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Blyth Spartans

Croft Park

Capacity: 4,130 (Seats 530)
Address: Blyth, Northumberland, NE24 3JE
Telephone: 01670 352373
Pitch Size: 120 x 76 yards
Pitch Type: Grass
Club Nickname: The Spartans
Year Ground Opened: 1909
Undersoil Heating: No
Home Kit: Green, White & Black


                    
                    

Blyth Spartans have played at Croft Park since 1909 and in the past 15 years the ground has been brought up to full National League standards. The turnstiles can be approached from the Plessey Road or by the Social Club at the end of Bishopton Street.

From the outside the Port Of Blyth Stand dominates. This stand is now fully seated (530 seats), mostly undercover and runs a quarter the length of the pitch. It houses the dressing rooms, club offices and hospitality suites. The rest of this side is flat standing but there is a raised, covered stand for disabled supporters towards the Social Club End on the ground. At the Plessey Road End there is a club shop and toilet blocks.

The other three sides consist of terracing with cover to all three sides. Opposite the Main Stand is the  Fergy Space (West) Stand. This is the oldest part of the ground and dates back some 70 years, this stand has a wooden back to it. Behind each goal are two almost identical 1200 capacity covered terraces with eight steps of terracing. The Tynetec Stand is at the Plessey Road End with the newer 24 Seven Claims Stand towards the Social Club End. On the front of this stand are displayed the words; Spartans Do Not Ask ‘How Many Are The Enemy, But Where Are They?’. Behind this stand is a small 3G training pitch.

Special thanks to John Hague for providing the information for this page.

Segregation is rarely in place but for high profile games visiting supporters are accommodated in the Plessey Road Stand where up to 1,200 fans can be housed in this covered terrace. In addition, a number of seats will also be made available in The Port Of Blyth Stand. Refreshments in the ground are usually supplied from a burger van which serves chips and burgers. Gino’s Fish and Chips are located at 200 Plessey Road (by the away turnstiles) and are excellent. Further afield on The Broadway Circle is the Broadway Chippy another gem. Fish and Chips are also available at Coastline by the beach car park (free parking). There is also a great cafe and ice cream parlour next door.

The Social Club at the ground itself welcomes away fans and is a great place to meet up before and after the game. It serves the usual range of beers and has some bottled real ales. The club even has its own Spartans Ale. As well as beers the social clubs sells a range of sandwiches and hot pies. Thirsty fans can also order their half-time drinks before kick-off. Although entrance to the Social Club is outside the ground, fans can get a ‘pass out’ to visit in the interval.

Close by is the Masons Arms. Well behaved away fans should have no problems in here but this is definitely a home fans pub and shows live sports on TV.

Further afield in the town centre, only 10-15 minutes walk away are a few pubs of interest to the more discerning drinker. The Wallaw on Union Street is an award winning Wetherspoons conversion of a former Art Deco cinema and deserves a visit. There is always a good range of cask ales and craft beers on tap. It is also featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide  Olivers on Bridge Street is also worth a visit and also offers real ale. The Commissioners Quay Hotel is very much the new kid on the block and as well as providing 40 modern en-suite bedrooms there are usually 4 varied cask ales and a range of craft beers.

From the North
From the A189 (Spine Road) take the A193 (Cowpen Road) exit and follow this into Blyth, continue on the A193 as it becomes The Broadway. Continue on the A193 at The Broadway Circle roundabout and take the next left on to Plessey Road. The ground will be on your left.

From the South
Exit the A19 onto the A189 (Spine Road) at the Annitsford Roundabout. After two miles exit onto the A1061 (signed A192 Seaton Delaval, Cramlington and Blyth Beach. Follow the A1061 for approximately three miles and exit left onto the A193. Turn right at the second roundabout onto Plessey Road as above.

Parking is freely available on the surrounding streets but please park sensibly and respect the local residents.

Postcode for SatNav: NE24 3JE

The nearest railway station is Cramlington, which is served by trains from Newcastle Central and Morpeth. However, Cramlington is located five miles away from Croft Park and a  taxi from here will cost you approximately £11.50 (Phoenix Taxis). You can also take an X9 bus half hourly from Cramlington to Blyth, this takes approximately 40 minutes. An alternative might be to get off at Newcastle Central Station and take a 20 minute walk to Haymarket Bus Station and take an X10/X11 to Blyth. This journey takes roughly 1 hour. See the Traveline North East website for more details.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets:

Brian Scott informs me; ‘The 308 bus runs from Whitley Bay to Blyth four times per hour during the day, reducing to two per hour in the evening. Whitley Bay is also connected to Newcastle via an easy Metro train ride’.

Directions to Croft Park from Blyth Bus Station
Blyth Bus Station is located in Bridge Street at the top end of Union Street. Walk down Union Street and then bear right into Plessey Road. Croft Park is along Plessey Road on the right just after Coronation Street. To get to the home turnstiles walk along Coronation Street and turn left to the ground.

Terrace
Adults £12
Over 65’s £7
Under 17’s/Students With Valid ID £5
Under 10’s Free (when accompanied by an adult)

Seating
An additional £2 transfer fee is payable inside the ground to sit in the Port of Blyth Stand.

Official Matchday Programme: £2

Blyth Spartans Fixture List (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).

In the National League North the local rivals are Spennymoor Town and Darlington.

Record Attendance

The record crowd for a Blyth Spartans match at Croft Park was set in 1956 when the visit of Hartlepool United attracted 10,186.

The record crowd for a Blyth Spartans ‘home’ match was set on 27th February 1978. When an FA Cup Fifth Round Replay against Wrexham was played at St James’ Park Newcastle. The attendance was 42,167.

Average Attendance
2018-2019: 816 (National League North)
2017-2018: 798 (National League North)
2016-2017: 649 (Northern Premier League)

If you require hotel accommodation in Newcastle or Whitley Bay then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use.Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going.

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me at: [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the photos of Croft Park, Blyth Spartans.

The Croft Park video was produced by Revell Cornell and made publicly available via YouTube.

  • Blyth Spartans v York City
    National League North
    Tuesday 8th August 2017, 7.45pm
    Brian Scott (Neutral Ipswich Town fan)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Croft Park ground?
     
    This was the second of my three day trip to see matches in the National League North, having been at Bradford Park Avenue the day before.
     
    How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
     
    I travelled up by train from Bradford to Newcastle and then on to Whitley Bay by Metro to the Hotel 52 in South Parade. After checking in it was a short walk to the town centre to catch a bus to Blyth. Number 308 and a frequency of four per hour during the day reducing to two per hour in the evening. This gave me ample time to have a look around Blyth docks and Ridley Park etc. It was drizzling all day which made it less than ideal but did not prevent a good walk.
     
    What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
     
    I had a meal in a Chinese restaurant In Waterloo Road before walking to the Croft Park ground which took about 15 minutes. The turnstiles were open nice and early but I hadn't noticed that segregation was in force and nearly entered the away section, but the friendly gateman asked which team I supported. In actual fact once inside I could have easily got through the 'barrier' to go to the club shop. So I had to go round to the Bishopton Street turnstile.
     
    What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Croft Park?
     
    I had my usual walk around the ground going as far as I could on the south side covered terrace. I noted that because of the high walls to each end of this terrace anyone standing close to the wall would be prevented from seeing one of the goals. The wall needs reducing in height. I noted that the back of the stand is wooden boarding, not the normal metal. Croft Park is neat and tidy, but the seats in the stand are past their best as the white now looks very grubby!
     
    Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
     
    York City tended to dominate quite a lot of the game and they opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Blyth did have attacking options but their shooting was far from accurate! After 22 minutes York got a second. There was very good support from the large contingent of fans from York. I was impressed with how the home fans around me in the seats sportingly clapped the away substitutions.
     
    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
     
    After a quick walk back to Bridge Street in the drizzle, I caught the 308 bus back to Whitley Bay. It is a direct route and to maintain the schedule at this quiet time of the evening the driver had to go very slowly!
     
    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
     
    I'm pleased that I've been to Coft Park Blyth, but just a pity about the weather. Off to Darlington next for the third match on my three day trip of National League North Grounds.
  • Blyth Spartans v Darlington
    National League North
    Saturday 28th October 2017, 3pm
    Patrick (Darlington fan)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Croft Park?
     
    This was a bit of a derby. Blyth are a famous old club thanks to their Cup exploits over the years. Finally this was new manager Tommy Wright's first game in charge and Alan White was back as the assistant, so a new era was beginning at Darlington.
     
    How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
     
    Simple. I left about 1pm. I drove straight up the A19 and through the Tyne Tunnel. I got to Blyth at about 2:15 pm. I parked outside Blyth Rugby Club, about a five minute walk from Croft Park.
     
    What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
     
    Got to the away turnstile and the stewards told us we could go in their club bar… very friendly, long queues at the bar were well offset by a separate kiosk containing bottles of ale if you didn't mind not drinking cask. Plenty of Darlo fans in there mixing with the home fans. I had the one beer then went back to the away turnstile. Few Darlo fans mentioned a decent Wetherspoons nearby as well.
     
    What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Croft Park?
     
    I hadn't researched the ground but I was pleasantly surprised, it wouldn't look too out of place in League 2, and given our ground, I was slightly envious. We were housed in the terrace behind the goal to the left of the main stand, there was a big terrace to our left which looked particularly impressive, I presume they would need to install seats if they ever made the Football League.
     
    Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pie s, facilities etc..
     
    On a very windy day, we started well and went 1-0 up by half time. An injury to Centre Back Dom Collins at half time prompted a reshuffle and we duly fell apart losing 3-1. There was a great atmosphere in our end as always when we go away, they were quiet although came to life when they went 2-1 up. I didn't get any food but there were kiosks selling the usual offerings of pie fillings. The toilets were portacabins, basic but they did the job.
     
    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
     
    Very easy. I was back on the road within five minutes of leaving the ground and despite some heavy Saturday traffic, I got home as quickly as I'd gotten to the stadium.
     
    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
     
    Result apart and despite the wind, it was a decent day out. Croft Park is a nice ground and another crossed off the list.
  • Blyth Spartans v Guiseley
    National League North
    Friday 19th April 2019, 3pm
    Jeremy Gold (Neutral)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Croft Park Ground?
     
    A first visit to Croft Park to see the Spartans and edge closer to all the grounds being completed in the National League North. As an Orient fan, we were actually gutted that we were denied a visit earlier on in the season when our late winner in the FA Trophy denied the visitors a replay.
     
    How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
     
    It is a long train journey even from East Lancashire via York, Newcastle and then another 50 minutes by bus to Blyth. Finding the ground is easy enough, it was funny because you just seem to come across it when you are not expecting it to be there.
     
    What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
     
    I got off the bus at Blyth South beach and was going to go to the well recommend Coastline Fish & Chip shop. However, being a gorgeous sunny Bank Holiday it was absolutely packed with long queues so I walked into town and found an alternative by the dockside.
     
    What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Croft Park?
     
    The ground is neat and tidy, two matching ends, the covered terracing along the far side is quite large and strangely has no crush barriers. The Main Stand is a little gem and that is where I chose to watch the match in the glorious sunshine. Overall Croft Park is a great little ground.
     
    Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
     
    Blyth were looking to keep up their play off chances and took the lead early after a defensive calamity by the visitors who were fighting relegation worries. The game was a little scrappy and a goal at the death sealed it for the home team, overall a deserved victory. There was an okay atmosphere and some brilliantly funny banter from a few of the locals in the Main Stand. I didn’t sample the food, there was one van serving everyone but it seemed to do the job well.
     
    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
     
    It was an easy walk back into town to catch the bus back into Newcastle. There is an array of buses to choose from which makes it rather complicated to decide which ones is best. One thought is why there isn’t a super express limited stop bus as plenty of people seemed to be going all the way. The X10 I was on went all around the houses getting out of Blyth.
     
    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
     
    A cracking day out, the sunshine made it even better. It is probably a lot different on a cold winters evening. Definitely, one to get to, it is a long way from anywhere but that is half the fun I suppose.
  • Blyth Spartans v Gateshead
    National League North
    Wednesday 1st January 2020, 3pm
    Patrick Chapman (Gateshead)

    Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting Croft Park?

    Blyth Spartans are traditionally our main local rivals, but in recent times we've often been in different divisions. Therefore playing them is a special treat. They beat us in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, so there was some added spice to the clash.

    How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

    I travelled on the supporters' coach so there was little issue. The journey took about half an hour from Gateshead. Due to the date of the fixture, no public transport was available, but normally several routes run between Newcastle and Blyth which would be close to the ground – the town centre isn't that far a walk.

    What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

    Despite the game being segregated and a bitter rivalry, we were allowed into the Blyth club house and were warmly welcomed. There was a Spartans Smooth beer on offer and pies were also sold in the club house. Overall the whole experience was surprisingly pleasant and the Blyth fans were genuinely lovely.

    What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of Croft Park?

    The ground is perhaps a little older than most, but was still full of character and the atmosphere in the away end can be electric, because the acoustics are great. The Blyth fans were spread out across their three ends, but they were also able to generate a lot of noise. The ground as a whole is compact and you feel close to the action.

    Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

    The game itself was incredibly frustrating, as we ended up throwing away a two goal lead. Still, we didn't really stop singing at any point, and once the Spartans got back to 2-2 their fans became equally energetic. The last few minutes, where we missed a penalty, scored a late goal, which we assumed was a winner and conceded a final goal proved one of the more nerve-racking experiences of my time as a football fan. The toilets and half-time dining were both basic but well-maintained and I found my double cheeseburger kept me full for the whole rest of the day.

    Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

    Again I travelled on the supporters' coach, so getting away wasn't too hard. The traffic was very quiet, as to be expected on New Year's Day.

    Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

    Croft Park is a solid, traditional football ground. It isn't fancy, but the welcome was warm and the experience was fantastic, even if the result wasn't!

Updated 4th November 2021