Season Preview
Toolstation NCEL Division One
Harrogate Railway
With prodigal son Dan Thirkell back at Station View captaining his home-town club, Harrogate Railway are a different proposition to 12 months ago. A host of talented youngsters make up the rest of the side and Railway should be looking up the table rather than down.
Manager
Mick O’Connell
O’Connell, formerly one of the top horse racing jockeys in the country, is tasked with leading Railway’s revival. He was appointed in February 2020. O’Connell is assisted by Josh Walsh.
Opening Five Fixtures
Swallownest (h), Parkgate (a), Retford FC – League Cup (a), Dronfield Town (h), Worsbrough Bridge (a).
Notable Movement
In: Rob Youhill (Knaresborough Town)
One to Watch
Kieran Greenaway
It is a big year for the young midfielder who was in superb form last season until the campaign was curtailed.
Interview
Fifteen months ago Mick O’Connell was handed the task of lifting ship-wrecked Harrogate Railway off the seafloor.
That mission is complete. Now O’Connell wants Railway to set sail for the sun.
“Last year was where we set our stall out to stabilise the club in mid-table and I think we were on course to do that,” O’Connell told Non League Yorkshire.
“We got nine points from eight games and had a good run in the FA Vase.
“This year I think we need to kick on and not be far off the play-offs.
“We have got to be ambitious.
“We’re not here to mull along and tick over, we’re here to win games of football.
“So we want to be in and around the play-offs.
“The club is a completely different place to when we came in 15 months ago.
“The vibe and buzz around the place is brilliant.
“There’s a positive outlook from everyone on-and-off-the-pitch.”
Swallownest visit Station View for the season opener and O’Connell expects a competitive Division this season.
“There’s a lot of Nottingham and Mansfield teams in the league and they’ll come in with a bit of fire expecting to do well,” he said.
“Hallam, looking at the players they have brought in, they’ll be right in the mix.
“North Ferriby are obviously a massive club in this Division, they’ll be bang there.
“Rossington, I think they have a very good side and could be up there.
“It is a competitive league and it is certainly the best prepared we have been in terms of continuity and personnel for a few years.”
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.
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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.