Craig Lynch confirmed as new permanent manager of Morpeth Town

Former Sunderland and Rochdale forward Craig Lynch has been named as permanent manager of Morpeth Town after overseeing an upturn in form at the Northern Premier League club.

Lynch took caretaker charge of the Highwaymen following the departure of former manager Stephen Turnbull last month and led the Craik Park club on a run of just two defeats in their following 11 matches in all competitions.

The 29-year-old has now been accepted an offer to take up a role as successor to Turnbull and will officially take charge of his first game as permanent manager when his side host Pickering Town in the FA Trophy third qualifying round on Saturday.

Despite their improved form, Morpeth still remain in the lower reaches of the NPL Premier Division table – a fact Lynch is hoping to resolve over the coming weeks.

He said: “This squad is better than the league position suggests, of course it is.

“You don’t go to places like York City, get a draw and be disappointed now to win the game if you aren’t a good side.

“What we have to do is make sure we put in that level of performance week-in, week-out, no matter who the opposition are.

“We need our standards as high as they can be.

“We want to finish as high up the table as we possibly can, we want to do well in the FA Trophy, we are the holders of the Northumberland Senior Cup, and that’s a cup we want to keep this season.

“It’s an exciting time at the club and hopefully I can help move things forward on a number of fronts.”