ECCLESHILL United club captain Sam Bradley wants his team to continue their momentum in the

Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division next season.

The Eagles captain is looking ahead to an exciting 2018/19 campaign after they achieved promotion via the play-offs.

And he believes they can continue to soar at the higher level.

Speaking to the club's website, he said: "Next season, I’m sure the whole club will agree – we don’t want to be a team that makes up the numbers.

"We have a great squad and with a couple of additions, we want to give it a real go.

"Our fans have some exciting games to look forward to, such as local derbies with Thackley, Liversedge and Albion Sports. Personally I’m looking forward to playing my old club Albion, which I’m sure will be a thrilling game."

Having missed out on automatic promotion in their final game, Eccleshill showed their resilience to bounce back in the play-offs, though it needed a fightback and extra time as they overcame Grimsby Borough.

Bradley admitted: "It hasn’t quite sunk in that we have actually gone up yet. After the emotions I’ve been through, it’s one hell of a roller-coaster to get around.

"When I first joined Eccleshill last season I spoke to (manager) Sean Regan and (chairman) Adrian Benson about where they wanted the club to go and what the plans were in the future.

"I fully bought into everything they both said and I can honestly say I have found my second home at this fantastic club.

"From the supporters, the players, the management, the owners, the volunteers etc. I really feel passionate about what this club can achieve, and how far we can take it."

The season was not without difficulty and Bradley praised the team's mentality.

He said: "We had to put all the talk into action, and despite being tested this season with things not going our way and unexpected curve balls getting thrown in, we stuck to our goals and achieved the promotion we all wanted and deserved.

"As I have said on many occasions, the play-offs were the target for the season before it started, and anything less would have been a massive disappointment.

"Both play-off games showed exactly what we as a squad and club are about – our never-say-die attitude and willingness to fight until the final whistle."

Bradley spoke of his pride at the togetherness of his side, and he felt that this translated on to the pitch.

He enthused: "As I said at the start of the season, this group of players are different class. We have no divides or big egos in the changing room. We are all in this together and I think we have shown this in our performances.

"When things weren’t going our way we mucked in together and showed our team spirit is second to none."

That spirit has also been typified by a fund-raising scheme for double leg-break victim Scott Manning, who suffered the injury in the play-off final win.

The club set up a fund-raising scheme to support him and his family. Their target of £500 has already been surpassed with the current level being just short of £600.