Newcastle Blue Star vs Marine (13/09/2025)

Is Saturday the biggest day in Newcastle Blue Star’s recent history? Possibly. Is there going to be a healthy crowd at the KD Stadium that afternoon? Probably. Will manager Marc Nash and his players be keen to land another knockout scalp so early in the season? Definitely.

The FA Cup Second Qualifying Round is now upon us and although this may be the entry point to the competition for some teams further up the non-league pyramid, Blue Star have already played three previous rounds of its current edition.

Three teams already brushed aside in the greatest club competition in the world, two of those positioned within Step 4 of the English game and as the journey to the First Round proper becomes shorter, the difficulty curve in terms of opposition starts to become even steeper.

North Shields disposed in the Extra Preliminary, Newton Aycliffe in the Preliminary and a fortnight ago saw Heaton Stannington added to the list after succumbing to a 1-0 away defeat to Blue Star in Scotswood.

A game of few chances but Leon Burke took his when it mattered the most and with the youngster firing the ball home in the dying minutes of the game, he and the club as a whole have been rewarded with a home tie against Marine of the National League North.

Three tiers below the two opponents this weekend but this cup competition has little respect for form and order. You either turn up on the day or you get turfed out before the Third Qualifying Round gets underway – that is along as the game itself does not end in stalemate after 90 minutes.

With Newcastle and Liverpool having their own rivalry over the summer, the visit of Marine offers the neat subtext of proxy war in the build up to Saturday’s game. Who will have the stronger firepower in their bid to get their name in the hat? It is going to be very interesting finding this out.

Something which sets up this upcoming clash rather nicely. A warm welcome goes out to the visiting Marine team and support and for those who lend their voice to the home team, make sure to bring the noise throughout.