SCARBOROUGH'S chances of being promoted to the Football League next season have been boosted by the new promotion play-off system introduced by the Nationwide Conference.

That is the view of Boro boss Neil Thompson, who has backed the move which will see next year's Conference champions progress to the play-off final while the second, third, fourth and fifth-placed teams contest semi-finals and a final for the right to meet them.

The eventual play-off victors will win the one and only promotion place to Division Three.

"The pluses far outweight the minuses," said the former York City player-manager.

"If you end up being champions it won't be as good as it becomes more of a lottery as to who goes up, but it does keep every Conference club's season going.

"This season gone has been a two-horse race (between champions Rushden and Diamonds and Yeovil) and the others haven't had that much to play for, but now if you're half-way down the league at Christmas you've still got a chance.

"We had a chance to finish in the top five towards the end of the campaign so our season would have kept going to the wire."

He added: "We want to try to win the division this year but it's certainly going to be very competitive, with a few teams already splashing money around.

"I feel we've got a squad capable of challenging in the top echelons of the division; whether we get to be champions we'll have to wait and see. But with the top five all having the opportunity of going up it gives us a better chance of promotion."

The move, provisionally only for the forthcoming season, comes just under a week after the Football League threw out proposals for a two-up two-down system of promotion and relegation, which disappointed Conference clubs now hope will be in place for the following campaign.

"There will be some clubs for the play-offs and some against but I think it's a brave decision and a big majority of clubs voted for it," added Thompson.

The Boro chief, meanwhile, remains keen to bring more new faces to the McCain Stadium, including another forward.

So far this summer, he has brought in striker Darren Stamp from Scunthorpe and has retained the services of Denny Ingram, Danny Brunton, Shaun Rennison, Jason Blunt and goalkeepers Andy Woods and Paul Newton, while trainees John Keegan, Paul Atkinson and Adam Jewel have all signed professional contracts.

Gareth Williams, though, has joined Ilkeston, while Cherif Diallo, Alex Gildea, Stewart Morris and Matty Russell have all been released.

"During the course of pre-season I will be looking to a bringing in three, four or five players to the squad," said the player-boss.

"I've seen enough of Darren Stamp to know he will be a big plus for us next season. But I probably need a couple more who are going to strengthen the first-team squad up to 18 or 19."

Updated: 11:25 Saturday, June 16, 2001