Stockton Town feeling good ahead of new NPL season

Stockton Town captain Adam Nicholson has revealed there is a ‘good feeling’ within their squad ahead of the new Northern Premier League season.

The Anchors head into their second ever season in the Northern Premier League Premier Division on the back of a maiden step 3 campaign of wildly contrasting emotions.

Michael Dunwell’s men produced a stunning finish of third place during the regular season and looked to have moved within 90 minutes of a historic promotion into the National League North with a play-off semi-final win against Guiseley.

In a cruel twist to a largely positive campaign, the Anchors were removed from their play-off final meeting with Worksop Town for fielding Nicholson during the win over the Lions when he was suspended after a lengthy disciplinary process where Stockton remained adamant they had ‘acted correctly and in full compliance with FA notifications and procedures’.

The understandable disappointment is now behind them and the additions of Hebburn Town captain Amar Purewal, Gateshead defender Jamie Bramwell, Newton Aycliffe midfielder Jake Petitjean and former Morpeth Town winger Vinnie Steels have re-energised the club ahead of Saturday’s season opener at Prescot Cables.

Nicholson, who will miss the game through suspension, has been impressed with the summer recruitment and can sense the excitement within the Anchors squad as the return of competitive action draws ever closer.

He told The NLP: “We have never really had a big overhaul because one of the key factors in our successes has been the consistencies within the squad.

“We have brought in a mixture of youth and experience, players we have played against and played with in the past so I think it’s been a good summer for recruitment and we are just all excited to get back into it after the end of last season.

“There is a good feeling around the place.”

Battles

The addition of former Hebburn striker Purewal has brought an end to a series of long-running battles with Stockton’s defensive duo of Nicholson and Tom Coulthard as the Hornets and Anchors have followed each other up the non-league pyramid in recent seasons.

The Panjab international was Hebburn captain when they pipped Stockton to the Northern Premier League East Division title after a fiercely contested title race during the second half of the 2023/24 season and Nicholson has revealed his admiration for striker after he joined his twin brother Arjun in the Stockton ranks this summer.

He said: “There was a photo of us talking and laughing in pre-season and we had plenty of craic about the times we have played against each other. It’s good to have him in our camp rather than being against him because we’ve had some good battles over the years.

“When you play against good players, then bring them into your camp, it’s good to reminisce about those battles but I know I’d certainly rather have him in our camp. We have another Purewal now to help bring us along.”

Underdogs

Nicholson has warned his team-mates they have now lost their air of mystery after impressing in their first season in step 3 and will face a more severe challenge as a result as they embark on their latest attempt to take another step up the Non-League pyramid.

“You know it’s going to be difficult because we are a team to be shot at this season,” explained the Anchors stalwart. “Everyone knows who we are this year because last year we were the underdogs and not a lot was known about what we could offer.

“People started taking us seriously towards the end of the season and we know it’s going to be a tougher challenge this year. On paper, there isn’t a Macclesfield who can run away with it so it feels open but we will approach it with the same attitude as last year and go and have a good go.”