THERE has long been bad blood between the two clubs, and now the old enemies will battle it out on the football pitch.

But the managers of Prudhoe Town and Prudhoe Youth Club are playing down the rivalry which has long existed between the neighbours ahead of the first meeting between the respective Saturday senior sides.

As an exciting opener to this year's Clayton Charity Cup, the annual pre-season competition for senior teams in and around the Tyne Valley, Wearside League side Prudhoe Town and Northern Alliance outfit Prudhoe YC Seniors have been pitted together.

They have been drawn in Group B alongside Hexham and Northern League side Ryton and Crawcrook, and it is their fixture which is most anticipated due to the well-known hostilities between certain members of each club.

A decent crowd is expected at Prudhoe High School as the action gets under way on Wednesday, July 13, with bragging rights on offer with the sets of players largely known to their opponents.

But managers Duncan Graham, of Prudhoe YC, and Mattie Thompson, of Prudhoe Town, say they are ignoring the past history between the clubs as the teams are only concentrating on using the Clayton Cup as competitive warm-up matches, regardless of the opposition.

Graham said: "I actually drew Prudhoe Town's name out of the hat on the night of the draw, and my reaction was just a wry smile and a comment that 'all police leave is cancelled!'

"There is no big rivalry betwee the teams, not from our viewpoint any way. This is just another preseason friendly, and we'll treat it as part of our preseason preparation.

"We have a young team who've only experienced one season in senior Saturday football. We're realistic in our expectations in that we're playing against a well established Wearside League team currently two tiers above us in the football pyramid, so we just want to come away having given them a decent game.

"However, there will be a bit of local pride at stake as the majority of our squad on the day are likely to have played for a Prudhoe YC junior team and live in or within three miles of Prudhoe.

"Although we are missing a few players on holiday, as I'm sure they will be also, it will be a good benchmark for us as we hope to playing at the same level within a few years."

The sentiments were echoed by rival manager Thompson who is using the cup as a chance to see how far the squad has developed after a great run-in last term.

He said: "We'll treat this game like any other preseason game, and we'll go out with a mentality to win just like we always do.

"Winning that particular game isn't an indication whether either team is going to have a good season, just like losing it doesn't mean you'll have a bad one. It's a warm-up game, but we must have that mindset of wanting to win it.

"There is rivalry between the clubs, but the players know each other and I have good banter with Duncan so there is no rivalry between the teams. In fact, I even coach the juniors at the Youth Club!

"It's not ideal having a local derby on the first game as it would be better to have this game three to four games in, but we need to use this competition to prepare for an exciting new season.

"Perhaps it would be different if it was a competitive cup game during the season, but for me this is just another friendly game."

The Prudhoe derby is the stand-out fixture of the competition which has increased in numbers from six to eight.

Last season's finalists, reigning champions Ponteland United and runners-up Heddon St Andrew's, have been drawn together in Group A, along with Hexham and District Sunday League champions Haltwhistle Jubilee and Alliance Premier Division side Wallington.

Introduced last season, the rule of taking a penalty shoot-out after every group game applies and the winners of that will get a point to go with the points accrued after 80 minutes.

The winners of both groups will go through to contest the Clayton Charity Cup final at Haydon Bridge on Wednesday, July 27, while the teams that finish bottom will play for the Stan Jackson Cup.

Organiser David Tiffin said: "Eight is a nice number to work with and splits into two groups of four, which is good for the teams as they're guaranteed three games each.

"This competition exists to give them all a good start to the season by giving them competitive friendlies.

"The Clayton Cup has always been held as the most prestigious football cup in the Tyne Valley and I think there should be some good, competitive games."

The action gets under way on July 13 with Haltwhistle v Heddon and Ponteland United v Wallington in Group A, with the Prudhoe derby and Ryton v Hexham on the same night in Group B.

The fixtures for the remaining group games are, July 18: Group A, Haltwhistle v Ponteland; Heddon v Wallington. Group B: Prudhoe YC v Ryton; Hexham v Prudhoe Town. July 20: Group A, Wallington v Haltwhistle; Heddon v Ponteland. Group B: Hexham v Prudhoe YC; Prudhoe Town v Ryton.

The organising committee is seeking sponsorship of the competition. Anyone interested should contact Colin Smith at colin.817smith@btinternet.com.