New play recaptures magic of South Shields' FA Vase win at Wembley

A new play is to recapture the magic of South Shields' FA Vase win at Wembley.

By Reporter
Tuesday, 2nd April 2019, 12:46 pm
Updated Tuesday, 2nd April 2019, 1:04 pm
South Shields celebrate winning the FA Vase in 2017.

Thousands of fans travelled to London to see the Mariners lift the trophy with a 4-0 victory over Cleethorpes Town back in 2017.

Now, 'Everywhere We Go' will relive the club's memorable exploits when it is performed to audiences next month.

Dale Meeks has written 'Everywhere We Go' with Iain Cunningham.

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Written by Dale Meeks and Iain Cunningham, it tells the story of the cup run through the eyes of four fans.

Dale said: "It is not just for football fans. It is a celebration of the town as a whole.

"I don’t think people are going to be bombarded with facts and figures and lots of in-jokes.

"When you look at the amount of people who turned up at Wembley compared to the number of people who go to the games every week, a huge proportion of people just went because South Shields got to Wembley.

"It was important for Iain and I as writers to reflect that in the play. Not everyone’s going to be a die-hard South Shields fan, so it has to be accessible."

The first half of the play recalls the early stages of the Vase run before the second half focuses on the trip to Wembley, fans gathering in Covent Garden and the final itself.

Iain said: " To be combining my two passions for football and theatre is really exciting.

"The whole journey that South Shields FC has been on has really gripped the town and that weekend in London was something that I’ll remember forever."

The pair are currently putting the finishing touches to the script, but the play has been cast and rehearsals will start next month at South Shields' home ground, Mariners Park.

Dale, who will direct the production, added: "The club has been very supportive and given us their full backing. They are really excited about it, which is great."

Winning the Vase in 2017 capped a memorable season for South Shields, in which they were also crowned Northern League champions and won the League Cup and Durham Challenge Cup.

This season they are currently pushing for promotion from the Northern Premier League's Premier Division into the National League North.

* 'Everywhere We Go' will run from Wednesday, May 22, to Saturday, May 25, at the Customs House.