Blyth Spartans embark on their first Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division game in 2,267 days on Saturday as they face Ashton United on the season’s opening day.
The Spartans’ last away day in the Northern Premier League was conveniently against Ashton United where a few hundred Mexicans and Donald Trump descended upon Hurst Cross Stadium following being confirmed Evo-Stik Premier League Champions after a 3-0 win over Halestone Town in the prior match at Croft Park.
However, pre-season so far for Blyth hasn’t gone as many would’ve hoped for in terms of results, losing all of their last five matches, most recently a 3-0 defeat against local Northern Premier League rivals Hebburn Town.
MATCHDAY INFORMATION
You can buy tickets with cash or card at the gate on the day or online here. All ticket information is as follows:
- Adults – £12
- Concessions (over 65) – £8
- Student (16-21+) – £8
- Concession (12-15 years) – £8
- Children (under-12) – £1
The Cross Bar will be open from 12pm and access is from inside the ground only; there will be no access from the main entrance on Surrey Street.
Ashton United have announce that they will welcome both sets of fans into The Cross Bar for refreshments both prior to and after the match.
Alcohol not purchased from Ashton United is not permitted on the ground, and stewards will conduct bag searches at their discretion on the turnstiles.
The Green Army have arranged for a supporters bus to travel to Hurst Cross Stadium for our opening league fixture, which currently has limited spaces left. The bus will depart from The Wallaw at 9am and will pick up at High Pit (9:10am) and Seaton Devaval (9:15am). Prices for the bus are as follows, £30 for Green Army Members and £35 for non-members. Details on payment and more about the bus travel can be found here.
Directions to Hurst Cross Stadium – NE31 1UN – from Croft Park – NE24 3JE – 15.6 miles, 24 minutes.
Start at Croft Park, Blyth, NE24 3JE and take Plessey Road, A1061, B1505, A19 and Leam Ln/A194 to A194(M) in Tyne and Wear – 16.6 miles, 29 minutes
Take A1(M) and M62 to A672 in Ripponden. Take exit 22 from M62 – 123 miles, 1 hour 59 minutes
Follow A672 and B6194 to Surrey St in Ashton-under-Lyne – 10.6 miles, 24 minutes and arrive at Hurst Cross Stadium, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 8DY.
TEAM NEWS
Connor Pani, Joao Gomes, Dan Savage, Isiah Cornet and Mitchell Curry are all in contention to make their first appearances on Saturday since signing for the club.
WHAT WE’RE SAYING
After a 3-0 in our final pre-season game before the season starts, Nobby Solano said: “Unfortunately there are still a few issues with injuries and players.
“We’re still in a situation where we need to loan players which we will have a look at, but like I said today we are still not happy.
“We were just talking in the dressing room and said it wasn’t enough and a great pre-season overall. It’s difficult with the players and how we are trying to set the team and we’re having to make a lot of changes all of the time.
“But I said to the lads and they know it’s not good enough what we showed in the last three to four weeks.”
Nobby Solano’s post-match assessment of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat away to Hebburn Town
OPPOSITION
The Robins finished seventh in the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season, missing out on the playoff positions by three points, finishing with 19 wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats. The league was reduced to 40 games instead of the usual 42 games due to Marske United resigning from the league in January 2024.
In pre-season Ashton Untied lost 4-1 to Buxton in their first match on July 6, they then defeated Darwen FC 3-0 one week later. They encountered a 2-2 draw away to Padiham FC before finding winning ways again with a 2-1 win against Marine.
However, they then lost 1-0 to Warrington Town, before defeating Vanarama National League side Halifax Town 2-1. Their final pre-season test came against Chorley where they defeated 2-0.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Following their defeat to Chorley, Steve Cunningham said: “It was a really competitive game and we thank Andy Preece and Chorley for coming over.
“It’s a bit like we said against the Halifax game, the fact they’ve shown us the respect to come here with a week to go until the season starts and it was virtually a full-strength side baring a couple of players.
“But overall I thought we equipped ourselves really well. We were sloppy for a couple of minutes and went one behind.”
Steve Cunningham’s post-match assessment of Saturday’s 2-0 to Chorley in their final pre-season match
LAST TIME WE MET
The sides met during the 2018/19 Vanarama National North season as Blyth would do the double over the Robins. The first fixture of the two took place at Croft Park as two second-half goals from Sean Reid and Robbie Dale secured three points.
Later in the season, the reverse fixture saw a 3-0 win on the road for the Spartans as Dan Maguire opened the scoring after just two minutes. Spartans continued their quick-fire attack as Louis Laing scored 10 minutes later. Kieran Green finished the scoring on the day at the half-hour mark.
The sides also met on April 15, 2017, in a 1-1 draw as Nathan Buddle scored for Blyth in the 27th minute before Ashton’s Ryan Crowther equalised in the 61st minute.
MEDIA COVERAGE
You can follow all of the action on Saturday afternoon via our social media platforms and BlythLive on Mixlr from 2:45pm.