BLOG: South Shields finish dream season with magnificent win

By Simon O'Rourke

South Shields Football Club has had the dream season. A year of blanket dominance the like of which you seldom see in any sport. The numbers have been staggering.

108 points, 127 goals and a well deserved Northern League Title. The Durham Challenge Cup and the League Cup are already safely locked away in the trophy cabinet at Mariners Park.

At one stage they went on a 31 game winning streak and it felt inevitable they'd round it off with victory at Wembley today. It was the perfect way to end the perfect campaign. Most impressive of all is the sense this won't just be a one off. South Shields FC means business.

The Chairman, Geoff Thompson has ambitious plans to climb the football ladder. The joint managers, Graham Fenton and Lee Picton, will become full-time employees next season as the club launches an academy for 16-19 year-olds.

This is a club that's going places and the remarkable support at Wembley today shows the potential to create something special in the future. But for now, just bask in the glory of a truly remarkable campaign and a truly remarkable team.

And it's been a true team effort. Of course, someone like Julio Arca catches the eye, because it's not every day you see a beloved former Premier League star turning out at this level for the simple love of the game. But the strength of this team is the fact Julio's just one of the boys. This hasn't just been his story, it's been the story of Liam, Jon, Gav, Barrie and all the rest of the lads as well.

This is the ninth year running the Northern League has had a team in the FA Vase Final and the eighth time the trophy has come back to the North East. But South Shields are the first team of this era to win the Northern League and the Vase in the same season. They have been simply magnificent.