FROM January 1957 to January 1967, nine Northern League football clubs from South West Durham, Bishop Auckland, Crook, Stanley, Willington, Evenwood, Ferryhill, Shildon, West Auckland and Willington suddenly went from boom to bust.

In April 1957 Bishop Auckland won the FA Amateur Cup for the third year running, making it ten wins in total for the Two Blues'.

The pits and railways were in full swing and there were rail and bus services from early morning to late evening.

In the Amateur Cup 1st Round, played in January 1957, Bishop Auckland, Crook Town, Evenwood Town, Ferryhill Athletic, West Auckland and Willington all came through into Round 2.

By January 1967, the coal seams had run out and pits closed, the railways were either cut by Doctor Beeching or slowly disappeared due to a shortage of passengers and business from the pits and quarries.

The football suffered too, in the Amateur Cup 1st Round of January 1967 all those clubs above were knocked out in Round 1.

After the Second World War it had been a boom period, Crook Town were Amateur Cup winners in 1954, 1959, 1962 and 1964, and losing semi-finalists in 1949, 1958 and 1960.

Bishop Auckland won the competition three years in succession, 1955, 1956 and 1957, were losing finalists in 1946,1950 and 1951 and losing semi-finalists in 1947 and 1962. Willington won the Cup in 1950, West Auckland were losing finalists in 1961 and losing semi-finalists in 1962. Shildon were losing quarter-finalists in 1959 while Ferryhill Athletic were losing quarter-finalists in 1964.

However, in the last ten years of the Amateur Cup competition, from 1964-65 to 1973-74, only two teams reached the quarter-final stages, Crook Town lost 1-2 at home to Alvechurch in 1966 and Evenwood lost 2-0 away to Highgate United in a replay in 1973.

Former Crook Town and Bishop Auckland centre half Arnold Alton believes the end of the maximum wage signalled a death-knell for the amateur clubs.

"It certainly played a part," says Arnold. "The maximum wage in the professional game was abolished in June 1961 making a career as a professional footballer a better financial proposition. Some players had stayed as 'amateurs' because they had a job, brought home a wage, supplemented by decent expenses from their amateur clubs with some having a good chance of playing at Wembley."

Here is a list of Amateur players from the clubs above who turned 'pro' between June 1961 and January 1967, it is by no means comprehensive and there may be many more, but it's nearly a team of very good players.

  • 1961 Bill Hopper West Auckland - Halifax Town
  • 1962 Frank Clark Crook Town - Newcastle United
  • 1963 Arnold Coates Crook Town - Queen of the South
  • 1963 David Joy Willington - Huddersfield
  • 1963 Allan Ball Stanley United - Queen of the South
  • 1963 Jack Howarth Stanley United - Chelsea
  • 1964 Peter Garbutt Crook Town to Carlisle United
  • 1966 Jimmy Goodfellow Bishop Auckland - Port Vale
  • 1967 Dave McClelland Bishop Auckland - Port Vale

A further problem, greats like Seamus O'Connell, Harry Sharratt, Bobby Hardisty, Bobby Davison, Stan Rutherford, Jack Snowdon, Ray Oliver, Derek Lewin, Fred Jarrie, Bert Steward, John Taylor and many more retired from the sport.

Most of those players would not have looked out of place in a First or Second Division side.

When O'Connell scored his hat-trick on debut for Chelsea against Manchester United in October 1954, Bill Foulkes, Roger Byrne, Allenby Chilton and Duncan Edwards were all in the Busby Babes defence which is a massive endorsement of his ability. Matt Busby once said to Bob Hardisty: "What a career you could have had at Old Trafford."

These top class players were a huge miss.

Furthermore, South West Durham lost three good footballers through accident and illness in two years, from 1965 to 67 Colin Bainbridge (injuries from car accident), Cyril Gowland (electrocuted at work) and Colin Barker (illness).

"Also, lifestyles were changing," says Brian Hunt, author of Northern Goalfields. "There was football and sport on the TV, supermarkets sprang up, there were other things to do rather than go to the match, have a couple of pints, and come home for tea. Suddenly clubs were strapped for cash."

Since 1967 Evenwood Town, Ferryhill Athletic and Stanley United have all folded, while today Crook Town and Willington are struggling at the wrong end of the Northern League Division 2.

Thanks to Arnold Alton and Brian Hunt for their help.