CAPTAIN marvel Tom Hill admits his York Acorn ARLC side will be favourites to fall straight back down next season - but is confident the ability and spirit in the camp could see them prove their doubters wrong yet again.

The Blue and Golds beat the odds to win promotion back to the National Conference League premier division last Sunday with a superb 30-22 win over favourites Normanton in a thrilling division one play-off final in Widnes.

The 28-year-old back-rower Hill, one of the few veterans of the Acorn team that last played in the amateur game's flagship tier in 2013, acknowledges the new-look side will have a big job to consolidate in the top flight but says that, with further improvement inevitable, they might even be dark horse for the play-offs.

“I’m a bit older now but we’ve got a lot of young lads in this team," said Hill. "We’re going to be favourites to come back down, we know that, but with the right preparation and maybe a few signings we can stay up and challenge for the play-offs.

“It will be tough. But our young players will be a year older, a year smarter and a year better.

“With the same coaching staff, we will improve again – we will have to to stay in that division. But with the team spirit we’ve got, I’m sure will do that.”

The play-off final victory amazingly brought Hill - son of former Acorn, Heworth and BARLA Yorkshire coach Alfie Hill - his first trophy with Acorn since starting out at the club as a six-year-old.

"I’m absolutely ecstatic. I’m so proud of the lads. I’ve played 23 years at Acorn and it’s my first bit of silverware," he said after Sunday's success.

“We’ve been there or thereabouts a lot but never quite got the reward.

“We deserved it because of the hard work we’ve put in this year.

“Credit to the coaching staff and the on-field staff that have helped us.

“We’ve done it because of the team spirit and morale within the group.

“We were confident. We’d been beaten twice by Normanton in the regular season - they’re a very good side.

"But it was a cup final and I felt if we played to our best – which we hadn’t done these previous two times – we would win, and we did.

“We were the better team and we took the spoils because of the second-half performance.

“We were dominant. We always start slowly, which is where our form on the road this season has been poor. But our second half was better and we were on top."

Meanwhile, New Earswick All Blacks will look to kickstart their Pennine League championship after a bad couple of weeks as they go to fellow early-season strugglers Allerton Bywater.

Selby Warriors will be hoping their youngsters can continue to shine after playing their part in last week's wonderful win over division two leaders CK Vikings. Jack Greensmith, Chaz Fothergill and Ben Copeland all impressed as the Warriors went joint-top, and they will look to kick on as they go to Eastmoor Dragons on Saturday (2pm).

Sherburn Bears, with two wins from two in division four east, host Drighlington.