Gone to the Dogs: Bedlington Terriers 1-1 Billingham Synthonia

Following three friendlies to start my groundhopping season, I had been tempted to take a trip north of the border to watch some Scottish League Cup action between Raith Rovers and Hamilton Academical for my first competitive fixture of the season. I decided it would be more beneficial to save the Scottish trip for East Fife in a couple of weeks. In lieu of that, however, I was still able to find some competitive action a little closer to home this weekend.

In all honesty, my game selection technique each Saturday works on a random selection technique which is the kind of thing that would only make sense in my head. To avoid indecision, I let various other factors decide for me. That's all I'll say at this point, lest I be branded a weirdo (again).

This weekend, it gave me Bedlington Terriers, who would play host to Billingham Synthonia in the Northern League Division Two (one of the many tenth tier divisions in England). I was quite excited to take in some competitive English non-league football once again, having probably last witnessed some back in September 2022 in Tring, as they thrashed Biggleswade United 4-1.

The Ground, The Game, and Any Other Business

Bedlington had a similar vibe to Biggleswade incidentally, in that it was a small yet handsome market town on the banks of a river. The high streets even had a familiar layout that brought the 'wade to mind. It was a fairly straightforward journey of around 40 minutes from Haymarket bus station in the centre of Newcastle.

I hopped on the X22 to Ashington, on which the ticket machine was broken, though I didn't save any money on the basis I'd already purchased a day ticket. Alas, I took in the pleasant scenery of Northumberland from atop the bus before it pulled into Bedlington - a town just nextdoor to Blyth.

I had some concerns when the heavens opened at around 12pm, but thankfully the rain in Newcastle seemed to have somehow missed Bedlington. That said, the heavens did open midway through the second half.

I got some cash out and headed to the ground, where entry was £6. It was a healthy crowd of at least 60, with a few away fans from Stockton-on-Tees in the mix. The ground was a standard non-league affair, but it had a certain charm with its one stand, within which a few seats were broken.

The game was fairly frantic, with both sides keen to start the season strongly. Both ended last season in 6th and 8th respectively, so the game was always likely to be close. Terriers should have gone 2-0 up in the space of a couple of minutes midway through the half. The ball was in the net, but the flag went up, before shortly after they somehow missed a one-on-one.

They made up for it fairly soon after, following an incredible save from the Bedlington 'keeper. Thirty seconds later, Terriers' Joseph Thompson managed to squeeze the ball past a despairing Billingham 'keeper in a goalmouth scramble. It was deserved, as Synthonia offered little in the first-half. Their players even trudged off lamenting an 'embarassing display' - I didn't think it was that bad to be fair to them.

It was your typical game of two halves, as Synthonia came roaring back in the second-half, almost scoring within a minute. They pushed and pushed, with the Terriers' defence holding firm, but their resolve would be crushed in the 84th minute - Scaif-Wheatley with the finish to leave both teams with a deserved point.

Five Things You Didn't Know About...Bedlington Terriers!

1. The team are named after the Bedlington Terrier, which itself is named after the mining town in which it was first bred. It's a fluffy breed, and is also incredibly rare - at least that's the case outside of the UK. You can see tributes to the Terrier all over town, including its football club.

2. The Terriers' best FA Cup run was in 1998-99, when they destroyed a Colchester side with the likes of Paul Buckle and Lomano LuaLua (who wasn't in the squad) in Round One (4-1) to set up a fairly big tie at Scunthorpe. This was the end of the road, as the host emerged 2-0 victors. This victory was even more impressive given that Colchester were in the third tier at the time.

3. The inventor of wrought iron rails, John Birkinshaw, was born in Bedlington. His invention was a huge breakthrough for steam locomotives, and could be said to have paved the way for modern rail as we know it today.

4. US Billionaire Bob Rich (yes, that is his real name) found some ancestral links to the town in the early 2010s. As a result, he decided to invest in the football club, with mixed results. The £30,000 scoreboard he purchased for the club is still there as far as I can tell, though it wasn't in use for the game yesterday, nor were the lights in the bathroom. Maybe Bob needs to stick a quid or two in the meter.

5. South East Northumberland was renowned for its coal industry back in the sixties, often touted as one of the richest in the UK. Though the coal industry is now extinct in this part of the world, Ken Russell made a documentary about the Bedlington Miners. The football club even used to pay homage to this part of the town's heritage with the name Bedlington Colliery Welfare.