Managers review - 2012/13 - Becoming Champions

Last year’s review was tinged with a feeling of what could have been, after a great start to the season that petered by the end. No need for that this year... there is only one word that can summarise the season – CHAMPIONS! 

From the first game of the season right through till May, performances by the team have been of a very high standard. Everyone has stepped up a level this year; both in consistency of availability & performance, we’ve coped with injuries even before the start of the season & all our new players have had a big impact to the quality & depth of the team.

Thanks – I have to start by paying a big thanks to both Ali & Jamie for all their help again this year in running the club. In their roles as secretary & treasurer they do a lot of the work that goes unseen in running the club & filling out lots of forms, looking after equipment that is easy to forget but nonetheless vital. With both of them starting to step down from their roles it will not quite be the same without their help, so I along with the club owe them a great deal of thanks. It will be good to have them still involved in some capacity, although I’m sure they will appreciate me not clogging up their email inbox quite so much.

New players—The players that have joined this year have all made a positive & significant impact on the club. Since his first game in December Gareth has been solid & consistent, & saved me from a major headache with Steve missing a number of games due to work & also being needed to play outfield. At the back Ant had a brilliant start to his time for the club, making left back his own in the first half the season. Before he disappeared off to Australia, he was on a great run of goals & motm awards. Rob B has continued to improve as the season has progressed & provided much needed competition to the back four. In the centre of the midfield both Ivan & Laurence have been exceptional. Ivan has been a standout performer in every game, brining a steely determination to go with his quality on the ball. Laurence has been a calming influence in the centre of the park with his composure & canny knack of being in the right place at the right time. Despite only playing 4 games, Matt added a great quality to the midfield & scored what turned out be a crucial goal against Unity in Mission. Upfront Nick has come in & scored an important number of goals throughout the season. As well, his performance has had an ever increasing influence on the team’s overall success.

League—YCFL Division 2 Champions. We finished the season as clear winners, with a record of 12 wins, 3 draws & a single defeat, scoring 76 goals & conceding only 16 in 16 games.

Throughout the team there have been standout performances from the seasoned players as well as our new guns. Dave G has been a rock at the heart of the defence & stepped up to the role of captain in Jamie’s absence, leading by example. The Donkin brothers have both, time & again put in match winning performances with their goals & tireless work out wide. Rob Y has been a creative force in the middle of the park & again chipped in some vital goals. Alex has yet again led the line with distinction & walks away with the golden boot for the first time.

Looking back over the season there are a number of games & moments that stand out. The win away to Sowerby Bridge in February was a huge win & would perhaps be noted down as the performance of the season if it wasn’t for the fact that I managed to miss the game. The two games for me that really demonstrate the quality of the team, both in the performance & character, was our win against UiM in March & draw away to Huddersfield in April. Both games saw us having to pick ourselves up from some debateable referring decisions, strong comebacks from the opposition & score two late goals of exceptional quality that in the end earned us the points that clinched the title. Youngy’s cool finish from Yates’ through ball was admired by both teams (& even had its own illustration), but for me Scott’s quality 30 yard volley to get the draw against Huddersfield goes down as my goal of the season.

Cup—In the cup there were some exciting games, especially in the early group stage, most notably the 11-4 win at home to UiM; a game that saw Nick, Jonny & Ali all grab hattricks— the most goals we saw in one game during the season. We made progression again into the knockout stages of the cup proper, & went one round further than last season, making it the quarter-finals. Despite getting knocked out to FC Gateway, we managed to outplay one of the top Premiership teams for large parts of the game.

It’s been a real pleasure managing the team again this year. I’ve continued to learn in my role & look forward to next season & seeing us make our mark on Division 1.

The gaffer.

AGFC AGM & Awards Evening

The AGFC AGM for 2012 took place on Saturday, 11th May at the Gateway Centre.

Players present: Laurence Bradley, Rob Brooke, Scott Donkin, Nick Eastburn, Steve Harbertson, Josh Heffernan, Alistair Hogben, Jamie Holliday, Peter Sloan, Ivan Straw, Ben Telfor, Rob Yates, and Alex Young

Along with the Manager's address, Secretary’s report and the Treasurer’s financial statement, as well as a powerfully delivered message sent in by Captain Dave due to his untimely absence, and there were also some good discussions about the season and plans for next season. It was agreed at the meeting at a slight change to costs for next year, as well as changes to the club committee:

Manager: Peter Sloan

Assistant Manager: Scott Donkin

Captain: Dave Guilliatt

Treasurer: tbc

The night ended with the awards presentation for 2012/13 Season for the following winners:

Golden boot: Alex Young (18 goals)

New Player of the Year: Ivan Straw

Managers Player of Year: Laurence Bradley

Players Player of the Year: Jonny Donkin

Clubman of the Year: Dave Guilliatt

Not only Alex’s goals, but his overall workrate and contribution to the team this season have been fantastic. In every game he runs his socks off and has caused every defence we have faced this season a torrid time. As well he has filled in, in midfield and defence when needed this year which demonstrates his commitment to the team. He was run extremely close this year with Jonny coming 2^nd only one goal behind on 17, and Nick, in his first season scoring 16 himself. Hopefully next season the golden boot will be as competitive.

Ivan claimed the New Player of the Year award in what has seen by many as an obvious choice. His consistent performances throughout the year have excellent and he has certainly added extra qualify and steel to the middle of the park. Nick and Ant shared second place in the votes for both of their great contributions to the team, and Gareth claimed 3^rd place thanks to his continual solid displays between the posts, an impressive feat considering he made his debut in the our last game before the winter break.

For Manager’s Player of the Year I do not just consider playing ability. I consider someone’s commitment to the team, the effort made on the pitch and their attitude both on and off the pitch. This was not an easy decision, with a number of players that I considered, with Ali Hogben and Ben Telfor high in my considerations. However, I chose Laurence due to his continually impressive performances throughout the year unnoticed by position teams, and exemplary attitude throughout the year, a true team player.

Jonny clinched the Players Player of the Year award for the first time after an impressive season. This award was by far the most closely fought contest in the votes with Ivan in 2^nd and Scott in 3^rd place one vote adrift from each other. All 3 had excellent season, and Jonny won the award on the back of crucial goals throughout the season, recognised as a team player that doesn’t look for personal glory and often seen as the unsung hero of the team.

Newly installed fulltime captain Dave Guilliatt walked away with the Clubman of the Year award for the second time after a fantastic season. Stepping up to the role of captain after Jamie’s injury he has led the team from the front with his exemplary attitude and encouragement to the team. One of the highlights of the season was seeing Dave grab his first goal for the club, and he still holds the envious record and still being unbeaten as captain in the league.

Champions…

April: With 3 games left in our season, we knew that taking maximum points would all but clinch us the title with our superior goal difference. With big games between St. Pauls and Huddersfield, and Sowerby Bridge against Unity in Mission also taking place on the 20^th April, our game against Mowbray Community Church was played more with the result in mind than the performance. It was not a classic, but we nonetheless grabbed a deserving 3 points. Goals from Jonny, Nick & Alex secured the 3 points, and there was a late goal for last year’s returning top goal scorer Joe Hall. The early kick-off meant that news of a Unity win against Sowerby slowly filtered through, and with only 2 games to go, we now had a clear gap at the top of the table.

A week later we travelled to Huddersfield to face New North Road. They had put on a very strong defence in York earlier in the season and we only narrowly won the game 1-0. We knew however, that with only 2 games to go that 3 points would confirm promotion for the first time and put us in touching distance of the title. A game played changeable weather throughout, the team put in one of the most assured performances of the season. The team grabbed 9 goals in total, including hattricks for man of the match Nick and Jonny, as well as goals from Scott, Rob and Ali. With promotion confirmed in emphatic style, all attention then turned to our final game of the season 4 days later…

May: The team were in celebratory mood knowing that even a point would confirm the clubs first piece of silverware. The occasion slightly overshadowed the game somewhat, but nonetheless a composed performance from the team saw first half goals from Alex to clinch to the golden boot with 18 goals in total for the season and also one from Scott. The highlight of the game undoubtedly was a late penalty won by Jonny, with Laurence stepping to score his first goal for the club, our last goal of the season. As soon as the final whistle went the champagne was sprayed and the victory celebrations began.  

Look out later in the week for the manager’s season review and AGM & Awards evening report.

The final run in…

The Easter schedule was a mixed affair for the club, with a win, a draw and only a 3^rd loss of the season.

March: Our final game in March saw the first in our double header against Huddersfield, the league leaders for a long time this season. We had replaced them at the top only a couple weeks previous so this was an extremely important game for both clubs eyeing promotion and possible the YCFL Division 2 title. We got off to the perfect start with 2 very early goals from Nick and then Jonny. Another goal in the first half from Alex gave has a commanding 3 goal advantage at the break. A forced substitution at half-time with our captain Dave having to come off injured meant Stuart Scougall came off the bench to play at the back. A dominant display from him saw he score to great headed goals from corners and be awarded man of the match from the opposition. A late goal from Ali rounded off a resounding win, finishing 6-0.

April: The following Saturday we were up against Huddersfield again, this time at their ground. With a few forced changes to the side it was a much less characteristic performance from the team, but nonetheless we found ourselves 2-0 up mid way through the first half, thanks to great goal from Scott, volleying in a superb cross from Ivan, and another well taken goal from Alex. The first half was marred however from a poor refereeing decision that allowed Huddersfield back into the match through a penalty that both teams were shocked at the decision. A second goal for home team game through an excellent corner that was impossible to defend and found its way into the back of our net. After the break it was a fiercely contested game, and Huddersfield then took the lead, again from a dubious decision by the ref, awarding a goal that appeared offside. Despite this the team rallied together, and even despite the manager being forced into a 20 appearance at the end due to an injury, the team found a late equaliser through an exceptional goal from Scott, and the game finishing 3-3.

The following week it was the YCFL Cup quarter-final in the much heralded clash of the Gateways. This was the first encounter for us against one of the top teams in the YCFL, current second in the Premier Division – FC Gateway. With the support of a good home crowd behind us the team put in a very good performance, but we undone by a couple of decisive breaks by the opposition. In a game where we completely dominated for the first 20 minutes, by the end of the first half we found ourselves 2 goals down, and despite the teams best efforts in the 2^nd half, we were prevented from scoring for the first time this season. In only our 3^rd loss of the season, and 2 of those in the cup to the current top 2 in the Premier Division, the players can hold their heads high knowing that we gave the cup our best efforts this year, and did extremely well to progress to the quarter-finals, and give such a good account of ourselves.

Now all our attention turns to the final 3 games of the season. We currently sit top of Division 2 on 30 points, with a very healthy +46 goal difference, 19 goals better off than Sowerby Bridge, who are 3 points behind us in the table, with a game in hand. What that means is, if we win all 3 games we are near enough guaranteed the title, unless Sowerby win all their games remaining, scoring far beyond what would seem likely or possible. More immediate in our thinking is that a win this Saturday against Mowbray Community Church will go a long way to securing the club promotion. If we win and the results go our way in the games between Sowerby Bridge v Unity in Mission and St. Pauls v Huddersfield then promotion is near enough guaranteed due to superior goal difference. If we however do not pick up a win this weekend, then Huddersfield, Unity in Mission and St. Pauls all could potentially catch us, as well as Sowerby Bridge. So with 3 games left to play, we have a lot left to play for, with promotion and the title within our grasp.

Our final 3 games:

Saturday 20^thApril – Mowbray Community Church (Home)

Saturday 27^thApril – New North Road (away)

Wednesday 1^st May –Mowbray Community Church (away)

Spring approaching...

With games being called off for us in January due to the continual bad weather, the club had to wait until February to return to action on the field.

February: Our first game of 2013 saw us compete ‘away’ at local rivals St. Paul's Pilgrims. With a lack of match practise a couple of uncharacteristic errors  crept into our game, and despite being 1-0 up at half-time we found ourselves on the losing side for the first time in the league this season. It was a humbling result where we were ultimately undone by a team who showed greater commitment and drive.

A week later the team had the opportunity to start clawing back the ground we had lost the previous week, and we did it in some style, winning 11-1 away to Opportunity Soccer. Another 4 goals for Alex Young went a long way to not only securing the 3 points; it also pushed him well up the table in his aim to get top goal scorer for the league. The match also saw a brace from Nick, Scott & Jonny, as well as another goal and man of the match performance from Ant.

A draw that day as well between Sowerby Bridge & Huddersfield Elim also meant that the gap to the top was closed.

The following week we embarked on a tough trip away to Sowerby Bridge, looking to get the 3 points that we deserved from the first match against them earlier in the season that finished in a 1 all draw. Despite an early goal from Rob Yates, we were outplayed for the majority of the first half. In the second half another early goal set us on our way, and we came away with a much deserved, if slightly flattering, 5-1 victory. Notable highlights from the match were a great goal from captain Jamie and another excellent performance in the midfield from Ivan.

The last Saturday in February saw us host New North Road, in the first meeting between the two teams. This was by no means a classic, but nonetheless we came away from a nervy game with a 1-0 victory, thanks to another Rob Yates goal early in the second half.

March: The month started with YCFL Cup action, competing in the round of 16, the stage we got knocked out of last season. The draw was slightly kinder to us this year, playing away to LRBC FC. It was a tight contest, but an early goal from Nick separated the teams and saw us advance to the quarter-final stages of the cup for the first time.

The following week we were again away, this time to Four FC. In a match that was made very difficult with the condition of the pitch, we went down early on, but came away with a 3-1 victory thanks to 2 first half goals from Nick, and a goal in the second half from Scott. Along with a victory by Unity in Mission against Huddersfield Elim, the victory saw us move top of Division 2 on goal difference and with a game in hand over Huddersfield.

With the top of YCFL Division 2 tightening up, our game a week later against Unity in Mission in Leeds became all the more important. Going into the game 3 points separated the top 4 teams. UiM went into the game 3 points behind us but with a game in hand so it was very clear this match could have a huge bearing on the title. We got off to a brilliant start with a goal from Jonny. 5 minutes later we were undone by the worst referring decision this season, when a ball that hit the crossbar and then bounced near the line was awarded as a goal for UiM despite the ref simply guessing. Despite the injustice we claimed 2 more goals in the first half, thanks to Rob and a sublime finish from Jonny to have a 2 goal advantage at the break. UiM battled exceptionally well in the 2nd half to bring the game back to 3-3, only for Alex Young to claim a very well taken goal from an exceptional pass from Rob to give us all 3 points.

As we look ahead to the coming of spring, we'll hopefully have good enough weather to actually finish the season. The next few weeks have been made difficult with loss of our captain to injury (although there is hope he will make a return before the season finishes), and one of our star performers of the season so far, Ant Glass, disappearing to Australia. We currently sit 3 points clear as things stand in Division 2 and with a great chance of not only promotion but the Division 2 title as well. With 5 league games left we are in a great position, but there is still all to play for, especially with the home and away double header against Huddersfield to come over the Easter holidays. 

New Years expectancy…

The run-in to Christmas lost some of its shine with poor weather and not enabling us to get all our matches played.

November: Our scoring spree continued at home against Four FC with a 9-0 victory. Alex Young, restored to lead the line bagged four goals, with Nick, Jonny and Dan Chapman also getting their names on the scoresheet. Rob Yates came off the bench to score, but then undoubted highlight of the match was Dave Guilliat finally getting his first goal for the club after two and a half seasons. Scott again walked away with man of the match.

A week later, a second encounter with Unity in Mission in the month was not so fruitful. A good headed goal from Matt Bowyer half way through the second half looked to have given us all 3 points, but a late goal from UiM meant the game finished all square. It was a much improved line-up and performance from UiM compared to the cup game only a couple of weeks previous, but a frustrating result which prevented us from going top of YCFL Div 2. The highlight of the match was Laurence Bradely getting man of the match for his commanding performance in the middle of the park on his first start for the club.

December: With only one fixture able to be played in the month, it was back to the cup for AGFC and up against Div 1 team Normanton. In one of our best performances of the season, Nick grabbed another 2 goals and a first goal and man of the match performance from Ant Glass, saw us win the game 4-0 to place AGFC second in Group D of the YCFL Cup and qualify us for the knock-out stages of the cup for the second year in a row. All eyes are now on the draw for the cup at the mangers meeting on January 31^st.

2013: As a club we have not hid from the fact that the aim this season is first and foremost to gain promotion from YCFL Div 2. We came agonisingly close last season and know that we must go one step further this year.

We have heavy fixture list from the beginning of February all the way through to the end of April. With our rescheduled game away to Huddersfield unable to played at the weekend, we currently sit one point behind Huddersfield with a game in hand. Whether we can get to the top of the table and stay there will all depend on the consistency and quality of the continued availability of players and performances from here on, and hopefully come May, promotion and quite possibly a trophy will be ours.