Jack Byrne warns of league strength
Tuesday 24th May 2011, 8:45AM BST.
Kidderminster Harriers midfielder Jack Byrne has called the Blue Square Premier as ‘an extension of the Football League’ with it’s make-up for next season complete.
AFC Wimbledon beating Luton in Saturday’s play-off final decided the last of the 24 teams in non-league’s top tier next season, with the Hatters consigned to a second season outside of the Football League.
Luton are one of 11 former League clubs in the division next season and Harriers are one of them, defying the odds to finish sixth last season.
But, with Stockport and Lincoln joining the fray last season, Byrne has warned it will only get harder.
The 23-year-old England C international is still finding his feet at the level since joining the club as manager Steve Burr’s first signing in March 2010 and seen the Blue Square Premier go from strength-to-strength.
Byrne said: “The league was strong enough anyway, as it was, but it’s just getting stronger and stronger.
“The silly thing about it is that are a few people I have spoke to, old boys and so on, and they all say the same thing – the Conference is like the old Division Three.
“They always agree that it should be another Football League division, because there are that many big clubs in the league it’s ridiculous.
“But you can’t take anything away from the teams that have been up there, we finished just outside the play-offs and no-one expected us to be up there.”
UK Sport
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