The NPL Show | The official Northern Premier League podcast

Bury boss Anthony Johnson is the guest on the final episode of the 2025/26 season of the NPL Show. Jonno's esteemed non-league managerial career had another chapter added to it this season, as he joined boyhood club Bury to help them win the NPL West Division and earn promotion into Step 3. With successful stints at Ramsbottom United, Salford City, Chester, Spennymoor Town and Radcliffe before tha...

The NPL play-off finals are upon us, following a hectic end to the season and an even more action-packed semi-final slate. Host Sam Armitage chats with Rylands' Neil Reynolds, Bradford (Park Avenue)'s Craig Elliott, Belper Town's Lee Attenborough, Racing Club Warwick's Chris Knott and Avro's Grant Shenton to get their thoughts ahead of the biggest games of their season this coming weekend.

Bootle boss Alan Morgan joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his time in management, which saw him take charge of Europa League qualifying games in Sweden and assist Neil Young at Marine as they took on Tottenham in that famous FA Cup matchup. Now, at the Berry Street Garage Stadium, his Bootle side can squeeze into the West Division play-offs on the final day, when it looked a far-fetched dream j...

Carlton Town striker Ash Chambers joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his career, from making his senior debut aged just 15 at Leicester, a record which still stands today, playing for England in a U17 World Cup and how he almost fell out of football before joining York City in 2011. He also speaks on the title race in the NPL Midlands Division, in which his Carlton side are neck and neck with An...

Runcorn Linnets manager Michael Ellison joins Sam Armitage to chat about his managerial journey, which has seen him back at Linnets nearly six years on from his first stint there. In between that, he had stints at City of Liverpool and Widnes, the latter of which he won the NPL West with last year, before their withdrawal from the league. Ellison talks about how that Widnes team was able to get pr...

Dunston manager Jon McDonald joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his time in management - the last five years of which have been spent at Dunston as both assistant and first-team boss. He's watched on as his side was beaten on penalties in back-to-back East Division play-off finals, and he's hoping to lead them to a third consecutive one this year (but with a different outcome this time!) Dunston...

Morpeth Town manager Craig Lynch joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his time through football, which started as a six-year-old in the Sunderland academy, seeing him managed through an ACL injury by Roy Keane and given his Premier League debut by Steve Bruce. He talks about the injuries which ended his career at just 24, but the opportunities in coaching and management that came immediately after...

Blyth Spartans boss Marc Nash joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his career in management, from taking North Shields to the NPL and being the man at the helm when they were demoted due to ground restrictions, to then almost leading Newcastle Blue Star to back-to-back promotions. Now, he's at Blyth, managing the senior side along with the academy team and looking to stop a third successive relega...

Vauxhall Motors manager Danny Holmes joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his time as a pro, from coming through at his boyhood club, Tranmere, to then returning two years after he was released and time in Wales before and after. He also outlines the goals (or lack of them) for Motors as we head into the final stages of the NPL West campaign

Accrington Stanley's all-time EFL appearance maker and current Clitheroe manager Sean McConville joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his storied professional career, which included a League Two title win and solid third-tier years at Accrington. He also discusses his relationship with legendary Stanley manager John Coleman and what he takes from him as he heads into management with the NPL West D...

Emley manager Richard Tracy joins Sam Armitage to chat all about the rise of the club he has managed since 2019 from Step 6 to 2nd place in the NPL East Division. He chats about winning the club's first trophy in 25 years, the change in expectations last season as they almost earned back-to-back promotions, and whether the focus now is on finishing 2nd, rather than catching Redcar. He was also par...

Hednesford Town defender Chris Hussey joins Sam Armitage to chat about his career through football, which started and is now concluding in non-league, and has involved more promotions than not. He discusses whether he believes Hednesford possesses similar qualities to other EFL clubs that came through non-league and how he's helping his teammates through what looks to be a tight run-in in Step 3....

In something a little different, host Sam Armitage is joined by the NPL's EDI lead, Umar Ahmed, the FA's Mo Matadar, match official Sufyaan Shaffi and Trafford player Bile Ahmed to chat all about Ramadan, what it means to Muslim people and how they balance the holy month with football. Sam also runs down a big week of NPL action, which saw high-profile managerial changes and big wins across the bo...

Kidsgrove Athletic's Joint player/manager Matt Rhead joins Sam Armitage to chat through his football career, which is still ongoing, aged 41, back at the club he spent the majority of his early years at. After turning professional later on in his career at 28, Rhead won National League and League Two titles, was part of Lincoln City's FA Cup Quarter-Final run, and won the EFL Trophy at Wembley, to...

Whitby Town manager Gary Liddle joins Sam Armitage to chat about a professional career which spanned 800 games and included scoring at Old Trafford in an FA Youth Cup final, *that* FA Cup win at Chelsea while at Bradford City, two promotions with Hartlepool United at either end of his career. Sam also runs down the week's action across the NPL, and previews the upcoming games this Saturday

Grimsby Borough boss Dan Barrett joins Sam Armitage to chat about his decade-long spell at the NPL East Division side, which has seen a couple of promotions and an establishment in Step 4 across 500 games in charge. Sam also reviews a full slate of games across the weekend and previews some big matchups over the coming week.

Kevin Ellison hit 1,000 games in senior football on Saturday, and the Vauxhall Motors striker chats with Sam Armitage about how he felt hitting that milestone, and his favourite memories from a career that's close to spanning 30 years. Additionally, Sam reviews a limited gameweek just gone due to the weather, and previews a full slate of games next weekend

Anstey Nomads manager Conrad Logan is the latest guest on the NPL Show, after taking a couple of weeks off due to the Christmas period. He joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his professional goalkeeping career, which included being around Leicester City for their 2015/16 Premier League-winning campaign. Additionally, he speaks about how his role at Anstey Nomads has progressed since initially st...

Hebburn Town striker Gary Martin joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his career, which has seen him play in Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Belgium and now back in the north east with Hebburn Town. He discusses the difference in footballing culture, how Iceland reacted to their 2016 Euros victory over England, and what he takes from managing under November's manager of the month, Daniel Moore. Sam also...

Congleton Town manager Richard Duffy joins Sam Armitage to chat about his time both as a player, where he made hundreds of EFL appearances and made 13 Wales caps, to now as a manager, where he's manned the ship at Congleton post-Covid. From playing against Ronaldinho to winning a Step 5 league and cup double, he goes through all that. Plus, Sam reviews yet another big weekend of action, and previe...

Basford United manager Martin Carruthers joins Sam Armitage to chat all about his time in management, predominantly this season, where he returned to Basford as the Head of Football, before becoming the manager for a third time in October. Plus, Sam reviews yet another bumper weekend of action, before looking ahead to the first December weekend in the NPL. 

Stockton Town manager Michael Dunwell is the latest guest on the NPL Show. He joins Sam Armitage to talk about the club's rise from Step 7 to Step 3 over the last decade, of which he's overseen all of it from the dugout. Plus, how it felt to manage at Wembley, the back-to-back Step 4 play-off final defeats, the 4-4 play-off final against Dunston, and how this season is different from their debut i...

Bradford (Park Avenue) boss Craig Elliott joins Sam Armitage to chat about his 16-year (and counting) managerial career. From the quick rise and fall of Shaw Lane, to what managers do when out of work and why project jobs at semi-professional clubs suit him the best, especially now at a former Step 2, but now Step 4 side in Park Avenue.

Morpeth Town's Football Operations Manager, Steven Shaw, joins Sam Armitage to talk about how he's helping Morpeth Town become a place that players want to go to, and ultimately stay at, alongside the Highwaymen's start to the current campaign. Additionally, Sporting Khalsa's media officer, Harry Marston, talks about the club's switch from the Midlands to the West Division this summer, how that's...

Despite only just turning 35, Lee Attenborough has 10 years of managerial experience behind him, with over seven of those coming in the NPL. He joins Sam Armitage this week to discuss his unexpected journey into management, his brief time in Step 3 with Belper Town and his plans on getting the Nailers back there. Additionally, Fabio Passerini from Clitheroe's media team comes on to chat about his...