RYCOB sealed promotion to the Canada Life Premier League on Tuesday evening – without even stepping onto the pitch.

Their top-flight return was confirmed 20 miles away in the southeast where Castletown’s 4–2 victory over Marown at the Stadium ended the Crosby side’s hopes of going up.

Marown made the worst possible start, falling behind after only 35 seconds. Ashlee Sansbury threaded a clever pass through to Jacob Crook who nipped in ahead of goalkeeper Harry Horbury, rounded him and curled a tight‑angle finish inside the near post.

The visitors almost hit back immediately when Carl Hartmann struck the post from the edge of the box.

But the away side didn’t have to wait long for their equaliser. On 14 minutes, Castletown keeper Owen Camarda dallied in possession, allowing Hartmann to pick his pocket and bend a composed finish into the net.

That sparked Marown’s best spell with a series of cross‑field switches which stretched the hosts. One such ball over the top released Connor Gilbert who pounced to drive a low shot home to make it 2-1.

Castletown responded just after the half‑hour mark. Crook delivered a teasing cross that evaded everyone except the onrushing Rob Teare, who arrived at the far post to level the contest.

After the break, Castletown threatened first when Alex Crawley latched onto a long goal‑kick, only for Horbury to produce a smart save.

Marown struggled to gain any foothold in the second half and Town made them pay on 52 minutes. A searching pass into the area found Crawley whose effort was parried by Horbury, but Ted Weatherill reacted quickest to stroke in the rebound.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men following an incident involving Josh Glover and Alex McQuarrie, but Castletown wrapped up the points on 75 minutes.

Crook was brought down in the box and Crawley confidently dispatched the resulting penalty to ensure Town ended their league campaign on a winning note – and in doing so confirmed RYCOB’s promotion.

PAUL HATTON