Radcliffe 4-1 Morpeth Town, Tuesday 19th March 2024

Radcliffe 4-1 Morpeth Town, Northern Premier League Premier Division, Neuven Stadium, att. 1,132.

With my Saturdays pretty much booked up till the end of the season, this is the only chance to visit Radcliffe, runaway leaders of the Northern Premier League (Premier Division). And what with Darlo’s miracle National League South survival most definitely ON, Darlo Kev makes a scouting mission of it. I’m over the Pennines into Ashton, pick him up and we’re off. He can earn his corn navigating, since Google Maps has packed up on me.

We arrive with an hour to go and park up outside some old folks’ bungalows around the corner from the ground. There IS a car park next to the ground, but it looks pretty full anyway. Do they have a social club? They most certainly do. We pay our tenner to get in and enter the social club in time for...the draw for the Bolton Hospital Cup. Fought between sides a couple of rungs or more down the ladder from Radcliffe, it looks like the final is to be played here at the Neuven Stadium. The likes of Daisy Hill can only dream.

I’ve seen Radcliffe already this season, steamrollering higher division Farsley in the FA Trophy, 4-2. They are a mean looking physical bunch who’re running away with the Northern Premier. 10 points clear? 12? I forget. Tonite, midtable Morpeth are lambs to the slaughter. We walk around to the far side, a small, open terrace unroofed. We pass the tunnel, to the left corner, and past the newish seated stand behind the goal. Behind the opposite goal is a small covered terrace, while on the social club side a tiny terrace, with roof not much taller than a bus shelter, retains the charm of a ground at lower level. Meantime, adjoining the social club (actually, two big rooms) was the smallest hospitality suite overlooking the pitch, a table for 12. I love it.

And since when were Radcliffe no longer ‘Borough’? 2018, it turns out. That’s a shame, as along with Stevenage, it gave them an unusual name. Otherwise, I’d only know them for letting the phoenix club of Bury share their ground pending issues being sorted at Gigg Lane. Fair play for that, so I’m pleased for them that they’re on the verge of promotion to the 6th tier (a resurgent Bury playing two tiers down).

Radcliffe are hot favourites tonite and take 13 mins to open the scoring, before running out comfortable 4-1 winners. They’re too fast, too powerful and too good for a Morpeth side who’ve come a long way for nothing. As for the visitors, what chance if you’ve got to encourage your part time players to take the afternoon off work for a likely pasting? Well done to the one Morpeth Town fan who made the journey though (or, at least, the one showing his colours).

The Damage:
£10 ent
£2.50 programme
= £12.50

*beer was on Kev, for driving. He had Guinness, I Staropramen.