The Club’s first-ever campaign in the sixth tier of English football is less than a month away and following the release our fixture list, we’ve provided a month-by-month in-depth look into next season’s calendar.
August 2024
The Boro kick off their first-ever National League North season at the Neuven Stadium against Scarborough Athletic, as we attempt to get vengeance for the 2022 final-day loss to the Seadogs, who defeated Radcliffe by five goals to two. The last time we gained three points against Scarborough was back in 2019 via two pivotal goals from Kingsley Williams and Ben Wharton.
Newly demoted Kidderminster Harriers, with veteran Premier League manager Phil Brown under their helm, will host the first meeting between the two teams when the Boro visit in mid-August.
Our managerial duo then face an opponent they are both familiar with when Radcliffe visit Chester in midweek action, the first of their former teams as Bernard and Jonno aim for a fairytale return.
Needham Market, who were recently promoted from the Southern Premier League, will be Radcliffe’s next opponent when they return home following two successive away games.
Radcliffe will then travel to Hereford, who are enjoying their sixth consecutive season in the National League North, in our last away game of August.
On the 31st, Radcliffe welcome Kings Lynn Town, the National League North champions from 2020, to Greater Manchester to cap off the opening month of the season.
September 2024
September gets underway with another of Bernard and Jonno’s former teams in Spennymoor Town, who are not only a familiar name to the management team but also to Scott Duxbury and Jude Oyibo, both playing under our management duo with the Moors.
Once more, Radcliffe are on the road as they head to Merseyside to face Southport, who had a remarkable comeback the previous season after looking doomed in the early stages. The Sandgrounders’ prior woes were turned around with the arrival of manager Jim Bentley, and with a number of impressive summer signings, they’ll perhaps be a team to look out for next season.
The next team to play at the Neuven Stadium is Buxton, the 2022 Northern Premier League Champions. Having recently changed to a full-time model, they’re looking like they could be a formidable opponent for Radcliffe in the upcoming campaign.
October 2024
Marine followed Radcliffe out of the Northern Premier League last season having won the play-off final against Macclesfield. This is the seventh meeting between the two teams since 2022, the Boro having won two of the previous meetings, we’ll visit the Marine Travel Arena on the 6th.
Next up for Radcliffe is a familiar foe in Warrington Town, who we will travel to on one of the shorter away days in an attempt to defeat Town for the first time since our first-ever meeting back in 2012.
A week later, the Boro travel to Brackley Town who are undoubtedly one of the early favourites after drawing a wealth of quality, including former Northampton star Scott Pollock, for the first of two consecutive away days.
The following Tuesday, Radcliffe will make the journey up to the north east where we’ll lock horns with South Shields. It’s safe to say that both have undergone significant changes since their previous meeting, including a management swap brought about by the departure of former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips from the Mariners.
Radcliffe host recently relegated Oxford City in their last match of October. Despite creating history by making it to the National League in 2023, Oxford City failed to compete in Step 1 and ultimately fell back to Step 2 with a finish at the foot of the table, now competing in the North Division.
November 2024
November 2nd is perhaps the away day that many are most excited for as Radcliffe will play their first-ever game against Scunthorpe United, a former football league team. This fixture is subject to both team’s development in the FA Cup, the first round proper of the competition will take place on the same day.
Leamington are the next to travel to Greater Manchester to face Radcliffe. Like the Boro, they were promoted to Step 2 last year and provide Bernard and Jonno’s squad with yet another first-time opponent.
Rushall Olympic, who narrowly avoided relegation by four points in the previous campaign, will travel to the Neuven Stadium to make it successive home games on the 9th.
Following a break from league action to hopefully play in the FA Trophy second round, Curzon Ashton obtained the play-offs on the final day last season and only time will tell if they can accomplish this again. They face up to a strong Radcliffe side with familiar faces, including Josh Hancock and Olly Thornley.
On matchday 19, three days after the Nash, we will travel to Cambridgeshire to face off against Peterborough Sports in a journey that will take around three hours on a Tuesday night.
Then, in November’s last action, Bernard and Jonno play their much-anticipated matchup against Darlington, an old foe from their days with Salford City where they were fierce rivals for many years.
December 2024
The FA Trophy third round will be played a week later before Kidderminster Harriers travel to M26 to complete our first league double in the opening game of December.
A week later on the 21st, it will be a fresh task when Radcliffe travel to Derbyshire to battle Alfreton Town in a festive fixture.
Boxing Day is usually associated with large crowds and local derbies; in recent years, they have involved matches against FC United, but this year’s matchup will be against Chorley in what is set to be a captivating tie at the Neuven Stadium.
January 2025
Additionally, Radcliffe will visit Farsley Celtic on the 1st of January in an attempt to repeat their 4-1 FA Trophy triumph from the previous season.
Three days from then, the Boro will face Scarborough Athletic in a tie many are eagerly awaiting by the seaside.
Fortunately, Radcliffe return to home soil as we host South Shields a week later, attempting attempt to beat the north-east outfit at home for the first time since our first meeting in February 2018.
Then returning to the road to take on Needham Market in Ipswich, our opponents on the fourth league matchday of the month.
We’ll once again play on home soil in two exciting fixtures to complete the opening month of 2025, Hereford will visit on the 25th before Chester make the hour-long journey to the Neuven Stadium the following Tuesday night.
February 2025
Radcliffe will visit King’s Lynn Town at the Adrian Flux Arena on the 1st of February in one of our longer away days of the 2024/25 campaign to start the month.
After that, we will look to add further points on the board against Merseyside outfit Southport at home and over the next four days prior, we will go to Spennymoor Town and Buxton in two tough clashes in the middle of the month.
Following four days on the road, it’ll be a welcome return to the Neuven Stadium to see out February as both Marine and Peterborough Sports travel to Greater Manchester on the 22nd and 25th respectively.
March 2025
Radcliffe will be travelling to Rushall Olympic on the first day of the month in March, prior to a showdown with Curzon Ashton on familiar turf.
The Boro will visit Darlington in the middle of the week for what is guaranteed to be a blockbuster, before embarking on a quicker excursion to Warrington Town, a side we haven’t faced since their play-off promotion in 2023.
Brackley Town take on Radcliffe one week later on the 22nd of March at the Neuven Stadium and our final away day of the month comes against Oxford City to round up March’s activities, in a journey that will take around three and a half hours.
April 2025
The final month of the season starts with the challenging job of Scunthorpe United and Leamington in a home and away tie respectively, as the run in begins with every added point being hugely important.
The Boro host Farsley Celtic at the Neuven Stadium on good Friday before locking horns with our prior opponents on Boxing Day, Chorley, in the penultimate game of the season. To conclude the campaign, Radcliffe return home to play Alfreton Town to round out the season in front of our supporters.
By Jacob Cross and Kieran Wilson
