STOCKSFIELD’S young guns are hoping for more consistency as they look to push on up the table.

After two consecutive sixth placed finishes since being promoted to the Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League, there’s expectations they can improve on their position and mount more of a challenge.

In 2015, they started like a freight train but their title charge died off before they settled for a midtable berth. Conversely, they started poorly last year but a great end to the year shot them up the table.

Now, they are hoping for a good start, middle and end!

They will have to do it without the experienced Brown brothers, Alex and Emerson, who have been big players for the club for the best part of a decade. Both have hung up their whites.

Yet their absences will allow the many youngsters within the club set-up to get a taste of a higher level of cricket, wicketkeeper Sam Beedle, Chris Scandle and Luke Doneathy all expected to feature for the firsts.

Captain Dan Whiley said: “It’s going to be an exciting year, and more than ever we are going through the transition from the old faithful to the youth coming through.

“Alex and Emerson Brown have been big personalities at the club, and now it’s a chance for the juniors to put their first feet forward and fill the slots.

“It will be a big challenge but there’s an abundance of good, young players at the club and it is an exciting time to blood them in.”

He added: “We are looking for a bit more consistency this year and, with the teams that went up and were relegated down, there is the potential for us to be the surprise package of the year, especially after the way we finished last season.”

Saturday’s home friendly with Tyne Valley rivals Tynedale, which will double up as a fund-raiser, is their only pre-season game before the season opener with Benwell and Walbottle.