Newbury Town and Maidenhead Town apply for Step 6 promotion

There are two clubs within the Thames Valley Premier League who have applied to play at Step 6 level next season. These are Newbury Town from West Berkshire and Maidenhead Town from East Berkshire.

In order to gain promotion, your club must play at a Step 6 compliant ground and you must finish in the top five places in the league. As a Step 7 league the Thames Valley Premier League can only put forward one club for promotion. If both Newbury Town and Maidenhead Town finish in the top five, then the club who finishes highest will be put forward for elevation.

Maidenhead Town, recently based at Bisham Abbey, have moved this season to Burnham FC’s 1878 Stadium in the hopes of moving to the next level. They finished second last season to Westwood Wanderers but were denied promotion as they hadn’t played at an eligible ground long enough. With a full season under their belts at Burnham they will be optimistic things can be different this summer.

Shorter distances, fewer games: FA makes proposals for Step 6 restructure

Elsewhere, Newbury Town have been making great strides in putting pride into the town’s premier football club moving back to their historical base at Faraday Road and assembling plans to bring the ground up to Step 6 requirements.

While things may be going well off the pitch for Newbury, they have a real test on it over the next couple of weekends. They have to travel to league leaders Westwood Wanderers on Saturday. Wanderers have won every single one of their fifteen league fixtures and are going great in the cups too. Newbury follow this trip up by hosting another unbeaten team in Wargrave.

Related: Westwood Wanderers making plans for progress as Tilehurst side look up the Pyramid

“The club have made a massive commitment” – Ambitious Maidenhead Town settle in to new surrounds

With such a wet winter, there’s still a great deal of football to be played in the Thames Valley Premier. Burghfield have only played thirteen league fixtures and enter March with still more than half a season’s fixtures to play.

It’ll be an intriguing end to the season with a league title race between the current top two of Westwood Wanderers and Wargrave to decide, as well as the promotion battle between Newbury and Maidenhead Town to keep an eye on.

If either club are to be promoted we’d expect Newbury Town to enter the Wessex League and for Maidenhead Town to be in the Combined Counties League.

Other clubs in the surrounding counties to Berkshire who have applied include Dial Square, Worcester Park, CB Hounslow & Abbots, Shrewton United, Hedge End Rangers, Whitehill & Bordon, Cambden United, Hayes & Hillingdon, London Fennecs FC and Kensington Dragons.