TRUE FAITH – National League and Lowland League Review 2021-2022!

What a year in the National League North for Gateshead.

Go back to 2019 and Gateshead were on their knees. A financial advisor called Joseph Cala, who was as good at finance as Diana Ross was at taking penalties at World Cups, had the club close to closure.

They had no players, no members of staff and the clubs fans group Gateshead soul actually had a meeting about starting up a phoenix club in the Northern League. Gateshead was dead and buried.

Cut now to 2022, just a few short seasons later and the Tynesiders have roared back to the pinnacle of non league football with a side which score goals for fun, are a joy to watch and the potential to go even further.

Now in an area where football stories are at you from all angles, that’s pretty special.

Gateshead fell just one goal short of a century and had a golden boot winner in Macauley Langstaff, who scored 32 goals and his strike partner Cedwyn Scott scored 26, a year and a bit after playing Northern League football. A club whose crowds were down in the 5-600 mark were drawing in 4,000 as Captain Greg Olley lifted the trophy.

The season has to be one of the best in their history, a good FA Cup run as well which ended with a live ITV game in the second round against Charlton Athletic.

They started well in the league and kept going, seeing off the early challengers to make it a two way fight with Brackley. Despite a rare loss to the Northamptonshire side in April, Gateshead held their nerve to comfortably win the league by 7 points.

Gateshead were one of the early favourites due to the full time aspect of the squad and on that live ITV game commentator Sam Matterface unhelpfully told the country that Gateshead had a certain favourable budget to play with. This hasn’t helped the likes of York and Fylde though and Mike Williamson has set up his sides bravely and to do only one thing, wins.

Williamson might be in demand higher up the leagues if he keeps this up.

Next year will be a step up again, but Gateshead is on a roll and you wouldn’t bet against them doing well again. Gateshead are back.

Blyth Spartans can be relatively happy with their lot at the end of the season. After looking like relegation certainties for most of 2021-2022, having went on a run of home results which was the worst at Croft Park since the fifties, they ended up safe, eight points clear and after a stunning first half performance, a Northumberland Senior Cup win at St James’ against the Toon under 23’s.

Blyth were tipped for the drop from the off but started well, unbeaten in the first 6, but a terrible run of form saw them drop like a stone and saw manager Michael Nelson sacked in mid-November with Spartans bottom of the league. Blyth then gambled, bringing in Terry Mitchell, a long-time coach of Newcastle’s young lads and Consett in the Northern League.

Could he do it at the higher level though? A great Christmas which saw derby wins over Gateshead and Spennymoor endeared him to the fans, but he was under massive pressure going into the last 6 games as they just continued to lose at home time and time again. Blyth though had that knack of getting a win when they really needed to. A knack which Mitchell must cherish.

This culminated in beating Brackley away and even though it meant rivals Gateshead went up, it was Spartans’ best result for years. The cup win was set up by a three goal first half blast which, the united youngsters almost dragged back. Ending on a high that night with a goal, was the legend that is Robbie Dale, who is leaving Blyth after 220 goals, 721 appearances in 18 seasons.

Dale has been simply magnificent in that time. A hard man to replace.

Darlington finished below half way after a season which promised not much, then a lot, then not much again, if you get my drift.

The Quakers started off terribly and a draw at Blyth which was the first point of the season seemed to kick-start them and they went on a fine run after that going from near the bottom to near the play off positions.

Darlington never really looked right all season though and 2021-2022 was summed up by the side winning 6-0 away to Farsley Celtic only to go on and lose the next five, including the nadir, a 5-0 defeat at then bottom of the league Telford. Alun Armstrong, who had his own health problems this year, suddenly came under pressure for the first time at the club.

Darlington were never going to get rid though, he’s got a lot of credit in the bank and just when supporters were resigned to the season petering out, they went on a great run again, winning 7 out of ten games to put themselves right back in the play off mix but, typical Darlington, they went on another bad run with a 7 game winless run at the end of the season to finish limply in 13^th.

Goals dried up later in the season. They were neck and neck with Gateshead for a while in terms of goals, but injuries hit them badly and it left only midfielder Jack Lambert up front. It worked sometimes, but Darlington never looked comfortable in themselves and finish where they probably deserve. Again the clubs fans will bankroll another tilt next season and that in itself is something to be proud.

Spennymoor, in many ways, were very similar to Darlington as a season that blew hot and cold ended in just missing out on the play offs.

Moors have been used to success after success in the last few years, cementing themselves as the North East’s best hope of getting into the National League.

Tommy Miller, ex Mackem, took charge, but all the near misses seemed to take its toll. They started ok and by the autumn they well in the promotion hunt, but a terrible run, not seen since they reformed, of no wins from late October to mid-December saw them tumble down the league. Miller didn’t last and after 7 months in charge, he was sacked in early December.

Moors quickly appointed joint managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, latterly at Chester, but who came to prominence in the BBC documentary on the early days of Salford City.

The two reacted by getting Spennymoor to the furthest they’ve been in the FA Trophy for years, ‘before bowing out at Dagenham in the fifth round, 2-0.

In the league it was so-so but they suddenly woke up after the Trophy defeat winning 4 games out of 6 before a grim defeat at Telford (again) set them back again and too many inconsistent results in the run in, just when it looked like they might sneak into the play offs, meant they finished tenth. Expect a busy summer at Brewery Field as the new bosses put their stamp on an ageing squad.

In the Scottish Lowland League, Berwick Rangers finished eighth, in promising season which gives hopes for a big push in the next few years to regain their SFL place.

After years of desperate results, the season started full of hope but it was pretty clear early on that Berwick would be held back by inconsistent performances and results.

The epitome of that being in early October when they lost 6-1 to Rangers’ colts side, then put a club record eleven goals past whipping boys Vale Of Leithen. They also scored 9 in the return fixture and those twenty goals helped Berwick to a goal difference of plus 29. If you take those goals out that’s more of a reflection of a season which you didn’t know which Rangers would turn up.

A live BBC win over Gretna in the Scottish Cup got publicity and a bit of coin, but they went out to Stirling for the second year running, deep in injury time.

The second half of the season was much improved however as injured players returned. Seven wins from ten games brought them right into the top ten and though the league was long ago won by Bonnyrigg,

Berwick’s spring form certainly laid claim to be one of the best non -colt sides. They ended with two defeats including a 4-0 defeat in the league cup Quarter finals, but there is hope on the banks of the Tweed.

The biggest problem they have is keeping up with the ex-Junior sides who are well funded and who want league status. Scotland’s top pyramid league is becoming very marginalised and for the likes of Berwick, It’s a battle to keep up. Good luck.

So on to 2022-23 then and for the National League North and the Lowland League it’s had its fair share of ups and downs, but it’s never boring.

Scott Robson