Season Preview
Toolstation NCEL Division One
Horbury Town
Horbury Town are one of the new kids on the block following their promotion from the West Yorkshire League. Now they’ll looking to themselves at Step 6 as a semi-professional side.
Last Season’s Position 2nd in the West Yorkshire League Premier Division (promoted)
Manager Darren Barnes
Long-serving Barnes has been manager of Horbury for five years after initially being a player before becoming the reserve boss team.
Opening Five Fixtures Ollerton Town (h), Rossington Main (a), Parkgate (h), Glasshoughton Welfare (a), Shirebrook Town (h)
Notable Transfer Movement Jamie Cusworth, the striker from Glasshoughton Welfare, is one of the new signings who add NCEL experience.
One to Watch Gibril Bojang
Interview
Darren Barnes admits Horbury Town’s historic first game as a Step 6 club is a proud moment for him and the club.
New boys Horbury begin life as a semi-professional team with the home clash with Nottinghamshire-based side Ollerton Town.
“A home fixture is important because we want to generate interest from the town and increase the revenue,” Barnes told Non League Yorkshire.
“I have been here for 13 years.
“I was a player before I was the reserve team manager and I’ve been first team manager for the last five years so it is a sense of pride that we have got this far.
“Everyone at the club is going to be really proud (on Saturday).
“We had a group of players who made history last season but on the 30th of this month more history is going to be made.
“We’re looking to enjoy this season.
“There was a lot of pressure last season, this year we want to enjoy it and compete which I know we will.
“We’re not going to let the progress stop there.”
Horbury’s side is mainly made up of the players who delivered promotion and Barnes is backing his men to step-up.
“We’ll be definitely competing, we’re not aiming to be at the bottom end of the table,” he said.
“We’re aiming for the top half and that’s the expectation of what we want.
“We have a good together group and I’m confident we’ll cause teams a lot of problems.
“We’re here to play football (in the style of play sense), we’ve developed it over the last three years and we have shown we can adapt when teams are a bit more direct, but we have a lot of pace and skill in our side and I think we’ll cause defenders problems.
“People are already saying to me that they like the way we play.
“It is attacking football with tricky players but we’re a tight-knit group and that’s what we are going to live on.”
Prediction Mid-Table