Northumbria Seal Second Spot

Ben Dibb-Fuller’s penalty strike sealed a 1-0 victory for Team Northumbria in their final game of the season.

TN bounced back from last week’s loss to Stockton Town with a strong defensive display - showing the kind of form that coach Colin Stromsoy is hoping to start with in Division One next season. 

“I’m very pleased with the result,” he said. “We were totally dominant - our midfield play was the best it’s been for weeks.

“But we didn’t have our shooting boots on today and that was the only part of our game that was missing.

“We knew that even if we lost we’d finish second in the league but I asked them to go out there and apply themselves in the same manner.

“The guys went out there and did that - they kept a clean sheet and limited Thornaby to half chances.”

The clean sheet marked Steven Mundy’s final game in the Northumbria net, having played a main role in their 84-game season. And TN’s coaching staff were impressed with the goalkeeper’s stylish final appearance. 

“He’s been with us for two seasons and he’s been an outstanding goalkeeper,” added Stromsoy.

“Mundy’s been a huge asset for the team and he’ll always be welcome at Northumbria.” 

With TN ending the season on 89 points and a second-placed finish in the Northern League’s second tier, Stromsoy and his squad can look back on what was an extremely successful season for the university. 

“You don’t have the success we’ve had if you don’t have the most exceptional staff,” Stromsoy said. “We’ve got that at Northumbria and we’re very lucky.

“It’s been a real team effort - more than any of the seasons we’ve played at this level and the team’s been better collectively.

“When this group came together, they came together strong and they’ve stayed strong. 

“One of the turning points for me was when we played Blyth - we were 2-1 down and we’d had two ACL injuries. 

“We came back and drew 3-3 - I knew then that we would do well. You’ve got to stand up and be counted and they did that that night and they have all the way through.”

Despite the disappointment of losing the title to Stockton Town in last week’s defeat, TN have overcome the upset and have a lot to motivate the team going into a tougher division.

“It’s not about individuals, it’s about the team,” added Stromsoy. “Where we’ve fallen short we’ll learn from that and we’ll adapt and we’ll take it into next year.”