Whitby preview

Mar 4, 2020 | Club News

A few weeks back we journeyed up to the North east coast to take on Whitby. The gale force winds were blowing goal to goal and the rain helped turn a green playing surface into a paddy field. Sadly, we came away with no points but on the way home we had to endure horizontal rain over the North York Moors and strong winds all the way home. This Saturday Whitby make the reverse journey and hope they have none of the travel conditions that we had. The only similarity we want is that the away team goes home empty handed.

Whitby on the road possess a very good away record with 8 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats, and that will put them in good stead to take on ourselves at the weekend. Their current form also makes impressive reading with 4 wins and 2 draws from their last 6 games. Whitby Town have announced that Paul Blackett has agreed to extend his loan until the end of the current season. Blackett originally joined Whitby from Gateshead in December and he has made nine appearances for the club since joining, scoring seven goals.

With the statistics stacked against us, who knows we could make a surprise killing. We may have gained some confidence from the midweek Staffs Senior Cup win to put us in our third consecutive Staffs Senior Cup final. The straws are still there to be clutched while we can try to bring about the great escape. See you all there on Saturday.

Games played on March 7th this century.

2006 Stalybridge H 1-0 Conference North
2013 Rushall H 4-2 Walsall Senior Cup
2015 Spalding H 0-0 Northern Premier League Division 1
2017 Sutton Coldfield H 0-0 Northern Premier League

Newcastle Preview

Mar 2, 2020 | Club News

Tuesday night and it’s Staffs Senior Cup action, as we travel up the A34 to take on Newcastle Town. This is a semi final fixture and we hope to make to our third consecutive Staffs Senior Cup Final. To get this far this season we have dispatched Stone Old Alleynians and Brocton without conceding a goal, While Newcastle have got past Walsall Wood, Sporting Kalsa and Lichfield City, also without conceding a goal. Is that tempting fate for a 0-0 and the winner going through on penalties?

Newcastle play in step 4 in the Northern Premier South East Division, and are currently 16th in a 20 team division. At home in the league they have won 2 drawn 2 and lost 10, but it is their cup form that has seen them do well this season. While losing in their first games in the FA Cup and FA Trophy to Kidsgrove and Leek, they have built up a run in the Staffs Senior Cup and the Integro League Cup having knocked out Witton and Buxton.

One thing that does let Newcastle down is the support they get, with many gates failing to attract over 100. In fact, their three Integro Cup ties saw crowds of 85, 58 and 74 and the Staffs Senior Cup games crowds of 40 and 48. The biggest crowd of the season was 182 for the visit of Leek, no doubt swelled by the travelling fans. That is something we must aim to do, in that despite our poor league form we should take a following to get them past the 100 mark.

Newcastle Town was initially formed as a Sunday league team in 1964. In 1982 they joined the Mid-Cheshire League division 2 winning the division at the first attempt. The league was then reduced to a single division which they won 1985–86. After finishing as runners-up in the Mid-Cheshire League in 1986–87 they were promoted to Division Two of the North West Counties League. As runners up in 1991–92, they earned promotion to Division One. As Premier Division champions in 2009–10 they earned promotion to Division One South of the Northern Premier League where they currently play.

Their ground at the Lyme Valley Stadium on Buckmaster Avenue doubles as a velodrome, with a cycling track around the pitch. Post code for those that have not been before is ST5 3BX. See you there.

Games played on March 3rd this century

2001 Cambridge City A 1-1 Southern League
2008 Kidderminster a 0-6 Conference

FIXTURE CHANGE

Feb 27, 2020 | Club News

The home league fixture scheduled for Tuesday 11th April v Gainsborough Trinity has now been brought forward to Tuesday 10th March. kick off 7.45pm. If you would like to sponsor this match or matchball please contact the Commercial Team on 01785 602431.

Buxton Preview

Feb 24, 2020 | Club News

Next Saturday we venture into Derbyshire to play Buxton. Always a pleasant trip over the Roaches, but only if the weather is fine. Buxton took home a point from our recent encounter at Marston Road and will be looking to take all three on a surface Stafford Rangers never do well on. Last Saturday Buxton picked up a very creditable draw at table toppers South Shields, so a side who a few months ago looked to be one of our relegation colleagues, now lead Rangers by 10 points. Buxton are currently on a 5-league game unbeaten run although many have been draws. However, in that run they lost 3-1 away to Newcastle Town in the Integro Cup. Okay we may not know the strength of Buxton line up for the cup game, but it was played out in front of only 75 fans. As we soon travel to Newcastle for a Staffs Senior Cup game, could it be that despite our current plight, we may take more fans to that game than the home team.

At home in the league Buxton have won 3, drawn 5 and lost 7. Out of the 3 wins they include a 7-0 over Grantham and a 5-0 over Scarborough. They did however lose 1-2 at home to Atherton, the side directly above us. Therefore, it appears the game could go either way, but while 3 points are up for grabs, then we must take them and put to rest our hoodoo on synthetic pitches.

Situated 1000 feet above sea level, the Silverlands is the highest ground within the Pyramid of soccer. We have played Buxton many times in the old Cheshire League, but they gained entry into the Northern Premier league in season73/74, and we met each season in the seventies till our move up the leagues, whereas Buxton dipped down with two relegations to the Northern Countries east in 1997 and 1998. They returned to the Northern Premier fold with promotion to NPL 1 in 2006

Our paths met up again from season 2011/12 and since then there have been 6 NPL fixtures between Buxton and Stafford Rangers with Rangers winning 1, drawing2 and losing 3, a run we certainly need to turn around.

Travelling fans need to use Sat Nav SK17 6QH, but street parking is the only choice amid residential streets and the police headquarters. Train travellers beware as you must go to Stockport to change for a Buxton train.

Games played on 29TH February this century.
February 29th only comes around every 4 years and as such we have yet to play a game on this date this century. Therefore, I look at games played either side, on February 28th and March 1st.

Feb 28th
2004 Crawley H 0-1 Southern Premier League
2006 Woking H 2-4 F A Trophy round 4 replay
2009 Burscough A 0-2 Conference North
2012 Northwich V H 1-1 Northern Premier League
2015 Sheffield H 0-0 Northern Premier League Division 1

March 1st
2003 Folkstone A 2-1 Southern Premier League
2005 Gainsborough H 2-0 Conference North
2008 Farsley H 0-2 Conference
2011 Redditch A 1-0 Conference North
2014 Stamford A 0-1 Northern premier League

Morpeth Review

Feb 20, 2020 | Club News

This Saturday we welcome Morpeth for their first ever visit to Marston Road. This must be the longest journey Morpeth have had to make for a league game. Historically the traditional Northern League side were happy to play in the North East with the odd trip to Wembley in the FA Vase. Now, with promotion to step 4, many of the progressive ex Northern League sides are seeing the benefit of playing in the pyramid and they now wish to emulate Spennymoor and South Shields. Marske and Dunston are currently flying the North East flag in Division 1. Last season Morpeth won division 1 with a 12-point margin over second placed Pontefract and are certainly holding their own this season. The ex-Northern League sides at first found traveling a big problem but this season Morpeth on the road in the league have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 6, showing signs very much of a comfortable min table side, supported by their current 10th place in the table.

On the road they can count a victory at Warrington as their best performance and in the main they have beaten most of our relegation rivals so Saturday’s game cannot be seen as an easy ride for us. With the exception of Bamber Bridge their defeats have all come at top sides. Morpeth come into the fixture with current form of 2 wins, a draw and 2 defeats, again cementing their mid table placing.

Morpeth was established in 1909. In 1936 they joined the Northern Alliance in 1936. They won that league in 1984, and when becoming champions again in 1994 they were promoted to the Northern League division 2. Promotion was secured in their second season, but relegation followed 2010. 2013 saw them regain their spot in division 1. The 2015–16 season saw Morpeth reach the final of the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium, where they defeated Hereford 4–1 to win the competition. After finishing as runners-up again in 2017–18, they were promoted to Division One East of the Northern Premier League at step 4, wining that step to join us in step 3

Although a small own, several famous people came from Morpeth. The great sailor Admiral Lord Collingwood, who was Admiral Nelson’s second-in-command at the Battle of Trafalgar, came from Morpeth. He lived in Collingwood House, which is now marked by a plaque. A more controversial figure was Emily Davison, who campaigned for women to get the vote in the early 20th century. She was killed at the Epsom Derby in 1913 when she ran in front of the king’s racehorse. She was buried in Morpeth, and her gravestone can still be seen. Morpeth survived World War II relatively unscathed, though several pillboxes were built to defend the river crossing and the main road north. The closest the war came was when a Heinkel 111 German bomber, crashed close to Howburn Wood. Morpeth also lies on the main London Edinburgh main line and trains have to slow to negotiate a very sharp curve near the station. Sadly, there have been two serious rail disasters here. Can we derail Morpeth to get 3 much needed points on Saturday?

Games played on February22nd this century.

2014 Blyth H 2-2 Norther Premier League

Luke Jones – Contract Cancellled

Feb 19, 2020 | Club News

Luke Jones has mutually agreed to cancel his contract. Due to a long term injury and now being aware that he will not play again, this season, Luke has agreed to cancel.

He has helped with scouting, while being unavailable and remained around the club environment so we thank Luke for all of his efforts and hope he eventually makes a full recovery from his knee injury.