Marine lose 4–2 at Buxton and slip to 18th, one point above the bottom four

Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Rhodri Bellamy

Marine lost 4–2 at Buxton on Saturday, their second league defeat in a row, and are 18th in the Enterprise National League North on 16 points, one point above the bottom four.

Johnny Johnston scored for Buxton after 26 seconds and Ashton Mee made it 2–0 in the 57th minute, according to North Derbyshire Radio. Marine pulled one back in the 64th minute when a cross from Finlay Sinclair-Smith took a deflection into the net, which the BBC lists as an own goal by S. Robinson. Weston scored again for Buxton in the 72nd minute, and George Kattah made it 3–2 in the 87th minute, scoring with his first touch off the bench, with the ball going in off the crossbar. Scales sealed the win for Buxton in the third minute of added time. No attendance was found.

Marine’s form reads W W W D L L, so they have lost two in a row and are winless in three. They have played 14 league games, winning five, drawing one and losing eight, with 17 goals scored and 19 conceded, a goal difference of minus two. Their away record is two wins and five defeats, with no draws.

They are level on 16 points with Merthyr Town and Radcliffe, and goal difference separates the three, with Marine on minus two, Merthyr on minus four and Radcliffe on minus eight. Scarborough Athletic, who are 21st on 15 points, are one point behind. Harborough Town, who are 17th, are on 17. Only the champions are promoted automatically, with second to seventh going into the play-offs, and the bottom four are relegated.

Marine announced on Friday 30 October that midfielder Sonny Hilton, 25, had left for Matlock Town of the Northern Premier League East. He joined from Southport in June 2026 and made nine league appearances for the club, scoring once, in the 4–1 win at King’s Lynn in August.

The next game is in the FA Cup first round, and Marine are at Bradford City on Saturday 7 November, with kick-off at 15:00 GMT. That means Marine have no league game that day, and the BBC lists their league fixture with Bedford Town for Tuesday 1 December, although the reason has not been confirmed.

The league resumes on Tuesday 10 November, when Marine go to Scarborough, with kick-off at 19:45 GMT. The two clubs are separated by a single point. The FA Trophy second round takes Marine to Radcliffe on Saturday 14 November, kick-off 15:00 GMT, and they are at Hebburn on Saturday 21 November.

Spennymoor Town visit on Tuesday 24 November, and Bedford are due at Marine on Tuesday 1 December.

Manager Bobby Grant has not been quoted in the reports found, since his reaction was published as a video. The cup tie offers a break from the league after two defeats in a row.