Toolstation NCEL Division One
Glasshoughton Welfare joint manager Darren Holmes
Non League Yorkshire has helped inspire Glasshoughton Welfare to a positive first half of the season.
NLY predicted in August that Welfare would finish in the bottom half. The website has since made appearances in Lee Vigars and Darren Holmes’ pre-match team-talks.
Prior to the opening game at Hall Road, Holmes is believed to have told his troops: “let’s prove that James Grayson wrong”.
“You have figured in some of our pre-match talks, because you said we would finish in the bottom half,” said Holmes, when speaking to Non League Yorkshire’s James Grayson.
“All the lads have been determined in making sure that doesn’t happen.
“It is very true that you featured in our speech at Hall Road Rangers about ten minutes before kick off.
“The prediction has certainly spurred us on.”
Holmes and Vigars have done a superb job since replacing popular pair Simon Houghton and Craig Wilkinson in the summer.
Despite having to rebuild the playing side, the pair have enjoyed runs of form that Glasshoughton hasn’t been on since the club’s greatest period when Craig Elliott was the manager.
“Up to Saturday, we’re really pleased with how it has gone so far,” Holmes added.
“At the start of the season, we set our stall out to competing around the halfway mark and above.
“We think we have the squad to do that and we’re currently in tenth and things are ok.
“We’ve played some good stuff. We went ten games unbeaten and then won five in six.
“It would be good to add a couple of players to the squad. We are looking at possibly sneaking into a play-offs spot, but we need to start putting results together again right now to do that.
“I do think though that if someone had said to us in the summer that we would finish in ninth or tenth that everyone in the club would be happy with that.
“The committee just asked us to put a competitive side together and we have achieved that.”