Floodlight Failure Forces Abandonment of Blyth Derby Mid-Game

Blyth Spartans and Blyth Town’s Northumberland Senior Cup fixture was called off half hour into the game after a floodlight failure left the players and expectant crowd in darkness.

Spartans were leading 2-0 when play was halted, with Dan Maw opening the scoring five minutes in and Jack Chapman doubling the advantage 15 minutes later.

Spartans and Town have spent much of their histories at opposite ends of the non-league spectrum. However, they now both find themselves in the Northern Premier League after back-to-back relegations for Spartans and consecutive promotions for Town.

A large crowd flocked to Gateway Park hoping for an exciting derby but were ultimately left disappointed.

A bumper crowd turned out to watch the Blyth derby. Photo: Ciaran Myers

The game began brightly, with Maw capitalising on a defensive mishap to slot home and give the visitors the lead.

The match then stuttered along in a stop-start fashion, the referee’s whistle the main sound above the vocal support of Blyth’s youth contingent.

A Spartans free-kick extended the lead as Chapman beat his defender to meet Jesse Gomez’s delivery, his header looping over the helpless De Jesus.

That proved to be the final action of the night. Another free-kick and some minor scuffles coincided with Gateway Park suddenly being plunged into darkness.

An ironic cheer went up from the stands, and the players returned to their benches. After around 20 minutes without light, an announcement was made for a ‘sparkie’ to head towards the boiler room to try and resolve the issue.

There may not have been much connection between Arthur’s sword and the Blyth Town floodlights, but on this night no one was able to complete the challenge.

Eventually the fixture was called off, the decision met with groans and chants of “what a waste of money.”

There is no update yet on when the tie will be replayed, though both clubs have agreed to allow free entry for the rearranged game.