Landmark celebration for non-league club
A NORTH East non-league club that provided Newcastle United with one of their all-time greats is about to celebrate a historic landmark.
Northern Alliance club Gateshead Rutherford are marking 140 years in football and only league rivals Wallington can boast a longer time in the game.
Rutherford’s early fixtures saw them take on the likes of Berwick Rangers, Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End way back in the late 1870s.
And the club went on to hand a footballing education to a player that would play a key role in the most successful era in Newcastle United’s history.
Colin Veitch joined Rutherford in the mid-1890s before moving across the Tyne to professional forms at St James Park in 1899.
He made his Magpies debut in a 1-0 home defeat against Wolves in October that year, an inauspicious start for a player who would become the figurehead of United’ ‘Edwardian Masters’.
Trophies flowed like the Tyne over the coming years as Veitch and other Magpies greats like Jimmy Lawrence, Bill McCracken and Albert Shepherd helped the club to three Division One titles, an FA Cup win and a Charity Shield victory in the space of six years. Colin Veitch played for Rutherford before starring for Newcastle United
Veitch’s impact went far beyond onfield matters as he helped co-found the People’s Theatre in Jesmond, became chairman of the forerunner of the PFA and also moved into journalism following his retirement in 1928.
But it all began at Rutherford and the club’s current chairman James Tate revealed that the Magpies legend will be remembered as they celebrate reaching 140 years in the game.
“Colin Veitch is a big part of the club’s history and the fact he went on to have such a big impact at Newcastle United and in football as a whole means a lot to us,” said Tate.
“We have sadly lost a man that made Rutherford his life in Steve Coxon but he always said Colin was the club’s most famous son.
“We are proud that he was part of the club and there are plans for a Hall of Fame in our clubhouse and Colin will quite rightly take pride of place.
“We have a lot to celebrate because it is an honour to reach such a big landmark and Colin will be central to all of it.” He won’t be the only one. Rutherford also played a part in the careers of current Sheffield United star Chris Basham, Blyth Spartans legend Robbie Dale and two former FA Vase winners – Morpeth Town’s Wayne Phillips and South Shields’ Barrie Smith.
Many more young players could follow in their footsteps over the coming years as the club currently runs sessions for players from the age of five upwards.
The future is bright but Tate revealed there are still challenges ahead for everyone at the club.
“We want to be a Northern League club but we have to walk before we can run.
“We need floodlights, a secure pitch and to work on a few other things around the place. Steve Coxon had all of the plans in place but after he sadly passed away in 2016 his family took over the running of the club in his memory. “They are doing a fantastic job and we want to progress to help deliver what he worked hard towards delivering on and off the pitch.” For now they focus on celebrating 140 years of football since they were formed as Rutherford Science & Art FC back in 1878 by schoolmasters from the Rutherford College of Technology. Those celebrations include a club day and a planned Sportsman’s Dinner. “We will be having a big Rutherford Day at the end of the season,” explained Tate. “That will involved all of our teams, at every age-group, playing on the same day and that is from the Soccer Tots group right through to the seniors. “We do it every year but this year will be even bigger because we have so much to celebrate. “We also have plans for a big celebration dinner with a special guest speaker.