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26th June 2007.
Northern Alliance: The Treble - An insight
It was recently put to me, on the Gillford Park forum, the challenge of
investigating whether any Northern Alliance team has ever won three
promotions in a row. Well, the answer is Yes.
The Northern Alliance only expanded to a three division league in 1988,
and from 1890 to then it had just one league. In the first season,
Sunderland ‘A’, the Reserve side of the present professional team, were
crowned champions and repeated the feat in the following, 1891/92 season.
They, however, didn’t manage the hat-trick until the 1893/94, 1894/95 and
1895/96 seasons.
It then became the turn of Newcastle United ‘A’ to grab the headlines. In
1900/01 they got the championship following a runners up spot the season
previous, and achieved a second one a year later, in the 1901/02 campaign.
However, they didn’t actually win three Northern Alliance titles, for in
the 1902/03 season they switched to the Northern League, finishing as
champions of this competition for the following three seasons, and a
further second place in 1905/06. United ‘A’ then moved on to a third
competition, this time searching for glory in the North Eastern League and
championed this from 1906/07 to 1908/09, runners up in 1909/10 and
champions again in 1910/11. In 1911/12 they finished as runners up in the
North Eastern League.
In 1926 the one division of the Northern Alliance was absorbed into the
North Eastern League as its’ Second Division, but split away again in
1935.
It was to be a further thirteen years before a team again achieved the
treble, with Amble finishing as Champions in 1958/59, 1959/60 and 1960/61.
There was a seasons break, and then it was the turn of Alnwick Town to
step to the Northern Alliances fore. They were champions in 1962/63 and
1963/64. The league briefly suspended activity for the 64/65 season, but
when it reconvened in 65/66 Alwnick finished the treble. Further glories,
as runners up, came in 1966/67 and 1972/73, with the five seasons in
between seeing Town reign as Champions.
Marine Park FC came guttingly close to achieving the feat, finishing as
Champions in 1972/73 and 1973/74, but could only manage second spot in the
74/75 season, and the three campaigns following this saw the best showing
from a Carlisle side, as Carlisle City got a hat-trick of runners-up
medals.
Percy Main were another team to fall at the final hurdle, finishing as
runners-up in 1982/83 after filling top spot in the previous two seasons.
Five seasons later and Seaton Delaval Seaton Terrace finished in first and
then, in 1988/89 and 1989/90, they won the first two titles of the newly
created Premier Division.
With 1988’s creation of the First and Second Division, there were chances
for thirty-two more teams to attempt to grab the treble, and in 1992/93
Amble Town begun on their path to glory, winning the Second Division that
year, and the First Division in 1993/94. Sadly, they were denied promotion
on the basis of an insufficient ground, but, undeterred, championed the
First again in 1994/95.
Coxlodge Social Club came exceptionally close to triumph with successes in
1997/98, (Division Two) and in 1999/00, (Division One), but in the
interceding season could only manage a Runners Up spot - still no mean
feat with it being their first season in the First Division.
The seventh, and final team to record the landmark achievement are also
the most successful team in the Alliances modern history - West Allotment
Celtic - who took the titles in 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/00. They were
runners up in 2000/01 but got back on the trail for silverware in 2001/02.
Third place was a bit of a step backwards, in 2002/03, but after a
championship triumph in 2003/04 they joined the Northern Leagues division
two, winning this on the first attempt also!
In total, 135 championships have been awarded in the Northern Alliances
117 year history. Teams beginning with A have won thirty championships,
with W being the second most successful letter at 25 successes. Gillford
Park are one of only four teams beginning with G to have finished top of
their division, the others being Gateshead Tyne Sports, Gosforth Bohemians
and Guisborough Town.
Ten letters; E, I, K, O, Q, U, V, X, Y and Z; have never enjoyed a top
spot finish. |