Ilkeston Town vs Stockton Town Preview
COMPETITION: Northern Premier League Premier Division – Matchday One
DATE: Saturday 8th August, 2026
KICK-OFF: 15:00
ENTRY: £13 Adults, £9 Concessions, £2 U16s, U11s FREE (Accompanied by a paying adult)
GROUND: Microlise New Manor Ground, Awsworth Road, Ilkeston, DE7 8JP
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X | @stockton_townfc – Instagram
LIVE COMMENTARY: https://youtube.com/@anchorstv?si=lx9C5rTNSXJ8hXkL
Stockton Town make the trip to Derbyshire to begin the 2026/27 NPL Premier Division campaign.
The Robins begin a new era following the departure of Ian Deakin following the closure of last season. Ex-professional forward Tristram Whitman is now at the helm, joining after two seasons with Hucknall Town of the United Counties League Premier Division North.
In their two meetings last season, both sides picked up wins on the road. Ilkeston handed Stockton their heaviest home defeat in a long time when they ran out 4-0 winners on Teesside, but Stockton made amends later in the season when Josh Scott’s goal secured a crucial three points.
The Ilkeston squad however is much different from that March afternoon, with Whitman’s number of summer signings hitting double digits in the past week.
A couple of players joined from Whitman’s former side, Hucknall. Lewis Belgrave, Cashmere Rowe and Luis Parkes have all made the step up to the NPL, with a couple of familiar names also joining the squad. McKeal Abdullah joined on a permanent basis following a loan spell last season. Forward Anthony Dwyer joins after a great NPL season with Rushall Olympic in the season prior, as well as his former strike partner Harry Wakefield.
Goalkeepers Sam Wilson and Theo Avery, defenders Lynden Joyce, Elwalid Elhagany, Pharrell Johnson, Noah Simmons and Theo Robinson, midfielder Sam Newell and forwards Jevin Seaton, Dylan Reason and standout striker Ashley Hunter are the other fresh faces in the squad.
Those players join Fedel Ross-Lang and Jordan Stevens as the only two players from last season’s squad – based on their final pre-season lineup in a 2-2 draw with ex-Anchors foes Long Eaton United.
Previewing the opening day test, Anchors manager Michael Dunwell looks ahead and states: “It’s difficult, the first one, because you don’t know much about the setup.
“We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and see what team we can put together. We’ve got a few players back, and we’ll go there with a strong enough team to try and get three points.”
