TOW LAW TOWN (Ironworks Road)

FA VASE 1st QUALIFYING ROUND, TOW LAW TOWN 1-3 NORTON & STOCKTON ANCIENTS, ATTENDANCE: 57

After last weeks visit to Morpeth Town in the FA Cup, it was another trip to the North East for another Road to Wembley. The FA vase kicked off this weekend as 388 teams from step 5 and below in the pyramid dream of a day out 'underneath the arch' next May.

I opted for the all Northern League Division Two clash between Tow Law Town and Norton & Stockton Ancients (7th v 6th in the current table).

A mate of mine was heading up this way to watch another Vase tie 5 miles down the road at Crook, so he very kindly dropped me and another mate off in Tow Law before heading to the Sir Tom Cowie Millfield. After a breakfast stop in Carnforth, and an ale stop at the Stanley Jefferson in Bishop Auckland, we were dropped off in town just after 2pm. There was not a lot happening so we headed to the nearest pub to catch the end of the United v City game on television.

Tow Law Town has been on my groundhopping radar for quite a while. Maybe it is the name, Tow Law deriving from the Old English "tot hlaw" which meant "a look out mound" which was there before the village was built. Maybe it is because I first come across the name, when I was an impressionable youngster, in my Panini Football '85 sticker book (pictured right) as Chris Waddle was signed by Newcastle United from Tow Law Town in 1980 for £1,000. Whatever the reason I finally made it today and it was well worth the trip!

Nicknamed The Lawyers, the club have been in existence since 1894, joining the Northern League in 1920, and play their home games at Ironworks Road (the Ironworks works were established in the mid 1800's by Charles Attwood , which expanded the town population rapidly, before closing by the end of the century).

The ground is 1,000 feet above sea level and has a reputation of being one of the coldest in England. There was no evidence of that today as I wandered around in a t-shirt, as The Ironworks was bathed in late summer sunshine.

The Main Stand is on one side of the pitch, with terracing on the opposite and a covered enclosure behind one of the goals. Looking out over the stand there is a stunning vista of the North Pennines. The ground certainly is another Northern League gem!

Tow Law do have a cup pedigree. They beat (then) third division Mansfield 5-1 in the FA Cup in 1967 before taking Shrewsbury to a replay in the next round. Unfortunately for Tow Law they then lost 6-2 at Gay Meadow when a home tie with Arsenal awaited the winners.

My mate and I stood by a couple of old dears and, nearly 50 years on, that game still provoked an emotional reaction, especially when they found out my mate was a Shrewsbury fan "We were bloody robbed by the referee that day" she said "We had a perfectly good goal ruled out. It should have been us playing Arsenal!" I'm sure The Gunners would have loved a January trip to Tow Law!

The Lawyers finally had their day out at Wembley in 1998 when they reached the final of the FA Vase, but they lost out by a solitary goal to Tiverton Town. There will be no 2017 repeat of that day 18 years ago as The Lawyers crashed out of this season's competition at the first hurdle.

A three goal salvo from Marcus Laing, Jim Wilson and Nicky Martin, all within 9 first half minutes effectively won the tie for the Ancients.




Tow law did get one back early in the second half through Chris Mordue but, despite plenty of pressure, there was no way back into the tie for the home side. Norton & stockton will now travel to face Chester-le-Street in the next round.