Trio sign contracts

It's been an impressive season so far from Spartans and they were handed some welcome news as they prepare for one big final push for the play offs. Three of the club's youngsters put pen to paper on contracts at training on Tuesday night, handing the club a major boost ahead of Saturday's home fixture with Witton Albion.

Defender Danny Parker and midfield duo Matthew Wade and Lewis Horner signed new deals before taking part in training at Kicks Leisure. Chairman Tony Platten and manager Tom Wade oversaw proceedings and Platten spoke about how important it was that the club continued to build upon the solid foundations put in place this season.

He said "Tom and his side have spent a lot of time building this team this season after starting off with a blank sheet of paper. We have started putting plans in place for next season with the youngsters who have proven themselves this season. The blend of the experienced players and the young lads is very good"

For manager Wade the deals were vital to warn off interest from clubs higher up the league pyramid and to give him some stability ahead of the run in. The former Gateshead manager revealed his delight at seeing the trio commit their immediate futures to the club.

"We have been speaking for a while and it's the amount of interest shown from the Northern League and professional teams are taking interest, this looks after the club's future. Everyone is noticing that we have a good young side. They are good players but there is a lot more to come from them. We are saying we want to keep them for the foreseeable future"

All three players have made the step up to Evo-Stik Northern Premier League football successfully and played key roles in helping Spartans confound early season predictions of a relegation battle.

Former Washington FC man Matthew Wade has scored a number of vital goals and provided the team with some strength in the middle of the park. His fellow midfielder Horner has really impressed the Green Army since joining from Newcastle Benfield showing drive and determination, not to mention the ability to pick out a pass that has seen him rack up a number of assists this season.

For former Bishop Auckland centre back Parker the contract is the culmination of an impressive six weeks. After fighting his way back into the team just before Christmas he has kept his place in Wade's starting lineup with a series of impressive displays. That led to him being awarded the Port of Blyth Player of the Month for January and the defender revealed his delight at his new deal and his "unexpected" award.

He said "It's fantastic, it's nice to be appreciated and it's given me a feeling of credibility as a player. I've worked really hard to be noticed by the manager and the assistant manager but it's an absolute delight to have signed a new deal. The award was unexpected, I've just done what the manager asked of me. I didn't think I had done anything special but I'm ecstatic because as a team we have done really well"

Full interviews with Tony Platten, Tom Wade and Danny Parker are available now on BSAFCTV