Blyth Spartans manager Marc Nash excited by FA Cup reunion with old club Newcastle Blue Star

There was an air of inevitability about the FA Cup extra preliminary round draw as Blyth Spartans manager Marc Nash awaited news of his side’s fate on Friday morning.

During his time in charge of Northern League club Newcastle Blue Star, Nash was handed an away tie at former employers North Shields at the same stage of the competition in successive seasons.

So seeing Spartans pulled out of the velvet bag against Blue Star came as no real surprise to the man in charge of resurrecting the fortunes of one on Non-League’s greatest giant-killers. The only difference will come with the news Nash’s side will welcome his former employers to Croft Park, rather than venturing to one of his old clubs, as he had in previous seasons.

The FA Cup actually provided Nash and assistant manager Anthony Woodhouse with some of their fondest memories during their time with Blue Star after leading the Tyneside club to the second qualifying round last season.

A hard-earned win at North Shields led to shock victories against Northern Premier League East Division opposition in the form of Newton Aycliffe and Heaton Stannington – before a step up in class against National League North side Marine proved a step too far as the Merseyside outfit claimed a 2-0 win at the KD Stadium.

With his focus now on all things green and white, and with momentum of a positive summer of recruitment behind him, Nash is now keen to deliver more positive memories of the FA Cup with Spartans – starting with a reunion with his old club.

‘Standout tie’

He told The NLP: “I didn’t expect that again. I left North Shields and when I went to Blue Star we got North Shields two years in a row in this round – and this round, again, has thrown up another one. I’m not sure what I’ve done really.

“The tie does stand out when you look at the names of the club. At Blue Star, we had two good cup runs, especially last year where we played Marine after knocking out Heaton Stannington. Blyth Spartans are synonymous with the FA Cup so it looks like a standout tie even before you consider the ties between the two clubs.

“I enjoyed my time at Blue Star and it’s going to be something to look forward to, without a doubt.”

‘Extra bit of spice’

Another intriguing aspect of the tie will come with one of Nash’s summer signings as striker Dan Lanning could make his competitive debut for Spartans against the club where he plundered his way to 118 goals in 179 appearances over a four-season stay with Blue Star.

Nash revealed the striker had already expressed his surprise over the draw and admitted it does at ‘an extra bit of spice’ to an already eye-catching fixture.

“It could be his competitive debut if he’s fit and available and it’s thrown up another intriguing story for the game,” explained the Spartans boss. “There are some other players that are ex-Blue Star players in the camp – but being Dan’s debut, I guess it gives it an extra bit of spice. He’s already dropped me a message saying ‘what’s the chances?’ so I think it’s shocked everyone.”

A full interview with Blyth Spartans manager Marc Nash will be available in this weekend’s Non-League Paper as he looks ahead to his first full season in charge of the Northern Premier League East Division club.