-10th October 2006| back to top

Youth's win their first Cup.

Game ends in a minor controversy.

Redhouse Youths 3 Crown Electrics 2
Both teams were worthy finalists. However, neutrals would have put Crown as hot favourites. They'd cruised through their initial group and also the final group with maximum points to gain a Final spot. Youth's had been defeated off Sassco (in what was essentially a meaningless game) in the first round and drawn with Southwick in the final group stage. However, a stunning victory over Sporting Redhouse put them into the Final against a strong looking Crown.

Nevertheless, the Youth's were at it from the start. An early goal by Ramsay was soon added to by Coyne from a tight angle. Youth's thought they'd won it. However, Wardle, who looked trim and showed some excellent foot work throughout the game, picked off a mistake and fired one in as a reply. It was still all to play for, but Youth's, who now have the experience as well as a settled team, scored the critical third goal to make it 3-1. Crown were still not out of it and proved this by getting another reply. It was 3-2 and with two minutes remaining, Wardle keeled over with a very bad stomach problem. The game was held up and he clearly couldn't go on. The rest of the team wanted the game to be abandoned which was quite hypocritical and childish. Firstly, with two minutes remaining, the result would be standing and as in any Durham FA Affiliated competition, the game would continue despite any injury (regardless of how bad it would be).

So Youth's take their first trophy. They were finalists in the previous one and fully deserved this one. The Season 9 has officially ended now and Season 10 will kick off in two weeks time with 11 entrants. However, I will be confirming whether Crown Electrics or Hylton Castle will be entering. They've both ended on a low so I need to give it a day or so and confirm it with the management. If not, then we'll have 9 teams in the competition.

Official Friendly

Roker View 7 Downhill FC 0
BarPure.co.uk 7 Town End FC 0

-3rd October 2006| back to top

Crown and Youth face off in the Final.

Hylton and Sporting both beaten.

Crown Electrics 2 Hylton Castle 1
Castle started the strongest and had Crown on the back pedal constantly. An opening goal wasn't added to despite some intense pressure and eventually Crown equalised. For the second half it was 50-50 for a long while, but the game turned nasty when the referee received some abuse. Eventually, two players received the red card and Crown scored a late goal to secure a win and a Cup Final spot.

Redhouse Youth 2 Sporting Redhouse 1
Youth's did it again. They knocked Sporting out of the last competition and did it this time. Two goals in the first seemed to secure the win. Ramsay essentially tore Sporting to shreds before they came back with a goal. At 2-1, Sporting failed to add to their score to take the game to penalties (as both would be on the same goal difference) and Youth's reached their second Final to prove that they are definitely the form team in the League now that Wearview are no more.

Official Friendly

Southview FC 9 Sassco.co.uk 3
Roker View 4 BarPure.co.uk 1

Town End FC 4 Downhill FC 3

-26th September 2006| back to top

All still to play for.

Hylton, Sporting, Crown and Youth still in it for the Final.

Hylton Castle 1 Sassco.co.uk 0
A considerable performance from Sassco after last week's poor effort. The regulars were gone and two new debutantes came in against a strong looking Hylton team. The key issue for Hylton was not to lose. Sassco's disastrous performance against Crown meant Hylton really needed to win their last game regardless of goal difference. Only Sangha and Logan remained from the team last week and in came Simon Mulvainey, Mark Middlemiss, Gaz Anderson (ex-Wearview) and Gav Kershaw. A stubborn performance was broken when Gowey fired in a superb controlled shot. This was at the end of the first half. Hylton controlled most of the game and had the majority of the shots. Logan played superbly in goal and nearly got his rewards when Gaz Anderson fired in a late shot which could have equalised the game. 1-0 it was. Hylton have a good chance to get to the Final, while Sassco walk away with pride restored.

Southwick FC 1 Sporting Redhouse 1
A superb game in a very tight group. Sporting took the lead after some amazing misses (and saves) at the other end. It seemed as if the game was ebbing away, before Southwick equalised and looked dominant for a few minutes. Both these sides were strong and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. It's up for grabs now. Next week sees Youth take on Sporting. If they draw 1-1 next week, then it's two options - a penalty competition between all three if Southwick are there. Or, all three play on the same day (the week after). The fixture would be drawn out of a hat so that two teams will have to play back to back.

Official Friendly

BarPure.co.uk (Millfield) 4 Downhill FC 0

Southview FC 2 Downhill FC 1

Kit Rule.
Southwick FC have a £5 fine due to two players wearing incorrect shirt and one player wearing white socks.

-19th September 2006| back to top

Crown off to a flyer.

Heavy win could all but secure a Final place.

Crown Electrics 5 Sassco.co.uk 0
All Sassco's recent strong performances were put to waste as the regular squad came back in and played shockingly. Complete laziness and also failure to actually pass to feet led to Crown easily running out winners. They also didn't do the other team in the group (Hylton Castle) any favours by conceding five in total. Crown look likely to take the top (and Final spot) as Hylton now have to defeat Sassco and then gain a positive result against Crown. Robason struck twice as he keeps his rich vein of form going having scored a number of goals in their last game. Jeff Clark opened the scoring with a spectacular goal and they never really looked in danger of losing to Sassco in this competition.

Southwick FC 1 Redhouse Youth 1

One of two spectacular games tonight. Youth's were full-strength and took the game to Southwick. They probably had more shots, but suffered a major setback when Southwick scored. However, they didn't give up and it was Stef Mitchell who popped up and struck the equaliser. All square, which is an excellent result for Sporting, the other team in the group.

The top two teams meet each other in the Final.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Hylton Castle 1

Hylton headed the table at the start, but came up against another new look Sporting team. Steve Scott and Scott Johnstone were there for Sporting and made the difference as they started strongly. A goal settled the nerves for Sporting, but Hylton were stubborn and their goalkeeper, Pottsy, made save after save. They took full advantage with a superbly taken free kick to make it 1-1. However, Sporting had too much in attack and eventually ran out 3-1 winners.

Official Friendly

Roker View 4 The Bunker 1

Kit Rule.
Hylton Castle have a £5 fine due to one player wearing black socks.

-12th September 2006| back to top

Crown get some high scores.

Sassco defeat the Youth's to gain top spot.

Crown Electrics 8 Millfield Diamonds 1
Both Millfield and Crown were struggling for players. Millfield could only present five men and suffered the consequences. Crown ran up one of their highest scores as eight goals confirmed their Second Round place, in a very humid, but comfortable night of football.

Crown Electrics 11 Downhill FC 0

Two games never seem to bother Crown these days. They secured third place in the League with two back-to-back games and now easily navigated this group with an easy win.

Another massive score. Downhill had just played an 11-a-side, but struggled to keep the ball. Plenty of goals for Crown as confidence must now be sky high. They now face Sassco and the winners of the Sporting against Hylton game in two evenly balanced groups. Downhill need to get back to basics. Simple passing is all that's required. Also, possible a few older heads in the team which is by far the youngest within the League.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Redhouse Youth 1
Panic stations at both ends. Both my lot and the Youth's were struggling for players. However, we did manage to field six with Youth's having seven. Deano, Gav Kershaw (the goalkeeper) and Ally Hiles (ex MFS from Thursday last year) came in. We still had Logan, me and Tyzack. Youth's were missing Ramsay and Snowdon, but the rest were there. Happy to say that my three page text to the new players about tactics seemed to work. We were more disciplined than we would be with our normal side. Me and Gav at the back and Deano in front of us. Both Deano and Ally had astounding games and it was no surprise that we took the lead with a pearler of a shot from Tyzack. However, Youth's came back strongly and equalised with a precise shot from Kurt. Second half saw the same patter, but Tyzack struck again, before Ally Hiles scored in the dying minutes. Both teams are through, but it was played in a competitive atmosphere and Sassco, despite being vastly depleted secured another unexpected win.

Group B needs one game completing; Hylton v Sporting next week. The schedule is shown as below with the teams in the respective Second Round groups

Kit Rule.
Well done to all teams. No kit problems today.

-5th September 2006| back to top

Tyzack gets four for Sassco.

Southwick's record win. Bell's "debut" ends in tears against Sporting.

Sassco.co.uk 7 Town End FC 0
Last week, Town End started well against the Youth's but faded away. This week, the struggled from the start. Two immediate goals from Keith Mouat and Gary Tyzack effectively ended the game in the first five minutes. After that, Sassco sat back with Logan rarely troubled and Sangha, Gillespie and Dixon defending deep. Gary Tyzack notched up three more goals as he continues his excellent revival with Sassco, while Dixon and Gillespie also got on the score sheet. This defeat ends Town End's participation in the Cup as they now have a long break until the League starts. Sassco now top the table and face Redhouse Youth to decide who finishes top in the end.

Sporting Redhouse 6 Southview FC 2
Complete cruise control from Sporting again, as a changed side took advantage of Southview's gaps at the back. Southview had pulled off a coup by getting Tommy Bell to play for them, but it was a far cry from the Wearview days as his new team suffered a 6-2 defeat. Southview did manage to hit the crossbar on a few occasions, but that doesn't take into account Sporting dominance as Middlemiss struck a hat-trick. Marine's future in the group hangs in the balance as they are struggling with players (and basic kit rules) so the Southview - Marine result could either be awarded or another team could come in and play the fixture for Marine. Other alternative is to delete the team's two results.

Southwick FC 8 Downhill FC 1
It was literally men against boys. Downhill, fresh from an 11-a-side game struggled from start to finish as Southwick helped themselves to their highest score in the League and Cup to date. Normally Southwick have possession, but struggle to finish. This time, it was Chroma who started the rout and if he can score - anyone can score. 8-2 was the final game as Downhill look forward to a final encounter against Crown Electrics.

Kit Rule.
Well done to all teams. No kit problems today.

-30th August 2006| back to top

Bar PURE to sponsor the League.

First "local" company to be affiliated with the League.

Bar Pure will be sponsoring the next 6-a-side League. Previous sponsors have included Manpower, JDI, AGUK and SCI Europe - all global companies and none based in the near area, but Pure is the first local sponsor who will hopefully benefit from the vast amount of local people viewing the site. The numbers are approximately 6,000 plus per month with a staggering 160,000 hits.

Two brand new massive nights have just landed at Bar Pure and The Voodoo Room! Volume and Electro Clash!

Volume brings you two floors of killer music every Saturday night! Resident DJs Gary Pescod and DJLP will be there each week backed by Very Special Guests DJs. Downstairs will be House, Funk, Soul and Disco, with The Voodoo Room being more Rock, Indie and Britpop. Guests lined up to play in the coming months include Pete Brewis from Field Music and Pete Smith from Dusted! Get yourself for free this Saturday. Don't miss out!

Sunday Nights will now see Miss Dayna Lillie playing an eclectic mix of Rock, House and Electro Clash in The Voodoo Room with DJLP downstairs with his Indie/Rock record collection! Both Saturday and Sunday nights are Free Admission over both floors.

The Bunker is a professional recording and rehearsal space situated in the centre of Sunderland. Once an abandoned bakery, has been a musical haven in the city since the early 80s when it played host to local underground punk gigs. Now a flourishing music business, The Bunker offers a wide range of services to the local music scene, from rehearsal space and recording services to artist management and promotion. It has played an integral role in the rise of the Sunderland scene, which has produced famous acts like The Futureheads, The Golden Virgins, and Maximo Park. The local music scene owes a lot to The Bunker and would be non existent without it!

More information about the sponsorship will be announced shortly as well as more details about events at BarPure and The Bunker. The League will be known as the BarPure.co.uk Football League for Season 10 and onwards. There is also a distinct possibility of actually having a BarPure.co.uk football team within the 6-a-side League as well.

-29th August 2006| back to top

Sporting dent Marine's hopes.

Hylton's goal difference reversed. Southwick's first win. Youth's comfortable.

Redhouse Youth 6 Town End FC 1
Hard to believe it, but Town End started with five men and were soon 1-0 ahead. Despite the heavy scoreline, it was Town End's best performance to date with some good football and good chances. Youth's were lacking in numbers, but also a bit too complacent. The early goal jolted them, but they soon came back with an equaliser which "megged" the 'keeper. Further goals in both halves saw the Youth's take a 6-1 lead in the only group with three teams now that Wearview have left the competition. Sassco are the other team in the group and both them and the Youth's would be favoured to go through.

Hylton Castle 6 Southview FC 0
In one fell swoop, Hylton Castle completely reversed their one to four goal difference. Southview were in a sorry state. They didn't have Brian Marley to control them and clearly lacked leadership. Almost all the outfielders for Hylton, who themselves were struggling for players, were on the scoresheet and this was a team without McGowan to spearhead them.

Sporting Redhouse 5 Marine House 0
A reversal of fortunes. Sporting sat back and admired Marine's possession and passing, but hit them on the break. An early goal settled their nerves, but the second, a superb Wilson goal, didn't come until the second half. Marine collapsed, albeit still trying to play. Internal arguments and bad positioning didn't help neither. However, they've lost the momentum in a group which sees all the leading contenders on 3 points, with Sporting having one game in hand.

Southwick FC 2 Millfield Diamonds 0
Southwick dominated and scored a goal either side of the half to get themselves back into the swing of things after their opening defeat against Crown. They controlled the game and Millfield only had pot shots on goal. Crown look set to seal their Second Round place with a game against Downhill next week, while Southwick have to hope that Millfield suffer heavily against Crown, the week after. All still to play for with all three top teams looking to get the right result.

Kit Rule.
A lot of teams have been struggling to adhere to the kit rule in the past few weeks. Obviously I'm lenient in the Cup Competitions to introduce new teams, but from next week there will be no excuse. This week, Marine, Hylton, Southview all struggled for one reason or another. Next week, there will be £5 fines for any team which doesn't abide by the rule.

-22nd August 2006| back to top

Wearview Elite take the Double.

Brave Youth's fail to get the all-important equaliser.

Wearview Elite 2 Redhouse Youth 1
An expected tight game was opened up within minutes as Wearview went 1-0 ahead. They had a similar side to the one which triumphed in the Semi Finals against Sassco and looked well worth their lead. As the game wore on, Youth's attempted to get back into it but looked sluggish, a far contrast to their superb Semi Final performance against Sporting. The inevitable second goal came from Johnstone with around ten minutes left. Yet, Youth's were given a lifeline. A penalty awarded saw Ramsay smash it into the top corner. No major further chances came and Wearview took the Double and a stepping stone to the Treble.

Sporting Redhouse 5 Sassco.co.uk 3
Sporting put the team they wanted to put out last week, this week. For this Third Place Game. Jackson and Middlemiss were back along with Walker and the performance showed. Sassco were heavy in defence and despite conceding early, they soon grabbed an equaliser. Second half saw Sporting again take the lead, but Sassco responding and going ahead. Despite Davinder Sangha's pleas for his team to drop back, they decided they were world beaters and hurtled up the field only to see Trevor Walker hurtling back the other way to make it 3-3. Again, they moved forward and saw Sporting, with possibly the most attack minded team take a further lead to win the game 5-3. An enjoyable game which pitted defence against attack.

Marine spring a surprise.

Murton's makeshift side defeat his old one.

Marine House 4 Hylton Castle 1 Group B
Report written by David "Bunta" Murton. All round good performance, wasn't too sure if we were up to it, as I pulled the team together last minute. But we performed superbly and worked hard. Frog and Trigger were immense at the back with me in the middle playing the simply ball and conducting play then with Mickey Lawson (ex-Wearview Season 7 superstar) powering through the middle with some superb runs which eventually lead to him bagging two superb goals. Woody up front, looked nervous at first, but then settled in. I put him in twice and he put both chances away. Couldn't ask for any thing more! Man Of The Match - Mark Bewick (Frog).

-15th August 2006| back to top

Wearview Elite and Redhouse Youth in the Final.

Sassco defeated 3-2 while Sporting suffer a trouncing.

Wearview Elite 3 Sassco.co.uk 2
Alarm bells for Sassco as key players were unavailable. No Gourlay, Dixon or Oliver meant a debut for Mark Siddall and also a return for Gary Tyzack. Wearview were lacking Steve Anderson, Middlemiss and Hembrough, but were still formidable. An early goal may have sealed Sassco's fate, but same as they have done so in the last few weeks, they came back strongly and took a 2-1 lead. A very poor goal conceded early in the second half saw Sassco defending heavily - as they do and Wearview constantly attacking. Another poor goal was conceded when a Wearview player was left unmarked. They could have added to their lead, but in the last minutes, it was Sassco who struck the post. The chance was gone and Wearview, as expected, were in the Final.

Redhouse Youth 3 Sporting Redhouse 0
After their upturn last week, Sporting suffered at the hands of the 11-a-side's and lost both Middlemiss and Pud Jackson. An overall poor performance led to early goals from the Youth's. Sangha, kept the Youth's at bay for long periods, but couldn't really do anything about the inevitable third and decisive goal in the second half. After that it was cruise control for the Youth's in a game which threatened to flare up. For Sporting, only really Wilson looked a threat and was unfortunate not to score - but it was not to be as Youth's head into their first Final.

Crown back to form.

Solid win over Southwick. Millfield defeat Downhill.

Crown Electrics 2 Southwick FC 0 Group C
Both teams were suffering from lack of regulars, but it was marginal. Crown, after their humiliating and impotent performance the week before, which saw lowly Sassco dump them out of the Cup, looked as if they meant business. A goal scored in the first half opened the game up as both teams look impressive. Yet it was Crown, from Wardle - who fired mainly blanks the week before, where they took the decisive second goal. A superb shot left the 'keeper rooted to the spot. 2-0 and a solid start to their Cup group.

Millfield Diamonds 4 Downhill FC 1 Group C
Both these teams fell at the first hurdle in the previous cup and it was Millfield who hit the ground running. They scored in the opening seconds and never really looked back. A second goal saw them in full control, but Anth Pearson struck for Downhill as they tried to get back into it. However, a further two goals gave Millfield a solid start as they now head the table above Southwick and Crown on goal difference.

Also, thanks to Anth Mouat, who expertly refereed all four games tonight in the absence of Keith Brazier and Anth Topping.

-8th August 2006| back to top

Sensational Sassco!

Marine hammered. Sporting are back. Wearview cruise through.

Sassco.co.uk 0 Crown Electrics 0
Sassco.co.uk won 3-2 on penalties
Having suffered a blow from losing both Dixon and Tyzack as well as Gash Brazier, Sassco persevered with the same type of play which game them a mini-revival in their last few games. However, they played without a recognised striker as both Keith Mouat and Dave Gourlay weren't natural predators. Nevertheless Crown, who had defeated a weaker Sassco a few weeks back, called on a strong side with Greenwell and Wardle in the team. Staples was missing. It was Sassco who kept possession well in the first exchanges while Crown looked more stronger when on the attack. As the game wore on, Crown looked more desperate and were limited to long range shots. Sassco had defended well, but didn't take what limited chances they had, so it was to penalties where Logan, playing with a twisted ankle, was the hero as he saved Greenwell's penalty. Jase Amour missed, but before it came to Davinder Sangha's chance, Crown missed again and Sassco, from John Oliver in his second game back from a shocking injury, struck and Sassco were amazingly in the Semi Finals again, like they were last Season. This was their first win over Crown since 2004.

Redhouse Youth 5 Marine House 0
With no Bunta or Davey Black, Marine looked a shadow of themselves. Youth's, sporting a different set of shirts, looked as professional as ever as they systematically took Marine apart. Goal after goal in the first half led to an eventual 5-0 hammering as Marine's brief renaissance is over - until the next time. Ramsay grabbed a hat-trick while Baxendale got the other two.

Wearview Elite 5 Southview FC 2
A vastly depleted Wearview minus Hembrough, Middlemiss, goalkeeper Middlemiss and Steve Anderson took on a full-strength Southview team. However, winners are winners and despite struggling with a side, they easily beat Southview despite seeing an early goal replied to. Beam took place in between the sticks (replacing Bell - who enjoyed an outfield appearance with his dad!) and proceeded to give a penalty away and then save it. 5-2 to Wearview as they managed to get through without any problems, to face Sassco in the Semi Finals, a team they beat easily back in Season 7 at the same stage.

Sporting Redhouse 5 Hylton Castle 3
A brilliant attacking game. Hylton Castle suffered early blows as Sporting, featuring Pud Jackson, came out of the blocks fast to go 2-0 up, with Wilson and Pud scoring. However, Hylton grabbed one back before Sporting went into the lead again at 3-1. Hylton didn't give up and struck twice in quick succession to equalise the game. It was up for grabs now, but a mistake by Dave Farrell in the Hylton goal gave Sporting the lead again. Hylton didn't have the impetus to get back into it and suffered another goal. Wilson scored two, while Pud, making a welcome return for the first time since Season 5, scored a hat-trick.

Next fixtures (Sassco Open Cup)

-1st August 2006| back to top

Marine House scrape through.

Expected wins for Sassco and Wearview, but Southwick are eliminated.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Downhill FC 0
Sassco, despite finishing rock bottom of the League were expected to overcome Downhill. But, Downhill, controlled by Mickey Pearson managed to get ex-Royal Mail and Wearview superstar (albeit aging superstar), Steve Lawson to play for them. He hadn't lost any of his moves and was probably the best player for Downhill. For Sassco, it had to be Tyzack. Sorely missed in the last League game, he was clinical in obtaining his hat-trick, especially the third and final goal. In cruise control, Sassco nearly slipped up. The normally reliable Sangha (well, for the last three games anyway) decided to step into the box, but ex-Sassco player Mickey Pearson decided that he didn't have the heart to put one past his old team and managed to shoot wide.

Wearview Elite 5 Town End FC 1
A strange game. Town End were un organised and suffered a suspended kit fine, but held out well against Wearview (without Scotty H and Steve A). A soft opener from Middlemiss wasn't added to for a while and when it was - Town End scored straight from the kick off. Normal service resumed though, with Another three goals to give Wearview a 5-1 scoreline and a straightforward tie against Southview who stand in their way to the Semi Finals.

Hylton Castle 3 Southwick 2
A brilliant game. Southwick were struggling with personnel, but gave it their all. No one kept the lead for long in this one as it was 2-2 until the very end when Hylton Castle struck and kept hold at the back. A 3-2 win and a mouthwatering clash for Hylton against Sporting in the Quarter Finals.

Marine House FC 0 Millfield Diamonds 0
Marine House won 6-5 on penalties
The best game of the night by far. David "Bunta" Murton's expensively assembled superstars seemed to read a list of who's who in football circles, David Murton, Kev McKlusky, Davey Black and, er Kyle Robinson? They took the game to Millfield, especially in the pre-game warm up, where most of them were hyperventilating. However when the game started it was quite different. Marine had most of the play, but Millfield cleverly defended and tried to keep possession when they could, inviting several needless fouls. As the game wore on past the second half, Marine were obviously anxious. Chances came and went as they seemed to either scuff their shots or held on too long to be blocked or tackled. Full time and 0-0. An unexpected scoreline, but with Kev Mc in goal, they were favoured in penalties. Ironically it went all the way. Marine won 6-5 in the end, with the final chances missed by Millfield's new 'keeper and scored by Kev Mc. An unlikely hero in an enjoyable game, which presents us with the tie of the round in the Quarters. Marine take on Redhouse Youth in what, no doubt is going to be the highlight next week. At least Bunta's vast investment will now last for another round after this early scare.

Next fixtures (Sassco Open Cup)

-25th July 2006| back to top

Crown jump to third.

Youth's defeat Sporting.

A fine end to a brilliant season. All the teams were outstanding in terms of organisation and the vision we had a a top class, professionally orientated 6-a-side league back in 1998 was finally realised in full in this season. No teams pulled out, which sometimes is the case, and there was only one cancellation on the day - with the team still remaining in despite the fine.

Southwick FC 1 Millfield Diamonds 0
Millfield didn't a great deal to play for while Southwick needed to win to gain a high finish - possibly third. All three contenders ended the night on equal points, but Southwick missed out to a late run by Crown, who took full advantage of a Sporting slip up.

Redhouse Youth 3 Sporting Redhouse 0
The increasingly poor Sporting were taken apart by the rampant Youth's in the first half. A 3-0 lead looked as if it surely would have been added to. Yet, the comeback was on the cards. A superb goal from Trevor Walker initiated the fight back. A second goal put Youth's on a back burner - but they held out to give Crown the impetus.

Crown Electrics 3 Sassco.co.uk 1
Backs to the wall again for Sassco, but this time they didn't have the personnel. Gourlay, Tyzack and Gillespie were missing. A no show from Dean Robinson led to Mickey Ames making a first appearance. Dixon actually opened the scoring in Sassco's first strike, but an equaliser a few minutes later was followed by a 2-1 lead with five minutes remaining. Stubbs scored just after Gash missed a one-on-on. A late goal from Wardle sealed it.

Crown Electrics 4 Southview FC 1
After looking at a poor mid-table finish, Crown sneaked into third place after Sporting's defeat on goal difference. A 4-1 win over Southview was expected, but the scoreline showed strength in stamina as it was a back-to-back game.

Next fixtures (Sassco Open Cup)

-20th July 2006| back to top

Revised draw.

Two new teams have joined.

Two new teams, Marine House FC and Downhill FC have joined Town End into the Open Cup. Marine House are controlled by ex-Hylton Castler, David "Bunta" Murton, while Michael Pearson (of Sassco) runs Downhill.

Two teams, Sassco and Millfield have been drawn out of the next round to play against the new teams to narrow the field down to 8 teams.

.

-18th July 2006| back to top

Hylton seal the second spot.

Sassco seconds away from defeating Sporting. Wearview in cruise control.

Sporting Redhouse 2 Sassco.co.uk 2
The first game sprung up a surprise. Sassco, rooted at the foot of the table were only seven seconds away from a 2-1 victory over previous Champions, Sporting. Yet it was Sporting who opened the scoring. Walker's strike inside the right hand post. The second half saw more of the same. Sassco defending deep and Sporting having the possession. It was Sassco who struck through Tyzack - his second in two games. He spent most of the game as the lone striker with support from Gourlay and amazingly, when another attack was broken up by Davinder Sangha - who had an outstanding game, he scored again to give the "no hopers" a lead. But all good things come to an end as in the dying seconds, Sporting scored a deserved equaliser from Simon Williamson to give these ancient rivals a share of the points.

Wearview Elite 4 Redhouse Youth 0
In Wearview's final encounter, they easily beat the Youth's by 4-0. Scott Johnstone cemented the Leading Goalscorer Award with his another goal, while Bell and Dugdale (2) scored the others. The game got a bit rough when Johnstone was involved with Coyne, but soon eased over as the Champions now look forward to attempting to win the Open Cup in the next few weeks. Youth's need to look to the future. A good side which can only get better, but still probably lacking an out and out striker.

The following match report was sent in by Scott Hembrough (Wearview)
Wearview ended their Championship season just as they started. Quick flowing, easy on the eye, solid at the back and deadly up front! and a 4-0 win against the Redhouse Youths proved that. Wearview were missing star players Bainbridge and G Anderson but still had the quality beat the Youths. The start was fairly even with both teams having chances before a mass brawl between the teams took place and 3 yellow cards been given out, this clearly scared the Youths and Wearview's football did the rest. A superb solo goal from Dugdale gave them the lead and just before half time Bell scored from a mix up in the Youths defence. The second half was more of the same with Wearview dominating the play and the Youths getting frustrated and going in with late tackles (as usual). A brilliant counter attack goal from Dugdale again sealed the win before top scorer Scott 'Beam' Johnstone ended the rout.

Hylton Castle 2 Southwick FC 1
A now academic game for Hylton Castle as Sporting's surprised dropped points give the second place finish to Hylton. Nevertheless, this game was keenly contested and looked set for a 0-0 draw. However, Mooney managed to deceive the 'keeper with a shot which bounced over and into the back of the net to give Castle the lead. This was soon added with a superb placed shot through a ruck of players from McGowan. Critter Conlon had just missed a sitter at the other end which would have levelled the scores, but he did get a superb consolation near the end. Hylton Castle secure second spot in what was a great season of progress for them, although Mooney might need the needle and thread out for the big gap in his shirt.

Cup News

It's seems that two more teams are interested in joining. Downhill FC run by Mickey Pearson (ex-Sassco) and also a possibility of another team run by Gavin Kershaw. More info will be posted.

-14th July 2006| back to top

9th Edition of the Sassco Open Cup.

Draw made.

The Sassco Open Cup (formerly called the SFL Trophy) is Sassco's knock-out cup competition. It was renamed the Open Cup as it allows any well organised team to come in and take part. The cup's were moved to the end of the season so that new teams coming in are "vetted" to see if they can handle the organisation and strict rules of the League.

The draw has been made for the 9th Edition with only Sporting Redhouse, as current holders, being seeded into the Quarter Finals and Town End FC being placed in the Elimination Round. A total of 10 teams are taking part and the draw and schedule is shown as below (be aware that this could change depending on if teams drop out or come in).

The competition has a good history with some surprises in the past. It was given a new lease of life when played at the end of the season as it seems that all teams have a fresh start and can introduce new players and ideas. The results of the Semi Finals and Finals for all the previous competitions are shown below. The teams currently in the competition who have changed names in the past have the existing team name in brackets to identify them:

Season 1 Challenge Trophy April 2000
Semi Finals University 2 TCB Accountancy (Sunderland Select) 0; Sporting Redhouse 4 Durham Pine 1
Final Sporting Redhouse 8 University of Sunderland 0

Season 2 Challenge Trophy October 2000
Semi Finals Royal Mail 3 Groundwork 1; Pennywell Community Business (Crown Electrics) 4 Sex & Chocolate 2
Final Royal Mail 0 Pennywell Community Business (Crown Electrics) 0 (Royal Mail 7-6 on pens)

3rd SFL Cup April 2001
Semi Finals Royal Mail 1 Herrenknecht (Sassco.co.uk) 0; Tyne Port 3 BHD Windows 1
Final Royal Mail 2 Tyne Port 1

4th SFL Cup January 2002
Semi Finals Sporting 2 Runexact 2 (Sporting 2-1 on pens); Sassco.co.uk 5 Team Coulson 3
Final Sassco.co.uk 4 Sporting Redhouse 0

5th SFL Cup December 2002
Semi Finals Ellie Leisure 1 Crown Electrics 1 (Ellie 3-2 on pens); Sunderland Select 3 Sex & Chocolate 1
Final Sunderland Select 4 Ellie Leisure 0

6th SFL Cup July 2003
Semi Finals Crown Electrics 0 Durham City 0 (Crown 2-1 on pens); SR-1 2 EMS Europe 2 (EMS 3-2 on pens).
Final Crown Electrics 3 EMS Europe 0

7th SFL Cup January 2005
Semi Finals Wearview Elite 6 Sassco.co.uk 2; Fulwell FC 4 Ellie Leisure 0
Final Wearview Elite 3 Fulwell FC 2

Sassco Open Cup 8th Edition November 2005
Semi Finals Sporting Redhouse 3 Sassco.co.uk 1; Town Centre Citroen 4 Wearview Elite 2
Final Sporting Redhouse 3 Town Centre Citroen 1

-11th July 2006| back to top

Smash and grab from Southview!

Sporting's defeat isn't taken advantage of in the race for 2nd place.

Wearview Elite 3 Sassco.co.uk 1
Both teams were depleted and Wearview started without their leading scorer, Scott Johnstone. He soon turned up and once the steroids kicked in, he converted a 0-0 first half to two goals in the second half. Sassco defended valiantly and managed to block quite a few of the Wearview efforts, but failed to put their own chances away. Gary Tyzack was lone striker and fought an uphill battle when covered by two or three defenders. Nevertheless, he did score when Sassco were 3-1 down and made a game of it. They could have got a second near the end, but Wearview were worth their win. Scott Hembrough scored the other goal. The League is sewn up and there was also a request from Scott Hembrough and Steve Anderson for the two Cup trophies, "you may as well give them to us now," they both said in unison.

Crown Electrics 3 Sporting Redhouse 2
A corker of a game. Middlemiss put Sporting 1-0 ahead with a shot from a tight angle, but Crown soon equalised through Jon Wardle. They went 2-1 up through Greenwell, before Sporting hit one back. The game got a bit rough with both sides arguing intensely. It was evenly balanced until the final minutes when Wardle took a blast of a free-kick through a wall which resembled Wayne Greenwell's teeth. A critical defeat from Sporting as they could have well and truly relinquished second place. Yet an amazing result later in the evening saw their rivals, Hylton Castle, unexpectedly slip up.

Southview FC 1 Hylton Castle 0
A genuine smash and grab. Hylton dominated the game to the extent that their goalkeeper had nothing to do. At the other end, David Simpson pulled off one of the best goalkeeping performances seen in the League. Hylton Castle had some firepower out there - Griffiths, Murton, McGowan, Snowball - all stopped counting after the twentieth save. So it was cruel when in the last five minutes, Southview broke through and in their only attack scored the only goal! Disaster for Hylton Castle. They have one awkward game left against Southwick. If they win, then they're in second place, but anything else, will leave them sweating on Sporting, who play Sassco and Youth.

Southwick FC 1 Millfield Diamonds 0
Southwick seemed to control the game and got their just rewards with a goal in the second. It was 0-0 for a long time, but Southwick were confident of getting something - and they did.

-4th July 2006| back to top

Champions held.

Draws all around.

Crown Electrics 0 Wearview Elite 0 and Hylton Castle 1 Sporting Redhouse 1
Only two games on the night - but major games at that. Wearview, having sewn up the Title, were held and dropped points for the first time this season. A 0-0 against Crown boosted Crown's chances for a higher finish, but it seems highly unlikely that they'll reach much higher than the other two sides in action, Sporting and Hylton Castle. A 1-1 draw was probably more suitable for Sporting, as they have a game in hand to attempt to leap frog Hylton Castle into second place.

Also, a trophy will be awarded to the team which finishes in second place. This trophy is the old pre-season trophy which was won by SR-1. The trophy is a similar size to the Championship Trophy.

-27th June 2006| back to top

Wearview are Champions.

11 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

Redhouse Youth 2 Southview FC 1
Despite going ahead in the opening minutes, Southview couldn't add to their lead. The Youth's experience eventually came out on top as two goals from Ramsey gave them the points.

Southwick FC 2 Crown Electrics 2
A game which started in disarray. Southwick had to grab people from the sidelines for the first few minutes against a full strength Crown team. Yet, when the latecomers arrived, the game turned in the second half. It was reasonably evenly balanced until Stubbs and Wardle put Crown ahead in the second. A late reply from Southwick would be considered a consolation, but they added to it to gain a deserved 2-2 draw.

Wearview Elite 3 Hylton Castle 2
The last chance saloon, before Wearview would have an easy road to the Title. Hylton actually opened the scoring and it looked promising. But Wearview, being Wearview soon returned to action and grabbed an equaliser. They soon went 3-1 ahead before a response from Castle. It wasn't enough. Murton and Mooney got the goals for Castle, but Johnstone (2) and Steve Anderson scored for Wearview. They are now 11 points clear and can't be caught, so they take back the Trophy from Sporting Redhouse.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Sassco.co.uk 1
A depleted Sassco team featuring Dean Robinson, Jase Amour and Tim Gillespie played against a Sporting team, featuring Chris Middlemiss, Gary Davison and the ubiquitous John Hunt, who turned out to be the hero. Backs to the wall for Sassco, but two errors led to goals from John Hunt. At 2-0, Sassco kept the same system and eventually scored when Deano, clear on, lashed the ball into the back of the net. Another one didn't come and eventually, in the last seconds, Chris Middlemiss scored Sporting's third.

-13th June 2006| back to top

Unlucky Crown.

Five men lose narrowly to Sporting.

Sporting Redhouse 3 Crown Electrics 2
A superb encounter - more the surprise that it was five man Crown (less Greenwell) who took the accolades. A rasping opener by Wardle rattled Sporting as they looked slumbering, as if they expected a walk over. Crown closed down constantly with goalkeeper, Robason and defender, Robason, both playing equally as well. Yet it was two goals by Sporting, one of which Robason saved, before seeing it squirm agonizingly over the goal line. Second half saw Sporting coasting at 2-1, until a wonder goal from Jeff Clark from distance on the right hand side, pulled Crown back into it. A late, slightly deflected winner saw Sporting through, but Crown rued the missed player as they surely would have won this one with a full complement.

Hylton Castle 2 Millfield Diamonds 1
It was all Hylton, but it was also all McKlusky. Hylton, being camped in the Millfield half saw most of their shots saved before McGowan hit an opener. Yet it was a second half penalty which made life a bit more comfortable. Millfield were defensive and struggled to get some play going. When they did, they actually scored. However, the earlier goals (second from Murton) secured the result for Hylton Castle. Millfield's goals was late on, but didn't really worry Hylton as they consolidated second place.

Wearview Elite 4 Redhouse Youth 1
The big game of the night after the opening game was lob sided in favour of Sporting. Both these teams were full strength and confident. Kurt Baxendale fired in the opener for the Youth's as Wearview failed to react quickly. Nevertheless, an equaliser from Wearview got them back into it. It was evenly balanced until Scott Johnstone fired in the goal which allowed Wearview to look more comfortable. They led 2-1 and Youth's looked visibly gutted after so much hard work. It wasn't surprising to see two further goals for Wearview. Scott "Beam" Johnstone secured himself a hat-trick as he looks to head the goalscorer charts. Another Wearview win. It will only be a matter of time before they will mathematically win the Title.

-6th June 2006| back to top

Big wins all around.

Southwick hammer the Champions. Wearview, Crown and Youth comfortable.

Crown Electrics 3 Southview FC 0
After their "comeback" performance against the Youth's last week, Crown kept on with their performance and trounced Southview. An early strike from Jeff Clark set the pedestrian pace of the game which saw Crown add two further goals for their fourth win of the season.

Southwick FC 5 Sporting Redhouse 1
An overwhelming and decisive win. Southwick, now featuring Sporting's Chroma, gained a memorable win against the Champions. Two quick goals in the first half were not replied to until late in the first half as Wilson - one of two returning players (with Middlemiss) looked to get his team back on track. Yet as the game wore on, Sporting's attacks, featuring John Butler, floundered and Southwick gained three further goals. The opening goal was rare error from the Asian Sensation as his team seem unable to take on the major teams, having lost against Southwick, Hylton and Wearview.

Wearview Elite 4 Millfield Diamonds 0
The Champions elect took a further stride to confirming the Title. Goals from Anderson (2), Hembrough and Middlemiss saw them cruise past Millfield to make it eleven in a row. Who can stop them?

Redhouse Youth 5 Sassco.co.uk 0
Certainly not Sassco. They conceded two early goals against an improved Youth team and never got back into it. Youth's had suffered some setbacks in the last few games, but this one saw normal service resume. Sassco were missing Muers, Pearson and Brazier (their leading scorer) but still had a decent line up. Late on, it somehow flared up and both sides were lucky to keep six men on the pitch. A deserved win for the Youth's as they move into third place with a strong chance of finishing there in the end.

-30th May 2006| back to top

Wearview win - is the League over?

Sassco cruise against Millfield. Crown reverse their result. Hylton defeat the Champions.

Wearview Elite 4 Southwick FC 2
A hugely depleted Wearview all but won the League again, with a win over close rivals, Southwick. Wearview were missing Hembrough, Middlemiss and Gaz Anderson, but it didn't seem to affect them. In came Gav Wilson and Beam, who helped Wearview to secure an opening goal. It was replied to by Southwick, but once again Wearview grabbed a lead to make it 2-1. Another comeback from Southwick was soon dented when Wearview eventually took a 4-2 lead and a grab of the precious points with their 10th straight win.

Crown Electrics 3 Redhouse Youth 0

An over confident Youth team faced Crown, a team they'd defeated 4-1 only a few weeks ago. This time it was different. Crown were slightly depleted with Tom Robason forced to play in goal and no Staples in sight. Greenwell was back and was hugely influential. The Youth's were increasingly getting worried as the score was 0-0 and then slowly deteriorated once Greenwell had struck an opening penalty. It was disputed, but aren't they all? This set Crown off on a burst of confidence and soon scored a second. By now, the Youth's were arguing amongst each other which was quite unusual. But then again, it was probably the huge disappointment and their first defeat for a while. A third from Crown sealed it at the end. Two goals (one a penalty) from Greenwell and one from Wardle. Shocking fact is that this was only Crown's third win.

Sassco.co.uk 3 Millfield Diamonds 0
A bottom of the table clash saw Sassco continue their good performance even with Muers replacing the influential Pearson. They were up against a good backline including Kev McKlusky in goal. Nevertheless, it didn't take too long for the predatory instincts of Gash Brazier to awaken as he scored the opener midway in the first. Not too long after this he struck a second which all but killed Millfield. Sassco were in cruise control for most of the second half, but with eight minutes remaining, Gash took a swing - not a the ball but at a man and was deservedly sent off in what will be his last game this season (due to work commitments and a one match ban). So Millfield came back strongly, but surprisingly, Sassco, not a team normally comfortable in possession, kept the ball for the remaining eight minutes and scored a third from Dave Gourlay near the end.

Hylton Castle 2 Sporting Redhouse 0

The best game was the last game. The Champions were missing Simon Williamson, but Hylton were full strength. A tight opening half saw Hylton take the lead with Griffiths scoring. Second half was more of the same with the game marred by dissent from Kelsey and Bunta (both Yellow Carded). Eventually, near the end, just before Critter had a Sporting goal disallowed, Bunta struck from an angle to make it 2-0. A deserved win for Hylton Castle. Sporting are in slow decline, but still have a strong chance of second place, with games in hand.