August

City stunned League Champions Brandon with an opening day 2-1 away win, but Tow Law were within three minutes of victory at Durham in midweek, having to settle for a 1-1 draw after Andy Shaw levelled from a corner late on. Promoted Horden went top of the Northern League after striker Chris I’Anson inspired them to a 2-1 home win over City, who bounced back with a 3-1 derby success against Chester-le-Street, scoring three goals in the opening ten minutes.

September

City’s injury list lengthened as they lost 2-0 at home to Dunston, eleven players in total being sidelined. Although held to a 1-1 draw by Morpeth, City hoped for a lift with the arrival of Neil Hixon as second in command to Billy Cruddas. Inspired by Michael Dunwell’s masterclass of leading the line City recorded a Friday evening 3-1 victory at Whitley Bay with a battling display of aggressive committed football, Steven Stewart’s goal being a highlight. A second successive away win at West Auckland saw Craig Lake and Michael Dunwell on the score sheet. City moved to third in the table after beating Horden 3-1 at the Archibald Stadium.

October

Despite scoring one of the fastest ever League goals in the opening seconds, Billingham Town went down 5-1 on their travels, and City stretched their winning run in the League to five games with a comfortable 4-1 win at Marske. City deposed leaders Whitley Bay with a 2-0 home win, but the winning run came to an end when they were held 1-1 at Esh Winning. City paid the penalty for missing many chances with a similar scoreline at Washington, and in a poor game they had to thank substitute Gavin Mudd’s brace to overcome the massed Penrith defence, the victory extending City’s lead at the top to six points. City made it a hat trick of successive 1-1 League draws away from home in games they should have won easily against opponents they failed to finish off when Guisborough Town’s John Ryan cancelled out Michael Dunwell’s spectacular goal.

November

City stayed four points clear at the top after staging a magnificent rally, coming from 2-0 behind to win 3-2 at Jarrow Roofing and stretched their lead to seven points, beating Peterlee 2-1 at home. A 2-0 away win at Shildon kept City at the top, but only a last minute penalty yielded a point at home to Billingham Synthonia. A 1-1 draw against Bedlington at the Archibald Stadium maintained City’s six-point lead at the top of the table.

December

City completed the double over Brandon with a 3-2 win, and a Glen Robson hat trick and a clean sheet at Chester-le-Street made City title favourites.

January

Esh Winning halted City’s winning sequence and were worth a point, City only having themselves to blame for failing to extend their lead at the top. A famous 2-0 victory at Dunston was put into perspective when City conceded two valuable points in a 1-1 draw at Thornaby, after which game they also lost the services of Neil Hixon who preferred to be a manager in his own right elsewhere. A 3-1 reverse at Morpeth was softened as all of City’s nearest rivals also lost points that day.

February

A surprise 2-3 home defeat to lowly Guisborough severely dented City’s title aspirations with Dunston seven points behind with five games in hand. The Championship challenge got back on course with successive home victories, 5-3 over Washington and 2-1 over Thornaby, but City slipped to defeat in a seven-goal thriller at Billingham Town.

March

A 3-1 win at Tow Law kept City two points clear, a position retained after an emphatic 4-0 win over West Auckland, but they slipped up 1-0 at Billingham Synthonia, leaving them now at one point behind leaders Dunston, having played three games more. A second Glen Robson hat trick in a 4-1 win over Jarrow Roofing kept City in second place.

April

Peterlee were the next team to be on the receiving end of a Glen Robson hat trick and another memorable Steven Stewart strike, before three goals from Shildon’s Gary Barnes virtually ended City’s hopes of lifting the League title with a Good Friday 1-3 home reverse. The irrepressible Robson found the back of the net three times again when City lost 5-3 at Bedlington before securing the runners-up spot with successive wins against Division-Two-bound Penrith and Marske, the former 0-2 and the latter by a thumping 7-2, Robson recording his fourth hat trick of the season and Willie Moat scoring a screamer.

Postscript

City finished creditable runners-up, improving on last season’s fifth place with a total of 75points, an increase of seven.

There were four more wins, four more draws, six fewer defeats and a goal difference of +37 compared with

last season’s +23.

In the most open Championship for years City were in with a shout for a long time, but a never-ending catalogue of injuries and a few untimely and inconsistent performances cost them in the end.

If only Glen Robson had been in City’s colours earlier in the season!

‘If onlys’ apart, the facts confirm City’s renewed challenge – keep the faith!

Ken Milgate

10 May 2004