FA Cup : Washington 2 Shildon 5

A Five Star Performance

Shildon AFC strode into the 2nd Qualifying Round of the F.A. Cup after a 5 – 2 five star performance away to Washington FC on Saturday 3rd September 2016.

The Railwaymen opened the scoring on 10 minutes when a great cross from David Ferguson was stabbed home by Paul Connor.

Seven minutes later it was 2 – 0 when another great ball, this time from Ben Wood put David Ferguson through.

It was all Shildon with several corners, one after another.

In fact it took Washington 31 minutes to get their first chance of the game, but Callam Hope’s free kick was well saved by Nick Liversedge.

It was 3 – 0 and game over shortly after when David Ferguson’s glancing header easily beat keeper Dale Connor.

Shildon were stunned when Washington pulled a goal back on 42 minutes when a long through ball was missed by Shildon’s Dan Groves and Ashley Davis scored a cracking goal from way out.

Just before the interval the Railwaymen restored their three goal lead when David Ferguson put Paul Connor through and he chipped the keeper.

Half Time:  Washington FC  1  Shildon AFC  4

Just before the hour another long ball found  Washington’s No 8  Joe Walton for the home sides second goal.

Minutes later a long ball down the right put David Ferguson through on the keeper, but he squared the ball to the unmarked Paul Connor who fired into an open goal for his hat-trick and to restore Shildon’s three goal advantage again.

Final Score:  Washington FC  2  Shildon AFC  5

Goalscorers:  Connor 10, 44, 63, Ferguson 17, 38.

Subs:  Dodds for Bell 66, Rae for Connor 73, Vincent for Wood 76.

Man-of-the-Match:  A hard choice, are there were several contenders today. Ben Wood’s distribution was excellent. Paul Connor scored a hat-trick, but David Ferguson just shaded it, scoring two goals and creating two more.

ENL1 : Bishop Auckland 2 Shildon 3

An Anthony Bell double and Micky Rae header kept Shildon at the top of the Ebac Northern League Division One.

Trailing at half time to a goal by former Shildon player Andrew Johnson, Shildon responded in the second half to take all three points.

First a penalty by Anthony Bell, followed by a shot from just outside the box gave Shildon a 2-1 before Johnson again scored to equalize. Micky Rae scored with a header with 3 minutes left on the clock.

Full match report to Follow

Sidney Wheelhouse Presentation

At half time in our Bank Holiday game away to Bishop Auckland football shirts from both Shildon and Bishop Auckland will be presented to the family of fallen hero Sidney Wheelhouse and Directors of Grimsby Football Club. These shirts will then be placed on display at the Military Cemetery in Couin.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Couin

Sid was born in Bishop Auckland in 1888. At the very young age of 13 Sid turned out for Bishop Auckland, who were champions of the Northern League. He moved on to Shildon Athletic before signing for Grimsby Town in 1907, reportedly turning down Sunderland, where he was very popular with the supporters becoming captain of the team.

Sid married Agnes, a local girl. In the five years before the First World War, they had four children, although baby Sidney died before his first birthday.

On January 1, 1915, the Government announced that a special football battalion was being formed: 17th Service Battalion (Football) of the Middlesex Regiment. It was along the lines of the Pals regiments which encouraged groups of friends in towns like Darlington and Durham to join up together, so footballers, referees, officials and even supporters were encouraged to join the 17th. The concession was that, while undergoing Army training, the players would be allowed leave on Saturdays to play in matches.

On February 24, 1915, Lieutenant Arthur Tickler, the son of the town’s Conservative MP, had visited the Blundell Park football ground and spoken to the players. Obviously Sid, as captain, was the one he needed to convince.

Sid and his team-mates were among the first to join the Footballers’ Battalion. While they trained, they were allowed back on a Saturday to complete the Mariners’ fixtures in the Second Division – the last of Sid’s 247 appearances (39 goals) for them was on May 1, 1915, and after that the FA suspended the professional league and cup competitions.

In November 1915, the 17th was sent to Loos, near Lille in France, on the Western Front. The battalion comprised 600 football-related men, including goalkeeper Tommy Lonsdale who had played for west Auckland and Bishop Auckland before signing for Grimsby Town.

When at home on leave, Sid guested for Clapton Orient – now Leyton Orient whose entire team had joined the 17th – and made his last appearance on May 6, 1916, at Blundell Park. The match raised funds to build a memorial to the 31 members of the Manchester Regiment who had been killed in Cleethorpes when their barracks, a Baptist church, had been hit by a bomb dropped by a Zeppelin airship.

Leave over, Sid returned to the front.

By now, he was a corporal and the 17th were involved in the fiercest fighting on the Somme. He survived battles at Delville Wood and Guillemont, but on September 18, 1916, found himself near Beaumont. It was raining and Sid volunteered for a working party that was shoring up the sodden, sliding trench walls. At teatime, the enemy sent over a wave of trench mortars, detonated a large mine, and – before the working party had time to prepare – filled the trench with gas.

None of the working party survived the attack, and like Sid most died in the field hospital and Lance Corporal Sidney Wheelhouse was one of about 1,000 men that the 17th Football Battalion lost.

He is buried in Couin cemetery, near Arras.

*Italic text taken from Bishop Auckland Website