DUNWELL JUST SO PROUD OF RISING STOCK!
STOCKTON Town manager Michael Dunwell has described his side’s march up the NonLeague pyramid as “a whirlwind”.
It is just five years since the Anchors were promoted from the Step 7 Wearside League into the second tier of the Ebac Northern League.
In the time that has passed, Dunwell’s men have visited Wembley in the FA Vase Final and secured two further promotions to take the club into the Northern Premier League for the first time in their history.
They could add a further promotion by next weekend although they have plenty of work to do after they ended a historic campaign in the East Division play-off places.
“When you think about it, it’s mental,” he told The NLP.
“We are currently sorting out our first presentation night since 2019 and since then we have been been promoted and we are now in the play-offs to get into Step 3.
“It’s a whirlwind, and you have to say it’s a huge achievement. You look at what we’ve done on the field, we haven’t signed anyone apart from Liam Cooke, but that’s because we didn’t think we needed to.
“Off-the-field, the developments with the new stand and new hospitality, that will bring new revenue and the crowds have been increasing – we’ve have two or three crowds in four figures and that’s grea
“It’s just been another really good season and it’s testament to how the club has set up.”
The progress does come with a warning from the Anchors stalwart. For the last decade, all the club has known is success with four Wearside League titles, a Northern League Division Two championship, an FA Vase Final appearance and promotion into the NPL.
But Dunwell insists they have the be realistic about their future ambitions.
“We want to improve every year, sometimes you can’t because of what you face, and some people have to realise that,” he said. “It’s only been a positive with us in recent years, and there will be points when that doesn’t happen – that’s when we have to stick together.
“We have to be realistic about where the club is.”