Rallying call for Ashington FC

Posted by Graeme Whitfield on Aug 30, 08 10:59 AM in News

Football fans in a former pit town are being urged to get behind their famous non-league club as it prepares to kick off an exciting new era.

Chairman Ian Lavery at the new Woodhorn Lane ground

Ashington FC - which has strong links to the World Cup winning Charlton brothers and Newcastle United legend Jackie Milburn - played at the town's old Portland Park stadium for just over a century.

Earlier this year it was finally forced to quit its spiritual home, which will now be redeveloped as the site for a new ÃÂ£25m Asda superstore.

Today the club will play the first-ever match at its new ÃÂ£1.4m ground which has been purpose-built to replace Portland Park, when it takes on Yorkshire outfit Ossett Albion in an FA Cup preliminary round tie.

Officials are calling on Ashington townsfolk to turn out in force to mark the milestone, and show their support for the club at the dawn of a new era. Renamed Ashington Community FC in recognition of its revamped playing, management and social structures, the club has brought together the first and second teams and 20 junior sides for the first time.

Its new chairman is Ashington-born Ian Lavery (pictured above at the new ground), leader of the National Union of Mineworkers and a former Wansbeck district councillor for the town.

Yesterday he said: "We want to pull together the local community and business sector on Saturday for what is an historic moment for the club. This is the first game in the new ground and we want the whole of the town and surrounding area to join in.

"A lot of money has been invested in the new ground. We had 100 years at Portland Park but, although it will always be a part of the club's traditions, it is gone now and history.

"We have got this great new facility and we want the whole community to get behind the club from day one.

"We have got a lot of very committed people on board and have established a new executive board, involving people with all sorts of expertise."

The new Woodhorn Lane ground, close to Wansbeck General Hospital, has been paid for from money raised by Wansbeck Council through the sale of Portland Park to Asda. It has grandstands, floodlighting, a modern clubhouse, car parking and other services. The council's leisure portfolio holder, Coun Ken Parry, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for Ashington Community FC to begin a new era at what will be one of the best non-league grounds in the whole of the North of England."

Today's match, which kicks off at 3pm, comes almost seven months after the club said an emotional farewell to Portland Park at a fixture against Seaham Red Star.

Local fans were joined by supporters of non-league teams from as far afield as London in a crowd of 1,000, with the Ashington Colliery Band providing a musical backdrop.

Ashington FC has links to Jack and Bobby Charlton, who were ball boys as youngsters, and Jackie Milburn, who was once a player there. Earlier this year, Jack attended a sportsmen's dinner at Portland Park, dubbed The Last Supper, to bring the curtain down on the ground.

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