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The
1996/97 season saw the B team lift the Webster Shield title for the
first time, retain the County Cup and venture to the North East to take
part in the North Tyneside Festival of Football, returning with 3 wins
over Associations that numbered amongst their old boys Alan Shearer and
Bryan Robson. The A team finished their season strongly with runners-up
spots in both their leagues and a last game win at powerful Manchester.
1997/98
was the fortieth anniversary of the formation of the Association and
events included a dinner attended by over 100 guests with the principal
speaker being Bobby Gould, the then Wales team manager. On the field the
A team saved its best results for the Jersey Festival and the B squad
still remained unbeaten on Tyneside. The 1998/99 season saw the A team
put together a remarkable run of 17 wins interrupted only by a goalless
draw at St.Albans. This run helped towards a highly successful campaign
and in most competitions the team ended up in the number two slot. The B
side regained the Webster Shield with what proved to be a free scoring
team.
1999/2000 brought us the Millenium Dome and a season of change. Only
Year Six pupils could now play eleven-a-side Disrtrict football but the
Association did form an Under Ten squad to play seven-a-side games. All
the Schools’ leagues and cups became seven-a-side competitions. A Girls’
District side was formed for the first time along with girls’
inter-school leagues and cups, though this did not stop girls from
representing their schools in the established competitions. The District
A and B sides again produced outstanding performances at the end of
season Festivals. The B team retained the Webster Shield after a
tremendous second half comeback against Bristol gave them a 3-2 win and
relegated their opponents to second place in the process.
The
2000/01 season saw both the A and B squads sharing the titles of their
respective league competitions. Both sides were free scoring with the
B’s having a long unbeaten run in mid-season. The A’s, having lost 9 of
their first 16 games, then went on to lose only 3 more times in the
second half of the season and were rewarded with fourth place at the
Jersey Festival. This was the year that the Girls’ representative squad
entered competitive football for the first time by joining the
Staffordshire League (the nearest to Gloucester!) and finished as
runners-up. Grace McCatty completed a unique treble by making
representative appearances for all three squads. It was also pleasing to
see several old boys making the headlines for Football League clubs. At
the end of the season, Bob Owen and Lin Harvey completed 500 games in
charge of the A Squad, a milestone which represents, amongst others,
considerable commitment which was mirrored by all the players on the
field.
The
forty-fifth season of the Association saw 5 representative squads take
to the field. The A Side finished joint winners of their League and came
out on top at the Jersey Festival following a skilful and strong
week-long performance. Just one defeat in their last dozen games points
to a side with both stamina and determination. The B Squad now had a
formidable fixture list which this year included 3 strong A squads in
the North Tyneside Festival and their results do them credit in such
company. Girls’ football continues to develop with skill levels rising
noticeably and their season culminated with the A Squad winning the
Staffordshire League title.
2002 /
03 was another big success both on and off the field. Gloucester topped
an increasingly strong Cotswold League and reached the Witney Cup semi
finals before lifting the Southern Counties Cup for the third time,
defeating St Albans 2-1 at a rain-swept Clarence Park. The B Side
attained runners up spots in both the Cotswold and Webster competitions
and once more left Tyneside with an unbeaten record. Both sides were
free scoring, netting no fewer than 179 times between them.
The
2003 / 04 squads showed great commitment and fostered a resilient
attitude in the face of some talented opposition. Goals proved hard to
come by for both sides but the A Squad’s defensive record was one of the
best ever attained by a city team. |
