Odds on win – but Town have quality
A QUICK glance at the odds tells you that it’s all stacked against Cleethorpes Town in tomorrow’s FA Vase final.
Priced at 6/1 (compared to South Shields’ 4/9), it’s difficult to believe that this is a side who finished the league season on 108 points with a goal difference of +99, winning 35 of 42 games.
Perhaps that says more about South Shields than Cleethorpes. With ex-Premier League central midfielder Julio Arca sitting in the centre of the park, surrounded by a host of ex-professionals, Shields are a side with lofty ambitions. Indeed, Graham Fenton’s men already have three trophies to their name this term.
Shields fans would be forgiven for not knowing an awful lot about tomorrow’s opponents, who ply their trade in the Northern Counties East Football League Division One, so here’s all you need to know about Cleethorpes Town.
Cleethorpes have swept all before them so far this year, winning a league and cup double. Victory in the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy, beating Deeping Rangers at Sincil Bank, means that the Owls will be taking at least two trophies home this season.
They are unbeaten in all games in which they have scored this season and have netted 144 times in the league. Their points total of 108 is the same as Shields managed over the same amount of games. With such similar records, it’ll take the lure of the vase to divide them. Cleethorpes have a few players to have played the game professionally for a prolonged period of time, most notably Matt Bloomer and Peter Winn. Bloomer enjoyed spells with a host of clubs including Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Cambridge United and Hull City. The 38-year-old signed for Cleethorpes in 2016 and has been part of a solid defence that propelled his side to the top of the league.
Peter Winn is another of the squad to have played professionally. He even has links with the North East in Gateshead. Following spells with Scunthorpe, Northwich Victoria and Barrow, the forward joined ‘Heed on loan in 2009, making 24 appearances.
Liam Davis is a name you may have heard mentioned in the news back in 2014, when he became Britain’s first openly gay footballer. Playing for Gainsborough Trinity at the time, Davis moved back to Cleethorpes in 2016, where he now plays part-time and manages a cafe during the week.
Cleethorpes have already played one Northern League side on the road to the final, dispatching Division Two side Billingham Town 2-1 in the fourth round. They also saw off Shildon’s conquerors Atherton Collieries 3-2 in the fifth round. A resounding 5-2 win over Southall FC in the sixth round was followed up by a narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Bromsgrove Sporting in the semifinal.
Cleethorpes may go into the tie as underdogs, but they’ve rarely been troubled all season and South Shields will have to be on top of their game to lift the coveted trophy.
Cleethorpes have more links with the North East than you might have first imagined. Their director of football, John McDermott played for Grimsby Town in 1992, in a game which ended a Newcastle winning streak from the beginning of the season.
At the time, Newcastle were on an 11-game winning run, but a goal from Jim Dobbin late on secured a win for the visitors. Newcastle later went on to win the league and clinch promotion to the top flight.