JOINT boss Anthony Johnson says there will be a party atmosphere at a packed Neuven Stadium on Saturday when history-making Radcliffe will be crowned NPL Premier Division champions.
Boro’s 2-1 win at Whitby Town last weekend saw them clinch the title and win promotion to National League North for the first time in club’s 75-year history - a feat Johnson described as ‘absolutely amazing’.
Johnson and Bernard Morley took Boro to North Yorkshire needing just a point to be crowned champions but first half goals from Jake Thompson and Jordan Hulme helped seal victory to spark wild celebrations at the Towbar Express Stadium.
“Amazing, absolutely amazing,” Johnson told the club website. “When we took the job 10 months ago, we set out our stall what we wanted to do.
“We didn’t shout about it, we didn’t talk about it, we didn’t feel we needed to over impress people with what our ambitions were but secretly we knew inside what we wanted to do.”
He added: “It’s amazing, it is amazing when you set out with a goal and you can tick individual things off along the way. But to reach a target, it is overwhelming and I am so proud of a lot of people.”
Boro host relegation-threatened Basford United on Saturday and Johnson is expecting a bumper turnout.
“It’s going to be a party atmosphere,” he said. “We get the trophy, the lads get their medals. We can really enjoy it, no pressure on it for the first time. Obviously we want to win. We’ll pay the opposition respect, we will pay the league respect because we are coming up against a side that is in a relegation battle but from our point of view, the job’s done.
“If we can get 2,500, it really puts us on the map in terms of how we have grown as a football club and that’s what you want.
“So Saturday should be a really momentous occasion, really enjoyable occasion, I implore everyone to get down because I promise them that the one thing we do is we play exciting football and we score plenty of goals so I am really looking forward to it.”
Johnson said it was a special moment for joint-boss Morley guided his home town to the title.
“I have won a few promotions in my time but this was a special one,” he said. “Especially for my best mate who is a Radcliffe lad.
“His family are all from Radcliffe and I can see how much it matters to him. He is a tough guy, is Bern on the outside but on the inside he is a big softie and I saw how emotional he was getting with his wife and kids.
“To be from Radcliffe, to grow up in Radcliffe, for his family to be here who are all from Radcliffe, it makes me happy, really, really pleased for him.”
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