Season Preview
NPL Division One East
Ossett United
Ossett United are hoping to create a platform from which to build from after a rocky time during their opening three years as a merged club.
The Manager
Wayne Benn
The legendary former Hemsworth Miners Welfare has found it tough since taking over the sleeping giant in late 2019.
He inherited a struggling team when he took the job and Ossett were near the bottom when the pandemic arrived.
Ossett couldn’t find their feet for various reasons last season but green shoots of recovery were appearing just before the winter lockdown and subsequent curtailment.
Opening Five Fixtures
Pontefract Collieries (a), Stocksbridge Park Steels (a), Stockton Town – FA Cup (a), Worksop Town (a), Hebburn Town (h).
Notable Movement
In: Ross Killock (AFC Mansfield), Tabish Hussain, Dec McGivern, Reon Potts (loan), Archie Whitfield (loan), James Walshaw (Buxton).
Out: Jack Stockdill (Liversedge), Jack Normanton (Silsden), Elliot Harrison (Brighouse Town).
One to Watch
James Walshaw
Do we really need to say why!
Interview
Wayne Benn is hopeful Ossett United will consign two years of struggle to mists of time and enjoy a “much-better” campaign this season in the NPL Division One East.
Despite recruiting a fairly decent squad last year Ossett managed to win only once in the league before the season was prematurely ended in November.
Benn has plumped for vast experience in the transfer market – as the captures of James Walshaw and Ross Killock testify – and the Ossett chief believes his side are capable of looking up the table rather down it.
“There’s no guarantees (that it is a stronger squad) but I think we have added more experience in James Walshaw and Ross Killock in particular,” Benn told Non League Yorkshire.
“I think everyone is frustrated with the start we made last season so there is fire in people’s bellies and they are keen to prove that wasn’t a true reflection of the squad last season.
“I’m not going to start harping and excusing things but we were decimated by injuries and at one point we had a full back four missing.
“We had full-backs playing at centre-half and we lacked size and presence in the centre-half areas when we got those injuries.
“There were excuses for the league start last year.
“What I will counter with is that in every single game we dominated the ball, we created more or as many as the opposition and for one reason or another we weren’t taking our chances at one point and then we were conceding.
“We (now) have a proven goal-scorer in James Walshaw which we have lacked so hopefully that rectifies things at one point.
“Then obviously we have retained Jack Cowgill and brought in Ross Killock and Dec McGivern in the centre-half positions so I think we look stronger defensively as well.
“We identified where we needed to strengthen and I think this squad has a good mix of youth and experience.
“I think we have looked good in pre-season but that doesn’t give you any idea how your season is going to go.
“But we are confident we are going to do well this season and confident that the nonsense of the last couple of seasons of been around the bottom of the league is hopefully a thing of the past.”
Whilst having belief Ossett will be more than competitive, Benn is not setting bold targets.
“We’re not putting goals out there or jumping from the rooftops saying we are going to win the league or be in the play-offs,” he said.
“Me and you have spoken about this for many years and first and foremost as a manager you want to see progression.
“I just think we will have a much better season and the start is important.
“If you got off to a good season and you see where you are come November and December.
“If you’re mid-table by Christmas you may be able to have a run at the play-offs.
“That’d be the aim.
“Consolidate and try and be a top half team and see where we can go with that and see where it takes us.”
Ossett are one of ten Yorkshire sides in the exciting Division One East and Benn agrees that it is a difficult league because of the level of quality.
“I think the restructure is certainly better in terms of travelling but I don’t view it as any easier at all,” he said.
“I think some of the teams coming in have a lot of financial power.
“There is teams who are already in it who have good backing so I think it will be really tough.
“I do see it as a league where everyone can take points off each other.
“I couldn’t tell you who the favourite is.
“I think it is going to be quite open.”
How exciting the league make-up is is under-lined by Ossett’s mouth-watering opening day fixture at local rivals Pontefract Collieries.
The attendance could very easily exceed 500 people and Benn admits that it is a cracker.
“It is definitely one where we have to hit the ground running,” he said.
“Against any Ponte side you are going to have to work hard and defend well to get anything out of it.
“It is a tough game to start with.
“It will be a great advert for the league and I know a lot of our fans will go across there to swell the crowd and I’m sure they’ll be a good atmosphere.”
Prediction
Top Half
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.
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