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.