NOW in their second season in the Hexham and District Sunday League, Ryton Country House are looking to add to their silverware.

They just missed out on promotion by a point but went on to lift the Division Two KO Cup by beating league champions Heddon St Andrew's in the final.

They have kept the squad together and, with another year under their belt, the young side is set to challenge again for top honours.

Haltwhistle Railway have been most active in bringing in new players over the summer, and they are set to be up there when the trophies are decided.

Exciting teenagers Jack Barker, from Haltwhistle Jubilee, and brothers Jack and Billy Rogan have put pen to paper, along with Jubilee defender Michael Eals, and the team are expected to have a successful campaign.

H aydon Bridge Anchor were also a team to just miss out on a place in Division One by one point, the team putting together an excellent run towards the end of the season before falling agonisingly short.

Eight games in the space of 15 days as they tried to catch up after being hit by December's floods proved too much in the end, but they will be happy to be in the top four again in May.

There are three new teams to the league, with Ryton Hotel joining the ranks after stints in the Tyneside and Gateshead leagues in recent years.

Having tasted a degree of success in Tyneside but not finding Gateshead to their liking, they have headed west and are targeting a challenge at the top.

Ponteland Village have swapped the Alphabet League for Hexham, and are hoping the transition will be as easy as A,B,C.

With a few players having played in the league with Stamfordham and Acomb, they know what to expect and player/ manager Stephen Christie is wanting to be up there by the season end.

Prudhoe Town have added a second team as East End join the league, and it will be interesting to see how their group of youngsters cope in their first taste of the league.

Adam and Eve Prudhoe grew into the league as it progressed last year, the team of teenagers settling in to their first year in senior football.

Sam Calkin was a big player for them last season as his haul of 11 league goals was the seventh best in the division, while Nathan Jones was in the top 10 of the most man of match awards.

Hexhamshire look strong going into their second season, looking to push on after finishing towards the bottom of the table last term.

They had some stand-out players last time out with Lee Riley third top scorer with 20, with Phil Tipple third in the man of the match charts with six and Rob Parker in the top five with three.

Rose and Crown Bellingham are a team capable of finishing higher this year too, their fortunes largely dependent on which players they have available on a weekly basis.

Ponteland United , formerly known as Stamfordham Swinburne Arms, were struggling for players up until a short while ago but have managed to find a squad to start the new season.