Season Preview
NPL Division One East
Stocksbridge Park Steels
Stocksbridge Park Steels go into the exciting NPL Division One East as underdogs. But under Chris Hilton, the Steels have consistently risen to the occasion and they’ll likely to do so again.
The Manager
Chris Hilton
The former Worsbrough Bridge head honcho is one of the longest-serving managers in the NPL having being in the Bracken Moor dugout since 2014.
He has a long list of achievements from a play-offs finish, two long FA Trophy runs and developing Harrison Biggins into a Football League player.
Hilton, whose assistant is Boston United legend Lee Thompson, has yet to win an FA Cup game though…
Opening Five Fixtures
Stockton Town (h), Ossett United (a), Handsworth (a) – FA Cup, Liversedge (h), Pickering Town (h).
Notable Movement
In: Nat Crofts, Elliott Walker (Rossington Main).
Out: Harrison Foulstone, Clark Greaves.
One to Watch
Lewis Whitham
The youngster is getting better and better so he’s heading into a big season.
Interview
Chris Hilton wants Stocksbridge Park Steels to upset the applecart and push for a top half finish.
The NPL Division One East is arguably strongest league around this season, with a mix of North East giants and top sides from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Certainly in the North East there is a lot of wealth around and the Steels have less resources than the big guns.
Not that Stocksbridge fear them as Hilton confirmed when asked if a top half finish would be an over-achievement.
“Not personally, I think we should be finishing in the top half,” Hilton told Non League Yorkshire.
“If we’re getting towards the play-offs then that’s a different question.
“That probably would be a massive overachievement.
“But we should be in the top half and with any team I have I aim to be in the top half and we’re geared up for the top half.
“I know where you’re going with the question as we have one of the lower budgets but (finishing in the top half is) how you have to think.
“You have to be forward-thinking and think you’re going to finish in the top half and put a plan in place that works.
“(The strength of the big sides) makes it difficult, but it also makes it a challenge.
“We have to look at it that way.
“We have to say ‘right what can we do against these so-called big-spending big sides, what have we got’?
“Can we be organised? Can we take games to them? Can we be competitive? Can we take our chances when we get them?
“We had it every year I had at Worsbrough and every year I’ve been at Stocksbridge so it is no different.
“It is another challenge where we have to see what we can do.”
Stocksbridge begin with a home clash with 2018 FA Vase runners-up Stockton Town on Saturday.
Matches with Ossett United, Liversedge and Pickering Town finish the August league schedule and Hilton agrees that the fixture list in unrelenting.
“No disrespect to the teams in our league last year because there are some very good teams in Stamford, Leek but I’m looking down this (NPL Division One East) league table now and I’m trying to find a weakness or somebody you think ‘they’re going to struggle’,” he said.
“It is difficult to find one.
“You can’t pick five or six out that you normally can.
“It is going to be a very competitive league.
“You wouldn’t expect anyone to run away with it.
“You’d expect everyone taking points off one another.
“It is going to be very tough and if you don’t turn up for any games then you wouldn’t just get beat, you’ll get beat well.”
“Teams who normally win every game are going to winless runs so it is how they deal with that.
“You might play well for four games and only pick up a draw and think ‘what are we doing wrong’?
“We will have tough runs this season but everyone has a dip at some point in the season.
“There’s not going to be a breather.
“You’re going to look at the next three fixtures and see that they’re all three big teams again.
“It is definitely going to be an interesting season.”
Prediction
Mid-Table
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.
