Date: Saturday 1st December
Venue: Craik Park, Morpeth Common, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2YX
Kick Off: 3pm
Competition: Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Division One East
Admission: Adults – £6, Concessions – £4, Under 16’s – Free
Match Coverage: Twitter
Highlights: Highwaymen TV
The Highwaymen make a welcome return to league action as they host A.F.C. Mansfield at Craik Park on Saturday.
History
A.F.C. Mansfield was formed in June 2012 by three former directors of Mansfield Town following a series of disputes within the club’s management. The new club was immediately given a place in the Central Midlands League, and were placed in the North Division.
After finishing as runners-up in their first season, the club won the North Division in 2013–14, earning promotion to Division One of the Northern Counties East League. They also completed the double, winning the Central Midlands League Cup, beating Thorne Colliery 2–1 in the final.
The club finished seventh in Division One in 2014–15. The following season saw them finish as runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They also competed in the FA Cup for the first time, losing 2–1 at South Normanton Athletic in the extra-preliminary round. The club finished third in the Premier Division in 2017–18, missing out on promotion on goal difference. However, after Andover Town refused promotion, AFC Mansfield were promoted instead, moving up to Division One East of the Northern Premier League.
Last Match
Morpeth made the long trek to Loughborough Dynamo in their last game and a slow start proved costly as they went down 2-1. Josh Riley and Luke Thorogood had put the hosts ahead at the interval. The rejuvenated Highwaymen came out for the second but after seeing a goal chalked off for a foul and a missed penalty from David Carson, their sole consolation came through Sean Taylor who clipped the ball home.
AFC Mansfield lost a 5 goal thriller as Sheffield FC grabbed the points. A brace from Marc Newsham and an effort from James Gregory had Sheffield cruising but two goals from Guiseppe Iaciofano and Grant Ryan made the final five minutes a nervy affair.
Manager
Rudy Funk – The highly popular manager took over the Bulls in 2015. Previous to this, Funk was in charge at Scarborough Athletic before leaving in 2014.
