Lynch’s High hopes for a great season for Morpeth

MORPETH Town head coach Craig Lynch believes the club can challenge at the top end of the Northern Premier League Premier Division again this season.

The Highwaymen shone during their first season in step three of the non-league pyramid and looked set to challenge for a playoff place as the campaign moved into its final stages.

However, their hopes of securing an opportunity to gain a third consecutive promotion were ended by the coronavirus epidemic bringing a premature end to the season.

There have been changes at Craik Park over the last two months as long-serving manager Nicky Gray was succeeded by former Blyth Spartans’ midfielder Stephen Turnbull.

Lynch will continue to work alongside the new manager and assistant Jon Mcdonald.

The trio oversaw their side’s return to training over the last two weeks.

The Football Association’s announcement they are targeting a September return to competitive non-league football has seen Morpeth step up their preparations for the new campaign.

Former Sunderland player Lynch sees no reason why Town cannot challenge the division’s elite again this season.

He said: “The last thing teams will remember about us is that we were ten games unbeaten and pushing right up there.

“I think it would have come down to the last game of the season.

“We had some big games coming up, we had South Shields to play and FC United of Manchester to play at home, the teams who were first and second in the table.

“I think teams wary of us now.

“You look at other teams who were at the bottom end of the league and see how they’ve strengthened for the new season so it will be tougher this year.”

Lynch added: “The group of lads we have and the management, we are competitive and want to be right up there.

“There’s no question about it, we aren’t going in to make the numbers up.

“We didn’t do that last season like when we went to Warrington, first game of the season and I don’t think anyone other than us expected to win.

“Yeah we quietened down a bit but then we were right back at it.

“We’ll be right back up there again.”