EV2 Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League Premier Division
Darren Young expects Dodworth Miners Welfare to need a few weeks to get into their groove.
Dodworth are one of several County Senior League sides who have had disrupted pre-seasons because of availability issues due to holidays and work.
Dodworth – whose first match is next Wednesday at home to Hepworth United – have a forceful side but Young expects them to reach full power in a few weeks.
“We have got a few new faces so it is going to take us time to bed people in,” Young told Non League Yorkshire.
“Especially with the pre-season we have had with people not being available for one reason or another.
“We’re probably going to take a little bit of time to hit full-flight but we believe we have a really good squad.
“I think it is a stronger side than last season if we have everyone available.
“But we haven’t had the chance to play our strongest side in pre-season so it will take time to bed everyone in.
“Last year we had eight pre-season games and the whole squad for every single game so we could try new things.
“We’ve only really been able to try anything new in the last two weeks.
“I know the way I want us to play and I know the players can play it but we haven’t really had chance to play it.
“We’re going to have to learn on our feet really quickly.”
Notable Movement
In: Kai Hancock, Billy Rhodes, Danny Cawley, Callum Beaumont.
Out: James Young (Penistone Church), Lewis Whitham (Worsbrough Bridge).
One recent positive for Dodworth is the return of young starlet Liam Owen who has ended his brief sojourn with Armthorpe Welfare.
His brother Jack Owen is staying as are brothers Calan Connor Rollinson who also joined Dodworth last year after dropping out of the Toolstation NCEL.
They joined by the new boys – who all have NCEL experience.
“We’ve retained 99% of the players,” Young said.
“We have lost James Young to Penistone so he’s the only real one who has gone.
“But when you look at what we have brought in we’ve in brought in quality.
“The squad as a whole has improved compared to last season’s squad.
“You bring in Kai Hancock, Danny Cawley and Billy Rhodes, they’re signings we would have loved to have brought in last year.
“We lost a big one in James Young because he’s a quality left-back and left backs are hard to find and when you’ve got a good one you want to keep them.
“Obviously he has gone to play higher and that’s good because it shows you that our players are good enough to play a few steps higher.
“He’s a big loss but the guys we have brought in we’re really happy with so we’re really happy with the squad.”
Danny Barlow
Dodworth-born Barlow will achieve immortality in the village if he can help lead his local club to a historic Premier Division title
The Premier Division title has eluded Dodworth since their meteoric rise to the top flight of grassroots football since forming in 2016.
Although Young won’t say ‘title challenge’, Dodworth clearly want to compete again at the right end of the league.
“We want to get as many points as we can and get to Christmas and reassess it,” he said.
“If you’re in the mix at Christmas you’re resetting your goal for the league.
“I always say you get your first ten games out of the way and you look where you are.
“If you’re in the mix which we hope to be then we look to kick on and win it.
“If not we’ll look to reassess and see how high we can finish.
“The ambition is to finish as high as we can.
“I’d be disappointed if we aren’t in the top four or five.
“If you look at the last three seasons, I know it has been stop-start, we have been second, second and finished last season top but technically second again.
“Historically we have always been there or there abouts so top five is something we need to be looking at.”
Competition will be tough.
Swinton are arguably the favourites given that they are unbeaten in two years but Young identifies several teams who will be pushing.
“I think Wakefield will have a really strong year,” he said.
“I think they have learned from the last two seasons what they need to win the league and signed players to win the league.
“They have a lot of youth but they have blended it with a lot of experience from what I have seen.
“Swinton are always going to be up there.
“They have been the best team for two years.
“There’s no reason why they won’t be challenging.
“Gawber are always going to be up there.
“No matter what team Gawber put out they’ll always be competitive.
“Wombwell will be up there and you know they’ll have a competitive side.
“I think there will be a couple of surprises, whether that’s Ecclesfield, Penistone, Stocksbridge.”
Although installing floodlights remains the current holy grail for Dodworth, their fabulous facilities continue to visibly improve and Young says the ground has come a long way.
“For us it is about investing in the ground,” he said.
“We don’t pay the players but we try and make the environment that they play the best we can.
“There has been £40,000 put into the stand by Cranswick who have invested into the stand as part of their community fund.
“We have also invested probably ten grand into the pitches over the last 18 months.
“It shows you how far we have come when the County Senior League were holding finals there.
“That wouldn’t have been possible three years ago because of the standard of the pitch.”
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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.
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