The management team at Newark Town is suddenly preparing to take on a new challenge after receiving the surprise news that they have been promoted.
The Blues will start next season in Step Five of the football pyramid for the first time in their history.
They will play in the United Counties League Premier Division North — the same division as Newark and Sherwood United — replacing Cogenhoe United, who have folded.
Although unexpected, it will feel well earned after The Blues reached the play-offs in the past two years, narrowly losing in the final.
Manager Luke Parsons said: “We are ecstatic. It came out of the blue when we got the news and it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since.
“We were having conversations at the end of last season about how we planned to get out of the league, how to win it and secure promotion after falling short a few times.
“But now the ambition has changed and we’re really looking forward to it.”
The promotion will also bring with it a step up in competition for the club which has so far only played Step Five teams in cup fixtures, but the manager believes they are ready to meet the challenge.
He said: “It is going to be new challenge for us and if we’d had the news a few months ago we would have been able to prepare a lot better.
“There are going to be teams with a lot of experience at that level, whereas this is our first playing at Step Five, but we are going to take each game as it comes.
“We are confident with the squad we have got and we’ve been recruiting well, adding new signings, bringing in the right players with the right mentality and ability, and we are ready to embrace that challenge and see where it takes us.”
The Blues begin their pre-season this week with the first of a series of friendlies lined up throughout July, providing an opportunity for Parsons and the team to tweak and refine things before the first game of the season.
Crowd attendance has grown to an average of 230 spectators per game in recent years, with almost 1,000 fans turning out to watch their play-off final game at the end of last season.
“The fans deserve this just as much,” said Parsons.
“They’ve been with us every step of the way for many years and for me they’re the best fans in the league — I hope that support will only continue to grow.
“They’re going to look forward to a good local derby with Newark and Sherwood United next season, which should be a really decent match up.”
Speaking on behalf of the club, vice-chairman Sarah Robinson, said: “The news we received, although unexpected, really is the icing on the cake for the first team management, the players and everyone associated with Newark Town FC.
“Following discussions with the United Counties League and the FA in London on Friday, the club was formally invited to accept promotion to Step Five in the Premier Division North and as you can imagine, we didn’t need to think twice about our answer.
“Newark Town FC have worked really hard on and off the pitch these last few years and have richly earned this opportunity, not only for ourselves, but for our ever growing supporter base.
“Our strong and consistent squad, and many home-grown Newark players have been delivering quality local football to the community and we could not be more proud to now be formally recognised as the highest ranked Newark based team.
“With our fixtures due to be announced soon, we face some exciting matches and we can’t wait to get started — the club is wholeheartedly ready to embrace this new challenge.”
