Newcastle Town VS Congleton Town FC : Match Preview
With both sides in desperate need for three points which will boost their hopes of survival in the Northern Premier League West Division, this leads the game to be huge at the GRG Waste Stadium on Tuesday evening
Post-Match Reaction via 3-2 defeat to Mossley AFC
Interview with First-team manager Neil Baker and Ashley Potter
From being asked about the 10 goals conceded in 3 goals, Neil explicitly shared his frustrations as he admits that the team needs to do better to avoid this as they face Congleton Town FC Tuesday, as he also admits a clear difference between the sides was standout player Fin Madigan who prevented Town from taking the points.
The next question being around the positives going forward that Harry Bower has brought into the squad, Baker agreed that he has been a vital piece of the puzzle when Newcastle have been going forward this season. Being heavily involved in the goals amongst the players when they beat Darlaston Town 2-3 last Wednesday, and scoring a brace today, Bower has been a very bright spark in the last few recent games and has settled in really well.
Post-match Reaction with Harry Bower and Ashley Potter
Once again being asked upon his thoughts around the game, Harry shared his frustrations and agreed that they were not good enough to get a result over the line, despite being able to hold onto a result twice in today’s contest. Upon the focus of Town conceding 10 goals in 3 games, Bower admitted that the team need to be better defensively and strengthen themselves in preparation against Congleton Town Tuesday, which will be crucial towards the placement of Newcastle Town next season. Finally being asked about the instant change of success when going forward as the team have managed to score 5 goals in the last two games, Bower admitted that they have been better when going forward despite only just settling in, as there is a clear positive to take away from the defeat today despite going home empty-handed.
League Table
From the defeat to Mossley AFC at Seel Park, Newcastle Town drop down to 16th position, having conceded 10 goals in 3 games Congleton Town are placed in 19th position with 31 points in 34 games as they are currently unbeaten in three of their games.
The position of both sides lead this game to be a six-pointer, which could either lead Congleton Town to enclose the gap, or Newcastle Town will move further up the league table and into safety if they come out with the victory.
Recent Results – Congleton Town
Saturday 21st March = 2-2 Draw VS Clitheroe
Saturday 7th March = 1-1 Draw VS Bootle
Saturday 21st February = 0-0 Draw VS Atherton Collieries
Saturday 14th February = 2-1 Loss VS Vauxhall Motors
Saturday 7th February = 2-4 Loss VS Stalybridge Celtic
Cup Runs this season
Emirates FA Cup = The Bears started their FA Cup journey with a walkover against Widnes as they automatically progressed into the next round. After this, they faced Padiham at Ivy Gardens where they came out winners after a thrashing 3-0 victory.
Despite this, their FA Cup journey ended on the 13th September 2025, where they were defeated by National League North side Chorley 0-1 Isuzu FA Trophy = The Bears were defeated to Clitheroe at Ivy Gardens on the 20th September 2025.
Top Goal-Scorers – Congleton Town
1. Max Mccarthy = 10 goals in 19 appearances
2. Tom Hampton = 6 goals in 27 appearances
3. Ebou Badjie = 4 goals in 27 appearances
Facts – Congleton Town
Nickname – The Bears
Capacity – 1,450
Manager – Richard Duffy
Biggest Win this season = 4-0 VS Wythenshawe Town
Biggest Loss this season = 6-2 VS Runcorn Linnets
The Man at The Helm – Richard Duffy
The Welshman holds previous defensive experience in his playing career before switching over to the beginning of his managerial career, managing to gain plenty of valuable experience at EFL clubs. Throughout his career, he managed to play for clubs such as; Swansea City, Portsmouth, Millwall, Exeter City, Port Vale, Notts County and Kidsgrove Athletic.
Duffy’s first managerial opportunity landed in May 2020 when he was announced assistant manager to Ryan Austin at Congleton Town who were competing in the North West Counties League at the time. On 24th May 2021, Duffy succeeded Austin as manager and was also registered as a player to transfer his previous expertise on the playing field to help the club succeed. The Bears were crowned Midland League Premier Division Champions at the end of the 2023-24 season, and also managed to beat Highgate United 5-1 in the Midland League Cup Final.
In the following season, Richard Duffy’s Congleton Town were inches away from back to back promotions, however were defeated in the play-off final, losing to Hednesford United despite finishing third in the league. Currently, they are fighting for survival for the rest of their 2025/26 season.
