With Newcastle Blue Star being given last Friday night off due to West Allotment’s off field issues, there was a slight concern that any other outfit in the promotion chasing pack would manage to get additional points on the board less than 24 hours later.
That was until Storm Bert had other ideas and with the whole Northern League Division One programme being swept away, it means there is no change in the order of the standings as we head into this weekend.
An enforced hiatus for all means that Marc Nash and his players currently find themselves firmly in the playoff pack and not only are they looking to reel in the pair of Blyth Town and Boro Rangers who sit directly above them, but they also have the league leaders in their sights.
With Redcar Athletic currently sitting at the top of the tree, the margin between themselves and Blue Star currently sits at seven points and although a changing of the guard cannot happen in the immediate future, it cannot be ruled out by the end of the season.
Especially if Blue Star can continue the form they had crafted before their recent rest and although they suffered a Northumberland Senior Cup defeat at Ashington in their last competitive outing, they were far too competitive against West Auckland during previous league matters.
A 3-1 home win at the newly named KD Stadium means it is just one defeat in six for the Scotswood outfit, a run of games that has collected 13 points from the last 18 on offer and begun to change the narrative of the campaign.
However, a change of narrative arguably means the task gets tougher from here on in and although promoted sides sometimes have the luxury of simply consolidating at the level above, simplicity has never been the Blue Star way.
While it was far from simple during the reverse of Friday’s meeting with Whitley Bay. It was a share of the points by the coast when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at Hillheads Park in September and now each outfit will look to come out on top at the start of this weekend.
Something which sets up this upcoming clash rather nicely. A warm welcome goes out to the visiting Whitley Bay team and support and for those who lend their voice to the home team, make sure to bring the noise throughout.
Comments