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)
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Official website: www.blythspartans.com
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)
Blyth Spartans v Darlington
National League North
Saturday 28th October 2017, 3pm
Patrick (Darlington fan)
Blyth Spartans v Guiseley
National League North
Friday 19th April 2019, 3pm
Jeremy Gold (Neutral)
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!