Craik Park

Morpeth Town 0-2 Matlock Town

15th August 2026

The Northumberland town of Morpeth holds a rather special place in my heart - or at least a modestly special one.

To explain: although I grew up in Bathgate, in the Scottish central belt, my mum's folks all came from Teesside.  And twice or thrice a year we would travel down to visit.

My dad was a notoriously slow and ultra careful driver (nowt wrong with that, of course), so the journey (around 180 miles) would take hours and hours.

And we would always stop in Morpeth on the way down.  At exactly the same place actually: a car park just next to St George's URC Church, where there were public toilets.  Dad would have a cup of tea from his flask, whilst us three kids got out and wandered down to the bank of the River Wansbeck, and play at skimming stones.

So, I always looked forward to the Morpeth stop, and we would all play Spot-the-White-Milestones, as we approached the town down, what would have been back then, the A1.  

Sadly, all this innocent fun stopped in 1970, when the Morpeth Northern Bypass opened, which redirected the A1 west of the town.

Nevertheless, over the years since, when driving down or up the A1, I would occasionally detour in to stop at the same place.  Although, the public conveniences are now long gone, and a wall prevents access to the river.  I am guessing this latter structure is part of flood defences.

This trip today, to watch Morpeth Town FC, allowed me the opportunity to not only park up in the old "bit" but, for the first time, to spend a couple of hours poking about the town.

There were still milestones on the road into Morpeth...

...although I am not convinced this is an original.
My memory (not very reliable, I admit) is of stumpy white painted stone affairs.

This lady is Emily Wilding Davidson.
She was, of course, the suffragette who lost her life at Ascot racecourse following
a collision with a horse whilst protesting during a race.

Morpeth Court

In Carlisle Park sits the remains of an old motte and bailey castle, dating from the 11th century.

Morpeth Castle is accessed up a wee lane from Castle Walk...

...although, strictly speaking all that remains is the former gatehouse,
now rented out as holiday accommodation.

 

Back into town across the Chantry Footbridge.

On the footbridge looking west up the River Wansbeck...

...and east, towards St George's Church and the Telford Bridge (1831).

The Morpeth Chantry is a 13th Century former chapel, now used to house the local tourist office...

...and the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum

  

  

Bridge Street.

Morpeth Clock Tower sits at the end of Bridge Street.

Back to the river, and there were rowing boats...

        

...a dozing heron...

...and a some C&W themed fun going on.

Before leaving for the football, I made my way back to the river...

...and down to the pebbly bank..

...to indulge in a bit of pebble-skimming, as I used to do 60 years ago.

And so to the main event, so to speak.  

I was slightly surprised how far out of the town Morpeth Town's Craik Park lay.  It was originally an athletics venue, built in 1972.  The football club moved in, as recently as 1994, from their previous home Storey Park.

As to the match, the Morpeth lads certainly enjoyed the better of the first-half; carving out three excellent chances - each of which they squandered, with one biffing back off a post.

But Matlock won a penalty on the hour, when one of their players did that sneaky thing of poking his foot where he knew the defender was going to kick the ball - then went down squealing, as if he had just had a few bones broken.

Jed ABBEY did the needful from the spot, to give his side a barely dereved lead. 

Thereafter the Derbyshire side closed ranks more than somewhat, and looked to catch Morpeth on the break, as their hosts pushed forward in an attempt to get an equaliser.  An equaliser which, I have to say, never really looked like coming.

A goal down, and deep into added-on time, I could not understand why Morpeth persisted with attempting to build from the back.  And it was, inevitably, during one such that home defender Joel Holvey had his pocket picked, which led directly to Brandon BRADBURY bashing in the visitors' second.

A win which took Matlock up to third place in the Northern Premier League East Division - Level 8 on the English football pyramid, I think.

  

 

Time up