BLUES REVEL IN PREM RETURN

WHEN captain Marc Grocott lifted aloft the trophy given to Leek’s champions in April, it was a sight to behold.

- Andy Simpson

At least that’s the recollection of manager Josh Brehaut, who made sure to look around him and marvel at the joy on faces in a bumper crowd at Harrison Park.

“Those are memories to last forever,” he told The NLP. “It was only in that moment that it dawned on me how big an achievement it was for the club.”

When a new NPL Premier campaign kicks off on Saturday and Stockton arrive in town, the Staffordshire outfit will host a Premier Division fixture for the first time in 16 years.

It’s been a while coming.

Relegated from the top flight in 2008, the Blues have contested the promotion play-offs six times since – losing twice in the final.

They also occupied top spot in the then NPL South East Division, winning 23 of the 28 games they played, when the FA decided to curtail, later declaring null and void, the 2019-20 term because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Brehaut said: “When you see what it means to people who have been here long before I arrived – players, volunteers, and supporters – then it sinks in.”

His side reached their objective in style, making sure of top spot in the West Division with four games to spare following a 2-1 win at Newcastle Town on Easter Monday.