Wayne Benn is full of admiration for the way his Hemsworth Miners Welfare side have improved since his return as manager last October
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His players might “not get a penny”, but Wayne Benn reckons his Hemsworth Miners Welfare young charges can have a good Toolstation NCEL Division One campaign.
The former Bradford (Park Avenue) captain is also urging them to carry on from where they left off last season.
Hemsworth finished the year strongly by winning two and drawing two in the final month to round off a season that began badly and led to the sacking of Daryl Bowman.
Benn, who previously managed the club between 2011 and 2012, returned after leaving Goole ahead of the arrival of Baron Bloom and David Holdsworth.
His second stint reached it’s most notable point when they nearly destroyed Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s promotion hopes in the penultimate game of the campaign.
“We finished ever so well last season and the Shaw Lane game showed how far we had come,” he said.
“We showed great character and I’m sure Craig (Elliott) and people at Shaw Lane will admit that they got lucky that night. Nobody could have complained if we had won that match.”
Shaw Lane had comfortably led 2-0 at one point, but fell apart and found themselves 3-2 down on the hour.
The match turned into one of the pulsating of the season as a young organised Hemsworth side held Shaw Lane at bay right to the death as the eventual promotion winners desperately threw the proverbial kitchen sink at them.
Hemsworth defenders Harry Viggars (nearest camera) and Andy Hart show their disbelief after Shaw Lane’s 95th minute equaliser back in April. Photo courtesy of Arthur Haigh (whiterosephotos.co.uk)
The equalising goal did come, but only in the 95th minute when recently retired defender Andy Hart accidentally headed the ball into his own net.
It was that late that even Shaw Lane manager Craig Elliott admitted he thought the chance to score had gone and looking back on the draw, Benn says he wasn’t surprised by the performance.
“We did the same against Cleethorpes who won the league,” he said.
“There is a marked improvement from where the club was when I first came back to where it is now.
“Before the Shaw Lane game, the penny had started to drop that while there are some big teams paying out money, they’re not massively in front of us technically.
“What Shaw Lane and other teams had was a big advantage over us physically. It took a while for the lads to realise at this level, if you don’t compete and let people push you around and bully you then it is going to be tough.
“When the penny dropped and they started to compete, they were fitter, stronger and sharper. We won a few games and confidence started to rise and it was a snowball effect.
“I didn’t set them up against Shaw Lane any different to how I had done in the 20 previous games. It was just that we were in a good vain of form and people were confident.
“The improvement we had since coming in was fantastic and we said that at our presentation night and the aim is to take it into this season.”
The Division doesn’t get any easier though.
AFC Mansfield are expected to replace Shaw Lane as the big-spenders at the top. Benn, though, is retaining his faith in his youngsters and he has high hopes.
“As you do, you lose one team with finance and gain another,” he said.
“It looks like Mansfield will be pushing. There are going to be teams we can’t compete with financially.
“What we will have is a young team sprinkled with a bit of experience. I expect us to have a big improvement on last season.
“I’m not setting any targets, but I would hope to think that we with renewed confidence we can push for top eight this year.
“I’m confident with these young kids that they’re learning. Hopefully we’re teaching them the right things.”
Action from Hemsworth Miners Welfare 2-5 Shaw Lane Aquaforce
Benn expects to unveil his new signings nearer to the 9th August kick off so for the rest of pre-season, his youngsters have his full attention.
They’re also going to have some running to do with the look of some of the sides they will be playing.
“As with pre-season, we’re looking at a few different options and few new players,” said Benn, whose side were beaten 5-2 by Shaw Lane Aquaforce on Friday night.
“We have some really tough games that are really going to stretch us. We have Frickley tonight so it does not get any easier.
“We have Guiseley, Ossett Albion, Ossett Town, Farsley so we have put together a pre-season schedule that will really test us.
“What we will gain from that is that we will be really fit because we’re going to have to work really hard.”