Winterton Hospital Football Club

My historical knowledge of Winterton Hospital was put to the test this morning when I recieved a telephone call from Mike Amos, he of Northern Echo, Backtrack fame who, having been in coversation with Eddie Hughes and Russell Wyatt, both SAFC supporting and ex Winterton Hospital FC players, who put him my way to see if I could help out.

It's a little known fact that in 1970 / 71 season Winterton Hospital FC won the Durham Amateur Cup ( The biggest non - league trophy in these parts ) and the Teesside and District league, with Eddie Hughes scoring 48 goals during the season and only 29 goals conceded in all competitions. To say that Winterton had a canny side back then is an understatement when you consider that many a good Northern League side won the DA Cup.

Anyhow I helped Mike out, had a bit craic about the importance of sport in general when it came to securing a job at the local mental hospital and if you could play footy, cricket or anything that sounded remotely like a tune on any musical instrument then you were in.

I told him about the 1909/10 side that played 35, won 35 scored 218 and conceded 37 and the team of patients that went to St Mary's Hospital in 1939 and beat their team containg 4 staff members 4-0. Mightyly impressed he was too. There is a good story about a game against Darlington RA being called off after the ref got injured and the RA officials cited the possibility of the game decending into a blood bath as grounds to abandon it. ( Must have heard about the rough nurses who looked after the patients or was it the fact that half the crowd were made up of patients).

Sadly the "team of all talents" disintegrated and by the start of the 1972 / 73 season and disbanded, never reaching the heights of the 1970/71 season again. Maybe some more research is needed to find out a little more of the exploits and winning Winterton ways.

The photograph may have one or two faces on it that are familiar to millions ( well one or two) so if you think you know anyone lets have them in the comments section.

Watch out for it in the Northern Echo and if I get wind of when it will be published I'll lete you know.