Stockton Town vs Dunston UTS Preview
DATE: Saturday 11th July, 2026
KICK-OFF: 15:00
ENTRY: £7 Adults, £5 Concessions/U18’s, £4 U16’s, U5’s free. All season ticket holders gain free entry too.
GROUND: Stockton Town FC, Map Group UK Stadium, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0QD
LIVE UPDATES: @stockton_townfc – Twitter/X
Stockton Town’s Pre-Season preparations become more challenging with the visit of NPL East outfit Dunston.
The Anchors have made a perfect start to their Pre-Season campaign in terms of results with successive wins over Guisborough Town and Seaton Carew. New signing Layton Watts made his mark in the opener, while his replacement in the second game Jaedon Faulkner stood out with two goals and an assist. There was also a hattrick for Josh Scott in the win over Seaton.
Saturday’s game promises to be a more competitive affair for a Pre-Season outing. Dunston have been on the precipice of promotion from the NPL East over the last three years. The last meeting between the two sides at the MAP Group UK Stadium was of course the unforgettable Play-Off which saw Stockton Town promoted to the NPL Premier Division following a pulsating 4-4 draw over 120 minutes of breathless football. Dunston again faltered the following season by losing the Play-Off Final at home to Stocksbridge Park Steels, and last season they fell at the Semi-Final stage to Emley.
Ahead of the 2026/27 season they appear determined to finally make the leap to Step Three. There have been some eye-catching signings with attacking players Ben Ramsey and Nic Bollado arriving from Consett and Morpeth. Both have featured against Stockton in the past and have found the net. Other additions include versatile left-back Dan Stephenson, and midfielder Callum Ross.
Jon McDonald’s side began their Pre-Season in midweek with a 1-1 draw at home to Bishop Auckland on Tuesday, and they followed it up with 3-0 win over Seaham Red Star on Thursday night.
Speaking on the upcoming match, Michael Dunwell said: “I know Jon (McDonald) really well and the majority of their squad. It will be a really good test for us.
“We will have a few players back and some will be missing. Pre-Season is like that all the way through.”
