Highwaymen are on the right track for title challenge
TURNBULL CONFIDENT AHEAD OF NEW SEASON
MIDFIELDER Stephen Turnbull was bullish about Morpeth Town’s chances of success as they prepare for their first season in the Evo-Stik NPL East.
The Highwaymen finished as runners-up in last season’s Ebac Northern League and with that came promotion into step four of the non-league pyramid.
Turnbull has taken his first steps into coaching this summer after being named as the club’s new assistant manager but still hopes to play his part on the pitch as well.
But the former Blyth Spartans schemer believes that he could face a challenge to get a place in Nick Gray’s side when returns from a year out with a cruciate ligament injury.
He said “There is a lot of competition in this squad because we have some high-quality players with experience of playing higher in the league.
“I am about five or six weeks away from training and I’ll be happy if I am back playing by the middle of October.
“That will make it a year since the injury and I didn’t want to rush back.
“It will be hard to get back in the side because you look at the midfielders we have and they are top players. We are so strong, I might not even make the bench.
“We can be successful. I’ve been in these leagues, and all respect to them, but they aren’t great.
“With the team we have, if we are organised and the players listen to the coaching staff, we will be there or thereabouts.
“It’s not being cocky or arrogant, it’s just a fact that we have a great squad and we can challenge at the right end of the table.”
With manager Nick Gray on holiday, Turnbull and head coach Craig Lynch took charge of Monday night’s 6-3 win at Whitley Bay in their first pre-season fixture.
Morpeth were dominant for large parts of the first half but allowed their Northern League opponents back into the game after the interval.
Turnbull was pleased with what he saw and believes that the Highwaymen are on the right track. “I was pleased with what I saw on Monday. “We played well in large parts of the game and everyone had a decent run-out. We have that game under our belts now and we can take a lot from it.
“It gives us a good foundation to work on throughout the rest of pre-season.”
If we are organised and the players listen to the coaching staff, we will be there or thereabouts Stephen Turnbull