High hopes: Penistone Church manager Ian Richards
Go to Penistone Church this season and the p-word is high on the agenda.
Ambitious Church and their manager Ian Richards enjoyed a memorable debut campaign in the Toolstation NCEL Division One by finishing ninth.
Now Richards wants to build on that and make a push for an historic Premier Division place.
“It is our second season in the NCEL and we made a good platform last season by comfortably finishing in the top ten,” Richards told Non League Yorkshire.
“It is exciting times and we want promotion, whether automatically or through the newly-introduced play-offs.
“I think we’re capable of finishing in the top six. With a bit of luck we may challenge the top two.
“If we can get into the play-offs then on our day we have can beat anyone. We have the potential to do well this season.”
The introduction of play-offs at June’s NCEL AGM in Scarborough is a welcome addition to the league and is one that hugely benefits Penistone and a number of other teams.
Richards added: “I think the play-offs have made promotion a realistic aim to us and another half-a-dozen teams in our league.
“I think a lot of others teams like us will be thinking ‘we have a chance now’.
“Top two for us is an ambition, but top six is a realistic aim. Speaking to the former Clipstone manager (Chris Millington), their aim was top six and they were never really out of the top two.
“If we can do that then brilliant.
“It is going to be tough as you have teams paying good money like AFC Mansfield.
“Then there’s Hull United and Shirebrook, who are made up of a lot of the Clipstone team.”
Penistone host promotion rivals Shirebrook Town tomorrow.