Scarborough Athletic home in on final-day win to net place in National League North play-offs

Boro skipper Will Thornton challenges for a header during the 1-1 draw at relegated AFC Telford United on Saturday. PHOTO BY ZACH FORSTER

Boro chairman Trevor Bull is looking forward to the crunch clash, which kicks off at 3pm, and hoping for the ideal end to a superb debut season for the Seadogs.

The scene is set for a dramatic finale with only three points between sixth-placed Boro, on 67 points, and 13th-placed Darlington, as well as the title race between Fylde and King’s Lynn also going down to the wire and relegation issues still to be decide.

Bull said: "Curzon Ashton losing to Fylde on Tuesday night made it more straightforward for us, as long as we can get a win on Saturday we will be in the play-offs, it is in our hands now.

Dom Tear will be a key man for Boro against Banbury United.

“There are so many permutations for the play-offs on Saturday, I think there are only four sides who are not trying to escape relegation or secure promotion or a play-off place. It shows what a great league this is and how competitive it is.

"Before the season it was said we were favourites to be relegated, and that kind of prediction has clearly fired up the players to prove them wrong.

"We’ve over-achieved, I was aiming for 50 points to make sure we stayed up this season, but the longer the season went on there was that feeling that it would be a shame if we did not make it into the play-offs.

“The target Jono set himself from the start was the play-offs, he has always been a winner so that was always his aim. To still be in the play-off race heading into the final game is a great achievement especially with all our injuries.

"To have three of four strikers, Luca Colville, Michael Coulson and Ciaran McGuckin, out injured is a big blow, but to get Dom Tear back on the pitch is a huge boost as he always looks dangerous and likely to score a goal.

"Luca’s injury was bad news as he is such an important player in midfield or up front, losing Coulo last week was a huge blow and then Ciaran was also coming into good form when he also got injured.”

Bull added: "There are so many strong clubs in this division, you have the full-time clubs and then there are the clubs with the hybrid model where players come in training three mornings during the week, and then you have us who operate as a fan-run club working within our means."

"Some of the financial figures I have seen in recent weeks and months show clubs in our division are operating with annual losses of £250,000, and with wealthy backers they can write off such losses but we need to operate within our means.

"We have a responsibility to the club to make sure we don't head down the same road that Scarborough FC did.”

Five members of the 1973 Scarborough FC FA Trophy winners – Jimmy Shoulder, Harry Dunn, Bert Garrow, Alan Franks and Malcolm Leask – will be Boro’s guests at the Banbury match, along with the Seamer & Irton girls under-11 football team who have won a place in the Wembley National League junior final, representing the North against the top team from the South.

The Seamer team, who joined the competition as Boro’s representatives, will be in action for national honours before the National League play-off final at Wembley.

Bull advised fans to book tickets in advance online via the club website to avoid missing out what could be a historic day for Boro.

Saturday’s fixtures involving sides in play-off: Brackley Town v Alfreton Town, Chester v Buxton, Gloucester City v Chorley, Kidderminster Harriers v Kettering, King's Lynn Town v Curzon Ashton, Peterborough Sports v Darlington, BORO v Banbury United, Spennymoor Town v Farsley.