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The favourites may have lived up to their billing, but the 2013-14 season has still proved to have been an unpredictable year for our Yorkshire clubs.
From shock sacking to unlikely reinstatements, sensational appointments and drama on-the-pitch, the Evo Stik Division One North and South and the two NCEL Divisions have kept us entertained on-and-off-the-pitch.
Here is a review of the campaign in those three Divisions, concerning the Yorkshire clubs:
Top Five Achievements of the Season
Brighouse Town celebrate winning the 2013-14 Toolstation NCEL Premier Division title
1. Brighouse Town (for winning the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division)
2. Athersley Recreation (for pulling off a huge shock by beating Frickley Athletic to win the Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup for the first time in their history at Hillsborough).
3. Eccleshill United (for winning the West Riding County Cup after a 1-0 victory over Conference North giants Harrogate Town at Valley Parade thanks to Marcus Edwards’ last minute penalty).
4. Tadcaster Albion (for finishing second in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division, despite a relatively low budget following uncertainty at the start of the season).
5. Ossett Town (for finishing eighth in the Evo Stik Division One North)
AFC Emley boss Darren Hepworth, celebrates after the sensational FA Cup win over Wigan Robin Park
Top Five Games (Covered by Sports Performer)
1. AFC Emley 3-2 Wigan Robin Park (18th August) – FA Cup Preliminary Round
It was like something out of Roy of the Rovers. Emley were trailing 2-1 to Wigan going into injury-time and a 92nd minute equaliser from Anthony Haigh seemingly took the tie to a replay. Darren Hepworth thought he was either Bob Stokoe or David Pleat as he ran onto the pitch to celebrate. He was up again five minutes later as his veteran captain Paul Sykes stole the headlines with a sensational last minute penalty to win the game.
2. AFC Emley 3-2 Shaw Lane Aquaforce (25th January) – Toolstation NCEL Division One
If one miracle wasn’t enough, Emley somehow managed to complete the double over their local rivals by coming back from the dead. Ash Flynn had come back to haunt his former by putting Shaw Lane into a 2-0 lead before his red card early on in the second half. That coincided with a change in the weather. The wind and rain upped their game and Aquaforce ended up camped in their own half as Sylbert Stewart (2) and Doran Jordan did the honours for Emley – goals which got Hepworth running onto the pitch again.
Tadcaster boss Paul Marshall ‘high-fives’ a supporter after Terry Taylor puts his side 5-0 up against Pickering
3. Tadcaster Albion 5-0 Pickering Town (22nd March) – Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Paul Marshall was high-fiving supporters during Tadcaster’s demolition derby of Pickering. Tadcaster were so good that day that Pickering were lucky to have escaped with conceding just five.
4. Garforth Town 2-2 Retford Town (9th November) – Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
A classic end-to-end game that was full of chances.
Harry Viggars (nearest camera) and Ian Hart show their disbelief after Shaw Lane’s 95th minute equaliser. Photo courtesy of Arthur Haigh (whiterosephotos.co.uk)
5. Shaw Lane Aquaforce 3-3 Hemsworth Miners Welfare (22nd April) – Toolstation NCEL Division One)
You could hear a pin drop when Hemsworth incredibly fought back to lead 3-2 in the crucial Division One game. Shaw Lane had led 2-0 before surrendering a lead. Their much-talked about promotion aspirations were seemingly in tatters until a gift from the gods. A 95th minute own goal rescued a point for Shaw Lane and put them back on the home straight for promotion.
Chris Ovington celebrates his sensational winning goal for Ossett Town against Bamber Bridge
Top Two Goals (from games covered by Sports Performer)
1. Chris Ovington (for Ossett Town, against Bamber Bridge on 1st March)
A game in which pretty not much happened was lit up for a brief second when Chris Ovington fired a thunderous shot at goal from 30-yards out. He needed the help of the crossbar, but it was a wonderful goal.
2. Nick Black (for Garforth Town, against Bridlington Town on 20th August)
A brilliant lob from the edge of the box which also won Garforth’s goal of the season competition and can be seen here.
Top Three Performances (by either a club or player in a game covered by Sports Performer)
1. Peter Crook (for Harrogate Railway v Farsley AFC, Boxing Day)
2. Ossett Town (v Farsley AFC, 18/1/14)
3. Ossett Town (v Curzon Ashton 10/12/13)
Top NCEL referee Jason Knowles, who has been promoted
Top Four Refereeing Performances (from games covered by Sports Performer)
1. Jason Knowles (Shaw Lane Aquaforce v Cleethorpes Town, 29/3/14)
2. Ken Haycock (Harrogate Railway v Curzon Ashton, 7/4/14)
3. Ben Ballantyne (Garforth Town v Thackley, 10/8/13)
4. Garreth Rhodes (Glasshoughton Welfare v Worksop Parramore, 24/9/13)
Craig Elliott quit Ossett Town to become the new manager at Shaw Lane Aquaforce
Top Six Most Sensational Moments
1. Craig Elliott’s decision to drop two divisions by leaving Ossett Town to become manager of Ossett Town.
2. Goole AFC captain Karl Colley throws a punch at a Coalville Town supporter after being sent off. Colley is later banned for nine months by the FA.
3. Rob Northfield leaving Tadcaster Albion days before the start of the season which left the club’s future uncertain until i2i Sports bought it in November.
4. Baron Bloom’s takeover of Goole AFC which also saw David Holdsworth’s appointment as their new manager.
4. Ossett Town travelling to Darlington 1883 without a recognised goalkeeper and winning 3-1 with striker Chris Wood in goal.
5. Under-dogs Athersley Recreation beat Frickley Athletic 1-0 to win the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup for the first time in their history.
6. Wakefield FC return to their spiritual home Emley after failing to agree a new ground share deal with Wakefield Wildcats for next season.
7. Brighouse Town thrashing Tadcaster Albion 8-1 in a wind and rain affected match.
Farsley AFC boss Neil Parsley reported referee Mike Jones to the FA after the controversial 3-3 draw at Northwich Victoria
Top Ten Controversial Moments
1. Farsley AFC have three players sent off in the final ten minutes of their 3-3 draw with Northwich Victoria in October – two for dissent towards referee Mike Jones. Farsley then report the official following an altercation in the tunnel during the half-time interval.
2. Paul Lines’ six match stadium for making contact with referee Adam Burgess after the 7-0 defeat to Warrington Town back in September.
3. Darren Hepworth is sacked from AFC Emley by chairman John Whitehead without the club’s committee being consulted in September. Whitehead then appoints his replacement – again without the committee’s consent. Whitehead resigns 48 hours later and acting chairman Terry Higgins, after ringing around his committee, reinstates Hepworth.
4. Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s application to join the Toolstation NCEL is rejected by member clubs at the league’s AGM. Their rivals Penistone Church even ill-advisedly describe the Barnsley-based club as the most hated club in Non-League Football on their official website. Shaw Lane went onto win their appeal and joined the NCEL.
5. Simon Houghton is sacked as manager of Shaw Lane Aquaforce, despite the club being third in the Division One table. The club cite four defeats in six games as the reason.
Referee David Benton is escorted off after declining Craig Elliott’s handshake following the 1-1 draw between Farsley AFC and Ossett Town
6. Referee David Benton hits the headlines for the second time in the space of three weeks in January after refusing to shake the hand of Ossett Town manager Craig Elliott at the end of 1-1 draw between Farsley AFC and Ossett. The game, which was third against fourth in the fair play league, descended into the farcical as Ossett had six players booked and one sent off.
7. Benton had stolen the limelight two weeks earlier when he had been criticised for yellow carding Garforth Town midfielder Tawanda Rupere for ‘pulling his sock up’. Rupere was later incorrectly sent off directly in front of Garforth head coach Graham Nicholas. Video here.
8. Tadcaster Albion, pending an appeal, are deducted four points for allegedly fielding an ineligible player back in October.
9. A quickly-taken free kick which ultimately leads Pickering Town to a 5-3 win sends Garforth Town into a frenzy. Referee Duncan Carratt and his assistants then disappear into the night and leave their after-match food to go to waste.
10. Jimmy Reid is sacked by Pickering Town and replaced by Mitch Cook, who previously managed the club two seasons earlier. Most of the playing squad walk out in protest at the decision.
Ossett Town goalkeeper Sam Dobbs has been exceptional since moving to Ingfield
Top Five Signings
1. Sam Dobbs (to Ossett Town in December)
2. Paddy Miller (to Farsley AFC last summer)
3. Jacob Giles (to Brighouse Town last July)
4. Rob Bordman (to Wakefield FC)
5. Denny Ingram (to Tadcaster Albion)
6. Gary Bradshaw (to Scarborough Athletic)
Knaresborough Town celebrate winning the 2014 Toolstation NCEL League Cup final after beating Eccleshill United on penalties
Roll of Honour 2013-14
Brighouse Town – Toolstation NCEL Premier Division champions
Shaw Lane Aquaforce – Toolstation NCEL Division One runners-up
Eccleshill United – West Riding County Cup winners
Knaresborough Town – Toolstation NCEL League Cup winners
Athersley Recreation – Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup winners