Match Preview: Blyth Town (h)

A deep dive into Blyth Town, the Steelmen’s final adversary at home.

It all comes down to this. Nine months of gruelling work and fantastic support, and the reward is almost there to be reaped.

Beat Blyth Town this afternoon, and the Northern League title is all but ours.

WHO ARE YA?

Blyth Town

Formed in 1995, Blyth Town boast a history not too disimilar from our own.

The Northumberland outfit were born as a junior football club – home to just three youth sides – before taking the leap into the senior pyramid as late as 2002.

Blyth Town competed in the Northern Football Alliance for most of their short existence, claiming the Division Two title at their first attempt in a rather impressive back-to-back set of promotions.

Having won a treble of titles in 2014 – the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division, the Challenge Cup and the George Dobbins League Cup – the First Team broke away from the main organisation to become a separate entity.

The breakaway would eventually become Blyth AFC, winning Northern League Division Two at the third attempt, before folding due to a lack of funding, and a permanent home.

The fall of Blyth AFC allowed Blyth Town to return to senior football, fielding their First Team back in Division Two of the Northern Football Alliance.

As of 2024, Town have mirrored the success of the since defunct breakaway, making their own way to Northern League Division One, and are unlikely to stop there.

CURRENT FORM

For Redcar Athletic, this could be the day. If results go a certain way, we could be deep into a rendition of championes by teatime. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Should we beat Blyth Town, only a complete capitulation at Easington Colliery on the final day would see the title go to Shildon.

Thanks to victory at Newcastle Blue Star last Saturday – a clinical Adam Boyes hat-trick – should Shildon lose today, a point would be enough to settle our fate.

Our Northumbrian counterparts have their own fate all but sealed. Blyth Town sit fourth in the division, unable to challenge for the title, and with a playoff place already secured.

Newcastle Blue Star’s victory over Crook Town last night confirmed three out of four playoff contenders – ourselves or Shildon the fourth – so a home tie is all that’s left to play for.

With such, Blyth Town have had a mixed bag of success of late. The Northumbrians drew to Northallerton Town at the weekend, winning only once in their last four against Marske United.

BUY TICKETS

Supporters can skip the queues at the turnstiles and buy their tickets in advance.

PREVIOUS HISTORY

There’s only the one previous meeting between the two clubs to tell you about this afternoon, and besides the weather, there isn’t much to report.

On a similarly beautiful day, Redcar were held by then second placed Blyth Town. Liam Wotherspoon opened the scoring, before Bradley Fewster replied from the spot.