-13th May 2008 | back to top

Latest News.

Southwick FC out. AFC Redhouse in.

Due to the flexible nature of the Thursday League, a few teams have changed names. Southwick have withdrawn and will now be taken over by Gareth Brazier's AFC Redhouse Wonderteam (results and all). To avoid confusion, the team names are shown below.

• Hylton Castle are the same team since the start.
• Sassco.co.uk are the same team from the start.
• AFC Redhouse are taking over from Southwick FC, who originally took over from BarPure.
• Downhill took over from Town End FC.
• ALS took over from BunkerUK.com.

-8th May 2008 | back to top

Sassco's heroics against Hylton Castle.

ALS take their second consecutive win and remain top.

ALS 2 Downhill FC 1
ALS, bolstered by members of the two Hendon teams from Tuesday, controlled large swathes of the game against Downhill and never looked in any trouble. An opening goal was fired in by Wayne Ramsay, but this was soon replied to by a Downhill strike which going across from goal, struck the hands of ALS's pathetic stand in 'keeper and into the back of the net. Yet soon after, ALS scored again from Ramsay and dominated. Carl Middlemiss was the busier of the two 'keepers, as ALS remain top. They seem to have a formidable side on Thursday now, with Paul and Keith Mouat, alongside McConville, Ramsay and even Spraggon can't spoil things for them these days. Click here to view the Team ALS website.

Sassco.co.uk 4 Hylton Castle 4
Players were dropping out by the minute for Sassco as they found out they were playing the dominant Hylton Castle. It got worse before kick off as they only had four men and had to draft McConville in (who'd just been playing for an hour). Pre-match practice consisted off seeing who could boot the ball over the fence the furthest away. Ed Morrison finally turned up and the game started.

Castle dominated, but Sassco, now featuring Scotty Hembrough, were quick on the break. Lax defending led to two quick goals for Hylton Castle who were cruising. Ed then missed an excellent chance for Sassco as it didn't seem to look like their day. Nevertheless, within a matter of minutes, it was 2-2. Hembrough and Gourlay on the scoresheet. It could have been 3-2 but Hylton Castle's goalkeeper saved Dave Gourlay's penalty.

Early in the second, Hylton Castle went 3-2 up, but again, Sassco stormed back with Ed Morrison stealing the ball off Gav Dorwood to score. The goal to make it 4-3 to Sassco came when McConville lost all sense of direction and orientation and stormed up the field to strike the post from an angle. Gourlay had the easy task of slotting in the rebound. With five minutes remaining, Coburn fired in an equaliser, which was heavily disputed by Hembrough who was dismissed from the field. So with five men (just like they started) Sassco defended desperately and Simpson in particular was brilliant to hold out for a 4-4 draw. Hylton Castle were hampered by another injury to Gowey, early on, but the two goals from Mooney and the other from Denni Midd weren't enough to take the three points.

-1st May 2008 | back to top

Southwick see red against Castle. ALS comeback.

Cresswell and Hall dismissed for Southwick. ALS, 2-0 down, storm back 3-2 against Sassco.

Some skip rat bastard nicked one of our Sassco "The Bunker" sponsored balls. You can't miss them, as shown on the photos, so if anyone sees one floating about in Redhouse or Downhill, firstly, cave the little fucker's head in and then get the ball back. There will be a reward for it. If you film the beating on your mobile phone, then I'd be happy to put it on the website.

Hylton Castle 11 Southwick FC 4
It was all fine and dandy for Southwick as they raced into a 2-0 lead against Hylton Castle. The game was aggressive, with Coburn's late challenges causing anguish in the Southwick team. A flare up occurred between Danny Hall and Gowey, but it was Southwick who were more affected as Hylton Castle made a superb comeback. Keith Moon's outstanding volley past Kev McClusky, who had his hands over his eyes, made it 3-3. In the second half, a brief moment of indiscipline saw Danny Hall follow Mark Cresswell off to the side of the pitch leaving poor Southwick with only four remaining players. Needless to say, Hylton Castle ran out 11-4 winners. Cressy asked he if could come back on if he said sorry, but that wasn't in the rules. The amusing thing was that every Southwick player on the sidelines left the three poor outfield sods and Kev Mc in goal, to get battered while they relaxed on the sidelines. Southwick weren't too pleased so it remains to be seen whether they'll come back in for their next game.

ALS 3 Sassco.co.uk 2
A much weakened Sassco team without Yates, Gourlay and a whole host of other superstars faced up against an ALS team packed to the rim with them (alongside Spraggon). But it was the ageing and overweight Mark Muers, reluctantly called up, who fired in two superb goals for Sassco to give them a 2-0 lead at half time. Second half opened up and immediately, ALS fired a reply. They soon added two more as Sassco looked deflated. Keith Mouat, Scott Johnstone and Paul McConville were the scorers. Sassco came back strongly, but failed to get past Logan as they suffered an important 3-2 defeat. It's not surprising really. Every time I call up Mark Muers, I'm asking for trouble (and no points). Click here to view the Team ALS website.

-24th April 2008 | back to top

Hylton Castle dominant against ALS.

"Lazy" Southwick struggle for the opening minutes against Downhill.

Hylton Castle 9 ALS 3
Hylton Castle showed a touch of class in a completely dominant performance against ALS, who, as replacements for The Bunker, were sitting at the top of the table. ALS could have Logan to thank for a number of good saves in the first half, but he was unable to prevent the two which did go in. Mickey Oliver, transferred from Downhill to ALS, broke clear and fired one in from an excellent angle with the last action of the half. ALS' roll on roll off backfired in the second half as everyone was losing energy. Hylton Castle went on to score seven further goals to announce their return to the Thursday League after the long Autumn and Winter break. Mickey Oliver earned ALS' plaudits by grabbing two goals while Steve Lay got the other. Click here to view the Team ALS website.

Southwick FC 5 Downhill FC 3
Southwick featuring Critter, Danny Hall, Dale Huggins, Bri and co. had Kev McClusky to thank as Downhill utterly dominated the first fifteen minutes of their game. Carl Middlemiss, for Downhill, really didn't have much to do until he was picking the ball out of the back of Downhill's goal around fifteen minutes into the game. Within around five minutes, he did it twice against as Southwick eventually raced into a four goal lead. The second half saw a slow turnaround, with Anth Pearson firing in a seemingly consolation goal. Frog then helped himself to two goals to reduced the deficit to 4-3. Southwick's class shone through moments later as they fired in the fifth.

Thursday League

The next games are due to be played on the 24th April 2008. The kick off times will be 7:00pm for the first game and then 8:00pm for the second game. ALS are in as a replacement for BunkerUK.com, but apart from that, all the remaining teams have confirmed.

-26th July 2007 | back to top

Bunker and Southwick secure big wins.

Gash bottles it and hobbles off. Lewis and co. overturn an early goal from Downhill.

Southwick FC 9 Sassco.co.uk 2
Southwick came into the competition as replacements for BarPure and secured an impressive win. Hall, Dickinson and Sumner had all appeared for Sassco in a Thursday outing, but this time faced them. It was an easy win as Sassco struggled to get into the game despite having a promising opening. The win for Southwick puts their goal difference back into the positive - although goal difference doesn't count in the League if teams are equal on points.

BunkerUK.com 11 Downhill FC 2
A big win for Bunker as they leapfrog Sassco into top place. Lewis banged in five will Jimmy grabbed a hat-trick. Other goals came from Bell, Mickey and Defty.

-19th July 2007 | back to top

Sangha strikes from the spot.

Sassco overturn a 2-0 deficit to defeat Downhill .

Sassco.co.uk 8 Downhill FC 3
A weakened Sassco faced a strong looking Downhill and it was no surprise to see Downhill race into a 2-0 lead. However, Sassco spurred on by Jiff Dickinson hit back and grabbed two goals. Sassco were missing Staples, Gourlay and Gash, but managed to call on Carl Middlemiss and Chris Taylor. Kev Mc was outfield. Downhill made another comeback to make it 3-2, but Sassco eventually ran out 8-3 winners. A penalty from Sangha (after Taylor bottled it) was also dispatched and Mark M failed to score.

BarPure are no longer in the League, but it is possible for any team to come in and replace them. For example, a Tuesday team can come in for one off games if they wish.

-12th July 2007 | back to top

Jiff and Josh down Castle.

Superb five man performance from Sassco. Bunker hammer BarPure.

BunkerUK.com 6 BarPure.co.uk 1
Another strong dominating performance from Bunker. At one stage it was 2-1, but Bunker's superstar team scored another four to take the game 6-1. One of the goals was a stunning volley from Stephen Lewis, who seems to be hitting top form in the 6-a-side leagues. He grabbed four goals in this comprehensive victory.

* £5 fine for incorrect short and socks for BarPure.co.uk

Sassco.co.uk 3 Hylton Castle 2
A stunning win for Sassco, considering that they were down one man, with Gash getting sent off again, 2-1 down and then made a breakaway comeback. It was 1-0 to Sassco with Josh opening the scoring . Sassco were depleted. Danny Hall, Mark M, Dave G and Chris Dixon were all missing. In came Josh Lay and David Staples. Hylton Castle were reasonably full-strength and soon grabbed the equaliser. They controlled large parts of the game with Sassco relying on breakaways. In the second half, Coburn and Brazier had a scuffle which resulted in Gash lashing out. Not long after this, Castle went 2-1 up. Kev Mc was easily the Man-of-the-moment let alone match. He made several saves before and after Jiff and Josh struck to secure an unlikely win.

This Thursday competition could be on it's last legs. It's a break even payment system and teams have been short recently. Today was okay, with everyone paying up, but if it happens again, then it's likely I'll end the competition after the first round of games. The cost for referee is £20 and pitch is £40. So all teams paying £15 each understand the costs. Managers of teams are always responsible for payment from their players. If they don't pay, then don't play them and get someone else in.

-5th July 2007 | back to top

Sassco comeback. Castle's record win.

Both games played amidst pouring rain.

Sassco.co.uk 5 BunkerUK.com 5
Bunker spent most of the game decimating the Sassco side. Simple one-two's were not dealt with and it wasn't long when Bunker went 2-0 ahead. Even then, the scoreline was down to Kev McClusky's heroics. Dixon gained a goal for Sassco, but the second half saw Bunker overwhelm Sassco continuously and score another two. At 4-1, Bunker criminally eased off which caused a stunning comeback. With nine minutes remaining, Sassco grabbed three goals in succession to make it 4-4. Even then, Bunker, with three minutes left, scored to make it 5-4. However, Sassco grabbed the equaliser in the dying seconds. Kyle Sumner and Danny Hall along with Josh Lay came into the side to replace the missing Gash Brazier and Dave Gourlay. Bunker were full-strength, albeit with no subs.

Hylton Castle 19 Downhill FC 1
Downhill suffered an onslaught from start to finish and soon looked bewildered. A record score for a one-hour game. Everyone on Hylton's team scored. The game was played in miserable conditions, so it wasn't pleasant for Downhill despite good chances whenever they rarely ventured over the halfway line. Coburn went in goal, replacing the almost unused Potts near the end. His first duty was to pick the ball out of the back of the net. Downhill strangely turned down the offer at half time to play 7-a-side as both teams had people on the sidelines. Strange that they'd want to stand their freezing and soaking their backsides off.

-27th June 2007 | back to top

Latest News.

CNSC Season 6 ready to kick off.

After a few ideas bounced back and forward between the teams, it's been decided to commence CNSC Season 6 on the 5th July, instead of the planned friendly games. The League will follow the same format as before, but once everyone has played each other, it will commence again and continue in this format until May/June 2008.

In May/June 2008, the renamed CNSC Tournament will take place with Hylton Castle as Title Holders and Sassco.co.uk as Cup Holders. After this, CNSC Season 7 will commence.

At the moment, four teams have confirmed. BunkerUK.com, Sassco.co.uk, BarPure.co.uk and Downhill FC. Hylton Castle have yet to confirm entry, but the competition will start with four teams next week.

-21st June 2007 | back to top

Sassco's first trophy since 2001.

The overwhelming favourites are out-thought in the Final.

The winning Sassco.co.uk team, pictured with the CNSC Cup. Standing are Gareth Brazier, Chris Dixon, Kevin McClusky, Davinder Sangha. Sitting are Dave Gourlay, Mark Middlemiss and Anthony Yates.

Sassco.co.uk 6 BunkerUK.com 3 Final
It was quite obvious after last week that Bunker were by far the overwhelming favourites to win the CNSC Cup. They'd destroyed Hylton Castle with some scintillating football in the Semi Final and were confident having had the better of Sassco in the League game played a few weeks ago. So, Sassco were facing a strong team. Charlie, Tommy Bell, Jimmy Raeper, Swinhoe were all there along with Bri Marley and Simma in goal. Paul McClusky also came in and Lewis - who had a blinder against Hylton Castle was at the heart of the defence.

But as with many things, the favoured team sometimes struggle. Noting that Bunker only really had Brian Marley as a defensive player, Sassco decided to defend heavily as they did against Southwick in the Cup on Tuesday. The team they put out was the same side they'd had most of the season, Gourlay, Gash, Digga, McClusky, Yates, Middlemiss and Sangha. True to form, they suffered an early onslaught. Kev McClusky was called on several times, but couldn't do anything about the opening goal. It was 1-0, but Sassco soon got back into it and eventually went ahead. Gash scored a deflected strike and then Dave Gourlay put away a good penalty. It was the crucial third before half time which put Sassco in the driving seat. Mark Middlemiss, clear on goal "lashed" it through Simma in goal.

The second half, like the first, was played in shocking torrential rain. It came down just before kick off and was relentless. It was probably the cause of some slip ups from Simma. One came in the second half to put Sassco 4-1 ahead. It was this time when Bunker inevitably came back into it. They grabbed a penalty which Charlie scored with ease and then Bri Marley scored a superb long range effort. 4-3 and the pressure was definitely on. Just as Sassco were looking to crumble, they got one back to make it 5-3. Dixon scored it and essentially it was over. Finally, Yatesy struck the sixth to bury the opponents and confirmed Sassco's name on the Cup. 6-3 was the final scoreline and a deserved one for Sassco. They defended well and in numbers and took their chances. All the side, apart from you-know-who scored. Gash scored two great goals after a stuttering opening. Dave Gourlay scored and Mark Middlemiss hammered in the best shot of the game. Sangha performed strongly in defence and McClusky made some tremendous saves in slippery and miserable conditions to see Sassco win their first trophy since 2001.

The glass trophy is now proudly sitting in Kev McClusky's house (probably full of fruit or sweets) just there as a cruel reminder to Paul.

This brings the Thursday competition to a conclusion. Due to the popularity and enjoyment for all teams, the next competition could be held within a couple of months time, depending on pitch availability. We might just consider a set of friendlies (with a referee) as it's probably fair that both Castle and Sassco should keep the trophies for at least a year.

-7th June 2007 | back to top

Hylton Castle take it again.

Sassco's late comeback not enough.

Hylton Castle 4 Sassco.co.uk 3
Another great conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable tournament. Hylton Castle were hot favourites to keep hold of the trophy, as Sassco needed a victory.

It didn't happen, but amazingly, the game mirrored the 2006 final game in that Hylton Castle stormed ahead. It seemed there would be a high score and humiliation for Sassco, but at 3-0, they made a comeback. Danny Hodgson kept both teams in it by firing two goals for Castle (Gowey scored the other) and then conceding a penalty. At this stage, it was 3-1. Gash Brazier had scored what seemed to be a consolation goal, but then proceeded to hit the penalty wide. Sassco paid for it when Coburn lashed in the fourth to make it 4-1.

But then the comeback happened. Quite a few chances were missed at both ends. Sangha, in defence and McClusky in goal for Sassco both had exceptional games as being outnumbered, they still stalled the attacks. Sangha managed to block the ball with several body parts throughout the game. At the other end, Gash fired in a goal and so did Yates. But the more obvious ones were missed as Sassco ran out of steam.

Good performances from Dixon and Mark M, but Hylton Castle deserved the win to take the Title. Coburn, Arny, Dorwood and Gowey were a massive threat during the whole tournament, whilst Danny Hodge and Pottsy held on strong at the back. Roll on next year, but before that, Bunker in the cup.

-26th April 2007| back to top

Thursday League news.

Five team competition - more could be added.

As last season, the games last 1 hour each (30 minutes each way). It's still 6-a-side, but with roll-on and roll off substitutes. There will be only a maximum of two games on per night depending on pitch availability. At the moment only one slot between 7pm and 8pm is available. Each team will play each other team once and the winner in the four team League will be crowned as Champions. Current Champions are Hylton Castle.

A cup competition might also be staged. Again, it will be a one-hour game with penalties to decide the winners if required. This will be immediately after the League. Southwell currently hold the Cup.

Current cost per game is £15 and there is no entrance fee required. Due to keeping costs down, there are no individual awards. The winning team will keep the trophies until the next season though.

The entrants at the moment are:

• Sassco.co.uk
• Town End FC
• Hylton Castle
• BunkerUK.com
• BarPure.co.uk

Past Winners: League

CNFL Season 1 Sunderland Select (2nd InTune)
CNFL Season 2 Abandoned
CNSC Season 1 SR-1 (2nd Southwell FC)
CNSC Season 2 Southwell FC (2nd Wearview Elite)
CNSC Season 3 Southwell FC (2nd Sporting Redhouse)
CNSC Season 4 Hylton Castle (2nd Sassco.co.uk)

Past Winners: Cup

CNFL Season 1 Sunderland Select 3 InTune 1
CNFL Season 2 Abandoned
CNSC Season 1 Southwell FC 3 Wearview Elite 2
CNSC Season 2 No competition
CNSC Season 3 No competition
CNSC Season 4 No competition

Brief history on the Thursday competition. CNFL Season 1 was a huge success. It was neck and neck between Sunderland Select and InTune for most of the season. Yet Select, hardened from their successes on the Tuesday League broke clear and eventually won both competitions. CNFL Season 2 was abandoned not long after starting as I personally didn't control it anymore due to other commitments.

It was then revived under the CNSC name with a good first season which saw SR-1 triumph in the League and Southwell in the Cup. The second season suffered the Thursday curse as teams dropped out - more down to the lack of organisation from the teams rather than the competition. The Title had to be decided in a Play Off which Southwell thrillingly came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against Wearview Elite in the dying seconds. There was obviously no cup competition.

The third series was the strongest since the initial CNFL competition. Southwell again triumphed with Sporting Redhouse chasing them all the way. However, two teams still dropped out from a total of 8. Crucially, both the teams which dropped out were newcomers. The remaining six were modified Tuesday teams. This competition didn't have a separate cup competition neither.

Season 4 was a drastic change. Played only as a summer competition, four teams from Tuesday were invited and the games were played as 1 hour games with one game played each week. Both Sassco.co.uk and Hylton Castle went head to head with both winning their games against Southview and Town End, before a final game thriller which saw Hylton Castle beat Sassco 4-3 to take the Title.