Mark Carruthers' non-league verdict: The FA Vase is back - but will North East clubs continue to dominate?

Vase finalists of the past, present and hopefully future, Consett, Stockton Town and West Auckland Town made their way into the third round of the competition with impressive performances on Saturday.

And the Northern League’s third round representation could grow even stronger this weekend when Jarrow, Shildon, Ryhope CW, Seaham Red Star, Hebburn Town and North Shields all take part in the remaining second round ties.

The latter two clubs will face off on South Tyneside in what would have been something of a pre-Christmas treat for North East non-league supporters had the Scrooges allowed them to take their place for the football feast at the Green Energy Sports Ground on Saturday.

Bah Humbug, as someone once said.

There is no doubt that the other four clubs in action face testing ties – but we are looking at the realistic prospect of having a strong representation in the third round when that takes place on Saturday week.

A number of our clubs are at the top of the tree when it comes to the bookmakers odds – but Monday’s third round draw has delivered something of a nightmare before Christmas for the North East’s hopes of experiencing Vase glory at the home of football once again.

Should Shildon see off Northern Counties East League club Hallam on Saturday, they will travel to Northern League title rivals and FA Cup conquerors Stockton Town seven days later.

And there is already one confirmed Christmas cracker of a tie as Consett prepare to host two-time finalists West Auckland Town in a game that would have drawn many away from that last minute festive shopping – at a social distance, just as we have seen in shopping centres and on high streets, of course.

Despite the clear and obvious blow of seeing four of our brightest prospects drawn against each other, hopes are still understandably high that there could be more Vase glory for the region by the end of the season.

It could be an even more glorious 2021 if the Football Association firm up their plans to hold last year’s final between Hebburn Town and Consett in the third week of March, just six weeks before this season’s final is set to take place.

But what does the near and distant future hold for the North East’s love affair with the competition?

As Crumplin, Chandler and Chow provide happy memories of a glorious Vase past, and Hebburn Town and Consett look set to deliver in the present, what tales do the the ominous spectre of Vases yet to come have to tell the North East?

Will the dark, shadowy figure of the Football Association’s restructure of the non-league pyramid show the prospect of bleak future for the region’s clubs and spell the end of the near monopoly they have held on the competition for over a decade?

If we include last season’s yet to be rearranged final, Northern League clubs have been represented in all but one of the last 12 finals to take place on the hallowed Wembley turf.

The strength of the league is well-known to all in the non-league game – but that could be diminished with three of our top clubs set to be promoted into the Northern Premier League in May.

More clubs will follow in the coming years with compulsory promotion now in place as the Football Association make moves to to reduce travelling time and costs with more regionalised divisions at step four of the non-league pyramid.

Now, it is safe to say that there are clubs that are every bit as ambitious as the ones that could leave them behind over the coming seasons.

And although the Northern League has lost the likes of former Vase winners Spennymoor Town, Dunston UTS, Morpeth Town and South Shields, the league is still full of forward-thinking clubs that will go on to challenge in a number of competitions across the coming years.

Stockton Town are a prime example of what can be achieved in a relatively short space of time with stringent planning, attention to detail, careful recruitment, and realistic spending.

The Anchors have progressed from Wearside League champions to Vase hopefuls and genuine title challengers in the space of four years and theirs is a lesson that many step seven clubs would do well to heed.

They met ground-grading rejections with action and determination and finally got their rewards.

They have not overspent and have stayed true to the ethos of providing a squad full of players from their town in a true representation of Stockton.

It is not without hard work, commitment and a desire to get involved in their local community to attract support young and old.

If the North East is to continue in its role of FA Vase powerhouse, there is a need for more ambitious clubs to come through the pyramid from the Northern League’s second tier and its feeder leagues.

For now, the region’s future in the competition may not be a bleak as the one Dickens scribed for Scrooge in his classic Christmas prose, but the warning signs are there that there is work to be done if the North East is to continue its FA Vase romance.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NON-LEAGUE CONTENT FROM THE SUNDERLAND ECHO