Newcastle Blue Star 2-1 Carlisle City, Saturday 4th April 2026

Newcastle Blue Star 2-1 Carlisle City, Northern League Division 1, Scotswood, att. 592

Of all the sides in the Northern League, the one I consider to have the most potential is Newcastle Blue Star. Based in the west end of Newcastle, they have a tidy ground, with a good mix of seating and standing, together with exec facilities. There’s space to expand, if needed, while a massive marquee houses the social club. And, of course, tapping into Newcastle United’s heritage, with their black and white stripes and the blue star logo of 80s’ sponsor, Scottish and Newcastle Brewery.

Since I was last here, Blue Star have built a terrace of 6 steps behind the near goal. The roof is half-constructed, but I snuggle myself under a roofed part, hiding from the cold. It nearly works. The stand on the halfway line to my left is busy, as is the standing area opposite, outside the marquee. Meantime, I love the couple of buildings in one corner, connected by a 1st floor walkway, and housing the best views.

The hospitality arrangements though make this place stand out form the crowd. Although a small bar under the exec bit wasn’t open, the marquee is vast. And you get to ogle signed shirts of Magpie legends such as Keegan, Gazza and Beardsley. Even with a crowd of nearly 600, there was still space to spare in here. (It helped that the food stalls were outside).

The home side went on to win 2-1, a match I’ll mainly remember for the size of one of the Cumbrian players – he was HUGE. Given I only noticed him with about 20 minutes left, he must have come on as sub and for 10 minutes those around me marvelled at his girth. Such a pity then that with his side a goal down, they stuck him up top. The man could barely move.

The Damage:
£5 ent
£2 prog
= £7