AFC Emley missed out on promotion under Darren Hepworth
AFC Emley are first up in our reviews of a number of our Yorkshire clubs’ seasons.
Some may say that AFC Emley’s season was a failure.
Darren Hepworth did categorically state at the start of the season that promotion was a must and they did fall just short of their aim.
Emley were top of the Toolstation NCEL Division One a number of times throughout the campaign, and were leading from the front with ten games to go.
Defeats to Rossington, Hemsworth and Louth put pay to their hopes for another season – heralding the shouts of failure.
Look at the bigger picture and that tells a different story.
Their fifth place finish was a record, as was their points total.
The form of Max Leonard was another highlight along with their defensive record.
When Hepworth stepped up from his role as the reserve team boss to the top job in 2010, he wanted to create an infrastructure that would last for few years to come.
His ideas and long-term projects are starting to show results.
The form Max Leonard has been a highlight for AFC Emley
Ruben Jerome has emerged as a leading player for AFC Emley this season
The club’s under 19s, development side and first team all work in tandem and Emley are beginning to reap the rewards of their patient efforts.
Only a few other clubs in Yorkshire have a youth structure that is so ingrained in the long-term plan for the first team.
Ruben Jerome is the most high profile to make the grade this season from the Development Team.
A vast number of others, such as Sam Scrivens, were used by Hepworth towards the end of the season.
Hepworth and Emley want to build their club brick by brick and this season has made their wall even bigger and stronger.
The structure is more than solid than ever than at any other point in their ten years as a reformed club.
Next season the aim will be the same. There is still room for improvement though, particularly in one area.
Hepworth admitted that last year that they needed to find a top goal-scorer and that search is still on.
Clipstone and Pontefract both had strikers who scored over 30 goals, Emley did not have one as Leonard was their top-scorer with 19 goals.
If they find a goal-scorer, Emley will not be far again next April.