Thornaby host newly promoted Crook Town in Northern League opener

Northern League Division One newcomer’s Crook Town travel to Teesside to take on Thornaby in their opening game of the season.

With the last two seasons officially being wiped from the record, before being used to decide promotion, Crook got promoted in an unusual fashion.

The County Durham side were second in the league when last season was cut short, with 23 points from 12 games. The season before they were third, with 60 points from 29 games, giving them a total of 83 points from 41 games when combined, which was enough to see them promoted due to the FA restructuring of non-league.

Thornaby themselves are relatively new to the division, having been promoted in 2018/19 meaning they are yet to complete a full season since their return to Division One. In 2019/20, they sat 18th and had picked up just 22 points from 29 games putting them at risk of immediate relegation before the season was cut short.

Last season, the Teesside club only managed to play 11 league games before the season was cut short, but there were clear signs of improvements with Thornaby sitting ninth with 20 points.

It will be the first time the sides have met in the league since the 2018/19 season, where Thornaby did the double over Crook, winning 2-0 away at Millfield, before a 5-2 victory at Teesdale Park towards the end of the season.

Crook have struggled to find form in pre-season as they started with a 1-1 draw at Esh Winning, which was followed up with a 4-0 win at Horden Community Welfare, but home defeats to Shildon, a South Shields XI and Willington have followed.

The Shildon and South Shields results would probably have been expected, but Willington are a side Crook would have hoped to beat, being in the division below.

Crook’s unbeaten away record in pre-season may give them hope heading to Teesdale Park, but Thornaby are likely to present a tough test.

The Teesside club beat higher division Marske United 3-2 last time out, and previously beat Guisborough Town and Kader FC with a 2-2 draw at Grangetown Boys Club sandwiched between the latter two victories.

Though Thornaby were 11th when the season was cut short last time around, Northern League big hitters Hebburn Town, Shildon and Stockton Town have been promoted, which would mean Thornaby were the eighth-best of the remaining teams.

The Teesdale Park club will be hoping they can improve on that again this season, and will want to set down a marker in their opening game against newly-promoted Crook.

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