Tow Law Town - Ironworks Road

Tow Law Town FC 

Ironworks Road

Tow Law

Bishop Auckland 

County Durham

DL13 4EQ

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1538

Saturday 4th April 2026

Tow Law Town 1-1 Ryton & Crawcrook Albion

Northern League D2

TOW LAW TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1890 as Tow Law F.C., before adding the Town to their name in 1905. During their formative years,  they played in a number of local leagues, including the Auckland and District League, the South Durham Alliance and the Crook and District League. They first joined the Northern League between 1894 and 1900 before returning to local football. They rejoined the Northern League in 1920 and have been continuous members ever since. Whilst it was a single division, Tow Law Town were champions in 1924 & 1925, though they struggled in the late 1930s. The league was expanded to two divisions in 1982, and Tow Law remained in the top tier for many years, winning the title again in 1995 and finishing as runners-up on three further occasions during this period. They were relegated to the second tier in 2012 and had to spend quite a while there. They were finally promoted back in 2022 after finishing 4th and winning a playoff semi-final against Boldon CA. Despite losing to Heaton Stannington in the final, a vacancy later became available, and they were able to return to Division 1. However, they were relegated at the end of last season after a bottom-place finish.

In 1967, Tow Law had their best-ever run in the FA Cup. They beat South Bank, Crook Town, Ashington and South Shields in the Qualifying Rounds to seal a 1st Round game against Football League side Mansfield Town, who whey remarkably beat 5-1 at home. They then managed to hold another league side, Shrewsbury Town to a 1-1 draw before losing 6-2 in Shropshire in a 2nd Round Replay. The team still went into the third round draw and were drawn against Arsenal at home. Arsenal were said to be "saved from a fate worse than death – a trip to Tow Law in January. This was a quote relating to the widely held belief that Ironworks Road is the coldest ground in the country due to its exposed nature. They also reached the FA Vase Final in 1998. After beating St Helens Town, Rossendale United, Dunston Federation Brewery, Histon, Sudbury Town, Sudbury Wanderers and Taunton Town, they faced Tiverton Town at Wembley, where they lost 1-0.  In reaching the final, Tow Law, with its population of only 2,200, became the smallest town ever to reach a Wembley final. The team took around 4,000 supporters with them down to London, about twice the population of Tow Law at the time. They've also reached the FA Trophy 2nd Round twice. Local cup wins include the Northern League Cup in 1974, the Durham Challenge Cup in 1896, the Durham Amateur Cup in 1893, the J.R. Cleator Memorial Cup and the Rothmans Overseas Cup in 1977. They've also won the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Trophy five times.

The most famous player to turn out for the club is Chris Waddle. Waddle began his senior career at Ironworks Road before joining Newcastle United for £1,000 in July 1980. While playing for the Lawyers, he worked in a sausage seasoning factory in Gateshead. Waddle quickly rose from non-league to stardom after his 1980 move to Newcastle, going on to play for several top clubs and gain 62 caps for England. Big striker Steve Howard was also a youth player at Tow Law. The town of Tow Law is located in County Durham. It is situated a few miles to the south of Consett and 5 miles to the north west of Crook and has a population of around 2,000. The town is mentioned in Mark Knopfler's song "Hill Farmer's Blues" from his album The Ragpicker's Dream. The name "Tow Law" is from the Old English tot hlaw, meaning "lookout mound," the name of a house which stood there before the iron works and the village were built. There was rapid growth in the mid-19th century after the Weardale Iron and Coal Company was established here in 1845. Blast furnaces were built, and collieries were opened; the population was about 2000 in 1851, and 5000 in 1881.

ABOVE: Pictures from my visit on Tuesday, 20th March 2012. 

MY VISIT

Out of all the grounds on the Northern Hop, this was the one I was looking forward to the most. It was one of the best-regarded grounds in the country, thanks to its rugged location and murals, amongst other things. I visited on 20th March 2012 for pictures whilst on the way to Gateshead from Curzon Ashton. With me at Everton the following night, it's fair to say my hopping in those days was not so well organised. I was still prioritising grounds at the higher levels and didn't have much knowledge of anything below step 4. It was also done solo in my car, whereas now, I'd favour public transport for one game a day. That was something that would be harder for Tow Law, with it being so isolated, and the same thing could be said about accommodation. Therefore, it was great to have it on the hop and visit multiple games in one day. One thing that I have learned in the intervening years is that Tow does not rhyme with go as is normal with the word; instead, it rhymes with cow.

It was a beautifully scenic drive to the next game at Tow Law, and we had plenty of time to admire it, with us being stuck behind a slow tractor for a fair while. We got there at 5.15. Our allotted parking was on a piece of wasteland, a former steel foundry. I took it very gingerly over the bumpy and rutted surface, but the main thing was to avoid street parking on the narrow local streets so as to avoid upsetting local residents. After parking, we went in. I think it was a fiver, but Colin paid to knock some off what he owes me for the Somerset Hop hotel. He also got my pint of Old Mout Cherries and Berries, which was £5. I  sat in the clubhouse for a bit and typed this blog as well as sorting photos. I went outside to see that the food was an uninspiring outside caterer, repeating the same stuff that had been offered everywhere else. It was windy, so I located myself behind the goal with Anwar, Colin and Richard.

 

Tow Law Town were in 18th and had won nine, drawn six and lost twenty-two.  They were on a good run and were unbeaten in four before their game at AFC Newbiggin on Wednesday. Ryton & Crawcrook Albion were in 9th and had won eighteen, drawn four and lost sixteen. They were unbeaten in three and had beaten Boldon CA 4-2 last Saturday. The wind made football difficult, so it was a relief when Tow Law went ahead on the half hour, Joe Bates scoring with a volley on the turn. Straight after, Ryton equalised, the goal scored by Louis Anderson was up the other end, so I didn't have the best view. In the second half, Ryton were the better side with Tow Law surviving a couple of goalmouth scrambles. Tow Law went for it near the end, but this tie was always set to end as a draw in blustery conditions.

 

THE GROUND

IRONWORKS ROAD is one of those iconic non-league grounds, and it is easy to see why. Situated in scenic countryside, the views are excellent. The ground itself is magnificent too, with a decent-sized main stand being painted in club colours with murals, around 250 seats in all. Behind the goal is a full-sized covered terrace for around 600. The far side is open terracing, whilst there is a small bit of terracing behind the other goal. Plenty of parking was made available, but I'm not sure about public transport. The only letdown was the extra bits. A smart but small bar with a limited range, a disappointing outside caterer and a small range of merch. It was a shame not to see the club make the most of the day, but it remains a must-visit for any serious groundhopper. Plus, in their defence, maybe it was a lack of volunteers that stymied them and I certainly wish them all the best for the future.

Newcastle Blue Star - KD Stadium

Newcastle Blue Star FC

KD Stadium 

Scotswood Sports and Social Centre

Denton Road

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE15 7HB

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1537
Saturday 4th April 2026
Newcastle Blue Star 1-1 Carlisle City
Northern League D1

NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although there have been previous versions of the club, this incarnation of the club was established in 2018. They took over the running of Hazlerigg Victory whose primary function was in recreational football, featuring U8s and up. That club was established as recently as 2007 and still has teams operating under the name today. Under their new identity, they spent five seasons in the Northern Alliance Premier, finishing 3rd twice before winning the title in 2023. It was a successful first season in the Northern League Division 2 as they finished as runners-up to Blyth Town. They beat Horden Colliery Welfare in the playoff semis before losing to Easington Colliery in the final. Following a vacancy becoming available higher up, the club were promoted as one of the losing play-off finalists with the best points-per-game record across step six nationwide. Last season nearly saw a third consecutive promotion following a 4th place finish. The reformed club is yet to win an FA Vase game, falling at the first hurdle for three seasons in a row. They did have a good FA Cup run this season, beating North Shields, Newton Aycliffe and Heaton Stannington before a 2-0 home loss to Marine in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

The original Newcastle Blue Star was formed in 1930, and the club was entered into the Newcastle Business Houses League two years later. The club would play in this league for six seasons before moving on to the North East Amateur League. Spells in the Tyneside Amateur League and Northern Combination would follow. In 1973, under the name Blue Star Welfare, the club had advanced to the Wearside League. They were crowned champions during its first season in the league and again in 1976. In 1978, the club marked its most notable achievement to date, winning the FA Vase, beating Barton Rovers 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium. By the 1979 season, the club had re-named itself Blue Star. The early 1980s were a successful time for the club. It won the Wearside League in three consecutive seasons. Around this time, it also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup, knocked out by York City, losing 2–0 at Bootham Crescent. The club joined the Northern League D2 in 1986. They won the title, winning all but two games, reverting to the name Newcastle Blue Star around the same time. They were close to winning the Division 1 title in 1988, but results soon declined.

In 1992, a consortium placed a pre-emptive bid to buy cash-strapped Fourth Division side Maidstone United with the intention of moving the club to the north-east and merging it with Blue Star, thus giving Blue Star League football. The bid was rejected by Maidstone chairman Jim Thompson. A Tyneside-based businessman named John Waugh (the then-chairman of Newcastle Blue Star) led a consortium to buy the club. The goal was to move the club 300 miles north to Tyneside, merge it with Newcastle Blue Star, and rename the team "Newcastle Browns. There were even ambitious (some said delusional) claims that the club would play their home games at St James' Park. Between 1994 & 1998, the club entered a sponsorship and ownership agreement with Roland Maughan, a prominent local businessman. It was common during that era for non-league clubs to take on the names of their primary backers or companies to secure financial stability. They were known as RTM Newcastle for four years. While some fans of that era might jokingly refer to it as "Road to Metrocentre" or other local puns, the official designation was strictly the initials of its benefactor. They were relegated to Division 2 in 1999 but bounced straight back as runners-up to Brandon United the following season. They were relegated again in 2003 but came back up in 2005 after a 3rd place finish. They were Northern League champions in 2006 but would have to wait another year for promotion due to ground grading issues. They moved to the Kingston Park rugby ground to facilitate going up; however, this proved to be their downfall. Due to travel costs, they applied to take voluntary relegation in 2008, but then reversed the decision. In 2009, Newcastle Blue Star finished 3rd in the NPL D1 North. They were promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division after a 4–1 victory over Curzon Ashton in the Play-off final at Kingston Park. The club hit trouble in May 2009, after being hit with a demand to repay £65,000 of loans previously made by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to improve the club's former Wheatsheaf Ground, on the basis that the club was no longer playing there. Although it was offered the option of repaying the debt in instalments, the club chose to cease operations a month later.

MY VISIT

From our game at Newbiggin, it was a half-hour drive to the ground. We parked on the street outside and went in. Of all the grounds so far, this had the most buzz, and the place was a hive of activity. After paying £8 to get in, I checked out the bar. They only had the overly sweet Inch's cider from what I could see, so I didn't bother. From there, I checked out the club shop, which had a huge range. Sadly, unless you were a midget or enormous, there was nothing I fancied in my size. I settled on a patch badge for a quid. Next up was food, the chicken curry and chips weren't as good as yesterday at Hartlepool for £6, but they were still very tasty. I then went around the ground getting pictures before kickoff. The attendance was not as good as would be ideal; quite a few hoppers had drifted off to other 3 PM games, which is always an issue on a three-game day.

 

Newcastle Blue Star were in 7th and had won fifteen, drawn six and lost twelve so far. They'd won four in a row and had beaten Penrith 3-0 last Saturday. Carlisle City were in 14th and had won ten, drawn six and lost seventeen. They were on mixed form but had beaten Crook Town 1-0 in their last game. Carlisle City dominated the early stages, and they took the lead on 7 minutes through Sean Bannon, who finished unopposed from close range. Newcastle Blue Star were very poor for the opening stages. They were trying to win set pieces, much to the frustration of the Carlisle City manager, who was booked for his protests. They were awarded a penalty on 38 minutes for handball, and Sean Reid put the spot kick away. The attendance was announced as 573. The second half saw Newcastle Blue Star dominate, and they had already forced the goalkeeper into a great save when they took the lead. On 60 minutes, Sean Reid latched onto a deflection to finish with a low shot. That was it for goals in what was a competitive game.

 

THE GROUND

THE KD STADIUM is a ground that has been built up from scratch; even so, it's an impressive setup. There is cover on three sides with a couple of 200-seater stands, covered terracing for around 600 and a corner near the hospitality area to keep another 100 dry. Other facilities are excellent with a large bar, a decent food stand and a club shop with an extensive range. Buses run nearby, and there is plenty of parking on the surrounding streets.