Brighouse Town are heading into the Northern Premier League with eyes wide open according to eager chairman Ray McLaughlin.

The Dual Seal Stadium club, who will host a Huddersfield Town XI on Friday, July 11, are preparing to take their place in Division I North after winning the Northern Counties East League.

The exciting promotion came in the club’s 50th season (they were formed in 1963 as Huddersfield Works League side Blakeborough’s).

And it means manager Paul Quinn follows in the footseteps of father Gerry, who led the original Emley to the same step up 25 years ago.

Emley (now Wakefield FC) won promotion to the NPL top flight within two seasons of stepping up from the NCEL.

And while McLaughlin is refusing to make any rash predictions, he believes Brighouse can be competitive in their new surroundings.

“We’re under no illusions as to the challenge we face, but it’s a really exciting prospect, and everyone at the club is up for it,” he said.

Brighouse, whose squad includes a host of Huddersfield-based players, will be mixing it with some big non-league names.

Their opponents will include Darlington, Kendal Town, Lancaster City, Northwich Victoria and Salford City, now owned by former Manchester United aces Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.

“There are some strong clubs in the division,” admitted McLaughlin.

“There are some decent budgets in there as well. Looking at the kind of players being signed by Darlington and Spennymoor Town tells you that.

“We’re not going to be in a position to throw money at it, but we believe we have a decent squad.

“Paul Quinn has always said he has built with the Northern Premier League in mind, because it’s always been our ambition to get there.

“There is no other NPL club in the Huddersfield area, and we have been able to draw on a big pool of talent in working our way through the Northern Counties East.

“Hopefully the town will get behind us, because the more people we have coming, the better.”

Brighouse will look to put a number of players, including strike star Tom Matthews, who notched 43 times last season, on contract.

“We can’t do anything in that direction until July, but it makes sense, because it’s inevitable other clubs will be looking at our players,” added McLaughlin.

“We have some really talented lads, and I think all of them have verbally agreed to play for us next season, which is all we can hope for at this stage.

“We are perhaps lacking a little bit of experience, but we feel it important to give the players who got us to the Northern Premier the chance to prove themselves at that level.

“There could obviously be some additions, both before the season and during it, but we’ll wait and see.”

One thing which will change is the stadium.

“We have passed all the ground guidelines needed for entry to the league,” explained McLaughlin.

“But all new clubs need to make sure they meet NPL Premier Division criteria by the March of their first season.

“We need to create a new covered area on the opposite side of the ground to the existing stand and make some changes to the perimeter fence, and that work is ongoing.”