Morpeth Town - Craik Park

Morpeth Town FC

Craik Park

High House Road

Pegswood

Morpeth 

Northumberland

NE61 2YX

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1514

Saturday 24th January 2026

Morpeth Town 1-0 FC United of Manchester

NPL Premier

MORPETH TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1909. They joined the Northern Alliance in 1936 and were runners-up in the league two years later. Then, in the first season following the outbreak of war, they won the North Division in 1940. Fortunes varied over the years, with Morpeth finishing bottom of the division in 1950, 1952 & 1954, but finishing as runners-up in 1966, 1974 & 1982.  They won the title in 1984 & 1994, and it was after the latter of these that they ended their 58-year stay in the Alliance and joined the Northern League. Starting in Division 2, they won the title in 1996, scoring over 100 goals in the process. Morpeth finished a credible 6th in their debut season and matched that again in 2006. However, four years later, they were relegated back to Division 2. They spent three seasons there before winning promotion back in 2013 following a 3rd place finish. The club was far more successful in Division 1 this time as they finished as runners-up to South Shields in 2017 and Marske United in 2018. Following the latter, they were promoted to the NPL D1 East, which they won in their debut season. Morpeth Town has been in the NPL Premier with a record high finish of 8th, achieved last season.

Morpeth Town's best FA Cup run came in 2021. They beat Hyde United, Lancaster City & Radcliffe before losing to York City in the 4th Qualifying Round after taking them to a replay. In the same season, they had their best FA Trophy run, beating Pickering Town, Bromsgrove Sporting, Warrington Town, Lancaster City and Boston United before losing again to York City, this time by a 3-2 scoreline in Yorkshire. In 2016, Morpeth Town won the FA Vase, beating Padiham, Billingham Synthonia, West Didsbury & Chorlton, 1874 Northwich, South Shields, North Shields and Bowers & Pitsea before defeating Hereford 4-1 at Wembley Stadium. Locally, they've won the Northern League Cleator Cup in 2017 and the Northern Alliance Subsidiary Cup in 1987. They've also won three Northern Alliance Challenge Cups, three Northumberland Senior Cups and two Northumberland Benevolent Bowls. The best-known player to have turned out for Morpeth is the nomadic striker Trevor Benjamin, who played for sixteen different Football League clubs, which is a record.

Morpeth is a historic market town in Northumberland, lying on the River Wansbeck. It has a population of around 14,000. The earliest evidence of settlement is believed to be from the Neolithic period, and some Roman artefacts have also been found. The first written mention of the town is from 1080, when the de Merlay family was granted the barony of Morpeth. The meaning of the town's name is uncertain, but it may refer to its position on the road to Scotland and a murder which occurred on that road. By the mid-1700s, it had become one of the main markets in England, having been granted a market charter in 1200, but the opening of the railways in the 1800s led the market to decline. The town's history is celebrated in the annual Northumbrian Gathering. In 2008, the town suffered a severe flood, which was repeated in 2012, resulting in the construction of new flood defences. The Morpeth Olympic Games, a professional event consisting mainly of athletics and wrestling, were staged from 1873 until 1958, barring interruptions during the two world wars.

ABOVE: Craik Park sometime between 2004 & 2006, when I was in the area following a Wycombe Wanderers game at Darlington or Hartlepool.

 

MY VISIT

A visit to Morpeth Town had long been on my priority list, as at the start of the season, it was one of only two clubs that I needed to visit to complete the top seven tiers of English Football. Workington Town had since muddied the waters by moving stadium and making my mission that little bit tougher, and Bamber Bridge was another ground in the far north that I needed. Therefore, I was going to take any chance that I could to visit. That opportunity came on 11th October when fellow hopper Daniel announced that Mick was driving him to Morpeth. There were a few drawbacks. Whereas Mick would make a 13-mile detour to pick Dan up from home. I wanted to meet as close to the route as possible, and so that would either mean Bishops Stortford or Brampton on the A1. The latter was a longer drive, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about parking restrictions imposed due to the proximity to Stansted Airport. Dan was also desperate to go and watch Newcastle U18's at their academy and had roped Mick into driving him there. I didn't fancy it and so explored going up to Morpeth early, which thankfully was doable. Lastly, I was disappointed that my mate River had chosen this day to visit Wycombe towards his mission to complete the 92. Most other weeks, I'd have been there to show him around our humble town and club and have a few pints, but it was not to be.

It was trickier than usual journey home from Cockfosters, owing to the Picadilly Line being out of action. I got a bus first to Edgware, then to Harrow, both bus stations being carbon copies of each other, functional with little architectural merit. The news that Wycombe had won 2-1 at Northampton made me happy, though I was just keen to get home and relax ahead of work tomorrow. I was back at 7.50 and had a couple of pints and a curry before bed. It was a standard Sunday at work, jam-packed as the day wore on. Monday was a bit calmer, and in the evening I learned that Colin would be coming with us, a real help with the petrol up to our meeting point. It was the standard Tuesday off with a walk to Wycombe and back. Due to getting an unusually decent night's sleep, 10.5 hours in all, I didn't go out until 10.20. It was a nice day to ten-mile walk, and I had a nice pizza for lunch when I got home. I also got good news from Amersham Town that their game v Windsor & Eton was on, my first midweek football of 2026. The game started brightly in dry conditions, but then the rain came down and the quality deteriorated. The rain eventually eased, and there was a late rally, but it ended 0-0. It needn't have been that way, but a whistle-happy referee and a reluctance to try long shots in tricky conditions made it so. It was good to meet both Anwar & Colin there, and I had drop-offs at Amersham Station and the gorilla sanctuary on the way home. As a result of my mammoth sleep on Monday night, I only got around four hours on Tuesday night. At least it was my shortest shift of the week at work, although I was met with yet more rain upon leaving. Thursday was another fairly relaxed day.

I was surprised when Daniel demanded that we meet at 6 am, despite it only being 3H20 to his kids' game, which he was still desperate to attend.  It did open up the possibility of a Sunderland Over 40's game at Boldon CA, my first choice. Or was it at Jarrow Roofing? Either way, a great opportunity to update an old blog. Either that or a long pre-match, although I would be getting up at my normal work time. I started a new Football Manager 2017 save at the twelfth level of English football. I've not played it for years and opted for Hull United and their 12.5k groundshare at the local rugby stadium. I had left the FM loop around six years ago when the games got too complicated for my liking, but I had a yearning for a lower-league story. I didn't have time to play a game as the whole squad and coaching team were given an overhaul, and I switched off to watch Corrie. It was a brutal day at work on Friday, as seems to be the case in recent times. I finished at 2, came home, had lunch and posted an eBay parcel that I'd made a small profit on.  I was planning on a few pints on a Friday night, and maybe cracking on with my Football Manager game. Fellow hopper Dan had been watching yet more youth football at QPR's training ground, but his Newcastle game was called off due to them playing in the FA Youth Cup. I only found out about this halfway through revising my Jarrow Roofing blog. It would mean an extra two hours in bed, but even if I didn't visit there tomorrow, the club had long gone, and I wanted to do justice to a great club.

I woke at my normal work time and went back to sleep for a couple of hours until waking up properly at 5.30. I got ready before leaving 45 minutes earlier. Picking Colin up on the way, we met Daniel and Mick up in Brampton and got a lift from there. It was a productive trip up with me finally getting some plans in place for March, kind of. Prices were excellent from Dublin to Manchester for Saturday, allowing me to visit Bamber Bridge. It was just the flights out that needed to be sorted, as prices are still very high. Accommodation was also booked in Bray at a reasonable price. The gorilla slept through all of this and left me to do everything as usual. We were in Morpeth at 11.30, but all the parking places were packed. We eventually found one and had to nip across the road to get a parking disc. We got to Wetherspoons just after 12. The Electrical Wizard was my 474th Wetherspoons, and it had an excellent cider selection. First up was the Caledonian Burger with all the trimmings and Black Dragon for £11.42, and then a pint of Thistly Cross Whisky Cask for £3.24. Daniel struggled with the five-minute walk back to the car, but it looked like a lovely town. We were at the ground two hours before kickoff. Entry was an excellent £12, a programme was £2, and a pint of Kopparberg Crisp Apple was £4.80. I sat in the bar and typed this blog whilst waiting for kickoff. A couple of games were played on Football Manager with varying success.

 

Morpeth Town were sitting in 19th place, just inside the relegation zone. They'd won seven, drawn four and lost fourteen. They had lost three in a row, including last week's 1-0 reverse at Gainsborough Trinity. FC United were 3rd in the table and had won thirteen, drawn six and lost six. They were unbeaten in the last three and had drawn 2-2 with Warrington Town last week. The FCUM fans were in great voice but it was Morpeth who took the lead on 9 minutes, a shot from a tight angle wide on the right by Alfie Henderson. The hosts were well on top; they could have had a second on 36 minutes, but took too long to get the shot off. The second half saw FCUM huff and puff with a fair bit of possession but little threat. The game petered out, and we headed for home. There was bad news from back home as Wycombe slumped 2-0 at home to Peterborough, but at least my local side thumped FC Deportivo Galacia 5-1.

THE GROUND

CRAIK PARK is set in pleasant woodland and is around 35 minutes walk from the pleasant town. There are two seated stands, one on either side, with a capacity of 300 between them. There is also a covered standing area behind the goal, holding the same. There is a large bar, which also does food, but not much in the way of merch.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Cockfosters - Cockfosters Sports Ground

Cockfosters FC
Cockfosters Sports Ground
Chalk Lane
Cockfosters
Herts
EN4 9JG

0208 449 5833

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 403
Tuesday 26th August 2014
Cockfosters 0-2 London Tigers
Spartan South Midlands Premier









COCKFOSTERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1921 as Cockfosters Athletic, joining the Barnet League. In 1930, they merged with Cockfosters Juniors and joined the Wood Green League. They won Division 2 in 1932 and Division 1 two years later. They then won the Premier Division in 1939, part of a treble-winning season just before the Second World War as they captured the League Cup and Barnet Cup. Following the war, they joined the Northern Suburban Intermediate League Division 1, and after finishing as runners-up in 1947, won promotion to the Premier Division. Although they were relegated back to Division 1 after a single season, they won Division 1 in 1950 and finished as Premier Division runners-up the following year. Relegated again in the intervening years, they won Division 1 again in 1961 and the Premier Division in 1962.

Cockfosters made the step up to the Herts County League in 1966, winning the Division 1 title and promotion to the Premier Division in their debut season. They dropped the 'Athletic' suffix from their name in 1966 and would remain in the Herts County League Premier Division for 25 years. They were champions in 1979, 1981 & 1984, as well as finishing as runners-up twice. In 1991, Cockfosters joined the Spartan League Premier Division and spent six seasons there, with a high finish of 5th in 1996. The following season, the league merged with the South Midlands League to form the Spartan South Midlands League. Cockfosters were placed in the Premier Division South but finished bottom and were relegated to the Senior Division, which became Division 1. They won promotion back in 2007 as runners-up to Brimsdown Rovers but were relegated again after two seasons. Promotion was achieved again in 2013 as runners-up behind London Lions. They have been in the Spartan South Midlands Premier ever since, aside from three years in the Essex Senior League between 2019 & 2022. The club achieved its best-ever 3rd-place finishes in 2017 & 2025. The latter of those finishes saw them reach the playoffs, but lost to London Lions on penalties.

Cockfosters have reached the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round on three occasions. They achieved a notable 2-2 draw with AFC Rushden & Diamonds in 2013, but lost the replay 8-0. They have saved their best FA Vase run for this season, winning 4-0 at Long Melford in the 2nd Qualifying Round. Since then, it's been a case of holding their nerve in three consecutive penalty shootouts. They beat Tring Athletic 12-11 following a 1-1 draw in the 1st Round and then won 4-3 at AFC Welwyn on spot kicks following a 2-2 draw in the 2nd. In the 3rd Round, they triumphed 3-2 against Soul Tower Hamlets following a 1-1 draw. Local wins include four Barnet Cups, two London Intermediate Cups, two Spartan South Midlands League Floodlit Cups,  and two Herts Senior County League Aubrey Cups. They also won the Herts Intermediate Cup in 1979 and the Spartan South Midlands League Challenge Trophy in 2014. 

Cockfosters is a suburb of north London to the east of Chipping Barnet, lying partly in the London Borough of Enfield and partly in the London Borough of Barnet. It is 10 miles north of Charing Cross. Before 1965, it was in the counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It has a population of just under 14,000. The name was recorded as far back as 1524 and is thought to be either the name of a family or that of a house which stood on Enfield Chase. One suggestion is that it was "the residence of the cock forester (or chief forester)". The Piccadilly line of the London Underground reached Cockfosters in 1933. The most famous former resident of Cockfosters is the former Manchester United and Scotland manager Tommy Docherty.

 

MY FIRST VISIT

I had been meaning to go to Cockfosters last May. In fact, I had actually got to the ground, sat in the bar for half an hour while it rained, only for the referee to give up on the pitch right on kickoff. He was going to start the game and saw how it went, which was encouraging, but he changed his mind. It was probably the right decision to be honest, as the game would have been a farce had it gone ahead, with puddles everywhere. We even went to London Colney after, but that too was a victim of the weather, being called off at 8.15. Still, I was aiming to complete the Spartan South Midlands League by the end of the season, so I wanted to get Cockfosters 'done' as early as possible. They'd had a crazy end to last season, with games on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, so they must have been pretty tired when it came to facing my local side, Holmer Green, a game which I sadly missed.

I knew from the outset that I wouldn't have Anwar with me, as he was going to Arsenal tomorrow night and only had limited time and resources. I wasn't even sure myself, as it was dependent on the weather and traffic. I had a pretty boring day as I was off work, and normally I'd be setting off mid-afternoon for football. I reflected on the Welsh groundhop I had missed on the weekend, in North Wales. I thought it would be just fields when speaking to organiser Chris, as he was evasive when I asked about stands and just said that the scenery was nice. In the end, I saw people's pictures from the weekend, and there were some quite decent grounds, set amongst the backdrop of Snowdonia as promised. I wasn't too annoyed, though, as I'd had a great time at Stevenage v Wycombe instead. I could have done 3 games in one day on Monday, too, but Anwar couldn't make it. Instead, we went to a wet and fairly dull game at Tilbury.

It turned out to be thumbs up as far as the game was concerned. I had confirmation that the game was on at 6.15 and after checking my sat nav, the traffic appeared fine, so I set off on the 32-mile journey. It turned out to be a good journey apart from some dawdlers on the single carriageways and I was there by 7.05. I went and had a look in the bar, and bought a signed Boreham Wood v Arsenal Programme in return for a small donation to charity. I then went into the ground, paying £6 entry plus £1 for the programme. There was still half an hour till kick off, so I made a start on my blog and checked Facebook while waiting for the game to start. It was ground 403 for me and the 19th out of 22 I needed in the SSML Premier. Entry & ticket were well priced at £6 and £1 respectively, whilst the car costs for the 63-mile journey were £10.

Cockfosters were making a good start to the season, unbeaten and top of the table, and it was a decent game as per usual in the SSML. My favourite step 5 league might be the Northern Counties East League, but the Spartan South Midlands is hard to beat for entertainment. The first half was goalless, but both keepers made good saves. London Tigers started the brightest, but Cockfosters finished the half well. Two second-half goals won it for the visitors - firstly a goal by Hendrix from close range on 66 minutes, then a really good strike from way out on 80 minutes by Larab. The referee let a lot go, but tended to favour the defending team, and there were a few complaints from the home side about this. The attendance was 73. It was an easy journey home, taking the same time as the trip there. I got in, checked Facebook, watched TV and went to sleep at about 11.30.

MY SECOND VISIT

17/01/26 v Crawley Down Gatwick (FA Vase 4th Round)

Although it wasn't on my priority revisit list, I had not been to Cockfosters since 2014. As with a lot of my blogs from over a decade ago, a lot of the entries could do with a tidy up and a better dive into the history section. Cockfosters were no exception, and originally, I was considering going next Tuesday for the London Senior Cup game against Dulwich Hamlet next Tuesday. However, a lack of inspiration led me to tick off Club Des Sports - used by two Middlesex League clubs in the morning. I fancied the Arthurian League to be more reliable than the Middlesex League. I still needed an afternoon game, though, and with no new ones that I fancied, a revisit to Cockfosters was perfect, with it being an FA Vase game.

From my game at Club Des Sports, I walked to Acton mainline station, 20 minutes away. With the Picadilly Line out of action, it was a more difficult journey than usual. I got a busy Elizabeth Line train, which was packed but had a proper mobile signal, unlike the rest of the network. I was at High Barnet Station just before 2.10. I popped to a local shop to get some lunch and saw my bus go past. The stop was a fair way away, and I ended up having to wait 20 minutes for the next one, colossal by London standards. It was a decent shop with a great selection of imported products, and my Samosa was excellent. It had been a familiar walk though, surprising as I last went to Underhill, the former home of Barnet FC, some thirteen years ago. I managed to get to the ground a few minutes after kickoff; it was a rather pricey £10 entry. 

Cockfosters were right in the promotion hunt in the Spartans South Midland Premier, sitting 3rd, having won fourteen, drawn three and lost four. They were unbeaten in five, having defeated Potton United 1-0 in their last game. Crawley Down Gatwick were 15th in the Southern Combination Premier and had won four, drawn three and lost thirteen. In their last game, they drew 2-2 at Pagham. Whilst Cockfosters were on their best ever Vase run, the visitors were going to at least equal theirs as they had lost 2-1 to Fleet Town at the same stage last season. It was fairly equal early on, with perhaps the visitors shading it. Soon, though, Cockfosters started to control the game. Junior Moses caused havoc in the final third, beating the full back and driving a ball into the far post for Terry Offeh, who took a touch and smashed home. The visitors had missed a simple chance ten minutes before, and they sought to get back into the game. However, Cockfosters defended well to preserve their lead. Crawley Down Gatwick were handed a lifeline on 63 minutes when they were given a penalty, awarded after the ball struck a hand in a crowded box. The home keeper did his best to stop the kicker getting the ball and the delay worked in his favour. The placed but tame kick was easily saved to keep the hosts ahead. However, they kept plugging away and equalised on the break on 84 minutes, a lovely lob over the keeper by Jacob Todman from the edge of the area. Just as it looked as if it would be penalties for a fourth game in a row for Cockfosters, they surged forward and got a neat second with a volley into the bottom right corner by Conrad Holland. It provoked wild celebrations and a pitch invasion by the home coaching staff. A few seconds later, the final whistle blew, and although it was a deserved win for the hosts, it was also a tough way to lose.

THE GROUND

DACRE FIELD, or the COCKFOSTERS SPORTS GROUND as it's sometimes known, is set in a pleasant green location. The car parking is not great, with only a few spaces, but you can use street parking or one of the spaces from one of the other sports clubs on the road.

The main stand is on the side that you come in. Previously, it was a smaller stand with benches (which was on my visit to take pictures in 2007. Since then, they have added big white seats, which are comfortable and seem to come from the Olympics in 2012, as there are similar ones at Beckenham Town. They are comfortable in any case. There is further cover on this side, as well as more behind the goal and on the other side.

The clubhouse and tea bar are pretty standard fare, with only Strongbow in cans available for cider drinkers (at least on my May visit anyway) I've not tried the tea bar. The programme is decent, quite thin but full of stats and a few good bits to read, and with minimal advertising too.  The club is nice and friendly, and with Cockfosters Tube station nearby, is easy to do if you don't drive.

 

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