Blyth Town vs Newcastle Blue Star (19/04/2025)

The final day of the Northern League Division One season but certainly not the final day of Newcastle Blue Star’s activity across the campaign and after getting the better of Crook Town last Friday night, the KD Stadium outfit have finally secured their ticket to the playoffs.

A 3-0 home win in front of a bumper crowd means Marc Nash’s men are guaranteed a top-five finish – a standing which for a promoted outfit is not one that should be overlooked and now after routine victory on familiar territory, the immediate task is finishing as high up the table as possible.

Because although finishing anywhere between second and fifth gets you entry to the playoffs, the invites are slightly more valuable depending on the rung of the ladder that you end up and even though second is out of the equation, finishing third is certainly not.

A standing that Nash and his players currently have in their possession before the final 90 minutes of the regular season but Blue Star’s work is not done yet – not only is their playoff plans to cultivate but also the small matter of getting the better of Blyth Town on Saturday.

An outfit who also find themselves with an additional date now scheduled at the end of April with the hope of earning one more in May and an outfit that start the final day of the season sitting fifth in the table.

Saturday’s hosts may be two places behind Blue Star but only a point behind at the same time and with this having the air of a winner-take-all encounter, there is also a possibility that this clash could be the first of two in consecutive weekends.

At the same time, Boro Rangers will be keeping a keen eye on developments in Blyth and with their end of season party taking place at West Allotment Celtic – a side which needs a point to secure safety, there is set to be plenty of ebb and flow across the Northern League Division One landscape.

A landscape that sees three teams aiming to finish third in the table and secure a home semi-final but at the same time, Blue Star boss Marc Nash said he and his players are happy to face whoever, wherever on the way to promotion.

With that said, this does not mean Saturday’s clash will be a dead rubber. There is still plenty to play for and with Blue Star earning a 4-2 home win in the reverse fixture before the fireworks display, you can expect another cracker in just a few hours.

Something which sets up this clash rather nicely indeed. A big thanks to Blyth Town for the upcoming hospitality and for those attending from an away perspective, safe travels both there and back.