Billingham Town - Bedford Terrace

Billingham Town FC

Bedford Terrace
36 Cumberland Crescent
Billingham
TS23 1AY

01642 656528
Official Website
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Ground Number: 362
Monday 21st April 2014
Billingham Town 0-3 Billingham Synthonia
Northern League - Division 1

BILLINGHAM TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1967 under the name Billingham Social. They joined the Stockton & District League in 1968 and went on to win Division 2 in their first season. After promotion to Division A, they went on to win the league title three seasons in a row. In 1974 Billingham joined the Teesside League, which they won in 1979. After winning a second title in 1982, the club was promoted to the new Northern League's new Division 2 and adopted its current name. A 4th-place finish in 1985 was good enough for promotion to Division 1, but their stay lasted just one season. Another 4th place finish in 1988 saw another promotion, and an impressive 5th place finish in Division 1 the following season was followed up with relegation in 1990. In 1997, Billingham finished as runners-up to Northallerton and enjoyed a more sustained stay in Division 1. They were runners-up to Whitley Bay in 2007 but were relegated in 2014 when they finished bottom, winning just twice all season and conceding 207 goals. In 2019, Billingham Town were Division 2 champions and would spend three seasons in Division 1 before relegation in 2022.  They made a valiant attempt to return in their first season back, winning a semi-final against Bedlington Terriers on penalties but lost to Birtley Town in the final on spot kicks. Finishes since have been towards the bottom of the table.

The club's best FA Cup run came in 1999 when they beat Ossett Town, Harrogate Town, Bridlington Town and Stalybridge Celtic before a 4-2 loss at Gateshead in the 4th Qualifying Round. During the 1997/98 season, they beat Evenwood Town, Glasshoughton Welfare, Chester Le Street Town and Bodmin Town before a 2-0 defeat at Spalding United in the 5th Round of the FA Vase. Local cup wins include the Durham Amateur Cup in 1976, the Durham Challenge Cup in 2004 and the Northern League Cup in 2008. They've also won two Stockton & District League Cups. The most famous player for the club is the defender Gary Pallister who played for the club as a youngster before his move to Middlesbrough. Also goalkeeper Darren Collier, who played for Blackburn Rovers and Darlington in the Football League before finishing his career at Billingham Town.

 The club initially played at Mill Lane, which had sloped to the extent that the crossbar was level with the top of one of the corner flags. They moved to Bedford Terrace in 1981, with floodlights installed in 1992. Hartlepool United funded the laying of a new pitch in 2007 in order to play their reserve matches at the ground. The record attendance of 1,500 was set for an FA Youth Cup game against Manchester City in 1985. The former Wycombe striker Tommy Mooney was born in Billingham, which is located near Middlesbrough and has a population of around 34,000. The town's chemical industry started in the early 1900s. In 1917, the town was chosen to be the site of a new chemical works supplying ammonia for the war. However, the plant was not completed until 1920, after the war had ended. With the World Wars creating a high demand for explosives, it led to a massive expansion of Billingham and post-Second World War, a new town centre was built. ICI began to produce plastics at Billingham in 1966. The company was well known for sponsoring Middlesbrough FC in the 1980s.

MY FIRST VISIT

As I had been to Spennymoor (the 3PM game on the hop) I was looking for an alternative game and had chosen Blyth Spartans v Whitby in the NPL Premier. But time would be quite tight getting from the hop's Bishop Auckland game to Blyth. So when I saw that fellow hopper Anders was going to Billingham for the town's local derby between Town and Synthonia and that it was kicking off an hour earlier at 11am, I jumped at the chance to go. For the third and final day of my groundhop, I woke early just before 7. After checking Facebook and watching some videos on YouTube, I had a bath and cleaned my teeth before leaving for my first game at Billingham at 8.50. I stopped at ASDA in Stockton on the way as I needed to get some petrol for the journey home. I then popped into the store, getting some diet Irn Bru and a dark Toblerone for the game, as well as some aftershave and deodorant to take home. I arrived at the ground just after 10, and after checking Facebook and listening to the radio for a bit, I went into the ground, paying £7 for entry and a programme. I got some pictures of the ground and a Bovril before having a chat with a couple of hoppers, John and Anders. For the game, I chose to sit in the stand for a change, as it was elevated and had a great view.

Billingham Town have had a dire season, setting all kinds of unwanted records and have conceded over 200 goals this season. Billingham Synthonia were doing quite a lot better than their local rivals, sitting in 10th at the start of play. They got their name from a fertiliser made by the local chemicals firm ICI. They were formed in 1923 and in 1950 went an entire season without conceding a league goal at home after a last-day penalty save kept their record intact. The most famous player to appear for the club was the legendary Brian Clough, while Aidan Davidson (who went on to play for Bolton), Craig Hignett, Curtis Fleming & Bernie Slaven (all Middlesbrough) have also played for the team. They have spent the whole of their history in the Northern League, winning it on multiple occasions, the latest being in 1990. They have made the FA Cup 1st Round on a few occasions, most recently in the 1950s when they faced Carlisle, while in the FA Vase, they got to the semi-final in 2007, before losing out to AFC Totton on penalties. They even made the FA Trophy Quarter Final in 1993/94, losing out to Conference side Woking after a replay.

So maybe it wasn't surprising at all when Synthonia opened the scoring after just five minutes, after the home keeper misjudged a cross and Michael Sweet's shot went in off a Town defender. They had chances to further extend their lead, hitting a post and having a goal disallowed for offside on 16 minutes. Fred Woodhouse did get their second on 19 minutes, and it looked like it was going to be a bleak afternoon for the hosts. Their misery was at least put on hold for a while, as that was how it stayed at the break. At half-time, I saw that another hopper, Splodge, had an absolutely delicious-looking pie; he was at Bishop Auckland. I looked at my sat nav as I fancied a slice, but it was 35 minutes away, and then I would be tight getting to Blyth, so I decided to give it a miss. A nice little bonus was that I got to draw the half-time raffle. OK, so it was only a strip of raffle tickets out of a Tesco carrier bag, but it's another experience to add to the list. The guy who sold the raffle tickets complained to the tannoy man that he didn't get a mention in comparison to the girls. So the announcement came, 'The big ugly git who sells the raffle has the result' He had been on form all afternoon, warning Synthonia that he 'knew where they lived' as a joke. The home side managed to stem the tide until 68 minutes, when Michael Sweet got his second and Billingham's third when he slotted past the keeper from inside the area. Town had been unlucky not to get one of their own a minute later when the Synthonia keeper made a good save. But straight up the other end, it went, and an even better save from the home keeper prevented an own goal. Town were even more unlucky when they had a shot that hit the underside of the bar and then got cleared off the line. In the end, it stayed at 3-0 and was a good start to my third day of hopping.

VISIT 2: TOWN 0-2 SYNTHONIA (5/4/26)

Originally, this Sunday was going to be very disappointing with three revisits. It was typical of the worst day of the week, which is either work or a day of compromise. This was to be the case for this day. I was happy to revisit the first one, Billingham Town, as I had not been there since 2014, and I also needed the Spoons. That said, I'd have preferred what was originally scheduled in Darlington Town. For whatever reason, they were not able to host or were removed from the hop, but should hopefully get their chance in the future. There were very limited options, but eventually I found a game in Guisborough Town Ladies v Redcar Town Ladies. It temporarily showed as postponed in midweek, so I was glad when the club announced it as on a few days before. The last game of the day was the least appealing as both Colin & I had visited Durham United in September. Sadly, there was no replacement available for that game.

And of course, Sunday being the day of Satan, we were in Billingham Wetherspoons when Guisborough was postponed. Having already secured a parking spot in a nearby industrial area as per the club's request, we walked 25 minutes to the Half Moon Inn, where we saw Sean and Ollie. That was when we learned that our game was off, which was most disappointing. Old Rosie and a breakfast muffin took the edge off, but it was still Sunday, living up to its reputation as the worst day of the week. I decided to follow the hop as a revisit to Crook wasn't the end of the world. We walked back to the ground, arriving at 10.50 and paying £6 to get in, a bargain. The home fans were creating a great atmosphere, and it had that local derby vibe to it. Sadly, no merch that I could see. Billingham Synthonia took the lead on 17 minutes with a decent free kick from Harry Healy, they looked very decent in green and white quarters, my favourite kit of the hop. They sealed the deal in the last minute, a close-range goal from Sam Irvine to spark wild celebrations and a boost to their survival hopes.

THE GROUND

BEDFORD TERRACE is a great ground for the level the club are at. Pride of place goes to a stand seating around 200, plus room for standing behind. This offers a great view of the action and has no pillars. Opposite is a covered terrace, again holding around 200. The rest of the ground is open, including a small terrace behind the goal. The bar and the tea bar are pretty decent, though I only sampled a Bovril. They have badges, stickers and mugs on sale from both. Overall, I'd recommend a visit here, the ground has character and the club is welcoming and friendly.