Cup progress can aid Whitley Bay’s promotion bid ahead of play-off showdown

Whitley Bay manager Jay Bates wants to use the momentum of reaching the Northumberland Senior Cup final for the first time since 2013 to aid his side’s bid to secure promotion into the Northern Premier League.

The four-time FA Vase winners claimed a hard-earned 1-0 win at Northern League rivals Newcastle Benfield in midweek to ensure they will face Step 4 club Heaton Stannington in their local county cup final at Newcastle United’s St James Park next month.

However, there are more immediate concerns for Bates and his players as they prepare for their Northern League Division One play-off semi-final home tie against West Auckland Town on Saturday afternoon. The Bay have enjoyed a positive season to secure third place in the table earlier this month and that represents their highest league finish for over a decade.

Thoughts of returning to the Northern Premier League for the first time in quarter of a century are now firmly on the agenda – although they will face a tough test against a West side that claimed a 1-0 win at the Bay’s Hillheads home just two weeks ago.

However, Bates has stressed that previous meeting ‘means nothing’ and insisted both sides will have a very different look come Saturday afternoon.

He told The NLP: “We want to win every game and Saturday is no different.  It is West Auckland so it will be a tough game and hopefully getting to the Senior Cup final can give us momentum going into the game. We will recover ahead of that and we will give our all to get a win. 

“The league game recently means nothing.  We will be a different team and I’m sure they will be too. The fans have been brilliant and you look at the crowds we have had, we are sure they will turn out again for us and we will need them to help us get through.”

Northern League play-off fixtures (all 3pm kick-offs)

Division One: Shildon v Boro Rangers, Whitley Bay v West Auckland Town 

Division Two: Jarrow v FC Hartlepool, Yarm and Eaglescliffe v Seaham Red Star