Season Preview
Toolstation NCEL Division One
Worsbrough Bridge
A new drawn has broken at Worsbrough Bridge. Gone are the stars of yesterday and Luke Forgione is leading a brave new era with mainly talented youngsters who all look set to have good Non League careers.
Manager
Luke Forgione
Tipped by Non League Yorkshire for several years as ‘one to watch’, Forgione is finally in the dugout and preparing for his first full season in charge of Worsbrough Bridge – the club he served as a player. Forgione is very similar to way Boston United manger Craig Elliott was at the beginning of his managerial career because of his dedication and commitment to scouting on a daily basis as well as his in-depth knowledge of players in the local area.
Opening Five Fixtures
Hall Road Rangers (a), FC Humber United (h), Retford FC (a), Harrogate Railway (h), Swallownest (a).
Notable Movement
In: Conor Glavin (Glasshoughton Welfare), Robbie Miller, Lewis Whitham (Dodworth Miners Welfare), Alfie Dodsworth, Luke Howson, Alfred Thompson, Matt Semley, Kyle Wordsworth, Spenser Sheppard, Rob Farrell.
Out: Scott Batty, Jack Mawson (Armthorpe Welfare).
One to Watch
Harley Holt
The teenager will frighten Division One teams with his electric pace and ability.
Interview
Luke Forgione admits Worsbrough Bridge’s unbeaten pre-season has created real positivity ahead of the new season.
Bridge have won five and drawn two with the stalemates coming against strong NCEL Premier Division opposition in Penistone Church and Handsworth.
Worsbrough have struggled in the last two years – with their points-per-game ratio of 0.78 for the combined table for the curtailed season’s putting them third bottom.
But Forgione hopes the woes are behind them and the only way is up.
“I think (the unbeaten pre-season) breeds confidence and we’ve spoken about it in the changing room as winning can become a habit,” Forgione told Non League Yorkshire.
“I think losing can become a habit as well.
“I think if we had said before pre-season that with the opposition we have faced that we would be unbeaten we’d have taken that.
“We have got to be happy with it, but we have got to stay grounded.
“We want to be looking up the table rather than looking over our shoulders. However, (the unbeaten pre-season) does give us optimism.
“Going forward you hope we will be alright and hope we’ll be more than alright.
“We have set targets in the dressing room and we’re not going to turn round and say we’ll get promoted or fight relegation.
“We’re going to take it game by game and reassess where we are.
“The first ten games will be a benchmark to where we are and see what we need to do.”
As an invincible from the Chris Hilton era – which saw Worsbrough go unbeaten in the league at home during the 2012/13 season – Forgione has the blueprint of how to be successful at Park Road.
However, Worsbrough’s playing style won’t be a total throwback to the Hilton era.
“I’ve looked at Penistone Church and they have a style of play which is effective and got them up the leagues,” he said.
“I was part of the Pontefract Collieries team which got promotion from NCEL Division One (in 2015).
“We had a style of play which was very similar to Penistone’s and I’ve learnt from when I played under Hilts.
“He had a style of play and mine is very similar.
“If you look at all the teams in this area who have been successful they have all had a similar style of play.
“I’m trying to take bits from them all.”
Worsbrough travel to Hall Road Rangers tomorrow.
Prediction
Mid-table, but keep an eye on Worsbrough as Forgione has a team that is only going to get stronger and they’ll become powerful in the next two years if the side stays together.
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.
Our work is playing 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.
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.
