Many Reds supporters are suggesting that Saturday’s NPL Premier Division fixture against Morpeth Town at Borough Park is a ‘must win’ game.

Billy Barr’s team will have three opponents to overcome on Saturday – the weather, the pitch and mid-table Ilkeston Town.

It might be the last full ninety minutes under the lights so Reds’ Cumberland Cup tie v. Unisun Athletic at Borough Park on Tuesday (7.45pm) may hold some significance.

Billy Barr will be hoping for a positive response after what he considered the worst team performance under his tenure. Reds slipped to a narrow home defeat last week against the league leaders, Hebburn Town, with the manager angry after the well below par display.

After two tough away games, life doesn’t get any easier for Reds with the small matter of the league leaders, Hebburn Town, due at Borough Park on Saturday (3pm).

Reds will travel to play FC United of Manchester on Tuesday – the third meeting between the sides this season.

Workington’s decent record at the Towbar Express Stadium will count for nothing on Saturday (3pm) as they attempt to obtain a first league win in nine outings.  They take on a Whitby Town team who will be favourites for the points in the 14th versus 21st encounter, with the hosts attempting to complete a first ever league double at Reds expense.

Lancaster City will come ‘first-footing’ to Borough Park on Thursday (3pm) with both teams seeking a change in fortune.

Reds will play their last game of the year on Saturday when they make their way to Humberside for a first ever meeting against Cleethorpes Town.

Reds will play their final home game of 2025 on Saturday when they host Stockton Town at Borough Park (3pm).

Billy Barr has been in the Borough Park hot seat for a month now and his pragmatic approach to the task in hand seems to be working. Although still at the foot of the Premier Division table, Reds have shown a noticeable improvement recently and one defeat in six outings is a marked improvement on the half dozen matches prior to that. Reds won at Stocksbridge, under the final game of Brian Dawson’s tenure, and have added another six points under Barr’s watch.  With a bit of lu

Whatever happens on Saturday, Reds will still occupy the bottom rung of the Premier Division ladder so the objective is to reduce the points gap between themselves and their fellow strugglers.

It has been a very strange season for Warrington Town and their supporters. In recent weeks, they have been producing the results that the majority of Northern Premier League followers expected of them from the outset.

Reds and Guiseley go into Tuesday’s Premier Division encounter hoping they can continue their improved run of results following a recent change of managership.

Reds will spend much of Saturday travelling up and down the M6 with an important NPL Premier Division fixture sandwiched in between.

Reds have been playing without a permanent manager in recent weeks, following the departure of Darren Edmondson a month ago. But our opponents have also been operating under similar circumstances with both Whitehaven (Cumberland Cup) and Stocksbridge Park Steels (NPL) also ‘managerless’ at the time. It should be pointed out that Hyde United do have a managerial team in place but Martin Coyne, Harry Bunn and Co are relatively new to the job having taken over from the Nick Spoo

It is twenty-one years since we last crossed swords with Stocksbridge Park Steels so it will be good to reacquaint with the Steels.

Workington and Whitehaven will be hoping to put their poor league form to one side when they launch this season’s Cumberland Cup campaign.

It seems an eternity since Reds tasted victory against Gainsborough Trinity and it would be a major upset if this happened on Tuesday.

The NPL Premier Division table doesn’t make good reading for supporters of both Morpeth Town and Workington.