(South) Shields Like the First Time: South Shields 0-5 Hartlepool United

This week's groundhop has a bit of nostalgia about it. In my early childhood, we often took trips to Newcastle where my uncle lived for a brief time. More specifically, he lived in Blyth, though of course we took many trips to the towns and cities nearby, which of course included Newcastle. Even at the young age of five, I could see how magnificent the city was.

Fast forward a couple of dozen years hence, and the city somehow pulled me in again, even if only briefly for a summer of teaching. Thus far, it's been Hebburn Town and Gateshead, but the fixture that appealed most for this week was a return to South Shields - a beach on which I recall having thrown sand in my brother's face for no reason - sorry Aaron.

Well, technically South Shields don't actually play in South Shields, but they play close enough for me to pay another visit there, as well as sample the famous Fish and Chips of the seafront. I also wanted to pay a visit to the illustrious and legendary Tynemouth, having heard all kinds of wonderful things about it. For now, that would have to wait for another weekend.

In any case, it would only be a pre-season friendly between two non-league sides, though I expected to perhaps see a couple of familiar faces - none more so than Pools manager Darren Sarrl, who of course managed Stevenage for a couple of topsy-turvy seasons. The last time I saw him in a dugout at a match in person was when Stevenage were knocked out by Yeovil in 2021, so naturally I had Vietnam style flashbacks on seeing him again.

I had hoped that nostalgia would triumph over trauma with this particular visit. Given the weather, which decided to be nice for a change following a week or so of constant rain, it almost certainly did.

The ground, the game, and any other business

South Shields is almost the perfect coastal town, and it was a pleasure to create new memories of it for myself alongside the fleeting ones of my youth. The sea looked impeccable in the moderate sunshine, and the fish and chips from Frydays went down a treat.

I left my place in Bensham at around 11 and headed toward the Metro, opting first to take the train to the end of the line in South Shields. I would soak up the town that gave the name to the club I'd be seeing first, before heading back down the line towards Bede where the ground is situated. 

En route back to the station, I also stumbled upon one of the best free museums I've seen - South Shields Museum. The town has such a storied history that deserves to be seen and heard the world over, and I'd recommend paying a visit if you're ever in the North East.

From Bede station, the ground is no more than a five minute walk, and you can practically see it from the train as you disembark. It was a healthy crowd given that Hartlepool generally travel in decent numbers, and the ground wasn't segregated. It perhaps wouldn't have been my first choice to make Ground number 250 for me, but I'm glad it transpired this way.

The ground is unique, with its claret seating dominating one side, and mainly terracing forming the rest of the stadium. The floodlights reminded me of some of the quirkier Czech floodlights which I've grown accumstomed to over the last couple of years.

Entry was £10 for adults, and they also took card - as was the case with the beer and pie I'd had too. The Steak Pie alone was genuinely the best I've ever eaten. Frankly I can see myself coming back for that alone.

The game was considerably more one-sided than I could have expected, with Hartlepool scoring all five of their goals in a rampant first-half display. South Shields had matched Pools until Emmanuel Dieseruvwe bagged his first of a hat-trick. It was nice to see him terrorise a team that isn't Stevenage for a change. Of the other goals, three of them came in a frantic four minute spell in which South Shields were (sorry) all at sea. 

The fifth wasn't far behind either, and obviously nothing happened in the second-half, as is always the case when a team goes in at half-time 5-0 up. South Shields did have a penalty, but their misery was compounded when the Hartlepool trialist saved Dixon's effort.

South Shields were a solitary point from the play-offs in the Vanarma North last season, which is why this result came as a bit of a surprise. Perhaps it could be an indication that Hartlepool under Darren Sarll could mean business. Then again, how much can you really read into a pre-season friendly?

Five things you didn't know about...South Shields!

1. South Shields has one of the largest Yemeni populations outside of Yemen, with around 1,000 to 3,000 people of Yemeni origin estimated to be living in the area. This amounts to around 2% of the local population. Muhammad Ali even visited the Yemeni Mosque in South Shields back in 1977. The reason for such a high Yemeni population dates back as far as the 1860s, with more Yemenis coming to the UK in the early part of the 20th century. South Shields also has a sizable Bangladeshi community, which is larger than the Yemeni community in terms of numbers, but far more recent in terms of its growth.

2. Renowned filmmaker Ridley Scott was born and raised in South Shields, as well as various other spots around the North East. Scott is even quoted as saying that the industrial landscape in West Hartlepool served as inspiration for the visuals of Blade Runner. 

3. The local denonym for those from South Shields is actually 'sand dancer'. The origins of the term are widely disputed, and often the denonym is shortend to just 'sandy'. It is thought to be linked to the sizable Arab population in the town, though the beach surely also has something to do with it.

4. South Shields is the only constituency in the UK that hasn't elected a Conservative MP sine the turn of the twentieth century. Their last Tory was in 1832, which can only suggest he did a pretty terrible job. It's been a Labour safe seat since 1935, with the constuency never changing hands from that point.

5. In 1938, the world's smallest baby Marian Chapman was born in South Shields. She weighed only 10 ounces and was small enough to fit into a half-pint glass. This miracle baby remained a celebrity for her entire life until her death at the age of 44.