No longer do fans have to take lots of cash to the football match after the Supporters Club invested in Paypal Here – a card reader for chip and pin and credit cards that also allows customers to pay by Paypal in the club shop.

So when you see that first team shirt, that waterproof jacket, the latest hat, badge and scarf and the DVD of the County Cup win, you can now walk out with all of them! All you need is the small plastic card in your wallet!

Card payments in the club shop will be available from Shildon’s next home game on Saturday 17th October.

A recent meeting of the Supporters Club committee discussed the issue of discount benefits for supporters and agreed that three Northern League away matches would be eligible for discount travel.

The three matches – the furthest travelled games for Shildon in the league – are: Ashington (scheduled to take place on Saturday 10th October), Penrith (21st November) and Morpeth (Boxing Day).

The committee agreed that if Shildon progress in the FA Vase, other matches will be added to the discount scheme in due course.

In addition, the committee continues to explore other possibilities for members of the Supporters Club to receive additional benefits of membership.

Last month’s league derby match against Bishop Auckland, which the Railwaymen won 3-2, saw eight local community groups receive cheques to a total value of £1,550 from the Supporters Club.

The groups entered the playing field during the half time break to collect their cheques from the Supporters Club’s Small Grants Lottery Fund.

The following groups benefitted from the Supporters Club’s community initiative, which has now seen £4,500 distributed to local groups since the lottery began in September 2013:

Spectrum Roller Skating Club
1st Shildon Baden Powell Scout Group
CATS Theatre Group
Shildon Alive! Community Garden
Tykes Youth Group
South Durham Counselling Service
Friends of Dorset Place
4th Shildon Rainbows

Supporters Club Chairman, Russell Henderson said: “Congratulations to all of today’s groups on their awards. We are delighted that the success of the lottery scheme allows us to keep making a contribution back into the local community.

“The Supporters Club distributes each round of funding after the lottery jackpot has been won three times. The next round of funding will be announced in the local press in due course.”

Small groups looking for financial assistance can claim funds up to a maximum value of £200 in any one year. The application form can be downloaded from this page’s sidebar.