nicholson, John Kirk, Dennis Brown & a lad called Cross (teacher at Frederick Nattress School). I remember when Alan Murray the Middlesbrough player started training the Head Wrightsons team at Tilery Sports Centre. Eddie Graham did not agree with the training and asked for a ball. Alan got a ball & asked Eddie to stand in front of him with his legs apart, he then pushed the ball through Eddie’s legs & then turn & retrieve the ball, then continued to repeat the exercise. Eddie soon joined the rest in training.
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I played for Stockton around 67/68 and things must have changed dramatically from your time, it was a very professionally minded outfit. Bill Harris was player/manager and your old pal Harold Atkinson coach. The majority of players were ex pros, apart from one or two like myself. The training took place at Tilery sports centre on the all weather pitch and was not just the old fashioned training. Things in football training methods had altered greatly over a very short period of time from the early 60’s – boots, type of materials the strips were made of and also the ball. It still weighed the same at kick off as the end of the game which was an advantage.
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Thats the exact point I was making Benny, when you had experienced coaching elsewhere you did not appreciate this set up, but they still produced some good teams.
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Talking about the training facilities and the actual training at Stockton FC early sixties Anon, I ask the question what training? The constant lapping around the field and sprints along the terraces was about the full extent, very amateur and not suitable for players playing in a senior amateur or professional league. After experience with Hereford United and Crook Town before Playing for Stockton FC, and after leaving Stockton FC and playing in South Africa under a coach who was an ex Sporting Club Lisbon player, there was a big difference with accent placed on ball work and short sharp sprints. I am afraid the Stockton FC Club suffered from the problem of very amateur training and management staff in the early sixties, the only thing that kept them going was people like Mrs Pattison and Fred Moody who raised funds to subsidise the players expenses from their Bingo games and other fund raising activities. Modern day football calls for speed off the mark over the first five yards, not mile after mile of slogging around a football pitches.
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I was fortunate to play several times on the Victoria Ground as a schoolboy and senior player. The thing I did not like while training with Stockton F.C.in the winter months was the constant lapping round the outside of the pitch and running up and down the terraces near the scoreboard under Ronnie Robson’s supervision in the early sixties. The best part was playing under the lights outside the dressing rooms. A few players from other teams trained with us Eddie Wilkinson-Whitby Town,Stan Nicholson-Consett and Harold Atkinson-Tow Law.
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You are so right, to play on the towns football ground was a dream come true.I managed it twice,once for Richard Hind in the cup and the other time for West End against a youth club team from Redcar in some trophy. We got hammered about 5-0. Bobby Smith the former Spurs player played at centre forward for the Redcar team and he was good, very good. I think, if my memory seves me right, he scored four goals and did’nt break sweat or move away from the centre, just waited for the rest of the team to feed him the ball. They did.
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You are right it was the local schoolboy’s dream to play on the Victoria Ground in front of the big crowds Colin, I know your brother Peter – top man. I did not manage Heads, it was my cousin Bob Nicholson, and your brother Peter also helped out in the later years.
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As a school boy I remember playing on the Vic, it was always somthing you tried to achieve in school boy football which I did but once. I also played on the Vic against Stockton Juniors whilst playing foe Head Wrightsons. Len I know you managed Heads and I know you put a photo of Bailey Street school on once which had my brother, Peter Wakenshaw, on it – I can’t find it on the site now.
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The two people behind Ernie Seymour are Albert Wood, the referee, & Tommy Fairlamb, a Gashouse lad from Farrer Street.
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