Progressive Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League side Wombwell Town have brought back memories for Mark ‘Willy’ Wilson of how it used be in Non League Football.
The former Emley and Bradford (Park Avenue) legend, who has played over 1000 Non League games, signed for the Division One side recently.
Wilson is a firm advocate of players spending time in clubhouses after games to support clubs and that is a side to Non League Football that has dramatically changed for the worse in the last 20 years.
However, Wombwell are bucking the trend and Wilson, who played for Penistone Church reserves last season, has enjoyed being around the Barnsley-based club.
“The thing what tied to it as well was after training it wasn’t a case of everyone going home,” Wilson told Non League Yorkshire.
“They did the socially-distance seating and a lot of lads stopped back which was encouraging. Some had cokes, some had alcoholic drinks.
“Then on the (first) game day everyone was on time and we did the warm-up and everything was run professionally. It makes you feel good and I think there were over 100 watching.
“There were initiation songs and there was a good feeling of togetherness. In the bar afterwards they had got me in some Woodpecker specially and I bet there were still 20 people there at eight o’clock.
“It reminded me of how it used to be. The playing side is more important, but a good side and togetherness will win you games and titles. The social aspect has changed over the years. The drink and drive scenario is one thing and a lot of players are more health conscious in the sense of they like to eat right and drink right.
“In our primetime, you were in straight after a game in the bar and people were smoking and drinking and you had that camaraderie between players and fans.
“If had not played well you would expect to get it off fans and the Worksop fans were brutal. Nowadays you have to be more careful. You don’t see bars after games full these days. A lot of players just come to play and they might have a Coca Cola afterwards, but then they’re off doing whatever.
“It is hard to install into younger players (going in the bar for a few hours). I’m completely used to it. I always think if you are getting something off the club you should be putting something back into the club and that’s where things have changed.
“Penistone was great (with players going into the bar) because it is a good all-round club. But other teams you play against, you hardly see anyone stopping.
“Wombwell Town is one of the better ones. At the moment there is a lot of work going on in the clubhouse to make it more appealing (for people) to stop. They are working really hard and they have lot of volunteers. When I was at Retford there was only three committee members. The other night at Wombwell there were 20 committee members there.”
Under chairman and manager Karl Rose, the ex-Frickley Athletic and Goole AFC chief, Wombwell are striving to be a very successful community club.
Their Recreation Ground home has a stand and floodlights and the club have many active community schemes which are very successful.
On-the-pitch, Wombwell have secured one promotion since forming in 2018, but the coronavirus prevented their promotion to the Premier Division this year. Wombwell were runaway leaders when the season was expunged.
Wilson made his debut for Wombwell in the opening day clash with Wombwell Main development and that afternoon he got a glimpse into the club’s plans and potential.
“Our first game was last week and James Dudgeon, who I played with for two good seasons at Worksop, picked me up at 12.30pm (for the Wombwell Main development team match),” he said.
“We weren’t meeting while 1.30pm so he took me round all the facilities and told me all the plans and what they’re trying to achieve on-and-off-the-pitch.
“The plans are good for the club and the community. It is an exciting club to be around and it is exciting for the community. With the plans they have got it is a sleeping giant. They have got another pitch on the other side of the complex which they are doing for the under 19s.
“With the floodlights and the stand, the structure is there (to get to the NCEL). If you have a successful winning side it only breeds more player wanting to come and play and more fans wanting to come and watch.
“In Barnsley at the moment Non League Football is thriving. The amount of Barnsley teams and players is incredible. You have Houghton Main, Dodworth, North Gawber, Athersley Rec, Penistone Church, Wombwell Main, Worsbrough Bridge, Wombwell Town.
“Players are going to clubs and enjoying playing for the clubs and staying at the clubs. A lot of the higher players are dropping down, obviously because of the travelling, but they are going to a club and settling in and enjoying it.
“I’m really impressed with the County Senior League and I’d say it is stronger than it has ever been. Every club seems to be trying to get that little bit of quality mixed with younger lads who can progress.”
Although they suffered a 2-0 loss to New Bohemians on Saturday, on paper Wombwell have a very strong side and one capable of winning the title. Even Kai Hancock signed for them last week and made a substitute’s appearance in the defeat to Bohemians.
“I’m not saying this is going to be my last season, but I am coming to the latter end of it and it would be nice to win a title and I think they’ve got the structure and the players do it,” Wilson said.
“We’ve got some experienced players and some good youngsters. Obviously you’ll know a lot of the players that Karl and Dudge have managed to get down there.
“The Bennett brothers (Lee and Steve) are different class and they link up well. There’s Brad Kerr, Luke Exley, Connor Peace, Dec Lycett.”
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.
