Castle AFC is the football club of University College, Durham. The club is made up of four teams and is open to players of all abilities. Template:Featured article is only for Wikipedia:Featured articles.

Castle AFC
Badge of University College
Full nameCastle Association Football Club
Nickname(s)Castle
Founded1923
GroundNorth South
CapacityStanding only

History edit

The club dates back to some time in the early 20th century and has an illustrious history. The club was formed by Colonel Horatio Wallace in 1923.

In conclusion Castle AFC has a diverse history.

Current Season edit

Club Captain George Mallett
A Team Captain Ben Tansey
B Team Captain Harry Davies
C Team Captain Sam Walker
D Team Captain Mackenzie Young
Self-Elected Social Sec N/A

Squad edit

A Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Josh Smedley
2 MF/GK Australia AUS Matt Hoser
3 DF England ENG Jon Hook
4 DF England ENG Sam Packham (Chief Hydrator)
5 DF England ENG Rob Loopuit
6 DF Wales WAL Rees Brown
7 DF England ENG James Grant
8 MF England ENG Will Danskin
9 FW England ENG Kwasi Yeboah
10 MF England ENG Tom Weedon
11 DF England ENG Ben Tansey (Captain)
12 DF England ENG Rory Cartmell
13 MF England ENG Will Danskin
14 MF England ENG George Mallett
18 MF England ENG Dom Bishop
19 MF England ENG Aiden Bracebridge
22 MF England ENG Rob Langman
73 FW England ENG Stuart Whitehouse

B Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Freddie Keen
2 DF England ENG Harry Davies (captain)
5 DF England ENG Jake Hobson
6 MF Serbia SRB Max Fairhurst
7 MF England ENG Mark Morris
8 DF England ENG Dom Humphrey
11 MF England ENG Sam Harris
18 MF England ENG Dom Bishop
21 FW England ENG Oliver Robins
99 MF England ENG Bilawal Khan
25 MF England ENG Billy Hancock
66 MF Germany GER Deniz Gul

C Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Rob Langman
2 DF England ENG Laurence Holmes-Smith
3 DF England ENG Chris Saunders
4 DF England ENG Andy Kent
5 DF England ENG James Grant
6 MF England ENG Mackenzie Young
7 MF Vietnam VIE Kieron Smith
26 MF England ENG Matt Funnell
8 MF Hong Kong HKG Richard Waller
9 MF England ENG Sam Morgenstern
10 MF Germany GER Deniz Gul
12 FW England ENG Nick Owen
13 FW Argentina ARG Anthony Kane
14 FW England ENG Alex Melvin
15 MF England ENG James Evans
16 MF England ENG David Thorne
17 DF England ENG Sam Walker (Captain)
18 MF England ENG Jack Sherrington
19 MF England ENG Callum Grimshaw
20 MF Poland POL Stefan Pawliszyn
21 MF England ENG George Warren
22 MF England ENG Will Hayes
23 MF England ENG Alex Shaw
24 MF England ENG Will Morris
27 MF England ENG Zak Trigg
29 MF England ENG Josh Wignall
58 MF India IND Mohit Bhaskar
69 MF England ENG Magnus Pierre

A Team Results 2014/15 edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
7 October 2014 Hatfield A Friendly 3-2
13 October 2014 Collingwood C Premiership 5-5
20 October 2014 Chads A Premiership 2-1
24 October 2014 Trevs A Floodlit Cup 2-1
28 October 2012 Collingwood B Premiership 2-0
3 November 2014 Trevs B Cup 5-0
10 November 2014 Trevs A Premiership 2-0
18 November 2014 Collingwood B Cup 0-1
10 November 2014 Trevs A Premiership 2-0
7 December 2014 Hild & Bede A Premiership 2-6
17 January 2015 Marys A Premiership 3-3
21 January 2015 Stephenson A Floodlit Cup 1(3)-1(4)
7 February 2015 John Snow A Premiership 10-1
14 February 2015 Grey A Premiership 1-1 Whitehouse
21 February 2015 Hatfield A Premiership 1-3
28 February 2015 Van Mildert A Premiership 7-1



Previous Seasons edit

2013/14 edit

Club Captain Richard Jones
A Team Captain Will Danskin
B Team Captain Ben Tansey
C Team Captain Andy Kent
D Team Captain Nyall Sharp
Self-Elected Social Sec Retired

2012/13 edit

Club Captain Jeremy Stamper
A Team Captain Sam Packham
B Team Captain Alec Vjestica/Jonathan Rex
C Team Captain Kieron Smith
D Team Captain Ben March
Self-Elected Social Sec Arjan Gill

B Team Results 2012/2013 edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
14 October 2012 Butler C Division 3 2-2 Reeve, Horrocks
21 October 2012 Hatfield D Division 3 5-0 Harris, Ibbotson, Horrocks (x2), Tate (x2)
24 October 2012 Van Mildert F Division 3 16-0 (Team Durham record win) Preston (x5), Horrocks (x4), Tate (x3), Batten, Jones, Harris, OG
3 November 2012 Castle A Cup 1-5 Moore (OG)
4 November 2012 Butler B Division 3 0-3
11 November 2012 John Snow C Division 3 1-2 Preston
2 December 2012 Hild Bede C Division 3 0-4
30 January 2013 Castle C Division 3 3-1 Horrocks, Tate (x2)
3 February 2013 Hild Bede E Division 3 5-0 Vjestica (pen), Tate, Horrocks (x2), Palmer-Walsh
10 February 2013 Cuth's C Division 3 2-1 Horrocks, Irvanipour
3 March 2013 Collingwood F Division 3 3-0 Irvanipour, Robins (x2)

2011/12 edit

Club Captain James Benson
A Team Captain Chris Moore
B Team Captain Dexter Tate
C Team Captain Chris Bellaby
D Team Captain Arjan Gill
Self-Elected Social Sec Arjan Gill


Club Season Review 2011/12 edit

The club started the season with the A-Team in the mighty reaches of the Premiership for the first time in college memory. With the arrival of freshers Sam "Pacman" Packham and Mike "Megs" Benedict, coupled with the year-long loan signing of Lewis "Stewie Lewie" Spiers, the promotion winning squad had significantly strengthened over the summer with the loss of few players. Both the Super C’s and perennially underachieving B’s resided in the lowly echelons of the newly formed Division 4.

For the A Team, a battling 1-0 defeat to last season's treble-winners Hild Bede A was the sign of things to come, and was quickly backed up by a gritty 1-0 victory over Grey A. The results soon followed, with comfortable victories over the likes Cuths A, Stephenson A & John Snow A, plus a stunning comeback against Collingwood B, meant that with 5 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats Castle finished 5th out of 12, signifying a very respectable first season back in the top flight.

The B’s started with a whole new squad, with the likes of Dexter, VJ, Floy & Benson giving solid former/current A-team experience, B-team stalwarts Magic, T (released from Hatfield), Conrad & Dink (after unfortunately returning from his loan spell in France) and Freshers such as Tyler the Creator, JSM & Rich Jones causing the season to start with promise. After an 11am Saturday start at Queens campus ended in an inevitable hungover loss, resounding 11-1, 13-1 and 4-1 results were interwoven with some shocking performances as the team struggled to gel as a new team and attain the consistency required for promotion, despite the January signing of Italian midfielder Massimo.

The Super C’s however had no such problems, and by Christmas were the league leaders, three convincing wins at the start of the season disrupted only temporarily by a shock 3-2 defeat to Van Mildert F. After continuing their good form they moved into the crunch game against the B’s with their destiny seemingly in their own hands. After Stevie Byrne took the lead through a dubious penalty, the B’s hit back before the break when T poked home from close range. The game looked to be heading for a 1-1 draw when spectacularly the C’s scored what seemed a certain winner through an ecstatic looking Stompie. Amazingly though, this match had one final twist, as Conrad swooped home from a corner in the dying moments to seal the draw, much to the dismay of the packed, partisan, orange-clad crowd. After this, the C’s could only muster up two further draws as their promotion flame flickered out, finishing 3rd on 24 points, one place and 3 points above their B-team rivals.

In the cup, Castle had resounding success from all sections of the club. Castle A marched forward with convincing victories to the last 16, where they faced fierce rivals Hatfield A. After a dogged and determined display, a fine Jack Bauer strike in the closing moments so the match go to penalties, where some composure and balls of steel so Castle spectacularly prevail. Their success then inspired the Sunderland squad, travelling from the Three Tuns for their FA cup match with Arsenal, to repeat their cup underdog success. In the quarter-finals against Hild Bede A, yet more thrilling football so Castle come desperately close to claiming a deserved victory on many occasions. Alas, the breakthrough did not come and this time penalties did not prove Castle’s saviour.

The B-team also recorded their most resounding successes in the cup. A hard fought game with Mary’s B, from a higher league, saw the clubs first penalty action of the season. Answering his countlessly many critics, Dinkleman held his nerve at the crucial time to slot home the winning kick and send the team, and the onlooking Rugby squad, into raptures. Next up was Van Mildert A, a team 4 leagues higher who had previously held Castle A to a 1-1 draw. Despite some defensive lapses at the start of the 2nd half helping them to a 3-0 lead, the B-team mustered up a special comeback with two goals from Magic giving Mildert more than a scare. Unfortunately the equaliser did not come, but it was the performance the B-team had been promising all season, and one they failed to achieve again.

Elsewhere, we also had a D-Team for the first time in the cup. In the first round against Cuths G an Arjan Gill inspired team ran out comfortable 7-3 winners, with A-team keeper “Soft as Shit” Swindells bagging 4 on his outfield debut. Sadly a heavy Halloween Vs session and the prospect of playing Collingwood A led to a 3-0 forfeit, a great result for a team with only 7 fit players.

And as part of the celebrations for the arrival of HMS Bulwark, the club entertained their football team in a match that was friendly only in its title, after several large tackles and bad-mouthing Castle ultimately prevailed 4-1. This was followed by an end of season friendly with the SS Ladzio, the London-based Castle old boys team, before the traditional festivities of the Jamies Mum Invitational, Underdogs match and North vs South, quite rightly the biggest event on the sporting calendar.

Social-wise the club went off the beaten path with their chosen tour destination of Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria, which involved late-night bowling, a Casino that just kept giving, beer roughly 20p per pint and a rather impressive Roman Amphitheatre. Whilst there we watched the mighty Lokomotiv Plovdiv record a 1-0 win over soon to be crowned League and Cup champions, Ludogorets in a match that will stay long in our memories. Outside this, and the initial social, we had our annual trip to Newcastle. After hitting the trebles bars at 8pm, things were destined to go badly and after laying waste to the area around the monument some of us even made it back to Durham for Klute. And our yearly trip to the Pantomime, where the new college office and overly-serious Quickfix were slightly less appproving of the traditional antics. The end result was a ban in alcohol and outside security for future years, and undoubtedly far less demand for future tickets. Well done Quickfix!!

A Team Results 2011/2012 edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
15 October 2011 Hild & Bede A Premiership 0-1
22 October 2011 Grey A Premiership 1-0 Irvani
29 October 2011 Aidan's D Cup 8-0 Tate (2), Barratt (2), King, Brenden (2), Packham
2 November 2011 HMS Bulwark Friendly 4-1 Barratt (2), Irvani, S Horrocks
5 November 2011 Van Mildert A Premiership 1-1 Barratt
9 November 2011 Stephenson A Floodlit Cup 0-3
12 November 2011 Cuth's A Premiership 3-0 Packham (2), Richardson
19 November 2011 Mary's A Premiership 3-4 Irvani, Barratt, Moore (screamer)
11 December 2011 Collingwood B Premiership 3-2 Spiers, Packham, Barratt
29 January 2012 Stephenson A Premiership 5-1 Brenden, Tate, Barratt (3)
18 February 2012 Hatfield A Cup 2-2
(4-1 pens YouTube)
Tate, Barratt
25 February 2012 Hild & Bede A Cup 0-0
(4-5 pens)
25 February 2012 Hatfield A Castle-Hatfield Challenge 0-4
26 February 2012 Butler A Premiership 0-2
11 March 2012 Hatfield A Premiership 1-3 Spiers
2 May 2012 John Snow A Premiership 5-2 Irvani (2), Rhoades, Barratt, Spiers (pen)
5 May 2012 Collingwood A Premiership 1-1 Packham
2 June 2012 SS Ladzio Friendly 2-1 Benson, Packham
13 June 2012 The Underdogs Friendly 3-1 Irvani, Brenden (2)

B Team Season Review 11/12 edit

The 2011/12 season would be a memorable one for Castle AFC’s B team, which would see them score more goals than any other team in any of the 5 football leagues. The end of the 10/11 season had seen an ageing squad finish moderately mid table, yet inexplicably relegated to the Durham football’s bottom tier. Charged with revolutionizing a squad with only 5 returning players, an influx of fresher’s saw 10 chosen for the squad ranks, as well as a veteran returning from a loan season in Strasbourg, a rugby player brought in after impressing in Jamie’s Mum, and a few players joining from the A’s, a 2011/12 B team squad was ready to kick off.

V John Snow C – (1-2) Ali Palmer Walsh
Vice captains Rex and Alec took charge of an ill timed first fixture away at Stockton led to a nervy start to the season, starting with 11 players on the pitch much to the dismay of John Snow player. Dinkleman, clearly unable to complete 90 minutes of his first fixture in over a year, was referee and was forced to give a penalty after a cynical challenge by Conrad. A header from Ali Palmer Walsh equalized, but could not prevent Snow from winning the match 2-1 late on.

V Mary’s C – (4-1) Benson x3, Nick Wilson
For the second game against Mary’s C the B’s were once again without their illustrious captain after injuring himself in the warm up. A brace from James Benson made up for this, somehow managing to score with a freekick that was going well wide, before the goalie put it in himself. Dribbling from Nick Wilson would become a familiar sight over the course of the season, yet worked wonders scoring his first of the season, securing the win.

V Mary’s B – (1p-1) Dexter Tate {Pens-Alec, Sam A, Rich, Tyler, Dink}
The first round of the cup meant we were drawn with a team two divisions above us in the form Mary’s B, which set the stage for one of the finest ever performances by a Castle AFC team. After a hard-fought stalemate first half, we were unfortunate to concede mid way through the second half. Undeterred, the B’s equalized in dramatic late fashion with a precise free kick scored in the 89th minute. Penalties beckoned, dramatic pressure loomed, and questions were asked if Tyler would ever save a shot on target? An astonishing first two penalties from Alec and Sam Anderson put Castle in a commanding 2-0 lead. The opportunity beckoned for Dexter to score his first penalty and instill a belief in him that he would never miss a penalty again…Only to see it saved in spectacular fashion. Mary’s went on to score their remaining penalties, only to see Joe and Dom miss, meaning sudden death in our first ever shoot out. Rich Jones and Tyler scored ‘confidently’, with Rich tickling his penalty down the middle. The stage was then set for the champagne moment of the season. Tyler had crucially saved Mary’s 7th penalty, when Oliver Critchfield stepped up, with a chance for his first ever Castle goal. A nonchalant penalty meant he wrote himself into the history books, and saved the blushes of the of his captain and teammates.

V Jo Butler C – (1-4) Dinkleman
Once he started scoring, there was seemingly no stopping him. Dinkleman, in an early surge for player of the season, scored with an uncharacteristic bicycle kick from a corner to give us an undeserved 1-0. An injury to JSM left us limited at the back, and we lost 4-1. Not a vintage performance.

V Grey E – (11-1) Dexter Tate x5, Carr x2, Horrocks, Alec, Harris, Nick
V Hild Bede F – (13-1) Dexter Tate x5, Alec x2, Harris x2, Ted, Horrocks, ???? Follwing our second defeat, came a remarkable streak of scoring 24 goals in two games, a feat never before seen in Team Durham history. Can’t remember any details of the games, too many goals. The most memorable goal came against Grey, where after a series of 6 one touch passes, Sam Horrocks coolly slotted home from the edge of the box. Sam Harris scored with a quality volley from the right hand side of the area, and Nick also scored a great one against Bede I think…Notable mention to James Carr, who has now scored more goals in football than tries in two seasons of rugby.

V Mildert A - (2-3) Magic x2
The B team “performance of the season” came in the second round of the cup, when dealt against Mildert A, 4 divisions above the B’s. A win was unlikely from kick off, but a performance of true guts and passion meant that we entered half time at 0-0. Unfortunately, their class showed as we conceded three goals within the first 20 mins of the second half. Completely undeterred, and following our games of 24 successive goals, Magic lived up to his name, scored two of the cheekiest backheels to inspire a Castle onslaught and provide a nervy final minutes for Mildert, to the point where they started playing the ball in the corner against a team 4 divisions below them.

V Mildert F – (2-1) Dexter x2
Our next prospect was playing Mildert again, however against an F team with not quite the same quality as their A’s. A ridiculous goal scored within 15 seconds for Mildert left the B’s shellshocked, and only overcame them 2-1 thanks to a free kick and soft goal.

V Trevs C – (2-2) Magic, Dexter
2012 would see Castle B begin to recreate the form of the Invincibles, going unbeaten in for the first 5 months of the year, hoping for a late promotion push. This began against Trevs C, where both teams played out a sloppy 2-2 draw, with errors coming from Dexter, who missed a second penalty of the season, and Tyler, determined to kick the ball in his own net to allow the equalizer in the last minute…Both Castle goals scored from a combined total of 3 yards, but after great wing play from James Benson.

V Castle C – (2-2) Ted, Conrad
The game that occurred on Februray 2nd, 2012, would go down in the history of Castle AFC. For the first time this millennium, Castle B and Castle C met in a league fixture, and the neutrals on hand would not be disappointed. A bumper crowd created an atmosphere some players (Benson and Rich Jones) just couldn’t handle, while perennial Castle legends reveled in the limelight (Le, Byrne, Ted, Conrad). Stevie Byrne scored from a contentious penalty to give the C’s a 1-0 lead, before T, in his own words “smashed a header past two defenders and a helpless Taylaar on the line” from a corner. The C’s got stuck in during the second half, resulting in an unceremonial exit for club captain and crowd favorite James Benson. The B’s continued tradition by conceding in soft fashion with 10 minutes to spare, a goalkeeping/defensive mishap allowing Jeremy Stamper to poke in from close range. All promotion hopes rested upon this match, and frustrations began to show. The goalscoring form of the B’s continued with a last gasp equalizer from a late corner, Conrad Lennard scoring his first ever Castle goal with a volley which has since been falsely claimed by Ted Arnold. Final score, 2-2, and was damaging to both teams seasons.

V Grey D – (4-4) Adam Hedges x2, Magic, Dexter
The following game would prove to be a result with incidents only seen in Castle B team match. After comfortably leading 2-0 at the break thanks to a cool finish by Adam Hedges and a 30yd screamer by Sam Floy, and then having Hedges score his 2nd of the game shortly after, a 3 goal cushion was expected to be enough. Imperious midfield performances from Floy and Dom Batten made us look comfortable. Even at 3-1 the result looked secure, and then 4-1 once Dexter added a fourth in the 80th minute. According to Dinkleman, the turning point of the match would his substitution, in his own words, his game "finished 4-1, Sam Horrocks’ finished 0-3". The final 10 minutes would not go well for Tyler Ibbotson, viciously misjudging a back pass only to kick it into his own net. 4-2. A penalty conceded one minute later made it 4-3. To make matters worse, one minute later, with the castle defence shellshocked, a 20yard strike evaded Tyler at his far post (4-4). Promotion hopes once and for all were vanished.

V Collingwood G – (2-0) Dexter x2
Our penultimate game was meant to be a farewell match for our illustrious finalists. However, the majority sacked it off for bar meal. What they missed was one of our coolest performances of the season, and our first clean sheet. Two first half goals from Dexter Tate, one directly from a corner and one from 25 yards, secured an easy victory.

V Ustinov B – (3-1) Alec, Dexter, Anthony
The final game of a fascinating season took place in possibly the most miserable conditions of all time. A soaking wet, freezing environment did not affect Alec showing why he should have been taking penalties all season, scoring calmly from the spot. A second goal by Dexter was just rewards for our overall possession and control. Conditions worsened in the second half, but it did not prevent Anthony Kane scoring his first goal of the season. Tyler could not keep his second clean sheet of the season despite some remarkable saves, allowing Ustinov to score a penalty late on.

The season ended with the B’s securing 4th place in Division 4, and despite being preseason tips for promotion, rebuilding the team for next season was more important. Surely to be labeled as the entertainers, the Kevin Keegan style tactics of scoring more than the opposition worked to some effect, and if the squad can remain intact, next season should be a very successful one. It should be noted that Ted Arnold is not allowed anywhere near kit selection ever again.

B Team Results 2011/2012 edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
John Snow C Division 4 1-2 Palmer-Walsh
Grey A Division 4 4-1 Benson (3), Wilson
Mary's B Cup 1-1
(5-4pens)
Tate
Jo Butler C Division 4 1-4 Dinkleman
Grey E Division 4 11-1 Tate (5), Carr (2), Horrocks, Vjestica, Harris, Wilson
Hild & Bede F Division 4 13-1 Tate (5), Vjestica (2), Harris (2), Horrocks, ???
Van Mildert A Cup 2-3 Magic (2)
Van Mildert F Division 4 2-1 Tate (2)
Trevelyan C Division 4 2-2 Magic, Tate
Castle C Division 4 2-2 Arnold, Lennard
Grey D Division 4 4-4 Hedges (2), Magic, Tate
Collingwood G Division 4 2-0 Tate (2)
Ustinov B Division 4 3-1 Vjestica, Tate, Kane


2010/11 edit

Club Captain Stephen Byrne
A Team Captain Hal Rhoades
B Team Captain Robbie "The Barrel" Baruch
C Team Captain Dan Johnson

Season Review edit

First Football Social of Term: This was the starting point for Castle AFC’s season, new Club Captain, Stephen Byrne introduced Freshers to the club’s social traditions, before we all proved to other hill and bailey colleges that we have the best and most original array of songs in the Football League …

On the pitch the A-team in particular, led this year by Hal Rhoades, were bolstered by the strong influx of Freshers. Enjoying a perfect start to the league season with two wins from two games means promotion to the Premiership is was well within their grasp. Cup form on the other hand hasn’t quite followed suit, a 7-0 loss in the Football Trophy and a 5-2 defeat in the Floodlit Cup, both to higher league opposition, means our club’s hopes of cup glory are already gone.

The B and C-teams, both plying their trade in the Conference, both had a mediocre start to the season. The B-team, led by Bobbie ‘The Barrel’ Baruch, was second bottom in Conference Pool B after two matches and two defeats. However a recent announcement of a Barcelona-themed kit is likely to turn this run of form on its head.

The C-team, led by Dan Johnson, was mid-table in Conference Pool A after three matches. Two defeats in the early games was balanced out by an emphatic 6-2 victory, paving the way for a run of increased confidence and hopefully, improved performances- this didn’t materialise.

An Easter Tour to Prague made up of a 26 men made their significant presence felt and the team also encountered Emmanuel Adebayor on the streets of Prague.

A Team Results edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
10 October 2010 Hatfield A Friendly 0-1
22 October 2010 Hild & Bede A Floodlit Cup 2-5 Rhoades, Barratt
24 October 2010 Collingwood D Division 1 Pool A 2-0 Barratt, Brenden
7 November 2010 Van Mildert A Cup 0-7
21 November 2010 Aidan's A Division 1 Pool A 5-0 King, Barratt (2), Richardson, Brenden
19 January 2011 Van Mildert C Division 1 Pool A 1-2 Barratt
13 February 2011 Chad's A Division 1 Pool A 2-1 Rhoades, Richardson
23 February 2011 Grey B Division 1 Pool A 1-2 Benson
26 February 2011 Hatfield A Castle-Hatfield Challenge 3-5 Brenden, Shores, ?
12 March 2011 Butler A Division 1 Promotion Pool 2-2 M Horrocks, Irvani
13 March 2011 Chad's A Division 1 Promotion Pool 4-0 King (3), Richardson
27 April 2011 Hild & Bede B Division 1 Promotion Pool 4-2 Barratt (pen), Irvani (2), Duff
1 May 2011 Grey B Division 1 Promotion Pool 1-1 Irvani
7 May 2011 Van Mildert B Division 1 Promotion Pool 1-1 Barratt (pen)
14 June 2011 The Underdogs Friendly 8-1 Rhoades (2), Barratt, Burge (2), Irvani, ?

2009/10 edit

Club Captain Nick Reid
A Team Captain Frazer Comley
B Team Captain Mark Heller
C Team Captain Andy Burge

A Team Results edit

Date Opponent Competition Result Scorers
11 October 2009 Hatfield A Friendly 0-1
17 October 2009 Van Mildert B Division 1 Pool A 2-0 Rhoades, Duff
31 October 2009 Ustinov A Division 1 Pool A 1-1 Barratt
17 October 2009 Grey E Cup 4-0 Duff (2), Wilson, Harker
14 November 2009 Trev's A Division 1 Pool A 2-3 Comley, Caspell
21 November 2009 Chad's A Division 1 Pool A 6-0 Clarke, Barratt, Harker (2), Wilson, M Horrocks
22 November 2009 Staff A Division 1 Pool A 1-1 Wilson
9 December 2009 Cuth's B Cup 1-4 Barratt
5 February 2010 Aidan's A Floodlit Cup 2-4 Barratt, King
6 February 2010 Hatfield A Castle-Hatfield Challenge 3-8 Comley, Barratt (2)
6 February 2010 Mary's A Division 1 Pool A 0-2
6 March 2010 Ustinov A Division 1 Promotion Pool 1-1 Clarke
7 March 2010 Butler A Division 1 Promotion Pool 2-5 Reid, Rhoades
10 March 2010 Hild & Bede B Division 1 Promotion Pool 2-0 Comley, Barratt
10 March 2010 Linthorpe FC Jordan Harker Memorial Match * 4-1 Clarke, Barratt
17 March 2010 Trev's A Division 1 Promotion Pool 0-4
6 April 2010 FC de Meer Amsterdam Tour 1-7 Barratt
20 June 2010 The Underdogs Friendly 1-3 Barratt
  • Durham University played first half, Castle AFC played second half (2-0 at HT)

2008/09 edit

Club Captain Liam Gaffney
A Team Captain Joey Grigg
B Team Captain Chris Facey
C Team Captain Will Waugh

Squad edit

A Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Hugh O'Shea
3 DF   ENG Steve Emery
5 DF   ENG Liam Gaffney
4 DF   ENG MP Horrocks
2 DF   ENG Jordan Harker
15 DF   ENG Jonny Coates
6 MF   ENG Rich Cothay
8 MF   ENG James Benson
7 MF   ENG Danny Hall
11 FW   ENG Matt Caspell
10 FW   ENG Peter Duff
12 MF   ENG Frazer Comley
14 MF   ENG Joey Grigg (captain)
B Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Robbie Baruch
2 DF   JPN Michael Kato
25 DF   Isle of Man Ted Arnold
4 DF   FRA Ollie Critchfield
5 DF   HKG Ken Inoue
6 MF   ENG Pete Hughes
7 MF   ENG Chris Facey (captain)
8 MF   ENG Alex Turner
11 MF   ISR Mark Heller
9 FW   ENG Steve King
10 FW   ENG Adam West
12 DF   ENG Steve Oldroyd
13 GK   ENG Alex Taylor
14 MF   ENG Scott Parker
C Team edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Geraint Steyn
2 DF   ENG Dave Read
3 DF   ENG Dan Barber
4 MF   ENG Dave Bird
5 DF   ENG Will Waugh (captain)
6 DF   ENG Steve Murphy
7 MF   ENG Rob Bolton
8 MF   ENG Andy Burge
9 FW   ENG Ali Kisby
10 FW   ENG Will Britton
11 FW   ENG Craig Shores
12 FW   ENG Stephen Byrne
14 MF   ENG James Gyselynck
15 FW   ENG Joe Cooper

2007/08 edit

Club Captain Johnny Hughes
A Team Captain Michael Gwinnett
B Team Captain Mike Bunch
C Team Captain Rich Pinks

For the second season running, the A team narrowly failed to achieve promotion to the Premier Division having suffered "second-term-syndrome" once more. The promotion campaign was dealt a series of blows throughout the course of the season, with long term injuries to both Nick Reid and Madhu Krishnan. Under the guidance of A Team Captain Michael "the Drizzler" Gwinnett, the A team enjoyed a relatively successful cup run which was ended in the 3rd round by Aidans A. Liam Gaffney was named player of the season at the end of the season with Captain Michael Gwinnett winning the top goalscorer award.

The B Team suffered a disappointing season competing in the Conference Division. Once more they failed to meet pre-season expectations and found themselves languishing near the bottom of the league, with 2 wins and a draw seeing them finish 7th of 9. Under the new league structure, only one team were to gain promotion from each pool of the Conference Division, making promotion a difficult challenge from the off. Joe Gallard was awarded B team goal of the season for a sensational free kick.

Castle's C Team enjoyed a fantastic season gaining promotion from the Conference Division in the opposite pool to the Castle B Team. Under the guidance of Captain Rich Pinks, the "super C's" showed excellent determination and team spirit in their title campaign, which was won with a battling 1-0 victory against Hatfield on the final day of the season. C team centre back Gary Brook scored an exquisite volley from the edge of the 18 yard area to seal the Conference title.

Club highlights include a memorable tour to Dublin as well as a hard-fought victory over a Castle underdogs XI. Jamie's Mum were the winners of the Angry Pirates Invitational 6-a-side tournament following penalty shootout controversy in the final over a 5-man Angry Pirates side.

2006/07 edit

Club Captain Bambos Patsalides
A Team Captain Phil Holdsworth
B Team Captain Jamie O'Dwyer
C Team Captain Rob Mathers

The A team, despite hopes of promotion ended up missing out on joining the premier division due to a disappointing second half of the season. Performances to note included an impressive 3-1 win against Chad's A which was watched by the Norwich City F.C. first team and a hard fought win against Hatfield A in terrible conditions. Simon Harrison ended up as top goalscorer and Steve Emery capped a very good first season by scooping the A team player of the year award.

Following relegation from the Second division, the B Team found themselves competing in the Conference for the second time in three years. Expectations were understandably high but they failed to meet them and ended up playing in the 'wooden spoon' pool during the later months of the season. The team consisted of lots of new faces with only three players remaining from the previous year remaining. Positive points for the future included Mike Bunch's long-range shooting and excellent performances from Nick Reid and B team player of the year Rich Cothay.

The C team, in only its fourth year, continued to improve on previous seasons, finishing second only to the B team in the 'wooden spoon' Conference league. Captain Rob Mathers adding several new players to an existing core managed after a disappointing start to forge a team which ended up playing their best football since the C's were founded. Notable contributions were from centre-back Phil Butler, goalscoring superstar Tom Berryman and player of the year Dave Read. The team also bid a sad farewell to former captain 'Brazilian' Dave Stafford, who had missed only one game in the previous four seasons.

Highlights for the club included the tour to Amsterdam and beating Hatfield on penalties to win the Castle v. Hatfield Day for the second year running.

2005/06 edit

Club Captain Tom Ashworth
A Team Captain Gary Davies
B Team Captain Mark "Ex Bar Chair" Boyd
C Team Captain Dave Stafford

2004/05 edit

Club Captain Ben Rowland
A Team Captain Andy Byrne
B Team Captain James Irvine
C Team Captain Fady Jadayel

Honours edit

Competition Achievement Season
Conference Pool A Winners (C Team) 2007/08

North vs. South edit

Year Winners Result Losers Scorers (Winners) Scorers (Losers)
2014 South 5-3 North Whitehouse, Humphrey(2), Smith-Morgan, Benedict Packham, Langman, Mallett
2013 North 6-1 South Langman (4), Jones, Mallett Whitehouse
2012 South 3-1 North Richardson (3) Horrocks (og)
2011 North 1-0 South Preston
2010 South 3-2 North Barratt (2), West Benson, Byrne

Jamie's Mum Invitational edit

2013/14 Usual Busquets
2012/13 F*** Chia
2011/12 F*** China
2010/11 Team Half-Caste
2009/10 Briercrest
2008/09 Old Gits
2007/08 Jamie's Mum
2006/07 Angry Pirates

Awards edit

The Nick Lehmann Award edit

The Nick Lehmann Award is Castle AFC's highest honour and is given out in recognition of outstanding service to the club. It has never been won by James Irvine or Michael Horrocks.

2012/13 Jack Barratt
2011/12 Stephen Byrne
2010/11 Robbie "The Barrel" Baruch
2009/10 Will Waugh
2008/09 Matt Caspell
2007/08 Nick Reid
2006/07 Dave Stafford
2005/06 Xav L'Hoiry
2004/05 Gaz Hughes
2003/04 Nick Lehmann

Man of Tour edit

2013/14 Belgrade,   Serbia Ian McGhee
2012/13 Budapest,   Hungary Ben March
2011/12 Plovdiv,   Bulgaria Stephen Byrne
2010/11 Prague,   Czech Republic Ed "MOT" Lucas
2009/10 Amsterdam,   Netherlands Robbie "The Barrel" Baruch
2009/10 Birch Services,   England Sam "Whitehurst" Weatherby
2008/09 N/A -
2007/08 N/A -
2006/07 Amsterdam,   Netherlands Liam Gaffney

The Jordan Harker Award edit

The Jordan Harker Award is given to the A Team's Player of the Season, named in memory of our friend and teammate.

2013/14 Josh Smedley
2012/13 Rob Langman
2011/12 Lewis Spiers
2010/11 Chris Moore
2009/10 Madhu Krishnan

B Team Player of the Season edit

2013/4 Ali Palmer-Walsh
2012/13 Sam Horrocks
2011/12 Alec Vještica
2010/11 Dexter Tate
2009/10

C Team Player of the Season edit

2012/13 Stu Whitehouse
2011/12 Andy Iskauskas/Ruben Arnbert
2010/11 Le Duy Anh
2009/10 Stephen Byrne

C Team Bowling Pin edit

2011/12 Services to the C Team Craig Shores
2010/11 Champagne Moment of the Season Le Duy Anh
2009/10 Champagne Moment of the Season James Gyselynck
2008/09 D Team Player of the Season Stephen "Corpse" Patrick

Notable Former Players edit

Name Nationality Position Period Appearances Goals
Arjan Gill   India FW 2010-13 2 1
Jeremy Stamper   England MF 2010-13 ? ?
James Benson   Scotland MF 2008-12 32 9
Bambos Patsalides   Greece DF 2003-07 ? ?
Ted Arnold   Isle of Man CDM 2008-12 42 2
Rich Pinks   England MF 2004-08 27 probably none
Rob Mathers   England MF 2004-08 39 ?
Tom Krajnyk   Poland MF 2004-08 32 1
Gary Brook   England DF 2006-08 19 1
Phil Butler   England FW 2004-08 35 1
Michael Gwinnet   England MF/FW 2005-08 32 37
Jonny Hughes   England FW 2004-08 ? ?
David Stafford   England FW 2003-07 ? ?
Mike Bunch   England MF 2005-08 ? ?
Phil Holdsworth   England FW 2004-07 ? ?
Jamie O'Dwyer   England DF 2004-08 ? ?
Jonathan De Vletter   England MF 2003-06 ? ?
Xav L'Hoiry   England DF 2003-06 ? ?
Gaz Hughes   England MF/FW 2003-06 ? ?
James Irvine   England MF 2004-07 ? ?
Mark Boyd   England MF 2004-07 ? ?
Nick Lehmann   France D/AMC 2001-04 ? ?
Tom Ashworth   England FW 2003-06 ? ?
Simon Harrison   England MF/FW 2004-08 ? ?
Joe Gallard   England FW 2004-08 ? ?
Simon Day   England FW 2003-08 ? ?
Stephen Byrne   England FW 2008-12 37 27
Favaad Iqbal   England FW 2004-08 ? ?
James Turnbull   England MF 2007-08 9 0
Damien Gomez   Singapore DF 2005-08 ? -1
Tom DiMaio   Italy FW 2011-14 ? ?