By DAVID COULTER

Last updated at 12:24, Friday, 12 June 2009

TYNEDALE’S top senior football club has folded just weeks after main sponsor Alex Waters, of Tyne Valley Insurance, announced he was withdrawing his financial support.

However, officials of Prudhoe Town FC insisted the loss of sponsorship was not the main factor in throwing in the towel.

They said they simply “had enough” of life in the semi-professional world of Skill Training Northern Football League.

High-flying Stocksfield FC will now take over Prudhoe’s Kimberly Park ground, following their promotion to the Northern Alliance Premier Division.

The team will relocate to Prudhoe following their promotion from the First Division after finishing second at the end of the season.

Prudhoe have threatened to resign from the Northern League several times in recent seasons by submitting a provisional resignations which were subsequently withdrawn before the league’s annual meeting.

This season, however, they are promising to go through with the threat, and leave behind senior football.

Last season Prudhoe finished second bottom of the Second Division, recording just one league victory at home, but survived relegation due to the restructuring of the league.

But they have chosen not to continue in one of the country’s oldest leagues, of which they have been a member since 1988.

Although the withdrawal of support by Mr Waters after past 13 years had an impact, club chairman Chris Lowther said it was not the only factor.

He said officials wanted to concentrate on improving the junior teams at the club.

Mr Lowther said: “It is disappointing but that is life; and life is all about disappointments.

“We have just basically had enough and we want to concentrate on the juniors.

“We will move on and try to build the juniors because they are still going. We will try and improve the junior section.”

First published at 09:44, Friday, 12 June 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk