Lebrun Mbeka won the Connie Wailes & Fred Hughes Memorial Player of the Year Award voted for by Supporters Club Members. Mbeka is a popular presence at the Brewery Field and a worthy recipient of this prestigious award. He follows previous winners Joe Tait and John Lufudo.

Recently crowned league champions Spennymoor Town Walking Football Team travelled to Glasgow this week to take part in a competition against teams from Scotland. Despite needing to adapt to some differences in rules from their standard competition, they put on a good show winning 1 game drawing 2 and losing 2.

The Supporters Club are proud to sponsor the team and hope to collaborate more in the future.

Well done lads 👊🏻

Farsley fans pictured enjoying our welcome and hospitality on Saturday.

Spennymoor Town FC squeezed the brakes on their play-off charge after defeat to South Shields in the seaside sunshine.

We had every reason to be optimistic, going into the game on the back of 7 straight wins and in front of what was to be an expected strong away support. 300 to 400 Fans rattled in on trains, busses and cars hoping to be served a classic encounter from 2 of the leagues in form teams. 

Away fans were housed in a corner of the ground too small for the numbers limiting the view for many, the stadium was awkward looking, difficult to access, with catering equipped for only a small gathering rather than a thirsty army of supporters looking to make the most of the bank holiday.

The game was like the catering, luke warm and bereft of any real quality. Such a lack lustre performance from Spennymoor meant Shields needed to do very little to win comfortably thus increasing their own aspirations of a place in the play-offs.

It’s hard to criticise the team, given what we’ve seen in recent weeks, but we are fans, we pay our money, we are greedy. If you went to a restaurant, ordered steak but were served corned beef, you’d be less than pleased, no!

All is not lost however, a performance and a win on Monday against Farsley Celtic will rekindle the hope for end of season knockout football, but remember if that does happen we will come up against teams with similar qualities to Shields and a repeat of the levels shown today will definitely not be good enough. 👊🏻

The appointment of Graeme Lee is shaping up to be a shrewd piece of on field business at the Brewery Field. It was reported that Lee was a man in demand around the NLN towards the end of 2023 and no doubt the emotional connection (Graeme’s late father Tony had previously managed the Moors) played at least some part in him opting for Spennymoor ahead of the other potential suitors involved in the mid season managerial merry-go-round late last year.

As supporters or followers of football you can often sense if someone is a going to be good fit very early in to their tenure. That sense of optimism was never evident, to me at least, whilst Miller, the Salford Duo or Dickman were at the helm. Now this is not a criticism of the aforementioned or their ability, Bern and Jonno are now lifting up trees at Radcliffe, and Dickman & Miller both highly respected capable coaches quickly found themselves back in work at the same NLN level. However we only ever looked like a settled side when Jason Ainsley stepped back in to steer the ship.

Now under Graeme Lee, we are seeing shape, energy and most importantly results both welcome and deserved. Even after falling behind in games we see a response. Chances are being created, goals being scored, our goal difference is now neutral and achieved without talisman and captain Glen Taylor. Lufudo often erratic or unpredictable is now operating as a disciplined full back. Staunton has put in performances that sees him a Player of the Year candidate. A sustained run in the starting eleven has brought the best out of an often too shy Corey Mckeown. The arrival of Matty Dolan brings much needed midfield experience, he has hit the ground running, organising the younger players around him and dictating the play. The solid Pollock / Mbeka central defensive partnership instils confidence for others to take risks further up the field and the form table provides proof that Graeme Lee’s work in progress is taking shape quickly and effectively.

For much of the season fans had endured aimless performances with an expectation we’d lose creating in-house conflict between knowledgeable critics and staunch protectors of the football club. Now we enjoy a collective on field appreciation of Lee’s approach, with visits to the Brewery much less of a chore.

On behalf of Spennymoor Town FC Supporters Club and in acknowledgement of the work Graeme and his coaches have done so far, thank you for the football 👏👏