'What let us down...' - Morpeth Town boss Craig Lynch delivers honest verdict as relegation confirmed

Morpeth Town boss Craig Lynch has delivered his verdict on the club’s relegation from the Northern Premier League Premier division, suggesting that a lack of “the basics of football” has ultimately cost his side this season.

The Highwaymen would have required a minor miracle to survive on the final day, needing to beat Warrington Town on home soil while also relying on Whitby Town and Prescott Cables losing their respective fixtures heavily enough to ensure a six-goal swing.

And while Morpeth upheld their end of the bargain, with goals from Will Dowling and JJ Hooper sealing a 2-0 victory over Warrington, a 2-0 Prescott win against Bamber Bridge coupled with a 0-0 draw between Whitby and Cleethorpes Town consigned Lynch’s men to the drop.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, the Morpeth head coach shared his view on a painful afternoon, and how it tied into Town’s season writ large. He said: “I just wanted 11 lads to try. It sounds a bit daft, doesn’t it, but I just feel as if that's why we are where we are, really, because there's probably been too many times where there's been two or three off it.

“It's not been down to quality, just down to the basics of football were around long before I was alive and that will be around long after I was alive. You've got to run hard, you've got to work hard, you've got to work for your mates, and that's what's let us down, I think, this season, personally. Look, there's loads of other things that I can stand here and say, loads of excuses, but I think, long and short of it, that's probably been the case.”

Looking ahead to next term, and the coming summer, he added: “My first year at the club was in the league below - we don't have the same assets, as such, as what we did at that time round, but look, we'll see where the land lies after tonight, in the next few days, and see who we can keep - or who we want to keep - going forward for next season.

“It's hard to compete. This season hasn't held back - we've had long-term injuries out as well - but next season, back to that league, we need to be competitive, and again that comes down to having a chat after today's finished with, and we see how we look when we move forward.”