THIS week, 15 years ago, Shildon A.F.C. were given a taste of cup glory in time for their biggest game in four decades.

The club received a brief glimpse of the FA Cup while preparing for the Railwaymen's cup clash with Stocksbridge Park Steel.

Cup fever had been sweeping through the County Durham town since a 3-1 victory against Shirebrook. The win gave Shildon a place in the fourth qualifying round of the competition.

Chairman Gordon Hampton said: "Shildon has had to wait far too long for a taste of success.

"The club is over 100 and has a strong history, the whole town is backing us to make it into the FA Cup draw with victory on Saturday.

"We are just one game away from really great times, it is very exciting and there is a real buzz around the place."

Meanwhile an abandoned racing dog found a new career on the silver screen after landing a star role.

Cerberus the greyhound, was rescued by the North-East Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue group.

He was put into kennels while County Durham dog trainer Sue Potter conducted a fruitless search across Ireland and England, looking for a black greyhound to appear in a film being shot in Ireland.

She found Cerberus at a kennels a few miles away from her home in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street.

Ms Potter took the dog in and put him through three weeks of intensive training before the pair were flown to Ireland for filming.

The film was called Man About Dog and released in October 2004.

Also, that week, construction started on a multi-million-pound community centre on a once rundown estate.

Firthmoor Community Centre in Darlington was set to house a youth hall and specific activities for local youngsters.

The then president of the Firthmoor Youth Forum, Kevin Nicholson, said they wanted the centre to offer a whole range of facilities, from indoor and outdoor sports to an information technology cafe where youngsters could socialise and learn.

The build was part of a regeneration scheme in the area, costing £3m and stretching over five years.