Clubs feeling the pyramid effect, says Collingwood

IT hasn’t been an easy 12 months for the Ebac Northern League.

Losing one club can be seen as unfortunate, losing two is a major problem, but to lose three clubs in the space of a year is an absolute nightmare.

I should add that the league are far from at fault for Jarrow Roofing, Team Northumbria or Blyth AFC being consigned to the history books.

Richie Mclaughlin more than earned his retirement after three decades of sheer graft and investment at Roofing.

A university decision based on cost-cutting brought the end of Team North, and a lack of support and inability to find a new home seemed to be the major factor behind Barry Elliott’s decision to fold an upwardly-mobile Blyth AFC.

The three withdrawals couldn’t have come at a worse time for the league, the Football Association’s restructuring of the non-league pyramid coming into force. It all means that a Division One that contained 22 teams just 12 months ago is now functioning with just 18 clubs.

The impact is being felt by those left behind, fewer fixtures mean reduced income. Seaham Red Star boss Mark Collingwood explained just how much his club have been affected by that.

“It wasn’t easy for us as it was, but now it’s very tough,” he said.

“There are either very few or no midweek fixtures at all and for the first time in years you get a few Saturdays without a game.

“That reduces our income by a significant amount and it’s been a real challenge for us.

“Having no midweek fixtures, or occasional Saturday without one, means we don’t get groundhoppers coming in, or supporters looking for a game when Sunderland aren’t at home.

“It’s not a small amount of income either and it’s difficult to cope without that.”

The reduced fixture list has also offered another challenge to Collingwood as he looks to strengthen his Red Star squad.

“I used to go out to games on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to watch players.

“Obviously if we had a game I wouldn’t be out, but I would usually be at three games a week watching players.

“You would get out and watch Division Two games or games at a lower-level, trying to find a star.

“It’s like trying to find a Ralph Lauren shirt in a charity shop, but I managed to do that occasionally. We signed Lewis Wing from Tow Law Town and he’s flying at Middlesbrough now and I wanted to sign Dan Maguire from Seaton Delaval.

“He’s now banging them in at Blyth Spartans and I believe he could and should be in the Football League.

“But now there are no fixtures, you can’t go and watch midweek games, there are no games taking place.

“You have to rely on other people’s opinions on players and that’s difficult; I like to see a player on two or three occasions before deciding what to do.”

Collingwood expressed his concern that the standard of the Northern League will be “watered down” as clubs are forced into promotion into the Evo-stik League East.

That happened last summer as champions Marske United and runners-up Morpeth Town were promoted to step four of the pyramid and both clubs have eased into life at a higher-level.

“You worry that the long-term impact will see the standard of the league watered down,” said the Red Star boss. “We will lose clubs to the Evo-stik League, but we all know they won’t come back, because the standard of the Northern League right now means that they’ll more than cope a level up.

“Then there is pressure on clubs below the Northern League to step up to Division Two and we don’t know how many are ready to do that.

“It’s a real concern that I think many around the league will have, and I think we are right to be that way.”