Blyth Spartans vs Newcastle Blue Star (06/10/2026)

After an emphatic return to winning ways on Friday night, Newcastle Blue Star head to Croft Park this evening with a place in the next round of the Northumberland Senior Cup at stake against Blyth Spartans.

There will be no shortage of familiarity between the two sides, having already met at this same venue earlier in the season. That meeting came back in August in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, with Blue Star suffering a 2-0 defeat in the blazing summer sun.

Blue Star head into tonight’s contest with confidence restored following an impressive 5-1 Northern League victory over Newcastle Benfield on Friday night, a result which represented a hugely important and emphatic response after a difficult run of league results.

Josh Follin was the star of the show, completing a hat-trick, while Jakub Zych also found the net twice as Blue Star produced an attacking display which will have provided a considerable boost to Paul Brayson's side.

Scoring five goals in a single game is always worthy of attention, but the significance of Friday's victory extends beyond the scoreline. Blue Star needed a performance which could inject some momentum into their campaign and the manner of the victory was every bit as important as the points.

The challenge now is to ensure that performance is not viewed in isolation but cup football brings its own demands and there is no guarantee that Friday's result will have any bearing on what happens at Croft Park this evening.

Blyth Spartans, who operate a step above in the Northern Premier League - East will provide a different test to that of Newcastle Benfield’s at the weekend, particularly given that Blue Star already know how difficult this venue can be.

However, confidence is a powerful commodity in football and there is little doubt that within the Blue Star camp it will be considerably higher after Friday's impressive showing. In addition, there is also the added incentive of trying to exact revenge for their previous FA Cup reverse.

August’s 2-0 defeat will still provide a useful reminder of what is required if Blue Star are to progress this time around, but the focus must be on producing another worthwhile performance rather than dwelling on the previous encounter.

Something which sets up this clash rather nicely indeed. A big thanks to Blyth Spartans for the upcoming hospitality and for those attending from an away perspective, safe travels both there and back.