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Thursday, February 22, 2024

National League North club's new owner wants to be playing Sunderland in Championship

Blyth Spartans have a new owner

The new owner of Blyth Spartans, which he has dubbed the "most famous non-league club in the world", wants them to be playing Sunderland and Middlesborough in the Championship.

It would take the National League North club four promotions for that to become a reality, but he does believe he can take the Northumberland club into the Football League.

Newcastle businessman Irfan Liaquat took over at Croft Park yesterday and announced ambitious plans for the team he dubbed the "most famous non-league club in the world".

Mr Liquat takes over from Tony Platten with the former chairman taking part in a symbolic handover today after 25 years of ownership, reports ITV News.

Mr Liaquat said: "It's surreal, it's a dream come true, we are very much looking forward to the task ahead. We're in a good place, we've got a strong team with us so good times are ahead.

"We understand we need to spend money on the team and develop the team. The number one priority from a football point of view is to get the team out of tier six. We want to be in the National League as a matter of urgency."

In the long term, the new chairman has even bigger visions for the club and hopes Spartans can join the likes of Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the Championship.

"The vision is to get them [Blyth] right up there at Championship level, but that will happen over time," he explained. "We're not naive, we know we have to work hard to achieve that goal but we're going to take it on a step-by-step basis."

Blyth Spartans became a worldwide name after their famous run to the FA Cup 5th round in 1978. Other cup runs have followed but more recently the team has languished in mid-table in the National League North, dropping to 15th last night after a 1-0 loss to Farsley Celtic on Tuesday night.