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Speaking after news of Gresley’s rejection had been announced, Northwood said: “I’ll be there again next season and I’m hoping most of the players will too.”

But he believes there will have to be a switch of emphasis as Rovers attempt to shrug off the disappointing finale to their greatest-ever season.

Northwood said: “Winning the Banks’s League has always been my priority, but it hasn’t got us anywhere so I feel our main aim next season has got to be to try and go back to Wembley in the FA Vase.”

In the longer-term, the Rovers’ boss plans to urge the club’s committee to abandon the Moat Ground – their home since 1906 – and develop a new purpose built stadium.

He said: “Until the Beazer people give us a full rundown as to why they have turned us down for promotion we’re talking if’s and buts.

“But it seems to me that we’ve got to talk seriously to our main sponsors Bass about the possibility of us joining together to buy a suitable piece of land and build a new ground that will meet all the grading requirements.”

Northwood continued: “The people I feel sorry for in this whole affair are the players. We should never lose sight of the fact that it was their sweat that won us the league title.”

Chairman Peter hall also thinks Rovers might have arrived at a point of no return at the Moat Ground.

He said: If it is the ground that’s the problem, then we have got to start thinking about moving elsewhere. We’ve talked about it in the past, but possibly it’s time to make a firm commitment.

“As a club we have gone this far and I can’t see any reason whey we should suddenly stop trying to make progress. The irony is that Beazer officials congratulated us on the improvements we had made since they last inspected us a year ago.”