12 Rounds With Chris Goodall

Hi Chris, welcome to NE, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi NE, my name’s Chris, I was born in South Shields but bought my first home in Boldon where I live with my wife Rachel, son Myles, best pal Jim (French Bulldog) and soon, a new addition to the family as we are expecting our second child in September.

You run Box Clever events, but for those that may not know, what exactly is Box Clever Events? Box Clever Events was set up in 2013 to help fundraise for local charities. I have been involved with boxing for as long as I can remember, and Box Clever Events aims to get others involved in the sport. We recruit people to participate on our shows and provide them with 8 weeks free training before allowing them to box on a professional show within the North East. The unique thing is, participants can choose which charity they’d like us to fundraise for, meaning we’ve supported literally hundreds over the years.

So how did it all come about? A good friend of the family had received a lot of support from a local hospital who we then heard were struggling with fundraising. We set out with the aim of raising £1000 to help them to buy some necessities for their children’s ward.

You’ve just hit a pretty massive milestone, tell us a bit more about that?

Yeah, so as I just mentioned we originally set out to raise £1000 for the local hospital. We somehow managed to raise a lot more. We handed over just short of £5000 which as you can imagine felt pretty amazing. Word spread and several other charities got in touch with us. We decided to attempt to hit £10,000 which then became £50,000... £75,000... £100,000... last week we just hit £300,000!

Did you ever think you would hit that amount when you first started?

Never in a million years! It’s crazy to think that a local lad and a small boxing club in South Shields has now raised almost a third of a million pounds!

What has been the hardest thing about hosting the events?

A couple of things really. Obviously being able to help so many amazing charities feels extremely rewarding but it also opens you up to some heart wrenching things. It certainly makes me feel appreciative every day in regards to how fortunate I am. This leads on to the second most difficult thing which is no doubt the same for anyone who organises events; it can be very time consuming.

Thankfully I have an amazing wife and family who are supportive and allow me to crack on with any of the crazy event ideas that pop in to my head at all hours of the day.

And the best thing?

Being reminded each day of how amazing the people of South Tyneside are.

In all of the events you have done, what have been the top three moments you have had?

In no particular order. We’ve received praise from a number of high profile boxers who have sent video messages, signed gloves, and even on a number of occasions visited and trained with our participants. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Amir Khan, Andrew Selby and Ricky Hatton have all been very supportive over the years. One of the top moments though would be having former World Champion David Haye along to our gym the day of our first ever show. He came to visit all of the participants doing our first ever show and spent hours offering advice, taking photos and putting the boxers at ease.

The relationships that we’ve made along the way. Having everyone pull together is an amazing feeling and not only have we raised a ton of money but we’ve had couples meet on our shows who have went on to have kids together and just last week, one of our participants got married on the morning of the show before heading to the venue to box for the very first time in front of his new wife, family and wedding party guests. He also went on to raise over £1000 for MacMillan Cancer.

Being Shortlisted for pride of Britain when we hit £100,000 was a surreal feeling. None of us at Box Clever Events got involved with the charity work for awards but it’s an amazing feeling when the work is recognised and shows we’re doing something right!

If someone is thinking of competing at a future event what advice would you give them? Just go for it! Everything fun comes when you leave your comfort zone. It’s an amazing way to get fit, you’ll improve your confidence and meet some fantastic people. Safety is paramount too and we’re yet to speak to a participant who hasn’t loved the occasion!

How can they get involved? Facebook is where we do the bulk of our recruiting. Give us a like and a follow @Box Clever Events.

When you are not busy putting on events what do you get up to in your free time?

I love to travel with the family but with expecting another little one in September we’ve not been away this year. When I’m home I can usually be found watching Newcastle United, having a coffee somewhere or watching a film at our local cinema.

Tell us three random facts about yourself?

For fans of The Sopranos, I took my wife to the Bada Bing in New Jersey for our wedding anniversary! I think I enjoyed it more than she did!

I go to the cinema at least 100 times a year. The most visits being 148.

My best pal in the world is my French Bulldog, Jim.

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with events?

They can’t go wrong with Facebook. For info on our shows @Box Clever Events and for our boxing and fitness classes @Harton & Westoe Boxing and Fitness Club.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Just a massive thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years and to all of the event staff, coaches, medical team, DJs, MCs, photographers and so on. You guys are appreciated and the work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Keep up the good work and we look forward to seeing you at the next event. Thanks, see you there!

The Straightener Show hit the Walker Dome with a Bang! You seriously wouldn’t have thought it was the very first ever show from promoters Michael Terrill, Andy Davison and Mark Bailey, judging by the production, how well it was organised, ran and of course from its action packed fight card featuring MMA, Kivkboxing, Boxing, Hybrid Boxing and a crazy 2 Vs 2 fight that had the whole of the Walker Dome going crazy!

Michael Terrill is well known on the fight scene, seeing as he has competed in Thai Boxing, Amateur Boxing, K1 and Bare Knuckle Boxing, where he has held many of their titles including BKB World Champion. Andy Davidson (the King of Walker) is a well-respected boxer who has fought on many promotions, but now spends his time coaching. Both used to coach the lads at the infamous The Manor Gym, which has produced some of the best fighters in the North East, though the Manor is no longer going, they now coach at O’Tooles Gym still churning out incredible fighters. Mark Bailey is a huge supporter of the north east fight scene sponsoring several fighters and shows, always giving back to the community. He runs the Computer Clinic in Washington Galleries and provided the full merchandise selection available at the show, which went down great with the crowd as they got to take home branded t-shirts, bucket hats, caps and more.

Veteran MC Wayne Groves was the voice of The Straightener Show introducing all of the fighters and announcing the winners, though this time he was joined by social media star Jack Bart who hyped the crowd up and entertained them with his usual antics.

The real stars of the show were of course the fighters, who all brought their A-game and left it all in the cage. With a good mix of up and coming talent to guys who have been on the scene for years, the crowd were not disappointed by the action they saw in the cage. If you missed the show you really did miss a great night, but don’t worry as the videos will be coming to youtube and the social channels soon, but we highly suggest you get your tickets to the next show which has been confirmed for Saturday 2nd December where they intend the up their game and really finish the year with a bang!

We have double the fun now as we have teamed up with Cineworld Boldon and the new Cineworld Dalton Park to give you a quick run down on a few films that are coming soon and really have got us excited.

Plus make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with their daily competitions and updates. Boldon and Dalton Park

Blue Beetle

18 August 2023

Running time: 127 minutes

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the feature film “Blue Beetle,” marking the DC Super Hero’s first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridueña in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. Recent college grad

Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Cast: Elpidia Carrillo, George

Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Xolo Maridueña, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén, Becky G.

Director: Angel Manuel Soto

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS OR WATCH THE TRAILER

The Equalizer 3

01 September 2023

Running time: 120 minutes

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.

Cast: David Denman, Dakota Fanning, Denzel Washington, Gaia Scodellaro

Kraven The Hunter

30 August 2024

Running time: 120 minutes

Russian immigrant Sergei

Kravinoff is on a mission to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.

Cast: Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller,

Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger Director: J.C. Chandor

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS AND WATCH THE TRAILER

The Expendables 4

22 September 2023

Running time: 120 minutes

The Expendables will square up against: an arms dealer who commands the might of a massive private army.

Cast:

50 Cent, Megan Fox, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, Sylvester

Stallone, Jason Statham, Iko Uwais, Dolph Ludngren, Randy Couture Director: Scott Waugh

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS AND WATCH THE TRAILER

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Some you win, and some lose, that is how I occasionally feel when reading books.

I can persevere with the best of them, if I don’t like it, I give it up, if I do then I’ll either give it a chance, or come back to it again at a later date; that’s how I felt with one of the books I’ve read recently. Since the last Book Tales, when I discussed, primarily, the 1950s David Attenborough now in my possession, I’ve gone back to reading thrillers, and added in something new and different, with differing outcomes.

Thrillers are thrillers, there’s no other way around them really and, more often than not, they’re based on serial killers, or something as equally depraved, and that’s where the first two offerings emanated from.

The first, JA ‘Jack’ Kerley’s No One Will Hear (Her Last Scream) was a rollercoaster ride in itself, and about a serial killer who’d infiltrated a secret, underground network, used for saving women who’d suffered with domestic violence. A number of heroes in this as an undercover newbie goes deep into the system, following the network, to protect, serve, and deliver. Then there was the addition of a new author to my very short, distinguished list of favourites, so much so that I’ve already got another of his books upcoming – Chris Carter, one who’s mind knows no bounds and I’m hoping that his other reads, deliver just as much as Genesis, truly did.

An Xmas present from a few years back, it was shelved as one to read later; again, although about a serial killer, it’s depraved in its descriptiveness, makes you wonder in the real world so much so that, at one point, I actually did stop to check under my bed – you can’t get under my bed, it just felt all too real.

Genesis certainly keeps the reader gripped from first to last, throws in a few curveballs along the way, and finishes with a final twist that you’d probably not see coming, I certainly didn’t; oh, and crossed legs for some lobsters, jeez!! I then decided to mix things a little bit, recalling that my grandfather used to read westerns, I thought I’d give them a try and, although a good read, my first choice, Dane Coolidge’s The Soldier’s Way, wasn’t all that for me, however, and although I was wary going straight into another one, I wasn’t disappointed by Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse, by Robert

Knott.

A brilliant, enjoyable read which saw lawmakers, renegades, and kidnappings, on the American Railroad on its way through the Choctaw Nation – a Native American Indian tribe which was recognised in the 1780s and established some fifty years later. Then, the most recent read, and again something different for me –I’ve read fantasies, and the occasional horror and sci-fi, but never delved into the ghost world, and more so one based on true events, stories.

“Some stories are never finished.

Some voices demand to be heard, even after death....”

Neil Spring’s The Lost Village, what a read this was, and highly recommended as well. It caught me by surprise and is a ghostly tale based in, and around, the lost village of Imber, in the Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire; how the British Army took the village to help the war effort, and never gave it back to its people, who are allowed back in once a year, to honour their dead.

Now, moving forward, there’s a few temptations to read, although I will say that one of next issue’s looks will be at another, Chris Carter offering – I can’t wait….

Writing books can take on many different forms, for people from different walks of life, and there’s no written rule, per se, as to who does what, and when – if there’s interest, write it.

The same can be said about when you write a book, and have it published, be it early, or late in life – if it’s achievable, the do it, that’s what people like north-east writer, Haydn Watson, has done.

Having already lived a life, first in engineering, then teaching, and now retired, Haydn writes books, and is soon to have his third offering, via The Memoir Club, published, entitled ‘What Have We Done?’ it following that of ‘A Life

Navigated,’ and ‘Garn Yem.’

“I began writing some ten years ago,” began Haydn, as he chatted about entering a literary world.

“It all started as a personal tale of my younger life and resulted in a set of stories based on my teenage years.

“I had no inclination to have them published at that stage and just printed a few of them for friends and relatives.

“Then I remembered the life of my late father-in-law, Fazel Rehman.

“His life was quite a tale that included trekking from his village in Afghanistan aged 11, with a camel train to Karachi.

“Then, at 16 he joined the Merchant Navy and sailed in the Atlantic Conveys.

“He was torpedoed twice and survived twice, and would go on to spend two years in the United States, finally arriving in the UK, meeting and marrying my late mother-in-law in South Shields.

“I decided to write his story which led to ‘A Life Navigated,’ which was published in 2020 (Diadem Books).”

With ‘A Life Navigated; being the biographical tale of a man witnessing many harsh and dangerous experiences throughout life, overcoming many challenges, ‘Garn Yem,’ the second offering from Haydn Watson, and this via The Memoir Club, is something different indeed.

A selection of stories penned near a decade ago now, and brought together to form one piece of prose, it focusses on the author’s earlier life, with friends, and set during the seventies.

“It has factual incidents within the book and I’ve changed the names of the characters, so that I would not create any concerns for the individuals in the narrative,” explained Haydn about his most recent release.

“There are some individuals who agreed to have their names included and the book has a lot of humour alongside a little sadness; the 70`s though, it was a period where political correctness was a vision for the future and the book overall is dedicated to friendships formed during that time.”

Whether writing fiction, or non-fiction books, an element of research is needed, more with the latter of the two, literary types.

For Haydn, his offerings are, perhaps, a combination of the two, but on the main, biographical in nature, whereas is next offering is perhaps his greatest challenge, especially when you consider the topic in question.

“It is a fictional story about the Holocaust,” continued Haydn.

“I have created characters and a storyline that follows a father and son on a perilous journey.

“It’s a story of hope and determination, in the face of terrible persecution.

“The title is a question that reflects a statement asking why us? And secondly, what did we do to stop it?

“For anyone reading my books, they should expect to see honesty, and detailed research.

“The research element has fascinated me and I learned so much working on ‘A Life

Navigated.’

“’Garn Yem’ was a joy to write and many people have enjoyed the settings and locals I have created.

“It being a local narrative with many places and venues named in the North East.

“From a personal perspective, writing has given me so much pleasure, and I am indebted to many people including my partner Christine, my friends David Bartley, Ian Braun, Mel Paterson, and Ray Innerd, whilst my children, Layla, Emma, Geoff, Adam, and Philippa, have been wonderfully enthusiastic throughout.”

Haydn Watson’s two publications, ‘A Life Navigated,’ and ‘Garn Yem,’ can be purchased from that of The Word Shop, South Shields; Featherbed Books, Houghton le Spring; and The Accidental Bookshop, Alnwick and direct from the author via haydnwatson@ sky.com

Alternatively, ‘Garn Yem,’ and his upcoming release, can be ordered via Lynn Davidson at The Memoir Club via memoirclub@ msn.com and read more about his second book via https://thememoirclub. blogspot.com/ search?q=haydn+watson

Wholehearted congratulations this month are extended to a pair of extremely talented, County Durham musicians, Jo Harrop and Paul Edis, who, this month, claimed a prestigious, All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group award.

The Chester-le-Street born pairing, who reside in London, are magical musicians of a high order and the success, it came as much the surprise for the duo, it being for the December 2022 release ‘When Winter Turns To Spring,’ the ninetrack masterpiece earning the ‘Album of the Year’ award.

Jo last appeared in these pages back in April 2022 (Issue #56), when she was on her ‘The Heart Wants’ tour, and has since appeared in the region at the recent, Hexham Jazz Festival.

The track listing for ‘When Winter Turns to Spring’ is as follows – Umbrellas in the Rain; Winter Love Affair (One Day Soon); A Perfect

Winter’s Day; New Year, New You; Breathing; In The Bleak Midwinter; Only Spring Will Decide; When Winter Turns To Spring; Spring Put The Swing In My Step

The pair said of the album –“Most of the songs on this record seem to be about the circle of nature and the cycle of life reminding us that all is not lost,” explained Harrop. “Winter is temporary, as is loss, and spring and love will come again.”

“There are songs about love and loss as well as new life and new hope,” added Edis. “From the romantic album opener, Short Story, which begins in autumn, through to the rather dramatic November scene of a windswept Soho in Umbrellas In The Rain, weather is a common lyrical theme running through these songs, but they are about so much more than they initially appear to be.”

Appearing alongside vocalist, Jo Harrop, and pianist/co-writer/ composer/arranger Paul Edis, on ‘When Winter Turns To Spring,’ are the following, other musicians, drummer Adam King, bassist Peter Adam Hill, trumpeter Freddie Gravita, trombonist Rory Ingham, saxophonist/flutist Emma Rawicz-Szczerbo, and the Debs White Strings Quartet, produced by Jamie McCredie at Gorilla Studios, on Lateralize Records.

In addition to the success with the ‘Album of the Year’ award, Jo Harrop was also nominated for the ‘Vocalist of the Year’ (image, John Lyons) alongside Emma Smith, Georgia Cécile, and eventual winner, Elaine Delmar; the Album success saw them see off the challenge of both Ubunye ‘Ubunye,’ and Trish Clowes: ‘A View with a Room.’

Continuing the regional connection, North-East MP, Chi Onwurah, is the Deputy Chair of APPJAG, and she was quoted as saying after the event, held at the PizzaExpress Live Holborn, in early July –

“This has been another really strong year for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in terms of talent and nominations.

“The well-deserved recipients are a veritable who’s who of names that have made a real impact on the music and helped make the UK one of the world’s leading jazz territories.”

Congratulations to Jo, and Paul, on your continued, and deserved success –keep up-to-date with what the pair have going on via their respective websites: Jo Harrop https://www. joharrop.com/ and Paul Edis https://www.pauledis. co.uk/

It’s been a long time since Northumberland outfit, Wallington FC, won the Northern Alliance Premier Division title, 46 years and counting in fact, but, last season’s third place finish, their best since then, affords high hopes as the club moves towards its 150th anniversary.

Back then the club was managed by Stuart Leason, and coached by Brian Main, fast forward near half-a-century and, although that weight doesn’t bare down on their shoulders, far from it, current manager Trevor Baston, and captain Kris Willis, are continuing the tradition that club has within.

“There’s no pressure to win here, at Scots Gap,” stated captain Willis, who has been with the Greens for around five years now.

“Everybody is with you, be they committee, management, the supporters; it’s the beauty of playing for a club like this, it’s just, well, business as usual.”

Over their two spells in the Alliance, Wallington have amassed more than 45 years now, their first spell coming between the midsixties, and early-eighties, and was topped off with that title-winning season, edging Carlisle City by a solitary point.

Other than that, their best finish had been the two, fourth place finishes, either side of the title win, in 1976 and 1978, the league at the time running just the one division; Wallington back then, they were actually perhaps more accustomed to finishing at the other end of the table.

Finishing in the bottom four on some nine occasions, three times they’d finish last, back-to-back in 1971 and 1972, behind Marine Park, and Throckley Welfare respectively, and again in their last season, in 1982, a point behind Alnwick Town, and two off both Stobswood Welfare and Wallsend Town.

The Greens returned to the Alliance in the mid-nineties, slowly returning to the top table, at the end of the day, it is a walk (maybe a steady jog), not a sprint, and at that point there was three divisions, Wallington finishing tenth, of fourteen sides, in Division Two. It would be the turn of the millennium that would witness the upsurge in fortunes of the Greens and, in 2001, they lifted the Division Two title, finishing three points ahead of Shankhouse Black Watch, going on to spend a little more than a decade in Division One.

During that 2001 title-winning campaign, the Greens would also find themselves runners-up to Wallsend Town in the Amateur Cup final, whilst in 2008 it would be Walker Central that would beat them to the punch in the League

Cup – the one trophy which has alluded manager, Trevor Baston. Back-to-back last place finishes in Division One were witnessed in 2004 and 2005, but, with no relegations, the club carried on, eventually gaining promotion to the Premier Division in 2013 having finished a point ahead of Red House Farm.

During this time the Greens also lifted the Northumberland FA Minor Cup (2012), were League Cup runners-up (2013), Challenge Cup winners (2014), and twice lifted the Clayton Cup (2012 and 2015), going on to also lift the first of two, Northumberland FA Benevolent Bowl’s, in 2015.

Newcastle Chemfica were Wallington’s victims in the Minor Cup final with long-serving Green, Kyle Reardon, attributing their success to Sam Lough.

“I’ve always been happy at Oakford Park, and it’s been a very competitive place to be,” explained Reardon, who has been at the club since the start of 2007.

“The catalyst for the success here (between 2012 and 2019), was mainly due to the arrival of Sam Lough, the season of our first trophy.

“He’s sadly passed away now but, in that first season, he implemented a new training regime, and we all just hit it off straight away.

“We went on to defeat Chemfica in the Minor Cup final, who went on to win the Division One title the following season.

“Red House Farm meanwhile, who were runners-up that season, we had some good battles with them; we then lifted the Challenge Cup in what was Trevor (Baston) last season playing, and winning the Bowl, just topped it all off.”

He’s a household name at Wallington in Trevor, just like their chairman, and former everything else as well, Alex Slack – they seen the bad times, and rolled in the good times, that’s for sure, but that spell, for any club really, will always ignite happy memories.

“I’ve played, captained, managed, and now the de-facto chairman at Wallington, and have been here around twenty years,” divulged chairman, Alex Slack.

“It is remarkable that we’re still going, but we’re as determined as ever and that’s despite the increasing challenges we face.

“We’re in good shape though, had a decent pre-season, and happy that we can go again for another season.

“The first year in which I was manager we lost the first five and still finished in fourth place, so there’s been a pattern at this club for a while now (alluding to the notorious, slow-starting Greens).

“That season in which we won the Alliance though (1977), and having spoken with those involved at the time, the club went all out that season for it, with it having been our centenary year.

“It’s not a ghost, or a demon, that needs to be exorcised though, far from it, but we are a pretty good cup team, and often seen as being the underdogs.

“Our aim though, it’s always to finish as high as we can, and have a good, ten-year average in the league, but we’re a humble bunch, and we know that other clubs don’t like coming here.”

That past decade has seen the club in the Alliance Premier Division, they getting better and better as the seasons plough on, they’re like a vintage wine now, surely….

The Challenge Cup and Benevolent Bowl successes of 2014 and 2015 (against and Whitley Bay Reserves respectively) though proved to be the last silverware the club lifted for a while, and, as the 2010s ticked into the 2020s, fans were perhaps wondering when the next would arrive.

Consecutive, fourth place finishes in the league arrived in 2018 and 2019, before a great start to the covid-wiped season stopped them in their tracks, albeit briefly. That’s the best start Wallington have had to a league campaign in some time and manager Trevor Baston, who had two spells at the club as a player before initially becoming Slack’s assistant, said: “Winning the league was so long ago that there is no pressure on us, I just want to win a cup again.

“I’d love for us to win the league title though, but we do need to get through that first month or two first.

“When we won Division One, now that was hard, it’s a tough ask getting out of that division; overall though, I’d love for us to win the Bowl again because winning that, and finishing third last season, has been the highlight of my time here.”

If finishing third last time around was a highlight for those at the club, not having any real cup success would be the low point. The season before on the otherhand, the 2021-22 campaign, that was a different story indeed, and, for one week late in the season, the club would finish as runners-up to Killingworth in a barnstormer of a final with Killingworth, the opponents winning on penalties following a 4-4 draw, before edging, just days later, rivals Alnwick Town in the Benevolent Bowl final, the

Greens’ second in seven years.

“The five years in which I’ve had here, so far, have been amazing,” continued captain, Kris Willis. “It’s been great seeing players grow, flourish, into what they are now, and it’s been an interesting journey in which to be on.

“Lifting the Bowl (2022) as captain, that’s been the highlight of my senior career as I’d never lifted anything before that.

“We should actually have won both cups that season and the Killingworth game (League Cup), that was probably the best in which we’d played all season; we were pretty much non-stop for the entire game and, but for Michael Baxter’s cameo showing, we’d have actually won it.

“Last season though, now that was intense, and we especially felt pressure from mid-season on when we saw the games in hand but, like with Alnwick, we started clawing them back, clicked at the right time, and picked up some big results.

“As always though, we just took it all one game at a time.”

Come publication, Wallington, like the rest of the Alliance, and non-league as a whole, will have had their opening games of the 2023/24 campaign, the Greens hosting Premier Division newcomers, Hebburn Town Reserves, on the opening day.

Mid-August is an interesting one for them and, with little success in the George Dobbins League Cup down the years, they’ll play host to Blyth Town Reserves.

“Recent years here, at Scots Gap, have been fantastic,” beamed Slack.

“I recall when we went a spell without any success, then, when

I got the captain’s band, we won a few trophies.

“It is nights like those, and what we’ve had recently, that means a lot for the lads – but we always end up kicking every ball as well; for me though, our success is having a side, surviving, and entering the league every season.”

Alongside Slack and Baston, and the long-serving Reardon, the club also has the likes of Justin Millican, John Paxton (300+), Jordan Nellis (200+), Michael Angus (150+), Aaron Carr (150+), Thomas Truscott (150+) knocking out appearances – a long way behind them are this summer’s new arrivals in Jack Cooper, Ethan Page, Curtis Williamson, Sheldon White, and Danny Roberts Strengthening the defensive options more than anything, Baston’s only headaches (they hope) this coming campaign, will be those of the selection kind, having the rare commodity of more than 25 squad members in which to choose from.

“This season, we have to be seen to be challenging for the league title,” admitted their captain.

“Everybody loves a good cup run, and we’d hoped to get at least the Bowl back here last time out, and were expected to after winning it the season before – but that’s the beauty of football.

“The league though, that has to be the bare minimum, as well as getting to a cup final.

“It would be amazing, truly, to be able to lift the league at this club, it would be something else.”

The last word though, that’ll belong to club chairman, Alex Slack; after two decades with the Greens, in any and every capacity, there’s a deserving nature to that, surely. And for him, like pretty much anyone who knows the club, truly, the atmosphere in which it brings is something else indeed.

“I do what I do, because I love it here,” Slack concluded.

“It forms who you are and, when

I was made captain, it shaped me into a better person.

“There’s a lot of pride in seeing our players brining their families along on match-days, to club events, etc, and we’re very lucky to have the volunteers that we do.

“People like Hayley Mitchell; what a star she is, and with it probably the most community-orientated individual we know.

“It’s all about the volunteers at our level, and a club like Wallington works because of the proud people we have, people like Hayley.” Keep up-to-date with all things Wallington FC via their socials on Facebook https:// www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100036783717282 and Twitter https://twitter.com/wallington1877

Supreme Queen 2023

Thursday 12th October 2023

Time: 7.30pm

Since their formation in the nineties, SUPREME QUEEN have played to hundreds of thousands of Queen fans across the world, headlining at major events including St. Tropez’s International Queen Convention, where they played to 10,000 people.

Scott Maley’s incredible vocal and visual resemblance to Freddie Mercury, fronting this remarkable band of musicians has seen SU-

PREME QUEEN become one of the most respected bands of their genre anywhere on earth.

Closely following the ethos of the original band, they have always strived to create the Original Queen Live Experience.

Now a part of the Brian Shaw stable, that brings you ground breaking Arena events such as The Elvis World Tour, we enter a new era for SUPREME QUEEN. As musically brilliant as ever, the new presentation benefits from stunning production values, plus sound and lighting effects designed to transport the audience to the halcyon days of their heroes.

Simply, a stage show designed to provide the most memorable of evenings for Queen’s millions of fans worldwide.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS

New styles in from MA.STRUM, LACOSTE, NAPAPIJRI and FRED PERRY, plus more new stock arriving daily so make sure you pop in store or keep checking the website’s LATEST PRODUCTS

Hypnotherapy, but what is Viking Hynotherapy?

Viking Hypnotherapys’ business motto is having “The Strength to Conquer Anything”. Wherever you are today this is just a situ ation you’re in now, this is not your life, we all have the power to change our lives and I am basically your guide for this. Utilising the power of positive suggestion to bring about subconscious change to your thoughts feelings and behaviours. NLP is an approach to communication, personal devel opment, psychotherapy and also Life Coaching.

How different is Hypnotherapy compared to a hypnotist, is it the same thing or is it completely dif- physical conditions.

Have these comedy hypnotist shows, where they put you under and then get you to do silly things

The highly anticipated news comes on the back of last weekend’s sold out two hour set in Hull to launch their 40th anniversary edition vinyl and video for number 1 indie hit “Good Technology”.

The Good Technology 2023 Tour takes in 12 UK dates, and the band are delighted that support for all dates (except Sheffield) will be Liverpool based band The Room.

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Red Guitars are vocalist Jeremy Kidd, lead guitarist Hallam Lewis, drummer Matt Higgins, rhythm guitarist John Rowley and Lou

Duffy-Howard on bass. Initially cutting their teeth playing benefit shows for a series of left-wing causes in the early ‘80s, Red Guitars quickly built a loyal following, before launching an assault on the charts with a series of singles via their own Self Drive Records label that would see them earn a nationally renowned status.

Proving an instant hit with their debut single, the quintet shifted an impressive 60,000 copies of their self-released “Good Technology” single, before going on to top the Independent Charts with consecutive No.1s with the classic cuts “Marimba Jive” and “Steeltown”.

Forging their own sound with a unique mix of infectious rock and African rhythms, the band quickly earned support from the tastemaker titles of the time including cult 1980s Channel 4 music TV show The Tube and the BBC’s Whistle Test, through to a number of memorable sessions for BBC Radio legend John Peel. The band were notably enjoyed by thousands when supporting The Smiths on their breakthrough tour.

Releasing their seminal debut album ‘Slow To Fade’ in 1984, frontman Jeremy Kidd announced his departure soon after and Red

Guitars ultimately disbanded completely two years later.

Fast forward to 2022 and Red Guitars returned with their complete and original line-up for their first tour since their ‘80s prime. The tour was a great success, with sell out shows and the band’s loyal followers turning out in force.

Now, as “Good Technology” turns 40 this year, the band are set to hit the road again this September. Shedding light on why the time is now right for the return of Red Guitars and what fans can expect from the upcoming live shows,

Lou Duffy-Howard of the band says:

“We were contacted out of the blue by Steve Homer, CEO of worldwide events promotion company AEG Presents. He asked if we’d be up for a tour. We thought about it and the answer was ... yes!.... We had such a great time with fantastic audiences that we’re doing it again. As well as all the singles and favourites from our first album we’ll be revealing one or two new songs before we start recording the new album. We’re delighted that our friends from Liverpool based band The Room will be our support for the tour.”

TEENAGE FANCLUB RELEASE NEW SINGLE: “BACK TO THE LIGHT”

On 22nd September TEENAGE FANCLUB will release their new album ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ via their own label PeMa in the UK / Europe and Merge in the US.

“Back To The Light” was written by Norman Blake who says:

“I liked the idea of using being in a band as a metaphor for a personal relationship. They are not entirely dissimilar experiences. Like a few others on the album, this song has saxophone on it. The first time we’ve had that since Songs From Northern Britain. Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) played those parts; we really like the richness it brings to the song. Steve will be with us when we head out on tour in October in Europe.”

The track follows lead single “Foreign Land” and album highlight “Tired Of Being Alone”.

Following the upcoming release of ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, Teenage Fanclub will be also embark- ing on world tour throughout the Autumn and into 2024. Tickets for their November UK shows are selling fast.

Teenage Fanclub UK tour dates:

03 November – Belfast - Queen’s University - Mandela Hall

05 November - Glasgow - Tramway Theatre

06 November - Aberdeen - Tivoli Theatre

07 November - Edinburgh - Assembly Rooms

08 November – Leeds – Brudenell

09 November - Gateshead - Sage

Hall 2

11 November - ManchesterRNCM Theatre

12 November - Sheffield - Leadmill

13 November - Bath - Komedia

14 November - BirminghamTown Hall

17 November - London – EartH

18 November – London – EartH

Sweet Baboo will support on all Nov 2023 dates.

The first sound you hear on ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ is a sustained feedback note that hangs in the air with the grace of a dragonfly before an acoustic riff spirals out of it, soaring upwards. It’s blissful and sun-soaked, like a late summer haze blurring out all the details on the horizon. When voices join the music, they arrive perfectly locked together, honed in on a single melody. “It’s time to move along / and leave the past behind me...” The message is simple. Don’t look back, only forward.

One of the recurring themes on

‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ is light, as both a metaphor for hope and as an ultimate destination further down the road. Although the band’s songwriters Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley found themselves touching on similar themes, it was pure coincidence.

Raymond: “We never talk about what we’re going to do before we start making a record. We don’t plan much other than the nuts and bolts of where we’re going to record and when. That thing about light was completely accidental; we didn’t realise that until we’d finished half the songs. The record feels reflective, and I think the more we do this thing, the more we become comfortable with going to that place of melancholy, feeling and expressing those feelings.”

While the vocals and the finishing touches on ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ were recorded at Raymond’s place in Glasgow, the music was recorded in an intense ten-day period in the bucolic Welsh countryside at Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth in late August. You can hear the effect of that environment on the record - it’s full of soft breeze, wide skies, beauty and space. The band that recorded ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ - Blake, McGinley along with Francis Macdonald on drums, Dave McGowan on bass and Euros Childs on keyboards - arrived at the residential studio without a fixed plan. Their confidence and ease with working together meant the record came together incredibly quickly.

Looking for positives while faced with the grim realities of the 21st century, Teenage Fanclub’s latest album finds their ability to effortlessly turn melancholy into glorious, chiming harmony very much intact. A force for good for over three decades and counting, they will release their new album ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, via their own PeMA label on 22 September 2023.