By Leipziger
June 20 2005

As part of the Falcons at 10 series, a review of the very first game of the professional era by the club then known as Newcastle Gosforth. As this game kicked off, few people could have imagined that within a few days the future of the club would change dramatically.

Newcastle Gosforth’s first match of the 1995/96 season, and of the professional era, was a Journal Trophy match against West Hartlepool at Kingston Park on September 2nd.  Newcastle would play in the Second Division of the Courage League, and West in the First Division, and this was reflected in the scoreline of 14-29 to the visitors.

 

Newcastle dominated the first half, going ahead with two penalties from fly-half Richard Cramb, but trailed at the break 6-8 as Kevin Oliphant scored a penalty and “Scotland’s captain-in-waiting” (Alan Hedley) Rob Wainwright a try.  In the second period, Oliphant converted further tries from Jones, Lee and Cook, whilst all the home side could muster was Cramb’s third penalty and a try by flanker Shaun Cassidy.

 

Despite the win, West’s Director of Coaching Barry Forster was dissatisfied, as he had expected “a good 30-40 points”, but Newcastle pinned his side back in the final part of the match and running every penalty.  David Campbell of Newcastle blamed the defeat on “stupid mistakes”, and lamented the fact that while his side were the fitter of the two, their skills would have to be worked on if they were to get back into the top division.  (Interviews in The Journal, September 4^th 1995).

 

In the Godfather column in the match programme, Newcastle Gosforth director Colm Morgan explained the initial reaction to professionalism.  He stated that it would make little difference to the Division One clubs, “apart from legitimising current practice”, but clubs like ours would “have most to lose” because they had never paid their players dishonestly and had “suffered the consequences of this policy”.

 

Morgan lamented the lack of crowds, income and the high travel costs which would make a successful Newcastle side difficult to produce in the new era, but promised the club would “rise to this latest challenge”.  The events of the following few days, when Sir John Hall bought the club, no doubt helped in this.

 

 

Teams:

 

Newcastle Gosforth – M Wilson (57, I Williams), D Briggs, R Wilkinson ©, I Chandler, M Brummitt, R Cramb 3P, G Robson, M Long, A Hetherington, B Adlington, F Mitchell, M Walker, N Frankland, S Cassidy 1T, D Holder.

 

West Hartlepool – K Oliphant 1P 3C, O Evans, C Lee, A Elwine, S Jones, P Hodder, S Cook, P Lancaster ©, T Herbert, M Shelley, J Dixon, C Murphy, D Mitchell, A Brown, R Wainwright.

Referee: L Jackson.

 

Other Journal Trophy results on the first day of professional rugby union were:

Blyth 9-20 Morpeth

Ponteland 9-16 Seghill

Ryton 100-5 Consett

Gateshead Fell 39-13 Rockcliff

North Durham 3-25 Westoe

Seaham 69-0 Darlington RA

Sunderland 47-8 Hartlepool

Winlaton 3-36 Blaydon