Boro Rangers vs Newcastle Blue Star (23/08/2025)

Last season’s playoff trip to Boro Rangers gave Newcastle Blue Star an evening to remember. Wednesday’s trip to the same location was certainly one to forget and after successive away wins in both league and cup, Marc Nash and his players’ recent positive road trip has come to an end.

While it came to an end in some fashion and after going behind in the first half, Dan Lanning’s goal after the break restored parity in the encounter. From that point, the hope was that Blue Star would hold out at worst and go on to win at best.

Unfortunately, the very worst was still to come.

A quickfire capitulation saw Boro Rangers score four answered goals as they not only gained revenge for last season’s high stakes defeat but they also earned three welcome league points after an emphatic 5-1 win.

An outcome that will certainly smart for all those that were in Blue Star colours on Wednesday but with the beauty of the early season scheduling being so congested, it means an almost immediate opportunity to put things right – even better when you get to go back to the scene of crime.

Because not only have Boro Rangers and Blue Star been paired together in league warfare in the month of August but they have also been paired together in the First Qualifying Round of this season’s FA Vase.

Scotswood’s finest may already be looking forward to the visit of Heaton Stannington in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round next Saturday but it is this Saturday that offers a far more realistic route on the road to Wembley.

Knockout football has certainly been kinder to Blue Star in the early weeks of the season as victories over both North Shields and Newton Aycliffe will attest to and after being bruised on Wednesday night, they will be keen to claim another scalp on the road while also settling a midweek score.

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