HORDEN CW manager Jonny Payne is hoping to put smiles back on faces after the club completed a return to the Northern League.
Last month brought the long-awaited confirmation that the Wearside League outfit were one of three clubs to be elevated into the Northern League Second Division ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The move means Horden will end their eight-year absence from the Northern League when the new campaign gets underway in July.
The Welfare Park club were promoted alongside fellow Step 7 clubs Blyth Town and Redcar Town as they prepare to host the likes of Tow Law Town, Bedlington Terriers and neighbours Easington Colliery next season.
Payne is relishing the prospect of returning to the Northern League after he witnessed the impact of relegation in 2013 at first-hand.
“I was part of the club when we had the unfortunate stage of going down,” he told The NLP.
“Coming to the club as manager, it was a dream to get us back into the Northern League.
“But the news coming through was a weight off the shoulders, there is no doubt about that.
“We have been thinking about being back in the Vase and bringing a smile back to the people of Horden’s faces. If this is a bit of hope for the place, then great.
“It was always a good Northern League club, people loved coming to the club. We want that back at Welfare Park, we want a boom again.”
The current Horden squad already has a number of players with experience of plying their trade in the Northern League.
Payne assessed his options and insisted that his squad could “hold their own” after promotion – but he is keen to make a real impact when his club makes a welcome return to Step 6 football later in the summer.
“We need a couple of additions, but we have a good enough team to hold our own. Is that enough? Probably not, we want to do better than holding our own.
“Promotion is not a case of job completed; we want to establish ourselves up there. That is the challenge for us all now.”
