With no real information yet to come out of Blyth, Chester or South Shields in regards to supporters arrangements over the next few days, here’s a bit of a rundown on what’s been arranged so far.
Sat 23rd December – Chester (3pm) – Home
No segregation will be in place for this one, as Chester are only expected to bring between 100 and 150 supporters up. Away fans are of course welcome in the Spartans Clubhouse before the game as well.
Speaking of the club, the West Ham vs Man United game will be shown live from 12:30pm. We’ll also have a limited number of Shy’s Pie’s available that will likely all go before the game, so if you want one you better be quick! The usual burger van will also be selling scran in the ground early doors as well.
The club store will be open from 1pm and it’ll be your final chance to pick up any last-minute items before Christmas. I’d recommend getting down as early as possible if you’re after a shirt, as some sizes once again have limited stock in. The store will be open until 2:50pm and then again for 30 minutes after the match.
The Social Club will be open for a few hours after the game as always and hopefully, we’ll be able to get smashed and celebrate 3 points!
Tickets for Chester can be purchased here.
Tue 26 December – South Shields (3pm) – Away
No supporters bus is on for Shields away unfortunately as once again, ne one would give us a sensible price however, the 309 is still running from Blyth and the Metro’s are running pretty much as normal.
The plan is for supporters to meet up in The Dog and Parrot (near central station) between 11am and midday for a few pints and some scran, then head down to South Shields on the metro, as there are no proper pubs anywhere near Shields ground and actually going into South Shields town centre is a huge fucking ner, as it makes Blyth look like a Mayfair. Everyone is welcome to join us and the lads for a pint!
The only bar of note near the ground is a small social club around the corner the ground called Tams, which looks interesting.
Anyway, the nearest metro station to Shields ground is Bede. Parking anywhere near the stadium will be a total nightmare so if you are planning on driving down, I’d recommend parking in Newcastle or at Northumberland Park and getting the metro down to South Shields.
The game is expected to be segregated, with Spartans fans assigned to turnstiles 3 & 4 which you can see on the diagram below. I must note, I love that the away is pretty much in the shape of a cock and balls whilst also being located on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Tickets are not being sold online just yet for away fans for whatever reason, but the prices on the gate should look like this.
| Adults | £15 |
| Concession | £10 |
| 13-16 | £5 |
| 12 & under | £3 |
A food trailer should be located near the turnstiles as we come in and beers/lagers are also supposed to be available.
Sat 30 December – South Shields (3pm) – Home
With roughly 800 South Shields fans expected to be making the trip up north this game will obviously be segregated, though Shields fans will be welcome in the Spartans Club before and after the game. I’d expect the club to have the Luton vs Chelsea game on as well, which i’m sure we’ll all be excited to watch.
Shy’s Pie’s should be on in the club (depending on Ian’s opening hours) but we’ll confirm that just before the game.
With segregation in place Spartans fans will only be able to access the ground via the Kingsway entrance, which typically only has the 1 cash turnstile on and usually develops a canny size que when it comes to the bigger games so buying tickets online in advance is strongly recommended, especially if you want a seat as hopefully we’ll see 2000 people in total come through the gates.
Obviously, no access will be permitted to Spartans fans via the Plessey Road entrance, which I know is a really stupid thing to clarify but you won’t actually believe how many times people still try to get through that gate when it’s segregated, despite the big AWAY FANS sign staring them in the face. Speaking of away fans, if any of you are reading this then hello. You may also find our ‘Guide to Blyth’ somewhat helpful which you can find here.
Finally, the club shop will be open from 1:30pm to 2:50pm and then again after the match.
Tickets for the South Shields home game can be purchased here.