A Brand New Adventure – A 2023/24 Review
|
Step 6 became a reality and with it came a host of brand new clubs to face and challenges to meet on and off the pitch.
Giant steps had been made and now the club had to find a way to compete its first season in the Northern Counties East League. A new man in Jason Dodsworth joined the club’s management team, bringing in a knowledge of the league and players. After a productive pre-season campaign the new squad took the field against Yorkshire Amateur to start life in Division One. The opening day visitors to Station Road had just come off the back of back-to-back relegations and continued their bad run. The Wellers scored six times without reply to cause a stir amongst other teams. Jed Rashid will forever be in the history books as the player to score the club's first goal in the new era (he also made it 3-0 with his second). Promotion campaigners Brodie Cooper and Will Harling were also amongst the goals with Gadhafi Kiwanuka and Matt Thornton scoring the others. As the season continued the club grew stronger and stronger on the pitch with experienced players like Gavin Allott and Rikki Paylor joining the ranks. Allott’s 16 goals in 11 appearances showed how dangerous he was, until injury ended his season before Christmas. The Wellers were looking strong until injuries hit and form dipped in the Autumn and despite a solid run until the end of the season a sixth place finish saw the team finish their debut season four points outside the play-offs positions. In any other season the 89 points amassed would have been enough to secure the play-offs or even a league title – but competition was stronger than ever. Player turnover during the season saw plenty come and go, including assistant manager Dean Cooper and first aider Nicole Norton, who both decided to leave the club. The end of the season was a strange one with both games against Nostell Miners Welfare (at home) and Clay Cross Town (away) not played with both team forfeiting the games, which meant the defeat to Parkgate the last match played. Only four players from the 2022/23 season were still present in the line-up (Jono Davis, Joe Egan, Eddie Agnew and Gareth McDermott), showing how much had changed in a year. Parkgate won the game and lifted the league title on our soil – something the Wellers will hope to do themselves in their second season in the NCEL. 2024 will be seen as another year when the Recreation Ground grew as the home of Wombwell Town. Not only were the new changing rooms in full use, but new floodlights replaced the old, a pitch barrier was erected around the pitch and hard standing was placed to allow supporters closer access to the pitch side for the first time in two years. The end of the season saw a new fence put in place to close in the ground and make it truly feel like a football ground, rather than a football pitch surrounded by a go-kart track. Our first season at Step 6 has proved to be a brand new adventure and the next chapter could be just as exciting! |
Jed Rashid is congratulated after scoring his second goal in the opening day win.
Initial plans for the Recreation Ground changes.
Changes as hard standing and a pitch barrier were put in place.
How the team started
How the team finished
|