Blyth Spartans U23s: The season so far

Under the guidance of head coach Darren Maguire, who is also the first-team kit manager, Spartans U23 side have enjoyed a hugely successful season so far.

The U23s, the majority of which have come through Blyth Spartans Juniors, currently sit top of the North East Combination Sunday League Division Two, and are through to the quarter finals of the NCFL League Cup.

This is the team's first season at senior level, having previously competed in the U21 Junior League, and Darren is delighted at how his side have adapted to senior football, “In a couple of friendlies against senior teams, we won one convincingly and then we were on the receiving end of a similar scoreline against a very good side in the top division of the Sunday Combination league. With plenty praise coming from the opposition, we knew we would be capable of handling the jump given the ability of our players and togetherness of the squad.”

“A large majority of this squad are products of the Blyth Spartans Juniors set-up, and with a couple of summer additions, we put some foundations together to help ourselves along the journey into senior football.”

Spartans opened the season with a 4-2 defeat at home to West Allotment, however then won nine straight games, before another defeat to the same opponents. Their league form has seen them go 14 points clear at the top of the table with five games, albeit with several sides around them having games in hand.

Darren believes the future is bright for his Spartans side, “We are also set to play in the Quarter Finals of the league cup next weekend, in our first test against a higher division opponent since pre-season. This fixture looks to be a taste of things to come, as we look set to move up the leagues come summer, after an amazing first season in men's football for a large majority of this team.”

“Many teams have praised our work rate, style of play, energy and attitudes this season, and as something that we have regularly worked on and tried to build our foundations on, this praise is very pleasing to hear. The management and all those involved are very proud of the heart this squad have shown this season and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this fantastic bunch of young lads.”

Spartans U23s play their home matches at Croft Park on Sunday mornings. For fixtures, news and updates, you can follow their Facebook page here.