Blyth Spartans
Jack Wilson & Benji Shodeinde
2
Newton Aycliffe
Lucas Lowery
1
Tuesday 19 August 2025 7:45PM
League
Attendance: 579
Blyth Spartans v Newton Aycliffe | Tuesday, 19 August 2025 - 19:45 | League
Date: Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Stadium: Croft Park
Time: 7:45pm KO
Ticket Prices: £12 for adults, £7 for concessions, blue light holders, 11-16 years & students and free entry for 10 and under.
Blyth Spartans return to Croft Park after back-to-back away games, where they face off against Newton Aycliffe in the Northern Premier League East.
Colin Myers' side are yet to pick up a point in the league this season and were also unfortunately knocked out of the FA Cup by Pontefract Collieries after conceding another late goal.
The Spartans have shown encouragement in their performances since the opening day defeat to Redcar Athletic and will hope to get their first points on Tuesday night.
The Opposition: Newton Aycliffe Football Club
Newton Aycliffe was founded in 1965, nicknamed The Cliffe's. They play their home matches at Moor Lane Sports Club, also known as the Ashcourt Stadium.
The Cliffe's joined the Wearside league in the 1984/85 season and spent just under a decade in the league before folding in March of the 1993/94 season.
The club was reformed and joined the Durham Alliance, which they won in the 2007/08 season, before being elected into the Northern League for the 2009/10 season.
Newton Aycliffe have won two trophies in the last decade: the Durham Challenge Cup in the 2015/16 season and the Northern League Division One title most recently in the 2022/23 season.
After finishing just outside the play-offs last season as well as starting this season positively, The Cliffe's will provide a tough test for The Spartans.
One to Watch
Joey Hope is a player that Spartans must keep an eye on. The defender was awarded man of the match in Newton Aycliffe's last league game when they defeated Brighouse Town 2-1.
Hope scored one goal and assisted the other to give The Cliffe their first three points of the season.
The attacking left full back will be matched up against Spartans defender Paddy McClafferty, which could prove to be an interesting matchup to watch in this game.
From the Dugout
Former Sunderland midfielder Brian Atkinson is the man in charge of Newton Aycliffe.
Atkinson was appointed in November 2021 and has since won the Northern League Division One title with the club.
The Darlington-born manager has also had experience in coaching roles at Spennymoor Town and Darlington before stepping into the role as first-team coach at Newton Aycliffe.
After a remarkable season last year, Atkinson will be looking to replicate a similar finish with this squad and push on after narrowly missing out on a playoff position.
What has been said?
Colin Myers was asked about his side conceding the late goal on Saturday, which lead to Spartans getting knocked out of the FA Cup.
He said:
The game in the end came down to chances. I think we had three good chances in the second half and didn't take them. They had one chance and scored, and that was the difference.
We've seen massive improvement since the Redcar game; the team is getting better, and the lads are giving their absolute all.
We've got to get that win, there's no two ways about it, everyone knows we've got to get a win and we've got to get it quickly.
You can follow all of the action on Tuesday evening via our social media platforms and BlythLive on Mixlr from 7:30pm.
Written by Jack Lisle