NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH PREVIEW: BUXTON START THE SEASON AGAINST RADCLIFFE

UP NEXT:

The National League North season gets underway as they take on Radcliffe at home in their opening game on 9th August with a 3pm kickoff.

The Bucks

Buxton ended preseason with a 2-0 victory over Warrington Town with goals from Viggars and Johnny Johnston.

Reflecting on the performance, manager John McGrath said:

“Tough game. They are a good side, Warrington, obviously coming down from our division last season. They have recruited well and I think it was a really good test, probably a test like that we will face during the season. So yeah, I was really pleased, I thought we did really well.

It’s important we carry on from what we did last season. The following last year was brilliant, both home and away, and it genuinely does make a difference to the boys. When the place is busy and buzzing, the Railway End, it makes a huge difference.”

Inside the Opposition Camp: Radcliffe Head of Media Kieran Wilson

What are your thoughts on last season?

It was a tough campaign both on and off the pitch, to be honest. Luckily we managed to avoid relegation with two games to play which could be seen as a good season with it being our first-ever season in the National League North, we also had a crazy amount of injuries throughout the year, as well as the unfortunate sudden passing of our Chairman Paul Hilton which left a lasting impact of all of us. There were definitely a lot of learning curves, but I believe it was a solid platform to now build on next season.

How has your preseason gone?

We won five out of eight of our fixtures averaging two goals per game, and even when we didn’t win, the team put on a very solid display so there’s been promising signs ahead of the new season.

We travelled over to the Isle of Man for the Summer Festival of Football and left undefeated in 90 minutes against higher-league opposition after a 2-1 win over Altrincham and a 0-0 draw with Fleetwood Town, unfortunately we lost on penalties in the final but it was a great weekend on the pitch and really good for team bonding off it.

Any key standout players?

It’s hard to say really as I think everyone pulls their weight near enough the same across the board at Radcliffe, however my personal favourites are Jordan Hulme, Matt Sargent and Rick Smith; new signings Jon Taylor, Callum McFadzean and Dan Gardner are also players to look out for based purely on their established careers and their eye-catching performances during pre-season.

How has the manager recruited ready for the season?

We’ve signed seven players and only two of them are currently under 30 years-old, which evidently shows that experienced and accomplished players were the target heading into the off season. Youngsters Rio Clegg and Michael Afuye are two exciting prospects to look out for in the final third, and the other five signings all have at least a century of EFL appearances each, making our intent very transparent.

What are your expectations for this season?

Simply improving on last season is the obvious aim, as we narrowly avoided the drop, but it’s how much we improve that’s the talking point. For me, I think the expectation would be to finish in the top half based on the calibre of players acquired over the last few months, but a solid mid-table finish would still be a fantastic season for us.

Do you have a score prediction for our game?

Our last few Opening Day fixtures have been thrilling contests, and I think this one will be no exception. I’m going to go with a 2-2 draw, and I’m predicting that one of the teams will score an equaliser in the dying embers, I’d probably take a point!

Opposition facts

Radcliffe play their games at the Neuven Stadium which has a capacity of 3500.

They have joint head coaches with the double act of Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson being in charge of the club since 2023.

Last season they narrowly stayed up finishing in 20th place. This was their first season in the National League North after promotion the previous season when they won the Northern Premier League.

The furthest they have gone in the FA Cup is the first round which they reached in the 2000-2001 season.

Former West Bromwich Albion, West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers player Craig Dawson is one of the more notable players to have played for the club. He had a spell with the club in 2009 on loan.

One to Watch: Hallam Hope

Hope, 31, joined Boro this summer after spending last season with Morecambe.

The experienced forward brings a wealth of Football League know-how, having made over 100 appearances across League Two, League One, and the Championship.

On the international stage, Hope represented England at youth level from Under-16s through to Under-19s, before going on to play senior international football for Barbados, qualifying through his father.

Last time they faced

The Bucks will be out for revenge as in February ex Buxton player Matt Sargent scored in a 1-0 win for Radcliffe at The Silverlands.