Spennymoor Town 2 Barwell 0.

Spennymoor lifted the runners up trophy in the EvoStik Premier Division with victory over Barwell on Saturday – but more importantly clinched home advantage in the play offs.

With Nantwich from Cheshire and Stourbridge from Worcestershire also in the top four, Ainsley was worried about a midweek trip to one of those two if his team lost to Barwell, but those fears were dispelled by two second half goals.

So instead of a long midweek trip themselves, it’s Nantwich who must travel to the north east for the play off semi final on Tuesday night. The winners will know their opponents in the final before the game, as Stourbridge play Workington in the other semi on Monday night.

“We’re all delighted, because this is the highest ever league position that this club, or Spennymoor United, have ever finished in,” he said. “It’s a great achievement, and the club has come a long way in a short space of time.

“But we can achieve much more yet, especially as we have home advantage now in the play offs. That was what I wanted most out of the game, because we didn’t want a midweek away trip.

“Now, we would like as many fans as possible to turn up for the game on Tuesday night, and cheer us on to the final.”

Moors made hard work of winning the game in the first half, and Ainsley said; “We missed a few chances in the first half that didn’t help our nerves, but when Graeme Armstrong, that settled them.

“We scored a very good second, and after that we could have scored three or four.”

Moors had some good chances in the first half. Graeme Armstrong forced Barwell keeper Liam Castle into a good save from a Kallum Griffiths cross, and Glen Taylor fired narrowly wide. Joe Tait also had a goal disallowed for handball.

Moors breathed a lot easier at the start of the second half when they took the lead on 50 minutes. Tait headed Rob Ramshaw’s corner into the six yard box where Armstrong was in the right place to head the ball in.

It was 2-0 just three minutes later when Armstrong and Ramshaw opened up the Barwell defence, and Ramshaw crossed for Jamie Chandler to fire into the bottom corner.

After that, Tait hit the bar from long range, and Castle pulled off a great stop from Ramshaw.

Team: Lowson, Griffiths, Mason, Chandler (sub Mitchell) , Tait, Curtis, Ramshaw, Henry, Taylor, Armstrong (sub Dowson), Johnson (sub Anderson).

Subs not used: Baldwin, Fisher.

Attendance 665.

Blyth finished the league season with an impressive 5-0 home win over Grantham, with Dan Maguire scoring a hat trick.

Whitby beat Hednesford 1-0 thanks to a goal by Dale Hopson, his 31st league goal of the season.