Gateshead FC must be allowed a “fair” shot at promotion this season, the town’s new MP has urged.

Almost five months on from the furore surrounding the club being barred from the National League play-offs at the end of last season due to uncertainty over the future of Gateshead International Stadium, the Heed sit top of the National League and fans are again dreaming of a return to the Football League for the first time since 1960.

The club had been unable last year to meet an English Football League (EFL) requirement for aspiring members to have a 10-year lease on their home ground, with Gateshead Council saying it can no longer afford to keep running the stadium itself and still in the process of seeking a new operator to take on the site.

Mark Ferguson, the new Labour MP for Gateshead and Whickham, raised Gateshead FC’s situation with EFL chairman Rick Parry in Parliament this week and has called on the authorities to ensure that “sporting merit” rather than red tape decides the team’s fate come next May.

The EFL has changed its rule for the current season – and now only requires new members to have a five-year tenure on their home ground upon promotion, with the ability to obtain a 10-year security by the end of their second season in the league.

However, it remains unclear whether that change will aid the Heed or not at this stage.

Gateshead Council confirmed that parties interested in taking over the stadium, as well as the authority’s other remaining leisure centres, are due to submit final bids in the coming weeks and that a final procurement decision is due to be made in November.

That would come shortly before the November 30 deadline for clubs wishing to be promoted from English football’s fifth tier this season to lodge documents with the EFL proving that they can satisfy its criteria.

The club would have to negotiate a lease with a future stadium operator, with the council having refused calls to force bidders to guarantee Gateshead FC a tenancy.

And if the cash-strapped council fails to appoint a new operator there would be serious concerns about how long the venue could remain open, with it said to be running at an £860,000-a-year deficit.

Following Mr Parry’s appearance at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Football Supporters this week, Mr Ferguson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “With Gateshead on a great run to start the new season no-one wants to see the club denied a chance of promotion if they earn it fair and square. I’m looking forward to meeting the EFL again in the coming weeks to talk further about ensuring their rules are applied fairly so that sporting merit is what counts. 

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“I’ll also be reaching out to the club to discuss their approach – and I’ll continue to speak with the council about how we can best support this Gateshead institution. This is personal for me, when Gateshead was a league club in the 40s my grandad played for them. I want to see them back where they belong, in the Football League.”

Gateshead FC was approached for a comment.

In an open letter to fans in June, chairman Neil Pinkerton said the club was “working tirelessly” to avoid a repeat of last season’s situation and revealed that a “plan B” option was being developed for a move to another ground.