Kevin Greaves, earned Barnard Castle Glaxo some silverware in their first season in the Wearside League when he picked up the Secretary of the Year accolade at the League's annual presentation night.

The award, voted for by Kevin's peers, marked a great year for the club as they celebrated competing at the relatively level for the first time in their recent history.

Kevin, secretary with Glaxo for 13 years, said: "Unfortunately I was unable to attend the league presentation night but I take great pride in this achievement, especially as it was only our first season and bearing in mind the number of established clubs in the league such as North Shields, Windscale, Whitehaven, Jarrow and Redcar.

"This award was voted for by the league management committee and the referees association and reflects greatly on the football club and Sports & Social Club as well as everyone involved last season as we made a fantastic impression with our facilities and hospitality.

"I have been secretary for the last 13 years but last season was easily the busiest to date. The administration of a club at Wearside League level is very time consuming and needs constant attention as fines for misdemeanours or not following procedures are very high.

"We got through the season with no administration fines and received a lot of good feedback from other clubs."

Re-established in 1982, Glaxo FC have played in various local leagues including the Darlington & District and Auckland & District, but being accepted into the Wearside League meant they played at the highest level any team from the town has competed at in recent years.

The Wearside League is the bottom level in the National Football League pyramid system, and member clubs range from Windscale in the west to North Shields in the north and Redcar Town in the east.

For Glaxo this represented a major step up in class from previous leagues and it was a difficult first season for the side but it provided football at a standard that, club officials say, has helped the town retain local talent which could have been lost to sides further afield.

The step-up in class not only saw a higher standard but also meant extra finance was required so Glaxo undertook a major fundraising and sponsorship drive.

As well as receiving funding from 'Making a Difference' and some donations, they were sponsored by businesses in the town including S&A, Darlington Building Society, Spice Island, Tasty Macs and the Red Well.

As well as Kevin, there was also hard work done by chairman Doug Rutherford, vice-chairman Geoff Wall and treasurer John Charlton.