STEP UP OR TAKE VASE BAN

SPENNYMOOR TOWN boss Jason Ainsley reckons promotion from the Northern League should be made compulsory – or see the title winner barred from the FA Vase.

The league has often been criticised for its clubs’ reluctance to take the step up the Non-League Pyramid, opting not to apply for promotion and thus leading to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League seeking clubs from further south.

Northern League clubs have won the Vase in seven of the last eight seasons and it’s widely recognised as the strongest league at Step 5.

Bishop Auckland were the only side to apply for promotion last season but they ended up finishing eighth as Shildon were crowned champions.

Spennymoor had won the Northern League four times in five seasons before deciding to take promotion at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

They have gone from strength to strength since then, claiming another promotion to take them up to Step 3 and boss Ainsley says it’s time more clubs followed their lead.

“We were as guilty as anybody but the chairman (Brad Groves) always said that he had a structure to put in place,” Ainsley said.

“The issue you’ve got in this area is that you’ve got a lot of teams paying more than clubs in any other league at Step 5 level.

“I honestly think, and I even said this when we didn’t go up, that promotion should be compulsory for teams finishing top of the Northern League.

“If clubs who do finish top don’t want to go up, they shouldn’t be allowed to enter the FA competitions the following year.

“We decided to go up the season after winning the Vase and it’s been a huge success story for us.The standard and the professionalism is far better in the Evo-Stik leagues and I’d urge more clubs to take promotion.”