Morpeth Town

Morpeth Town had never reached Wembley before 2016, and when they got there for the FA Vase final they beat Hereford 4–1. The run to that game turned a Northumberland side that had spent most of its life in regional football into a name the rest of non-league football had to look up.

Founded in 1909, the club has otherwise built its record close to home: the Northern Alliance twice in the 1980s and 1990s, the Northern League Division Two in 1995–96, and the Northern Premier League Division One East in 2018–19. The Northumberland Senior Cup has come round three times, most recently in 2022–23.

Craik Park, where they moved in 1994 after leaving Storey Park, holds 2,100, with seating for about 200 of them.

Two names carry further than most who have worn the shirt. Matty Longstaff came through at Morpeth before Newcastle United signed him, and Ben Pringle used his non-league spell at the club as a stepping stone to a professional career that took in Derby County, Rotherham United and Fulham.

None of it means as much locally as the Northumberland derby against Blyth Spartans. Ashington and Whitley Bay complete a rivalry map that keeps the club's biggest nights close to home even when its best one was played at Wembley.