There was joy for North Shields but despair for Birtley Town and Stokesley SC at the weekend.

Not only did the Robins rout Birtley but Stokesley went down to Barnard Castle Glaxo, making it a memorable day for Wilf Keilty's side.

"We have not won anything yet but the two results enabled us to go into pole position and greatly enhance our chances of winning the championship and moving into the Albany Northern League," said North Shields secretary David Thompson.

The Shieldsmen, whose only defeat in the League came last September when they went down 2-1 to Birtley, confessed that never in their wildest dreams did they expect to gain revenge to the tune of a 5-0 victory.

"We anticipated another close result. Birtley were top before the game and we thought that they would give us a hard game.

"To be fair, they were a little unfortunate to go in at the interval two goals behind but I thought we blitzed them during the second half. It could well have ended a bigger score since we twice hit the woodwork," added Thompson.

The Robins now lead Birtley Town on goal difference but have two games in hand on their rivals. Stokesley SC would have gone top had they defeated Barnard Castle Glaxo but in the event their visitors again confirmed that they are an improving side and finished 2-1 winners - only their third success in 21 outings.

"When we came off the field we just thought that Stokesley would be ahead of us at the top with a better goals difference so we were absolutely ecstatic when news came through that they had lost.

"It certainly put the icing on the cake but we are now back down to earth and know we still have 14 games to play and that, as Stokesley found to their cost last Saturday, anything can happen."

The Robins have lost three cup ties but are still involved in two competitions.

Next Wednesday they visit West Allotment Celtic in the Northumberland Senior Cup. Celtic are one of only three North East clubs involved in the FA Vase tomorrow.

Wolviston will visit Ralph Gardner Park in the quarter final of the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup on a date yet to be arranged but while Thompson admits that success in the two Cups would be a bonus, he insists that the first priority is to win the championship and qualify for entry into the Northern League.

"This has been our ambition for a few years. We were disappointed when we won the title two years ago but were denied promotion. Everything is in place at our ground and if we finish top I am confident we will now be accepted," Thompson said.