Rob Hunter (right) and Mark Smitheringale (left) are aiming to take Glasshoughton into the NCEL Premier Division top ten
Rob Hunter celebrates his 50th game and a year in charge of Glasshoughton Welfare tomorrow, writes James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson).
Glasshoughton host Athersley Recreation in the NCEL Premier Division in a game that marks the first anniversary of Hunter replacing Graham Hodder in the Leeds Road dugout.
Hunter and his assistant Mark Smitheringale steered the club away from relegation danger last season and the pair have set an ambitious target for 2014.
Looking back and forward on his time at Glasshoughton, Hunter said: “We were in a relegation battle and we survived and ended up as the form team at the end of the season, if you take out the last game at Armthorpe.
“We had five wins out of seven games and beat Scarborough so we finished the season really well.
“We went into the summer and I said I thought I could put together a team that could finish in the top ten. I’ve said that right from day one.
“I still believe that and I believe that this club has got the capability of being a top ten side. For us to achieve that, it would be a fantastic achievement and I really do.
“We’re never ever going to compete with the likes of Tadcaster, Bridlington and the clubs that can afford to bring players in and pay them £60 or £80.
“The frustrating thing is that our two best players of eight or nine weeks ago went into the Evo Stik and it is a credit to the club that they have gone higher.
“Calum Ward and Darol Lucas are difficult people to replace. Likewise when you lose three or four players through suspension, it is difficult for a club like Glasshoughton to recover from that.”
A top-half position would be Welfare’s highest finish since 2000 when John Brown led them to a historic third-placed finish.
That was the last time Welfare reached the top half Premier places at the end of a season and Hunter added: “I have enjoyed here.
“Glasshoughton is a lovely club and there are some lovely people involved like the chairman and secretary. They work so hard along with the other helpers to make it work for us on a Saturday.
“It is difficult for a club like Glasshoughton with the financial restraints it has got. It is a community club.”