Latest news with #SpennymoorTown
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Darlington MP deletes post supporting rival football club after backlash
Darlington MP Lola McEvoy has admitted she got 'caught up in the excitement' after a backlash prompted her to delete a post supporting rival club Spennymoor Town. Ahead of Spennymoor's historic game at Wembley in the FA Trophy final, Ms McEvoy took to social media, posting a picture of herself alongside Moors fans in home shirts. It prompted a backlash from Quakers fans who pointed out that there was a longstanding rivalry between Spennymoor and Darlington. The two sides won a game apiece in the league against each other this term. The post was later deleted after many 'negative' comments were left. (Image: Facebook) Now, the MP who was elected amid a Labour landslide in 2024, has responded to the criticism. 'Over the weekend I bumped into some excited Spennymoor fans heading to Wembley so wanted to share good luck wishes to another North East team on their big day out," she said. "Maybe I got too caught up in the excitement. 'Darlington FC are of course my number one and I'll continue backing them to get their new stadium and to where they belong - back in the Football League. Up the Quakers!' (Image: Sarah Caldecott) Spennymoor's big day out ended in a 3-0 loss to Aldershot, who went into the day as favourites being a league above the Moors. Regis Le Bris makes team news announcement ahead of Sunderland's play-off decider Spennymoor Town rocked by family tragedy as Graeme Lee & club pay emotional tribute Man threatened to torch Bishop Auckland MP's home in series of threats to kill They were more than a match for Aldershot in the first half but the National League side broke the deadlock three minutes after the break and had too much for Graeme Lee's men in the second half. "The scoreline is a touch harsh on Spennymoor," the Echo's Dom Shaw said. "[Spennymoor] should and will take great pride in their run to the final."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spennymoor Town rocked by family tragedy as Graeme Lee & club pay emotional tribute
SPENNYMOOR Town were rocked by family tragedy just 48 hours before their FA Trophy final against Aldershot Town, when the father of their teenage goalkeeper Ryan Johnson died suddenly. Despite the immense shock and heartbreak, the schoolboy international goalkeeper was adamant he still wanted to travel with the squad to Wembley the following day. And manager Graeme Lee brought the 18-year-old off the bench to make his competitive debut in the final moments of Sunday's game. Lee told of the devastation in the squad following the sudden passing of Barry Johnson, an "unbelievable man" who was only in his mid-40s. "We wanted to give Ryan that moment," said Lee. "It was very emotional for all of us. Barry was an unbelievable man who helped us immensely. "Ryan didn't want to miss it. His dad would never let him miss it. "We had a conversation on Friday when he told me, which was probably half past two on the afternoon. We had another conversation on the night and he was adamant he wanted to come. "I was on about him maybe coming down on the day just for the game and to be with the family but his family wanted him to come. "We knew his dad wouldn't want him to miss the moment. He's shown unbelievable strength and to get him on the pitch was huge. "We have a good bunch of lads who care for each other. It's a massive, massive loss for Ryan and his family and that moment today was the most important thing." RECOMMENDED READING: Spennymoor Town posted a tribute on social media on Monday morning, saying: "Ryan Johnson made his competitive Moors debut at Wembley on Sunday just 48 hours after the sudden loss of his beloved father Barry. "His strength and courage are a credit to Barry and his family, to whom we send our heartfelt condolences. "Some things are bigger than football." Spennymoor Town Youth FC also posted a tribute on social media. They wrote: "Wembley may not have brought the result we all hoped for, but the team made the town proud. Well done to everyone involved. "We are especially proud of Ryan Johnson, who made it onto the pitch at Wembley. Ryan has been part of Spennymoor since 2019, rising through the youth ranks to the first team, which is a brilliant achievement in itself. "This week, Ryan suffered the devastating loss of his dad, Barry. Despite the heartbreak, Ryan showed incredible strength and maturity to be there on such a huge stage. He is a true credit to himself, his family, and to Barry, who would have been immensely proud. "Barry was a much loved part of our club. Kind, generous, and great figure in our club community, always present, always supportive, and always smiling. His loss is deeply felt by everyone at Spennymoor. "We are all so proud of the young man Ryan has become. He is truly professional, grounded, and a credit to everyone who has supported him along the way. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to Ryan and all of Barry's family and friends. "Ryan, your dad would be so proud. Everyone at Spennymoor Town is there for you and will support you all the way." Spennymoor defied the odds in reaching the FA Trophy final. Their run came to an end with a 3-0 defeat to National League side Aldershot, with all the goals coming in the second half.
ITV News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Aldershot Town to parade FA Trophy around town centre after Wembley final win
FA Trophy winners Aldershot Town will embark on an open-top bus tour around the town this evening. The parade, which will begin and end at the EBB Stadium, will give supporters and locals a chance to both celebrate with the squad, and see the silverware for themselves, up close and personal. The squad and players will tour around the town centre, before making its way down the high street and through the North Town region. It will start from 6:30pm, and supporters are encouraged to attend a trophy presentation after the parade at 7:30pm. It took the club nearly a century and two football clubs to reach Wembley again, as The Shots won 3-0 against Spennymoor Town of the National League North. The Hampshire side beat fierce local rivals Woking FC in the semi finals, to make it to Wembley Stadium, taking over 18,000 supporters in the process. Three second half goals from Jack Barham, Daniel Ellison and Josh Barrett saw the National League side run out the victors - in a season where their manager Tommy Widdrington was blighted with illness, suffering two strokes in November 2024. The club reformed in 1992, rising from the ashes of the original Aldershot FC.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aldershot end 99-year Wembley wait with sunshine and champagne showers
It took Aldershot 99 years and two football clubs to reach Wembley and for almost exactly as many minutes on a sun-kissed May afternoon they made themselves entirely at home there, outnumbering their opponents in the stands and outplaying them on the pitch on their way to claiming their first FA Trophy. Second-half goals from Jack Barham, Dan Ellison and Josh Barrett earned the National League side a 3-0 win over Spennymoor Town of the National League North, and secured for their manager, Tommy Widdrington, a dream end to a season temporarily derailed when he had two strokes in November. Widdrington was back in the dugout in less than two months having acquired, as he put it in the buildup to this game, 'a certain sense of perspective'. This was an excellent, mature performance, whatever way you look at it. 'People will forget about me. That's what happens in football. But they'll never forget how I've made them feel, how my team's made them feel,' Widdrington said. 'Football's a tough old industry. It kicks you up the backside a lot more than it pats you on the back. I'm going to enjoy being patted on the back the next few days.' For Aldershot, who sprang from the ashes of Aldershot FC in 1992, this was an emphatic win but, from the moment they accidentally left two members of their starting XI behind when they set off for Wembley, not a completely carefree one. Spennymoor had beaten three National League sides on their way to Wembley and there were moments when they threatened another upset, notably creating the best chance of the opening half only for Rob Ramshaw to send a miserably meek shot rolling into Marcus Dewhurst's arms from eight yards. 'Nine times out of 10 he'd have put that in the back of the net,' said Graeme Lee, the Spennymoor manager. 'We've had our moments throughout this cup run, and today we didn't take them.' The game shifted three minutes after the interval when James Henry ran down the right and crossed, and though the ball arrived slightly behind Barham he somehow contorted his leg into a position to get some kind of contact on it. His touch turned out to be perfect, sending it rolling gently but unstoppably into the corner of the net. 'That goal changed everything,' said Lee. 'It deflated us and took the energy out of us a little bit, and we couldn't get back into it.' Aldershot arrived in poor form, having won just one game since Barnham's last-minute goal earned them a 2-1 win over 10-man Woking in the semi-finals. But once in front they played with the cocksure strut of champions and in the 71st minute Ellison glanced in a header from a corner to make the game all but safe. Three minutes from time Barrett, their player of the season, produced the kind of goal all players dream of scoring in this stadium, a splendid left-footed volley from the edge of the area that dipped over James and into the corner of the net. Tyler Frost and Maxwell Mullins both missed chances to score a fourth as the Moors flung themselves forward in search of consolation. Earlier Jamie Coyle, centre-back, two-time (Seniors) World Cup-winner, Whitstable player-manager and playing his final competitive game just days before his 42nd birthday, led his team from the back to a 2-1 victory over Whyteleafe in the FA Vase final, decided after extra time when, on a balmy, sun-kissed afternoon at Wembley, Leafe finally wilted. Whyteleafe, another phoenix club, have enjoyed remarkable success since their creation in 2021 and when Daniel Bennett gave them a 17th-minute lead they seemed set for still more. But Whitstable have now lost only two of their past 28 games – and one of those was on penalties – and they fought back to eventually turn over the new Leafe. Daniel Colmer produced a couple of outstanding saves to keep his side in the game before the Oystermen finally came out of their shell in the second half, and seven minutes into it their top scorer, Harvey Smith, equalised from 20 yards, running on to Nathan Jeche's precise pass and wrongfooting George Hill, who let the ball whistle just a yard or so to his right. Leafe repeatedly threatened to steal victory but it was Whitstable who claimed it: in the 97th minute Albie O'Mara-Knapp crossed from the right and Ronald Sithole somehow scuffed his shot into a post. But he made up for it three minutes later when he ran on to the same player's long punt forward, reclaimed the ball after Hill saved his initial effort, worked a better angle for a shot, and lashed into the roof of the net.
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Aldershot end 99-year Wembley wait with sunshine and champagne showers
It took Aldershot 99 years and two football clubs to reach Wembley and for almost exactly as many minutes on a sun-kissed May afternoon they made themselves entirely at home there, outnumbering their opponents in the stands and outplaying them on the pitch on their way to claiming their first FA Trophy. Second-half goals from Jack Barham, Dan Ellison and Josh Barrett earned the National League side a 3-0 win over Spennymoor Town of the National League North, and secured for their manager Tommy Widdrington a dream end to a season temporarily derailed when he suffered two strokes in November. Widdrington was back in the dugout in less than two months having acquired, as he put it in the buildup to this game, 'a certain sense of perspective'. This was an excellent, mature performance, whatever way you look at it. 'People will forget about me. That's what happens in football. But they'll never forget how I've made them feel, how my team's made them feel,' Widdrington said. 'Football's a tough old industry. It kicks you up the backside a lot more than it pats you on the back. I'm going to enjoy being patted on the back the next few days.' For Aldershot, who sprung from the ashes of Aldershot FC in 1992, this was an emphatic win but, from the moment they accidentally left two members of their starting XI behind when they set off for Wembley, not a completely carefree one. Spennymoor had beaten three National League sides on their way to Wembley and there were moments when they threatened another upset, notably creating the best chance of the opening half only for Rob Ramshaw to send a miserably meek shot rolling into Marcus Dewhurst's arms from eight yards. 'Nine times out of 10 he'd have put that in the back of the net,' said Graeme Lee, the Moors' manager. 'We've had our moments throughout this cup run, and today we didn't take them.' The game shifted three minutes after the interval when James Henry ran down the right and crossed, and though the ball arrived slightly behind Barham he somehow contorted his leg into a position to get some kind of contact on it. His touch turned out to be perfect, sending it rolling gently but unstoppably into the corner of the net. 'That goal changed everything,' said Lee. 'It deflated us and took the energy out of us a little bit, and we couldn't get back into it.' Aldershot arrived in poor form, having won just one game since Barnham's last-minute goal earned them a 2-1 win over 10-man Woking in the semi-finals. But once in front they played with the cocksure strut of champions, and in the 71st minute Ellison glanced in a header from a corner to make the game all but safe. Three minutes from time Barrett, their player of the season, produced the kind of goal all players dream of scoring in this stadium, a splendid left-footed volley from the edge of the area that dipped over James and into the corner of the net. Both Tyler Frost and Maxwell Mullins missed chances to score a fourth as the Moors flung themselves forward in search of consolation. Earlier Jamie Coyle, centre-half, two-time (Seniors) World Cup-winner, Whitstable player-manager and playing his final competitive game just days before his 42nd birthday, led his team from the back to a 2-1 victory over AFC Whyteleafe in the FA Vase final, decided after extra time when, on a balmy, sun-kissed afternoon at Wembley, Leafe finally wilted. Whyteleafe, another phoenix club, have enjoyed remarkable success since their creation in 2021 and when Daniel Bennett gave them a 17th-minute lead they seemed set for still more. But Whitstable have now lost only two of their last 28 games – and one of those was on penalties – and they fought back to eventually turn over the new Leafe. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Daniel Colmer produced a couple of outstanding saves to keep his side in the game before the Oystermen finally came out of their shell in the second half, and seven minutes into it top-scorer Harvey Smith equalised from 20 yards, running on to Nathan Jeche's precise pass and wrongfooting George Hill, who let the ball whistle just a yard or so to his right. Leafe repeatedly threatened to steal victory but it was Whitstable who eventually claimed it: in the 97th minute Albie O'Mara-Knapp crossed from the right and Ronald Sithole somehow scuffed his shot into a post, but he made up for it three minutes later when he ran on to the same player's long punt forward, reclaimed the ball after Hill saved his initial effort, worked a better angle for a shot and lashed into the roof of the net.
