Everywhere we go……. 

The Reds’ team coach will be heading towards some different venues this season and, as supporters eagerly await next month’s fixtures release, we take a look at who we will be playing on our return to Step 3 football.   

We will, of course, be facing Macclesfield again and it will be interesting to see how they adapt to the step up having swept all before them in recent seasons.  They will be considered as one of the promotion favourites and their stadium will host bumper attendances again, no doubt. 

FC United of Manchester will pull in the crowds, too, and Reds can look forward to a first ever visit to Broadhurst Park – the only ‘new’ ground on the calendar.  We have visited all the other Premier Division stadia at some point in the past.  

For once, we won’t be the most northerly club in the division and it will be a welcome change of scenery when we travel to Morpeth Town for a first NPL fixture in that part of the world. 

There will be a return to the east coast for the matches against Whitby Town and Marske United and welcome trips to Bradford and Guiseley where we will try and improve on disappointing results in that area of Yorkshire. 

Reds will play a first NPL fixture at Atherton and Morpeth.

The long-haul trips (200 miles plus) will be to Basford and Ilkeston with Reds yet to win at the former and yet to lose at the latter.  Returns to Gainsborough, Matlock and Worksop (a first visit since 2007) will also be in the four-hour journey category with the route to Stafford a straight forward sortie down the M6. 

Plenty of days out in Manchester/Liverpool corridor, renewing acquaintances with Marine and Warrington Rylands as well visiting familiar territory at Radcliffe, Hyde and Ashton United. 

Workington’s opponents in the NPL Premier Division
2023-24

Club	Stadium	Capacity	Mileage	History
Ashton United	Hurst Cross	4,250	145	13 league visits (4 wins)
Atherton Collieries	Alder Street	2,500	128	Last league win in NWCL, only played there twice.
Bamber Bridge	Sir Tom Finney Stadium	3,000	112	Our only two wins there were in 2004 – 2-0 (NPL), 5-1 (FA Cup).
Basford United	Greenwich Avenue	1,600	203	Only played their once before (lost 2-3).
Bradford Park Avenue	Horsfall Stadium	3,500	130	Six previous visits to Horsfall, five resulted in a 0-1 defeat, the other a 3-3 draw.
FC United of Manchester	Broadhurst Park	4,400	141	Yet to play at Broadhurst.  Played them previously at Curzon Ashton.
Gainsborough Trinity	The Northolme	4,340	184	24 visits, just 5 wins – four in the league.
Guiseley	Nethermoor Park	4,200	125	One win, three draws in eleven visits. Have conceded six there on two occasions.
Hyde United	Ewen Fields	4,250	148	Reds first ever win on 3G was at this venue, once lost there 0-6 but have won five times and drew 4-4 on another visit.
Ilkeston Town	New Manor Ground	3,029	204	100% win rate at the New Manor – four visits, four victories.
Lancaster City	Giant Axe	3,513	87	Have won 5-1 and lost 5-1 there in thirty visits. Recorded 11 wins overall.
Macclesfield	Leasing.com Stadium	4,720	158	Only won there twice both in the 81-82 season (league and league cup). Six losses, including last season’s harsh 1-4 reverse.
Marine	College Road	2,150	140	Nineteen visits over the years – five wins, four draws, ten defeats.
Marske United	Mount Pleasant	2,500	123	Drew on our only league visit, but won a friendly last summer.
Matlock Town	Causeway Lane	2,400	184	25 visits to this picturesque ground – 15 defeats inflicted upon us! Seven victories obtained by Reds.
Morpeth Town	Craik Park	1,000	123	Never played a NPL fixture there but drew 4-4 in a friendly back in ’97. Reds Youth team lost 9-1 at the developing ground.
Radcliffe	Neuven Stadium	4,080	133	Won 4-1 in a friendly four years ago but, more recently, got knocked out of the FA Cup (3-5). Three wins in fourteen league encounters.
Stafford Rangers	Marston Road	4,000	185	Three victories in eleven visits (NPL and National North).
Warrington Rylands	Gorsey Lane	1,345	136	Lost on our only previous visit two years ago, stadium improved considerably since.
Whitby Town	Turnbull Ground	3,500	144	One league loss in seven visits – three wins in our favour.  Also lost a Trophy tie there.
Worksop Town	Sandy Lane	2,500	181	Played the Tigers at three different venues winning four times at Central Avenue, twice at Sandy Lane but none when they ground-shared at Gainsborough.

The two easiest journeys will be to Lancaster and Bamber Bridge, at 87 and 112 miles respectively, and probably be classed as our ‘derby’ matches for this term. 

We will face two extra teams of course (twenty-one compared to nineteen) and the mileage will be about 3,100 – a slight increase on last season. 

The 2023-24 campaign kicks off on 12 August with the players due to report for pre-season training in three weeks.