Northern League trio are handed reprieves
Northern League trio Sunderland RCA, Sunderland West End and Washington have been handed reprieves from relegation after the Football Association confirmed their league setup for the new season.
After a difficult campaign on and off the pitch, RCA looked to have suffered relegation into the league’s second tier on the final day of the season when they fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Guisborough Town and fellow strugglers Pickering Town earned a 2-1 win against West Auckland Town.
However, the governing body’s decision to laterally move Pickering to the Northern Counties East League means new RCA manager Dave Dickson will take charge ofaDivisionOneclubwhenthe new season gets underway later this summer.
A similar scenario was played out in Division Two as West End and Washington endedtheseasonsatalongside Willingtoninthebottomthree andthatleftthetrioeligiblefor relegationintostepsevenofthe non-league pyramid.
But both West End and Washingtonwillplytheirtrade in Division Two once again next season after their names appeared in the division’s list of allocated clubs that was released by the FA.
They will be joined by Newcastle Blue Star, Yarm and Eaglescliffe and FC Hartlepool, who have been confirmed as thethreeclubspromotedfrom step seven in the non-league system.
Speaking after his side claimed the Wearside League title recently, FC Hartlepool manager Terry Hill said: “The goal this season was always promotion.
"The last 18 months has been a rollercoaster both on and off the pitch since securing ownership of our own facilities.
“It’s testimony to the hard workofpreviouscustodiansof the club that we have had the opportunity to get this far.
"The plan from taking over Grayfields was always to get Northern League football within three to five years - but theplayersandcommitteehad other ideas.”
Meanwhile, the Northern League have also confirmed the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Division Two Cup and the Brooks Mileson Memorial League Cup will make a return for the new season.