Mural for Blyth Spartans legend is completed

Shad Saleem, owner of Gino's, and Blyth Spartans club photographer Kris Hodgetts with the finished mural.

A tribute to a Blyth Spartans legend has now been completed – and is attracting the crowds.

Work was finished this week on the mural for Robbie Dale – ranked the second best Northner Premier League footballer of all time behind Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy.

Fans started a fundraising campaign earlier this year for the mural on a wall at the Plesset Road entrance to Croft Park.

Robbie retired in October last year as the club’s all-time record appearance holder with 680 and second behind Brian Slane in the goalscoring charts with 212.

The group of supporters – headed by Simon Needham – and help from the club came together with the aim of raising £5,000 for the mural.

Renowned artist Frank Styles began work on the mural, on the side of Gino’s Fish Bar, at the end of last month, and this week completed the project.

It has already drawn widespread interest on social media, with fans and passers-by stopping to take pictures of the new attraction.

Supporter Simon Needham said: “The idea of the wall mural came about after seeing the work of Frank Styles around the North East and also the involvement of a group of Spartans fans taking part in a project to create a mural of footballer Patrick O’Connell in Belfast.

Artist Frank Styles adding the finishing touches to the mural earlier this week.

“We just thought that a wall mural would be a fitting, lasting tribute to Robbie and give something back to the Blyth area too.

“We have to also thank Shad Saleem, the owner of Gino’s Fish Bar for kindly donating the wall space.”