Brig boss sets sights on home advantage

South Shields, Scarborough Athletic and Hyde United have all been assured of automatic promotion after last weekend’s results.

Due to the re-organisation of non-league next season, the top two this campaign were guaranteed of going straight up. There was also a place available for the best third-placed team out of all the other divisions at step four in the football pyramid.

With two games of the season left to play, all three boast a better points per game ratio than any other club in the country.

South Shields are in the box seat to win the league title – five points ahead.

With the trio’s promotion confirmed, the team finishing in seventh place in the First division North will now go into the play-offs.

Brig, who face Skelmersdale United away this evening – are guaranteed to finish in fifth spot and will have the advantage of playing at home in the play-off semi-finals a week today.

However, should they move above fourth-placed Prescot with two games of the normal season to play, they will also play at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium in the play-off final subject to progression of course.

“I think it’s great that the three teams have been promoted,” said Reynolds. “It shows the quality of our division.

“We want to try and move above Prescot so that we are guaranteed home advantage should we get to the play-off final.

“This season we have shown that we are capable of beating anybody on our day. We are two wins away from promotion.”

A much-changed Brig team was surprisingly beaten 4-0 away at Ossett Albion at the weekend.