Blyth Spartans manager Terry Mitchell is determined to end a challenging season with silverware when his side face Newcastle United Under-23s in the Northumberland Senior Cup Final. The Croft Park club have endured a difficult campaign as they spent the majority of the last nine months battling against relegation from the National League North.
Their status in non-league’s second-tier was only confirmed last weekend when they claimed a 1-0 win at title-chasing Brackley Town thanks to a stunning overhead kick from top scorer JJ O’Donnell To their credit, Spartans have ended the season in a positive run of form and Monday’s 1-0 home win against Curzon Ashton means they head into their meeting with the young Magpies with just one defeat in their last seven games.
Just a week ago, the St James Park clash had seemed something of an inconvenience for Mitchell and his players with the scheduling of the final leaving his relatively small squad facing a run of four key games in the space of seven days. But with National League North safety now secured, the Spartans boss is adamant he will try and deliver a trophy as a thank you to the club’s supporters for their backing throughout a tough season.
