Darren Holmes is backing Glasshoughton Welfare to mount an assault on the top six in the Toolstation NCEL Division One table.
Joint managers Holmes and Lee Vigars are heading into their first season since taking charge of Glasshoughton in 2016 where they have kept hold of the majority of their squad so hopes are high they can continue last season’s great form.
“Unfortunately every year we’ve had to build a new squad, but we’re quite fortunate that we haven’t had to do that this year because we have retained most of the lads from last season,” Holmes told Non League Yorkshire.
“If we can get off to a good start which is key then we’ll be pushing again for top six.
“Last season we got about three points after ten games which was terrible. If we’d started well we’d have been near the top of the league (by the time the season was expunged).
“I definitely don’t see us as a bottom half side. I think there’s a lot of money being thrown around this year and there’s three or four that on paper they’re down to run away with it.
“But we’ll keep doing what we do best. We’ll work hard as a team and unit and keep seeing what we can do. Every season we try and aim for promotion or certainly top six and that’s what’ll be aiming for again.”
Glasshoughton begin their Division One campaign on Saturday when they visit Bradford-based Campion. It is a local trip compared to some they will face.
Given the global pandemic, some have called for localised leagues to cut down on travelling for one season only and Holmes admits he has given that some thought.
“None of us like travelling and none want to be travelling long distances like Skegness and places like that,” he said.
“We’d all prefer not to be. I’ve thought about the fact there’s enough local teams to make up a league, but how do you tell ‘Liversedge or others’ who have higher up that they’re going to be in a Division with teams from the league below?
“I think we just need to start the season and see what happens.”
Glasshoughton’s First Five Fixtures
19th September – Campion (A)
26th September – Armthorpe Welfare (A)
29th September – Hall Road Rangers (H)
3rd October – Skegness Town (A)
6th October – North Ferriby (H)
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams. As we slowly return to ‘action’, our work will play an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.
Like most organisations, we have been affected financially by the Coronavirus and because of the cancelled Lucille Rollinson Memorial Tournament, we are down on projected income for the year and we have incurred losses in the last few months.
We have not been hit as badly as other organisations, but we do need raise £2000 to put us back at the level we were at in mid-March and enable us to make a difference once again to our players’ lives in the future, without having financial worries. Several of our players are suffering from effects of the lockdown and we are determined to be in the strongest position possible to provide services for them.
Any amount raised above £2000 will be put towards new projects (when the world returns to normal) designed to further benefit people with disabilities and learning difficulties. You can learn more about the organisation HERE and on our Facebook page.
Watch the video below to see highlights from our three years as an organisation. The video was produced for our players at the end of March to remind them of good memories from the last three years.
