OPINION: Reflecting on a month of contrasting emotions for South Tyneside non-league clubs

Has there ever been a month full of more contrasting emotions for non-league football in South Tyneside?

It seems barely believable to suggest just under three weeks have passed since Kevin Phillips and his South Shields players secure the Northern Premier League title with a narrow win on a historic day at Whitby Town as Tom Broadbent headed himself into the history books as the man that got the goal to secure promotion at the fourth time of asking.

Just five days later, the Mariners celebrated their latest acheivement under the watch of Geoff Thompson in front of over 3,200 supporters at a jubilant 1st Cloud Arena. However, a twist in the tale followed last weekend when Phillips and the Mariners parted company, much to the surprise of some. The search for a successor is now over as speculation became reality when Julio Arca confirmed his romantic return to the club and his immediate task is fronting preparations for a first ever tilt at the National League North and preparing for meetings with the likes of Hereford and Scunthorpe United.

On the same day South Shields confirmed the departure of one Sunderland legend, Northern Premier League East rivals Hebburn Town were in a celebratory mood as their 3-1 home win against Cleethorpes Town secured their highest ever league finish, with third place in non-league’s fourth tier setting up a play-off semi-final against Long Eaton United. In many ways, the 120 minutes played out at the Green Energy Sports Ground on Tuesday night summed up South Tyneside’s month! Half of it was draining as Long Eaton took advantage of poor defending to take a two-goal lead, yet there was time for celebration as Hebburn roared back into the game with player-manager Daniel Moore’s last-gasp equaliser forcing extra-time and a penalty shoot-out.

Alas, it was to end in Hornets heartbreak, as their visitors held their nerve from 12 yards to set up a play-off final trip to Stockton Town on Saturday and left Moore and his players to focus on next Wednesday’s Durham Challenge Cup Final meeting with National League North club Spennymoor Town. Reaching the final and a play-off place means the season should be viewed as a success for Hebburn, no matter what happens at the Stadium of Light next week.

Just over a mile along the road at Jarrow, Northern League Division Two status was secured on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 home win against a Blyth Town side that have challenged for a play-off spot throughout the season. The aftermath of the game brought the sad news Perth Green stalwart Dave Bell was stepping down from his role as joint-manager, a move that brings his 17-year association with Jarrow to a close.

Dave, as anyone that has dealt with him will suggest, is one of non-league football’s good guys. A genuine, passionate and honest football man, who has given service to a club that, by his own admission, holds a special place in his heart. Such people, such passion, and such loyalty, is what non-league football is built upon, and he will be a miss on the touchline at Perth Green. Just 48 hours later, following a season-ending home defeat against Esh Winning, Jarrow revealed Bell’s fellow joint-manager Scott Oliver was also to step down. Over the last two and a half years, both men have been a pleasure to deal with as they guided the club through the challenges and aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. A season of struggle should not detract from their efforts and commitment to the cause is such challenging circumstances.

Then there is Boldon CA, feeling neither high nor low in securing a mid-table finish in only their second season as a Northern League club. Some may suggest, given last season’s remarkable and successful push for a play-off place, a mid-table finish is a sign of regression rather than progression. But again, it would be advisable to remember this is still only the club’s second year in the Northern League and they are no longer the unknown quantity to their competitors. It has been another learning curve - and in some ways, David Crumbie, his coaches and the Boldon players will be better off for having experienced a year littered with challenges.

So that rounds off a dramatic month that formed just part of an extraordinary season for non-league clubs in South Tyneside. Now it’s on to a Durham Challenge Cup Final, an upcoming managerial appointment and one newly-appointed manager settling into life at the area’s highest-ranked club - and that’s before the usual hectic close-season activity gets underway over the next month.