IT was a bad weekend for football fan and pub landlord Graham Ford.

Not only did his club, Sunderland, drop to the bottom of the Premiership, but he came last in his own pub's beer festival.

After seeing his heroes slump against Charlton, Mr Ford, who runs The Beamish Mary Inn, at No Place, near Stanley, consoled himself with the possibility of his choice of ale winning the festival's FA - Firkin Ale - Cup.

But Maypole Weller Gold, which Mr Ford found in Nottinghamshire, received no points from the judges.

Johnny Walters and Tom McKnight lifted the trophy and won cash for the Transplant 2000 charity with Hillsbrough Pale Ale, from the Crown Hotel, in Sheffield.

The FA Cup theme involved ten teams being drawn, with areas such as Cumbria, Lancashire and County Durham. The teams were set the challenge of finding an ale that would win the judges' approval.

Mr Ford said: "The annoying thing is that the beer I chose was the first to sell out. I'm gobsmacked. It doesn't look like Sunderland and I will do a cup double."

But the festival, the 12th the pub has held, proved a great success, as well as raising money for charity.

Mr Ford said: "It has gone brilliantly. It was absolutely packed on Saturday and Sunday was about the same. I have never, ever seen the pub as busy as that."

Twenty ales from other parts of the country and ten local brews were on tap.