On a Tuesday night in South Shields over 1000 people have filed into Mariners Park, just around the corner from the Bede Metro Station. They’ve come to see their side take on Newton Aycliffe and hopefully reduce the 14-point gap (still with four games in hand) on league leaders and local rivals North Shields.
But for half an hour it looks as though the game might not even be able to go ahead. A third of the floodlights aren’t showing any sign of life and kick off is delayed. After 15 minutes the situation doesn’t seem to be improving and an announcement is made that, hopefully, we’ll be ready to go at 8pm.
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Eventually, the game does go ahead and Shields make light work of the visitors. It finishes 4-0 and the Mariners win for the 27th time in a row.
The blackout wasn’t the first at Mariners Park this season. In the fourth round of the FA Vase, South Shields were 4-2 down to holders Morpeth Town with ten men and only ten minutes left to play. Then the lights went off and the match was abandoned.
Conspiracy theories filled the following week’s chatter around the league. The timing of the blackout, the score and the fact that Morpeth had an extra man meant that they were all but through. Both clubs issued strongly worded statements.
South Shields refused to forfeit the tie and so it was replayed at Craik Park, Morpeth’s ground. South Shields won 4-0, and have gone on to make it all the way to final, which will be played at Wembley on ‘Non-League Finals Day’, held on 21 May.
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