When Stephen Forster first signed for Morpeth Town, he couldn’t have predicted the journey it would take him on.
Upon first meeting then manager Nick Gray, there was a sense of excitement about the future as the club plotted to battle it out for the Division One title in the Northern League. After only just securing promotion from the second division, this ambition was lofty enough.
But few could have predicted the meteoric rise that followed as the Highwaymen left behind the Northern League and made swift work of Evo-Stik East before charging up the NPL Premier Division table before COVID-19 brought last season to a premature end.
If Forster, who has made 291 appearances for the club, could talk to the Forster from the start of his time at Craik Park, then he’d struggle to convince him what the future held.
That’s why the right-back has extended his stay at the club by penning a new deal; the journey is far from done and Fozzie can’t wait to find out where it goes.
“I knew when I first spoke to Nick they had an ambition to do well here but I didn’t think it would go this far,” Forster told the club website.
“I definitely see us going further; we had a great year this year and without COVID who knows what would have happened?
“We definitely would have made the play-offs and I would hope that would be the same next year; at least make the play-offs and hopefully get promotion.
“I think we have a good enough squad as we are. Signing AJ (Andrew Johnson) is a great addition. Last season we should have been up near the top end of that table. As long as we play as well as we can play and do what we did in the second half of last season then we will be right up there by the end of the season.”
Forster will surely surpass 300 appearances next season, with the defender insisting the deal was an easy one to agree to.
“I’ve been here a long time now so it was great to continue with the club,” he added.
“It is a great club, I get on well with everyone and the lads are great so it is definitely something I want to be a part of.”
