Non-league club 'never lost faith' in promotion

The captain of a non-league football club said they "never lost faith" they would win promotion to the National League, despite only securing it with the final game of the season.

Brackley Town sealed their place in the National League for the first time with a 5-0 win over Farsley Celtic, while rivals Kidderminster Harriers lost 2-1 at Southport.

The Saints reached the play-offs in 2018, 2019, 2020 and again in 2022, 2023 and 2024 but were unable to finish the job.

Captain Gareth Dean told BBC Northampton: "We're over the moon, it's an incredible club with incredible people and so many people deserve it. The club has never lost faith, and we've got there in the end."

Brackley was founded in 1890, and before winning the title, their greatest achievement came in 2018 when they were victorious in the FA Trophy final.

Saturday's win was Brackley's 27th of the season, more than any side in the National League North or South.

Long-time supporter Will Grashoff, who has lived in the town his whole life and follows the team home and away, described the day as "phenomenal".

"I think most of us went into Saturday wanting momentum for the playoffs," he said.

"When Southport went 2-0 up... I didn't allow myself to believe until I saw definitely that they'd beaten Kidderminster.

"We probably had a good five to six minutes of not knowing what was going to happen."

Next season, Brackley will take on some of the bigger names in non-league football, including Gateshead, Truro, and recently relegated Carlisle United.

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