SPENNYMOOR Town chairman Alan Murray says that the club's next aim is the UniBond League after clinching the Second Division title.

The old Moors were part of the UniBond League when it folded two seasons ago, and now Murray has targeted a return.

The club made a tentative enquiry at the eleventh hour to the FA last week about moving to the UniBond next season and were knocked back, but that hasn't deterred Murray, whose financial backing has helped Moors to promotion this season from the Second Division, only two years after the previous club went bust.

"We're a very ambitious club, and nothing has changed since day one when we said that we wanted to move up the system," he said.

"We had a hiccup for a year, but now we've got the right management team and back up staff that are second to none. Our supporters have been fantastic, and there's real interest in the team from all around the town.

"Spennymoor is, and always has been a football town, and it deserves to see football of the highest level possible, and that's why we looked at the possibility of moving up to the UniBond League. Nothing came from our enquiry, but we'll be looking at it again in the future."

Meanwhile, Murray is appealing for backing from the local business community.

"I would like the corporate people in Spennymoor to consider sponsoring us in some way. We've already got the TSB on board and they've been very generous and we'd like to have more people like them. They'll be made very welcome, this club is on the up."

Assistant manager Jason Ainsley, who saw a few campaigns with the old Spennymoor, said: "It was a great achievement to win promotion considering that we hardly had any players last summer, and the obstacles we came across. It took a while to get our act together, but to go unbeaten in the league since November takes some doing."

Northern League secretary Tony Golightly has given his full backing to chairman Mike Amos in the league's dispute with the FA over the national league system.

Amos reacted furiously to the news last week that the FA had cherry picked two Northern League clubs to join the new UniBond League Northern Division, and Golightly said: "Mike has got the full support of the management committee in what he says about the national league system, he isn't saying these things unilaterally.

"The national league system should be run in the way it was meant to be run, in that clubs in promotion places should win promotion, and not be cherry picked. The FA is breaking its own rules.

"There has been a lot said in recent days about the Northern League and the national system, but let me emphasise again that we have never, ever tried to stop any of our clubs from going up. "

MEANWHILE, Northern League officials attended a meeting of all Step 5 leagues yesterday, when the effects of the latest re-organisation was being discussed.

Shildon manager Gary Forrest is delighted with a return of four points from his team's last two matches.

Shildon drew 1-1 at Tow Law last Saturday and then won their local derby 2-1 at West Auckland on Easter Monday to keep them in the top eight.

Forrest said: "At Tow Law on Saturday, we only had the bare eleven because of players being injured or unavailable, and then during the game another three picked up injuries, but they had to keep going.

"It was much the same on Monday - we had a couple of players on the bench but not everyone was fit. It seems a long time since I had my best eleven on the pitch."

WASHINGTON manager Barry Fleming isn't getting carried away by thoughts of promotion.

Marske's failure to beat Norton and Guisborough over the holidays, coupled with Washington's win over Sunderland RCA, means that Washington need four points from three games to guarantee promotion.

Fleming, who guided Esh Winning to the First Division five years ago, said: "We're nearly there, but won't be celebrating until it's mathematically certain. There's still plenty of work to be done over the next few weeks."

Fleming is hoping that promotion will be sorted against Team Northumbria and North Shields, before what could be a tricky game against Marske on the last day of the season.

DARLINGTON RA manager David Woodcock believes that his team still has a chance of avoiding bottom spot in the First Division.

Whether the second bottom team will escape relegation because of the departure of Durham and Newcastle Blue Star remains to be seen, but Woodcock said: "We were much improved against Blue Star last Saturday, and for a change instead of conceding an early goal, we scored one at the other end. We gave ourselves a chance, and our confidence improved.

"We've got two games left against Consett and Shildon, and who knows if we can pick up some more points, then we can finish off the bottom."

Horden are currently bottom, but they still have five games to play, and are expected to appeal against having three points deducted for postponing their game against Sunderland Nissan last month.

The league management committee will probably decide on who is relegated at its next meeting in May.

GUISBOROUGH have been kicked out of the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Trophy after using three ineligible players in their 3-2 semi-final win at Penrith last week, but that hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of caretaker manager Dean Coates.

Guisborough failed to appreciate that new signings had to be completed 14 days before the Trophy semi-final, and three players who helped the team beat the Cumbrians were signed just a few days before the game, so Penrith will go into the final against either Whickham or Stokesley.

But caretaker manager Coates, who was previously in charge of the club's second team in the Wearside League, is delighted with the displays since he took over, and is already looking forward to next season.

He said: "I've always wanted to be a manager in the Northern League, and I'm finding it a great experience so far.

"I've got the shirt on at the moment, and I want to keep it on for next season.

"I'm already looking forward to next season's fixtures being released, even though that may be a few weeks ahead.

"There is plenty of team building to be done, and hopefully we'll have a team that is capable of pushing for promotion."

Guisborough played Penrith twice in successive weeks, having been there in the league just a week before.

He added: "We signed a few players before we played Penrith in the league, and even though none of them had Northern League experience, they played very well considering the step up.

"It was a great win in the Trophy, but unfortunately the euphoria didn't last very long."

Guisborough were also fined £175 for playing the ineligible players. Ironically, Penrith lost to Washington in last season's competition, but were re-instated after Washington played an ineligible player. The final is due to be played on Wednesday, May 9 at Esh Winning.

LEAGUE inspectors have passed the grounds of all the clubs who are pushing for promotion from the Second Division, although they have told South Shields that they must carry out work on their pitch by the start of next season.

Sunderland RCA have had three points deducted by the league for fielding an ineligible player in their recent game at Norton.

The RCA wrongly interpreted the suspension dates of their keeper, Nikki Lawson. However, the deduction still means that they won't finish bottom of the table.

Crook manager Richie Hill wants his players to finish the season on a high.

Crook spoiled Seaham's promotion party with a 3-1 win on Saturday, which stretched their unbeaten run to seven matches, and Hill said: "Before the game, I told the players that we didn't want to finish the season sloppily and to spoil Seaham's party.

"They managed to do it quite well. The team has really come together in the last two months, with the help of some characters in the dressing room."

Crook's final two games are against Sunderland RCA and Prudhoe.