WHITBY TOWN VS STOCKTON TOWN PREVIEW
COMPETITION: Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division – Matchday 8
DATE: Tuesday 9th September, 2025
KICK-OFF: 19:45
ENTRY: £13 Adults, £9 Concessions, £5 Under-18’s
GROUND: Towbar Express Stadium at the Turnbull Ground, Upgang Lane, Whitby, YO21 3HZ
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X
LIVE COMMENTARY: Anchors Radio (mixlr.com)
Stockton Town head to North Yorkshire for some midweek action on the back of a dramatic victory over Stocksbridge Park Steels on Saturday.
The Anchors went two goals down in the first-half to the Steels, but goals from Adam Nicholson and Michael Sweet brought them level 20 minutes before the final whistle.
Deep into stoppage time, as the game looked to be ending, Kevin Hayes fired in another free-kick to send the impressive-numbered crowd crazy, sealing a huge three points in the process.
Hayes now sits as the league’s top scorer – tied with Prescot Cables’ Ben Elliott, Hebburn Town’s Gary Martin and Warrington Rylands’ Jake Burton. All have five goals to their name already this season.
THE OPPOSITION
Whitby Town are now led by midfielder Gary Liddle, who also had memorable stints at Carlisle United, Bradford City and, more notably, Hartlepool United during his playing days. The gaffer still plays in the middle for Whitby, with former-Marske and Spennymoor man Jason Kennedy as his number two.
Their side have started the season strong, with 10 points to their name from their opening seven games, picking up a 4-0 win against Warrington Town, and most recently a very good win at Ilkeston Town.
On top of having former-Anchor Matty Tymon up-front, who also captains the side, the Seasiders have a vast number of old foes of Stockton. One being full-back Connor Smith, who scored a wondergoal for Marske United in the 2022 playoff final.
Stockton-born Shane Bland remains in goal for Whitby, having recently tallied 10 total years with the club.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The two sides have met in pre-season on a number of occasions, but only had their first competitive matchups last season, with the Anchors completing the double over the Seasiders:
26 Aug 2024 – Stockton Town 2-0 Whitby Town – Northern Premier League Premier Division
1 Jan 2025 – Whitby Town 0-2 Stockton Town – Northern Premier League Premier Division
FORM GUIDE
Whitby Town (12th): W L L L W
Last match: Ilkeston Town 0-1 Whitby Town
Stockton Town (5th): L D L W W
Last match: Stockton Town 3-2 Stocksbridge Park Steels
PRE-MATCH QUOTES
Stockton Town Manager Michael Dunwell looked ahead to the Whitby clash, following the delights of Saturday’s game, by saying:
“It’s difficult when you have a game on Tuesday and can’t train, but we’ll have a look at videos of Whitby, as well as having them watched by scouts, we’ll analyse that and pick a team that can go to Whitby and get a win.
“Our away form this season hasn’t been great, but I think it’s a similar start to last season where we ended up fifth in the form table. We know it’s going to be difficult, they’ve started well, Gary has them playing well. They seem to have a real togetherness and it’s going to be a good game.”
Words by Jordan Clarke
