The club was formed in 1883 by the local Methodist Chapel bible class after the Scottish Highland Black Watch regiment camped nearby arranged a match against the local miners, inspiring the local working class to take up the sport.[3]
Co-winners of the Northumberland Senior Cup
The club was declared the co-winner of the Northumberland Senior Cup in 1885–86 in unique circumstances. Drawn against Morpeth Harriers F.C. in the semi-final, the two clubs played out three 1-1 draws,[4] the first two ties both seeing Morpeth equalize with seven minutes to go.[5]
It looked as if Shankhouse had won through at the fourth time of asking, with a late winner in the third replay, but Morpeth protested on the basis that the goal had been scored after its players heard a whistle and stopped playing, giving Shankhouse a simple goal. The whistle came from someone in the crowd. On appeal, the Football Association ruled that there had been crowd interference with the match, and scrubbed off the goal.[6]
Therefore, the teams had to play for a fifth time, under orders to continue until the match finished. However, after three half-an-hour periods of extra-time, the game remained goalless, and it was too dark to continue.[7]
Instead of playing a sixth game, the clubs drew lots to see who would play West End in the final, and Shankhouse drew the winning lot.[8] However this was not to work out who won the semi-final, but to work out who would represent both clubs in the final. Shankhouse duly won 3–2, and, as a result, both Shankhouse and the Harriers were declared to be the co-holders of the Cup.[9]
FA Cup and local leagues
In 1887 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time making it to the fourth round, before being dispatched by Aston Villa 9–0.[10] The 1891–92 season saw the club join the Northern Football Alliance, and becoming the league winners at their first attempt.[11] The club stayed in the Northern alliance league until the end of the 1905–06 season, when the club dropped down to the Blyth and District League.[11][3]
After the Second World War, the club reentered the Northern alliance league again for the 1947–48 season, but left again after 10 seasons.[12] Over 30 years later the club rejoined the Northern alliance league again for the 1989–90 season, starting in Division Two.[13] The 1994–95 season saw the club move up to division one, when they qualified for promotion as runners-up.[10] Three seasons later the club achieved promotion to the premier division when they finished as champions of Division one.[10] The 2004–05 season saw the club become league champions.[10]
The club withdrew from the league ahead of the 2021–22 season.
Ground
The club play their home games at Action Park in Cramlington.[14] The club used to play their home games at Arcot Park, when they purchased that ground in 1906.[3]
^"Athletic Notes". Newcastle Weekly Chronicle: 5. 27 March 1886.
^"Athletic Notes". Newcastle Weekly Chronicle: 5. 13 March 1886.
^"Athletic Notes". Newcastle Weekly Chronicle: 5. 3 April 1886.
^"Northumberland Association Challenge Cup". Newcastle Daily Courant: 7. 5 April 1886.
^"Our Football Letter". Manchester Weekly Times: 6. 10 April 1886.; the newspaper mistakenly refers to the final opponents as being Tyne Association, when in fact the match was being played at Tyne's ground.
^"Northumberland Association Challenge Cup". Newcastle Daily Courant: 7. 12 April 1886.
