Silsden manager Danny Forrest wants to build on last season’s first campaign in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division.
Former Bradford City and Halifax Town striker Forrest has started his fourth full season in the Silsden dugout since taking over in November 2016.
His first saw him guide them to the North West Counties First Division title in 2018 and he has since successfully established them at Step 5 level. Silsden were sideways moved from the NWC last summer and they adapted well to the NCEL as the eventually expunged campaign unfolded after a tricky start.
But Forrest is not setting any public goals for the new season and is waiting to see how early results pan out to comment on his team’s hopes.
“It is a tough one (the season’s aspirations) as it is only our second season in this league and we’re still learning,” Forrest told Non League Yorkshire.
“We have quite a bit of knowledge about the Bradford and Leeds-based teams, but not so much your teams over in South Yorkshire and Eastern way.
“For us, I know it is a big cliche, but we’re taking one game at a time. I don’t want to be a bit boring and say that, but we’re looking at short-term goals and trying to win the next game.
“Last season the lockdown came at a wrong time for us because we were seven unbeaten. We had gone to the league leaders Staveley and turned them over. We had competed with Brid and Yorkshire Amateur and drew with them both. We have shown we can compete in the league.
“There was always going to be a bit of adjusting to a new league (last season). As long as we are competing in every game, that’s what we want. Consistency is an issue for most teams in this league and it is about being as consistent as we can be and pick up as many we can.
“I wouldn’t like to stick my neck on the line publicly and say ‘we’re going to finish here’. We have our own targets obviously. If you ask me that question a couple of months down the line I’ll have more of an answer.
“The club and team has progressed as a whole over the last few years. We have had a couple of mid-table finishes now after getting promoted to Step 5 two years ago. I’ve seen a few of your interviews with managers and they just want to progress and I’d say that is where we are now. We want to keep improving, keep progressing.
“Like any manager would say in this league, if you hit your sweet spot, you can beat anyone on your day. I feel it is the same for us. The point I would like to get to is where we are not on our game, but we still manage to nick results. I don’t just want to win on our day.”
Silsden were tenth when the campaign was expunged because of the lockdown. One aspect of the side Forrest spent the summer improving was the attack with Leon Hurles-Brook and ex-Eccleshill United cult hero Antony Brown being the stand-out signings.
“We have notched up a fair amount of goals (since pre-season started),” he said.
“I feel that is one area where we have improved on in terms of our play and the personnel we have brought in.
“I feel we are a bit more threatening than we were last year. We drew a blank the other night, but we still created and could have easily come away with a few goals. I’m not too concerned at the moment.
“I wouldn’t say we struggled for goals last season. We were reliant on a few players. We were reliant on Khurram Shazad, Laurence Surhaindo who has gone to Brighouse and Chris Wademan.
“This year we have managed to get a few players in and the team looks like it has a few more goals in it which is nice.”
In recent weeks Forrest has further strengthened his squad to ensure he has enough bodies to cope with the heavy fixture schedule. Given the real danger of losing players to work commitments, Covid-19 self-isolation rules, illness, injuries and suspension, every manager is working hard to build big squads.
Forrest is no different and he also admits he plans on calling upon on Silsden’s under 23s players if needed.
“The pleasing thing is we have more depth,” he said.
“During these uncertain times squad are going to have to be more adaptable. We haven’t had it yet, but as soon as people start isolating and form, fitness and work issues, they are all factors.
“I wouldn’t say the door is shut on signings, but there’s no-one particular at this minute. We’re always looking to improve so I’d never say never.
“The league have eased our fixtures in October slightly as initially it is Saturday to Saturday. I think it is to do with the FA Vase. Originally we were pretty much Saturday-Tuesday all the way through.
“You have to have a bigger squad depth which is harder to manage, but I want to progress and be stronger and that’s all part of it.
“We have an under 23s team which we are really trying to push. They have assembled a really good squad and we work closely with them. It is the strongest it has been and hopefully that can bear fruit over the next year because there’s some talented lads. There’s a lot of them who can come in and do a job straightaway.”
Silsden kicked off their season with the FA Cup victory at Eccleshill United on September 1st. They lost the first qualifying round tie against Bootle, but beat Garstang in the FA Vase last Saturday.
Silsden were beaten in the Premier Division opener at Garforth Town on Tuesday night after a late goal and Forrest agrees that his side were desperately unlucky.
“It was tight and a good battle of fairly even teams,” he said.
“I think on the balance of the chances created, yeah we might have edged it. I think if we had gone 1-0 up, we probably would have seen the game out.
“As it happens, Garforth took their only half-decent chance of the game and it is 1-0. It was one of those games where we were so close to it being a perfect away performance on a Tuesday night. It has gone the other way and it happens. As much as it was disappointing and tough to take, we move on.”
Silsden move on to promotion favourites Yorkshire Amateur tomorrow. The Ammers are heading into it off the back of a 7-1 thrashing of Bottesford Town so Silsden face a massive challenge.
“It is going to be tough, we know that,” Forrest said.
“They have some quality in that team and they have some great lads as well. We’ll just go and try and put a performance on and be gritty and determined. We played them March-time before lockdown and we gave them a good game.
“(When I saw the 7-1 result) I just thought they’re going to create chances and hurt teams. 7-1 is a great result, but it doesn’t change anything in our eyes because they were a great team before that.
“I have faith in our players and I back our players and the talent in our squad and I feel we have improved since last year so I’m confident we’ll give a good account of ourselves and hopefully nick something.
“If you go too defensively you’re almost asking for it. I’m not going to say we’re going to go all out attack because we’re not. I want a decent, balanced performance tomorrow and give ourselves a chance in the game.”
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.
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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.
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