STOCKTON TOWN VS MORPETH TOWN PREVIEW
https://x.com/stockton_townfc/status/1959671054131143067
COMPETITION: Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division – Matchday 6
DATE: Monday 25th August, 2025
KICK-OFF: 3pm
ENTRY: £13 Adults, £10 concessions, £6 U18’s, £3 U11’s
GROUND: MAP Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-On-Tees, TS19 0QD
UPDATES: @stockton_townfc Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
CLUBHOUSE: Open from 9am, serving breakfast until 12pm
Stockton Town return home after a stretch of two lengthy away matches to host Morpeth Town for some Bank Holiday action.
The Anchors put in a spectacular shift on Saturday with a second-half goal securing a point at then-league-leading Rushall Olympic.
Josh Scott did give the Anchors an early lead, but after an almost immediate equaliser, the Anchors were down to 10-men when Tom Coulthard was dismissed for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
Rushall took a lead not long after, but the reduced Anchors, with only 12 senior players in the squad, the Anchors fought back to take home a point.
Coulthard will be available for Monday’s game, as his suspension takes a week to kick-in, with partner Adam Nicholson also joining him after returning from his five-game ban.
Amar Purewal will also return from his suspension, with Glen Butterworth also expected to return. However Nathan Harker is still a doubt with a slight foot problem, and Michael Sweet remains out.
THE OPPOSITION
Morpeth picked up their first win of the season in impressive style on Saturday, with a 1-0 victory over Hednesford Town in Northumberland, with Will Dowling finding the winning goal in the second-half.
Dowling was part of a strong retained list for Craig Lynch’s side, including long-term captain Jeff Henderson, full-back Rhys Evans, and all six-feet-seven inches of goalkeeper Dan Langley as core players who have committed further to the club.
Lynch has also had a good summer of recruiting, securing the permanent signature of former Stockton striker Sam Hodgson and winger Luke James, as well as a number of number ex-Blyth Spartans, such as defender Joel Holvey, talented forward Cyril Giraud and youngster Billy Gordon. As well as some strong signings such as young defender Dan Myers from Spennymoor Town.
However after a difficult start to the 2025/26 season, the Highwaymen find themselves one spot above the relegation zone, albeit only four games in, with three points to their name.
But the Anchors will have to learn from last season, where Morpeth picked up their first points of the year in a 2-1 victory over Stockton, who were top of the table at the time.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The two sides have plenty of history from their Northern League days, but with little success for the Anchors. Here are the results from the five most recent meetings:
21 Jul 2021 – Stockton Town 1-3 Morpeth Town – Pre-Season Friendly
30 Jul 2022 – Morpeth Town 2-0 Stockton Town – Pre-Season Friendly
25 Jul 2023 – Morpeth Town 4-3 Stockton Town – Pre-Season Friendly
20 Aug 2024 – Morpeth Town 2-1 Stockton Town – Northern Premier League Premier Division
19 Apr 2025 – Stockton Town 1-1 Morpeth Town – Northern Premier League Premier Division
FORM GUIDE
Stockton Town (12th): D W D L D
Last match: Rushall Olympic 2-2 Stockton Town
Morpeth Town (18th): L L L W
Last match: Morpeth Town 1-0 Hednesford Town
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Speaking after the draw at Rushall Olympic, Manager Michael Dunwell looked ahead to the game by saying:
“There will be a lot of sore bodies. We’ll assess everyone before the game, but great to have Amar [Purewal] and Adi [Adam Nicholson] back, Glen Butterworth back. We’ll have to see what Stephen Thompson is like, but we’ll definitely have more to choose from, and after the performance [against Rushall] hopefully we can kick-on and go get three points.”
