North Shields, with just four wins out of ten in the Wearside League and thumped out of the FA Vase at Bridlington Town on Saturday, believe they are suffering after failing in their attempt to join the Albany Northern League.

"We have made a poor start to the season, yet all our troubles started when our application was rejected even though we won the Wearside League championship and spent a lot of money bringing the ground up to the criteria required of the ANL.

"We were told that because 50 per cent of the grounds in the feeder league did not come up to ANL standards, we could not be promoted and even an appeal to the FA fell on deaf ears," bemoaned secretary David Thompson.

Manager Terry Paddison, who had brought success to Ralph Gardner Park, resigned before the start of the new season and a number of players also left the club. Although newcomers have arrived, the Robins have been unable to rediscover the form which made them a formidable side last season.

"Had we gone into the Northern League, I am sure that Terry would have stayed and so would several players. Everybody was devastated and through no fault of our own we are in this position, but we have just got to live with it and look to improve," added Thompson. On Saturday, North Shields suffered their heaviest defeat in years when they crashed 8-0 to bogey side Bridlington Town in the FA Vase.

It is the seventh time the sides have met in 14 years and the East Yorkshire side have won five and drawn the other two encounters.

"We knew it would be tough going to Bridlington. We have always found it difficult against them and Saturday was no exception.

"They had won their previous nine games scoring 37 goals into the bargain and when we kept them down to just a one-goal lead at the halfway stage, we thought we might be in with a chance."

The Robins were hit by a four-goals blitz within nine minutes early after the restart. "All of a sudden it was over and we now need to concentrate on trying to improve our league position and in other cup competitions. But I cannot help but feel that we did everything asked of us last season and yet were rejected for promotion. We can only speculate on what might have happened but I am confident we would have been more settled and holding our own in the Second Division of the ANL," claimed Thompson.