Andy Blyth, from Brisbane, Australia, contacted the Club at the end of July to notify us that he would be visiting the UK in August and would be in and around the North East area wanting to take in some non-league action – whether it be a training session or fixture.
With his surname resembling and drawing connotations of the famous green and white stripes, Blyth Spartans seemed a perfect option for Andy.
The date in which he was in Northumberland, Thursday 31st, August, fell perfectly for him to have an opportunity to come and watch Graham Fenton’s side train at Wensleydale.
Andy, being an avid lover of football, plays for Rochedale Rovers FC in the over-45s competition.
Founded in 1972, Rovers are a semi-professional outfit that is situated in Queensland, Australia, and their first-team competes in the Queensland National Premier League which is currently a division ranging across the second level on the football pyramid throughout the nation.
Their season concluded last Saturday, 26th August, and they finished in seventh position of the 12-team NPL. They narrowly fell to a 2-1 defeat against eventual title winners, Gold Coast Knights, on the final day of their season.
Andy kindly gifted the Club with a jersey of his side, Rochedale Rovers FC, as he received a signed ball from the Spartans first-team (as pictured alongside Charlie Aitken, Will McGowan and JJ O’Donnell).
Speaking on his visit, Andy said: “Thank you very much for the opportunity to come along to training!
“It was great to see the lads run around and hopefully, they’ll have a win on Saturday afternoon. It was my first visit to the UK and I’ve always wanted to visit Blyth, unfortunately, I couldn’t see the games coming up as I’ll be in Ireland but I definitely plan to come back and spend more time in Blyth and watch some games.
“I love this part of the country. It was great that the staff took time out to chat about the Ashes cricket, the Gold Coast, the A-League and my club Rochedale Rovers.
“I’ll be following Blyth closely this season, watching the highlights on YouTube et cetera, so I hope that injuries and form are kind to us so we can stay at our rightful place at the top end of the ladder.
“Howay the lads!”
Everyone at Blyth Spartans thanks Andy for visiting the area and showing support towards the Club. We all wish Andy the best on his travels and hope to see him at Croft Park in the future!