Sports Back Home And Seeking Three Points!! Morpeth Town (H)

by Peter Scherer

Having come so close to holding the NPL table toppers Matlock Town away on Tuesday evening, its back to home advantage for the injury ravaged Mickleover FC.

Saturday’s match is against 19th in the table Morpeth Town, with two wins under their belt, the second having come on Tuesday evening 3-1 away to Radcliffe. Only three days earlier they had also knocked Radcliffe out of the FA Cup by the same score at home.

They are currently three points behind Mickleover in the league with game in hand, on exactly the same goals difference.

Keeper Dan Lowson originally came to Morpeth on loan from Spennymoor, but made his move permanent from July 2018. He previously played Ilkeston, Blyth Spartans, Alfreton and Celtic Nation.

Joe Walton is another ex Spennymoor player, having won the FA Vase with the club. A play anywhere versatile sort of player with a good eye for goal.

Long serving defender Michael Turner should reach the 200 appearances mark for the Highwaymen this season. He joined them from South Shields when they were Northern League Division One side.

Defensive midfielder or centre back, Ben Sayer has spent all of his career in the North East. Originally at Blyth Spartans, he came to Morpeth from Spennymoor in November 2014.

Skipper and solid defender Jeff Henderson was a Newcastle Utd youth player, before joining Gateshead in 2011. He then moved to Ireland with Sligo, where he stayed for three years. Back to England with Stobswood, from where he joined Morpeth in July 2018.

Centre back Callum Morris was another Newcastle Junior, who joined Blyth Spartans on his release. A short spell in Spain with Jerez Industrial preceded a season with Hayes & Yeading Utd. But his more recent career has been spent in Scotland, at Dunfermline, Dundee Utd and Aberdeen. He signed for Morpeth last summer after three years at Ross County and is capped by the Republic of Ireland at Under 19 and Under 21.

Striker Jack Foalle came to Morpeth from Whitley Bay in October 2018 where he was a prolific goal scorer.

Liam Noble is a midfielder with lots of experience. The former Sunderland youth player had a loan spell at Carlisle before making his move permanent in January 2012. After 99 appearances for the League One side, he joined Notts County in 2014. 

After a year at Forest Green Rovers he returned to Meadow Lane, before joining Hartlepool, from where he arrived at Morpeth last season, with over 250 League appearances under his belt.

Liam Henderson is the clubs leading scorer, a former Hartlepool and Watford Academy player who played 21 times for Hornets, before loans at Wealdstone, Hartlepool, Colchester, Aldershot and Rotherham, racking up experience in Leagues One and two. 

Following his release he joined York City and moved on via Forest Green, Gainsborough and Gateshead and has been at Morpeth since June 2016.

Winger or midfielder, Ryan Donaldson came out of the Newcastle Academy, where he captained the Magpies Youth Cup side. He gained League One experience with loans at Hartlepool and Tranmere, before spending the 2012/13 season at Gateshead.

Three years at Cambridge Utd and one at Plymouth Argyle gave him plenty of league experience, before he made his move to Hartlepool permanent. He was a summer signing for Morpeth and played for England at Under 17 and Under 19 levels.

Striker Andrew Johnson is a former Ashington player, who came to Morpeth from Spennymoor in May 2020.

Wayne Phillips is vastly experienced winger and a double FA Vase winner, once with Spennymoor and once with South Shields. He started at Blyth Spartans and came to Morpeth from South Shields in June 2017.

Defender Chris Reid is another long serving player having signed from Whitley Bay in 2015/16.

Ben Ramsey is a local talent, already attracting interest from League Clubs. The young defender made his first team debut in February and scored within seconds.

Sam Hodgson is a midfielder who came from Shildon in 2018, after starting out at South Shields.

Bailey Geliher and Noah Millington have only recently joined the first team squad, both products of their own youth set up.

Kick off is 3pm as usual and the bar is open, SO BE THERE!!

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