Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Former Garforth Town owner and manager Simon Clifford has been thanked by Knaresborough Town manager Rob Hunter.
Clifford, who lives local and runs Integer Football, has recommended several players to Hunter including teenager Ewan Gregson who is thriving in the Knaresborough first team.
Pioneer Clifford, regarded by many as one of the greatest football coaches this country has ever seen, is of course remembered on the Non League circuit for delivering unparalleled success with Garforth and for bringing Socrates over from Brazil to play for them in 2004.
Hunter’s masterplan for Knaresborough centres around creating a pathway from junior football to senior football and giving youth an opportunity in the first team and Clifford has been able to help him this season.
“Simon has given a lot of advice and he knows my belief of how Knaresborough Town should be run is about breeding relationships with the community, specifically Knaresborough Celtic,” Hunter told Non League Yorkshire.
“it is about making sure players have a proper pathway into football, not these community things where they don’t get a kick and they farm them out.
“I want young players from Knaresborough and Harrogate to play for Knaresborough Town Reserves and the first team.
“The relationship with Simon is pretty good and (because of him) we have people like Ewan Gregson who is 17-year-olds and has started 14 or 15 games for us this season.
“He came to me through Simon.
“We have had one-or-two other players (from Simon) like Gabe Humphries who has been training with Halifax and we have just allowed him to go to Clitheroe.
“We have Harry Rayner who is a number ten who took the West Yorkshire League by storm with something eight goals in the first six games.
“I have got another one-or-two off Simon and he’s talking to me about a couple of players who are likely to come in pre-season.
“I’m really pleased with Simon.
“He has done a lot of good things in football and people who have trained under him talk so highly of him.
“Because of some of the conversations I have had with him this season they have allowed me to think differently about how I do things and he’s given me some great support.
“I thank him for that.
“During the time I’ve known I’ve found him an absolute delight and he’s supported me really well in building relationships with some of best young talent in the town.”
Injury-hit Knaresborough were beaten 5-1 by Penistone Church on Saturday and they are currently going through a tough period on-the-field.
With ten games to go, only nine points separate them and the relegation zone.
Hunter is confident his men will get over the safety line.
“I think we have players who won’t allow this club to go down,” he said.
“I think the attitude in the changing room and the attitude of the senior players is fantastic.
“We have a lot of injuries and I expect one-or-two to come back soon.
“We signed Danny Edwards the other week and he came in for the Eccleshill game and he immediately looked strong and formed a partnership with Sean (Hunter).
“I think that will stand us in good stead.
“Those two playing upfront together, sometimes in a three with Colin (Heath), I think we’ll score goals.
“Getting beat by Penistone (on Saturday) isn’t going to be the deciding factor in our season.
“Games like that aren’t our battles.
“I don’t know how many points (it will take to get to safety) but we need to pick up two-or-three wins in the next couple of months.
“We’ve had a tough December and January as we played all the top teams and I think in March and April we have winnable games against teams around.
“Those games will define whether we stay up or not, not games like Penistone.”
Knaresborough host AFC Mansfield on Saturday.