Season Preview
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Golcar United
Golcar United are the new kids on the block and they join Step 5 after a meteoric journey from the West Riding County Amateur League in three years. Now they have their sights on more success.
Last Season’s Position 3rd in the North West Counties First Division North (promoted via the play-offs)
Manager Ash and Gav Connor
The Connor brothers have overseen the extraordinary rise of Golcar United whose ground and team are unrecognisable when compared to a few years ago. Prior to managing Golcar, the pair began their dugout journey with Marsden.
Opening Five Fixtures Thackley (a), Stocksbridge Park Steels (a) – FA Cup, Handsworth (h), Penistone Church (a), Emley AFC (a)
Notable Transfer Movement Golcar grabbed the early headlines in May with the capture of Steeton goal machine Kayle Price. The return of Ash Flynn is a marquee signing too you could argue.
One to Watch Joe Skarz
Interview
Ash Connor says Golcar United want to add more chapters to the club’s fairytale story.
Golcar have come from nowhere to sit one echelon below the Northern Premier League following their promotion last season.
Golcar aren’t putting the brakes on and Connor says his club want to challenge.
“I feel we have a strong squad and we want to compete again,” Connor told Non League Yorkshire.
“Our aim going into every season is to go in and be competing at the top end of the table and it is no different this year.
“That’s the ambition of the club.
“Everybody from last season is still here and added Kayle from Steeton and Slater Barnes from Huddersfield Amateur.
“Danny Facey has joined us but hasn’t been able to play yet as he has an injury.
“We have Flynny back and we feel the squad will be competing. That’s the plan.”
Golcar were involved in a title race with Bury AFC last season.
It was pretty much a three-horse race for most of the campaign.
Connor expects a different kind of title battle this year.
“(Bury) had the pulling power to get top players and in the end they won it at a canter,” he said.
“They finished 20 points ahead of us.
“This season I think it will be wide open as there’s a lot of strong teams in there.
“It is going very competitive.
“We play Thackley this weekend and they have strengthened massively over the summer with the likes of Tom Greaves and Aidan Chippendale from Bury and Jason St Juste and Ste Crawford.
“They are going to be wanting to be competing at the top end of the table.
“There definitely won’t be any easy games.”
Pre-season has presumedly the talk of the town for some as results were certainly iffy in early July when they were battered 6-0 by Emley.
Connor says their results in July are irrelevant.
“We have had a tough pre-season and we have played a lot of good teams like Liversedge and Mossley,” he said.
“You want to have a tough pre-season and I think we’re in a good position going into the season.
“We had a good result against Nostell last week, a good performance and we played Abbey Hey on Saturday and we had a 3-3 draw.
“You can’t read too much into pre-season.”
Prediction Top Half