Bishop AFC have secured their status as a Northern Premier League East Division club after picking up points in each of their last three games.
A 1-1 draw away at Pontefract Collieries was followed by a 3-0 win over Brighouse Town at Heritage Park on Easter Saturday and on Easter Monday, another point in a goalless draw at Consett ensured a comfortable 11th place finish in the table.
Bishops will sign off their first season back in the division since 2006-07 with a home fixture against 7th place Carlton Town this weekend.
With their status not yet certain, the Two Blues travelled to Pontefract on Saturday 12 April and secured a vital point on the road.
Greg Halford took Louis Johnson’s place in the starting line-up as Bishops’ looked to match up against the physicality of the home side.
The tactic looked to have worked when Joe Bartliff gave the visitors the lead in 24 minutes, but the home side fought back to level in 63 through Danny Burns.
Ponte were controversially reduced to ten men with 20 minutes remaining, but neither side was able to find a winner.
A week later, with a home crowd behind them, Bishops took on the only side in the relegation places still mathematically capable of catching them, and made absolutely certain of their East Division status.
All was not quite as comfortable as the 3-0 scoreline suggests after visitors Brighouse Town held Bishops to a goalless first half.
However, the break allowed the hosts to regroup and a Glen Hargrave hat-trick in the final 20 minutes (68, 80, 86) secured the Two Blues place in the league for next season.
Two days later the side travelled the short distance to Consett where a goalless draw ensured that with just one game to play, they would finish the season above their local rivals, given a three point lead and significantly superior goal difference.
And so the Bishops will wrap up a turbulent but ultimately successful first season back in the Northern Premier League with the visit of Carlton Town to Heritage Park this weekend.
Kick off on Saturday (26 April), as the side look to end the season on a high, is at 3pm.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
