Trailblazing Blue Star and a far from warm welcome back home

BEFORE there was Chandler’s threetime winners, Morpeth Town’s humbling of Hereford or South Shields sealing a historic quadruple, there was Blue Star.

Before Chow’s Wembley record, Bulford’s brace, Graydon’s winner or Bainbridge’s emotion-laced equaliser, there was Ian Crumplin.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the North East’s first-ever FA Vase win, an achievement that has been replicated on 10 occasions since.

On a typically warm Wembley day, Wearside League club Blue Star saw off South Midlands League champions Barton Rovers to become the first of eight clubs to bring the Vase back to the region.

The occasion still brings back vivid memories and emotions for the North East’s Vase trailblazers.

“In 1966, I sat watching the television when England won the World Cup at Wembley; 12 years later, I was playing and winning the Vase there.

“It’s remarkable really” said Paul Dixon, now working for BBC Newcastle

Match-winner Crumplin admits to having similar thoughts about the only time he has visited Wembley.

“I had been at North Shields and Ashington before and I hadn’t really heard of the Vase.

“Someone told me during the run that we could play at Wembley and I told them non-league football clubs don’t play at Wembley”

The likes of Eppleton Colliery Welfare, Washington and Prescot Town were among those beaten as Blue Star became the first North East non-league club to play at the home of English football since North Shields’ FA Amateur Cup winners in 1969.

They went to Wembley with pres- sure on their shoulders, not from player-manager Peter Feenan but from the club’s committee.

“The pressure was all from the committee in a big way,” explained Dixon.

“The Scottish and Newcastle Blue Star people were amazing people but if you weren’t good enough, you wouldn’t come back.

“It was less.

“They didn’t care if nobody watched us, they just wanted to win” And win they did. After seeing off Gloucestershirebased Almondsbury Greenway over a two-legged semi-final, all focus turned towards Wembley. ruth- Barton were favourites and had the majority of the 15,000 supporters inside the Stadium on the day of the final. But Blue Star – who would wear an all red kit on the big day – were backed by a noisy support from Tyneside, one that they appreciated and were driven to reward with a historic win. Crumplin said: “We scored 30 goals on the way to Wembley, so for them to beat us, they would have to score at least four. “That was never going to happen and seeing the support, hearing the support, that gave us a big boost as we went out for the warmup” .

Despite an even start to the game, Blue Star fell behind on 19 minutes when Pete Smith’s cross looped over keeper and landed inside his far-post.

That lead lasted five minutes as Barry Dunn expertly put Blue Star back on level terms with a neat side-foot volley that left Rovers keeper and future Leeds United manager Kevin Blackwell with no chance.

A nervous 64 minutes followed with both sides going close.

Blue Star wasted a golden chance to go ahead when Jimmy Thompson could only find the crossbar with a second-half penalty and Dixon fired over from the rebound.

Then, with 89 minutes minutes on the clock, Crumplin’s moment arrived.

The striker was well known for scoring goals with either foot but he wrote himself into North East football folklore with a powerful header from six yards out.

Barton were beaten, Blue Star were buoyant. History had been made.

A civic reception was held at Mansion House and the players were paraded around the city centre on a dray from the club’s sponsors.

The response was lukewarm, as Dixon explained.

“We got on the back of this dray and we went through Newcastle on a Sunday afternoon but the only people around were courting couples looking at engagement rings.

“We jumped off the wagon and started cheering ourselves.

“But it was a marvellous day, they were special times”

Those special times will be relived when the team has a reunion at the Tyneside Irish club at Gallowgate on Tuesday afternoon.

Supporters and football enthusiasts are invivted to join them from 4pm to relive a historic occasion in NorthEast football.