The Northern League club which faced a hole new level of dilemma in 2000
Talk about unlucky. This football club really did have things go against them in an early season blow.
Murton AFC were propping up the league at the beginning of September in 2000.
Officials thought things couldn’t get much worse. Then the bottom fell out of their world - literally.
A 70ft hole appeared on the pitch
A gaping hole opened up on the west wing of their pitch. It was about eight foot wide, 70 feet deep and half-filled with water.
Investigators got cracking on finding out what caused the ground to open up, but the club bosses thought at the time that it could be old mine workings combined with wet weather.
Steve Robson, commercial manager for Murton AFC, said in 2000 that it was just the latest blow to be dealt to the Albany Northern League second division team.
‘Another kick in the teeth’
“We were very despondent when we found out. This is just another kick in the teeth for the football club, ” he said back then.
“Fortunately the pitch has not been used for the last month.” Mr Robson said the search was on to find an alternative ground for the team.
The area surrounding the hole was cordoned off and we want to know if you remember the year when Murton AFC made the headlines.
East Durham really was taking the headlines that year and it all had to do with discoveries in the ground.
‘By the way, there’s a rib cage sticking out of the soil’
A police surgeon was called to a house in Seaham after the owner discovered a skeleton in the garden.
Dave King (pictured) had been using a mechanical digger to create the foundations for another property in his grounds.
He said: “I didn’t notice anything to begin with, but then a friend said, By the way there’s a rib cage sticking out of the earth.’
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“At first, the rib cage appeared quite human. It looked like a man had been buried kneeling down in the earth.”
The skeleton was found to be about six feet long with a thick, long tail. A police spokesperson said a police surgeon had identified the remains as being a dead horse.
Tell us if these stories bring back memories for you.
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