Mid Season Review

The Smithy

As far as the league is concerned, Coulby Newham look to have a stranglehold on the league title even at this stage of the season with a nine point gap separating them from the rest of the league.

Sides like the Smithy however will still be hoping to get something from the season with their best chances coming in the cup competitions.

The North Riding Saturday Challenge Cup has seen their best performances this year with a 4-0 win at Kirbymoorside thanks to a brilliant second half performance being followed up by another good win at home to Heworth from the York Leiper Hare League.

Round four will see The Smithy traveling to Lingdale Tavern early in January as they attempt to go one better than last season when they reached the semi finals of the competition.

As far as the Stokesley League cups are concerned, The Smithy have already booked their semi final spot in the Arthur Reed Shield where they will play the winners of the second place play off.

Player of the season so far has been Chris Hubbard who has revelled in his new role at the centre of the Smithy rearguard after moving their from his usual place in the centre of midfield which is now occupied by Liam Robson.

Previously more likely to be out on the wing, Robson has produced some outstanding performances in his central midfield position while the old guard of Peter King and Kevin Manson can be relied upon to turn in good performances wherever they play.

New boys Paul Jenkins, Nathan Tidy and Mark Baker have settled in well with Jenkins averaging two goals a game in a team that has the second best goal tally in the league.

Of those thirty nine goals, Chris McGill’s diving header against The Miners stands out although Smithy secretary Justin Godfrey might just be putting his claim for goal of the season with his headed goal against Stokesley.

Grangetown YCC

Grangetown YCC had high hopes at the start of the season but things have not exactly gone to plan with the League Cup the only realistic option for silverware this season.

Despite hammering The Smithy 12-2 and being the only side to take points of Coulby Newham, other games have not gone so well with the result that league title hopes have been well and truly dented.

Ironically, one of Grangetown’s best performances so far this season was the 3-1 defeat in the return game against Coulby when they did everything but stick the ball in the back of the net, a problem that has not been helped since Sean McCallister moved up to Grangetown’s Teesside League side after hitting ten goals in his first four games for the Stokesley League side.

The club have also had mixed fortunes in cup competitions with a brilliant 6-2 win over Teesside League Whinney Banks in the North Riding competition only to go out in extra time to Edgehill in the next round after leading and seemingly through to the last thirty two with just minutes to go in normal time.

Newcomer Karl Bailey has fitted in well on the left hand side of midfield role despite being only sixteen years old while at the other end of the age range, long serving Rob Blake continues to defy the years with some outstanding displays when called upon.

Left back Chris Blakey is another member of the Grangetown squad that regularly catches the eye while club stalwart Sam Noteyoung has probably picked up more man of the match awards than anyone else at the club.

St. Mary’s College 2007

St. Mary’s College 2007 also have a lot to look forward to during the remainder of the season.

Having made the decision to go with two sides this year, both teams are to be congratulated for fulfilling all their league fixtures despite seeing resources stretched to the limit at times.

The 2007 side did not get off to the best of starts losing to Acklam Steelworks on the opening day and their league campaign ahs not been helped with points dropped against The Smithy as well as tasting a second defeat against high flying Coulby Newham.

They did however put together a great run during October and November that saw them register seven straight wins

Wins over GrangetownYCC and Coulby Newham in the group stages of the Arthur Reed Shield have earned them a semi final place against Acklam Steelworks in January but the highlight of their undeafeated run has to their single goal victory over Teesside League side South Bank St. Peters in the North Riding Saturday Challenge Cup.

Semi finalists in last season’s competition, the Bankers were beaten by the only goal of the game against a College side that were good value for their success.

The College followed this win up with a third round win over Bishopthorpe that has earned them a tricky away tie against another former Stokesley League side Teesside Athletic in the last sixteen of the competition.

This result against South Bank shows just how far the young college side has progressed adopting as they do, a very positive and attractive style of football matched with a great team spirit.

Man of the match performances by influential midfielder Craig Sillick and defender Paul Pearson have set the platform to help the younger flair players such as Ryan MacKay who leads the goal scoring for the College with 10 goals to his credit.

The arrival of new faces Paul Smith, Rob Allen and Rob Moore have also improved the squad and the ever-improving Lewis Kaid has recorded many well deserved man of the match awards with excellent regular performances.

Stokesley

Despite their league position, Stokesley are another side looking to 2008 with some degree of optimism.

With only Jimmy Grainge, Gerald Malloy and Kevin Hugill staying with Stokesley from last season, it was never going to be easy to put together a settled side and so the early results proved..

Stokesley’s young side suffered some heavy defeats initially but to their credit, they stuck together and the return of some older heads has helped steady the ship.

The turning point came in late October when after losing 8-1 to The Miners in the Arthur Reed Shield , only a late equalizer denied Stokesley all three points when the sides met in the league a week later.

Since then, wins over St. Mary’s College Old Boys and the Bulls Head have lifted them off bottom spot.

Striker Luke McGloughlin continues to catch the eye with some fine performances up front in tandem with Brett Humphries whose aerial power is often a threat to opposing defences.

Stokesley’s rearguard has taken some punishment this season but centre backs Daniel Lucas and Steve McDonald coupled with keeper Gerald Malloy and fullbacks Jimmy Grainge and Kristan Stoddart are always up to the challenge.

The return of Martin Bulman coupled with excellent contributions from Craig Wilkinson and regular man of the match winner Jonathan Simpson have helped steady the midfield area where confidence can only continue grow if results improve as they have in recent weeks.

The Miners

New boys The Miners have also had a mixed baptism in the league.

Some heavy defeats have not helped their cause but like Stokesley, they have shown that they have the ability to bounce back.

Hammered 8-0 by the The Smithy, in the league, they came very close to turning the tables a week later when they lost narrowly in the Arthur Reed Shield

Not being able to field a regular team in every game been the biggest problem for The Miner’s secretary Carl Waldon.

Needing to use 30 players so far this season including 4 different goalkeepers tells it’s own story and goes a long to explain how the side can beat Acklam Steelworks 5-1 one week then be on the end of a heavy defeat against sides that they might expect to take points off the next.

Still in the Arthur Reed Shield and with the League Cup still to come, cup competitions offer The Miners their best chance of silverware this season although they are well placed in the chasing pack should Coulby Newham slip up in the league.

Club stalwart and assistant manager Steven Dodds has been outstanding for the side this season.

Although he was supposed to be taking it easier, Dodds has played in most games this season turning in some outstanding performances in midfield often against much younger opponents.

As with many sides in the Stokesley League, after match hospitality has become an integral part of the match day experience and in The Miner’s case, special thanks goes to Chris Wragg and the staff at The Miners pub in Eston for there support.

Thanks is also due to Peter Livingstone for the pitch and facilities while Wallace Hutton Building Services continue to give valuable sponsorship to the team.

Coulby Newham

The first half of the season has gone really well for Coulby with the only disappointment being the defeat to Loftus in the North Riding Cup and losing to St. Mary’s 2007 in the group stages of the Arthur Reed.

Undefeated in all their other games, they stand nine points clear at the top of the table with the best goal scoring record and the lowest number of goals conceded.

Manager Ian Evans has put together a side with a great work ethic and no lack of experience at a higher level.

Having the likes of Antony Peacock in the team has given everyone one a lift but all areas of the team have made their contribution.

The midfield quartet of Martin McManus, Sean Jenney, Ricky Woodhouse and Sean Wilkinson has really gelled well with their non stop running providing the platform for the rest of the team.

In defence, Dean Melville, Jamie Clarke and Scott McCabe have been pillars at the back giving keeper Graeme Turner plenty of cover but when needed, the ex Man. City youth player has limited the damage to just eight league goals so far.

Up front, strikers Paul Rae and Richie May have both been outstanding making significant contributions to the forty eight goals scored this season by Coulby.

Bulls Head

At the other end of the table, the Bulls Head regularly earn favorable comment from the opposition for their excellent attitude.

Regularly on the end of some heavy defeats, the Bulls have always kept battling to the end of games and, unlike other sides that might be struggling to get results, always seem to have a surplus of players available for selection.

Skipper Danny Cox has done a fine job both on the field and when taking training and has been ably supported in midfield by Steve Hinson, Adrian Johnson, Jason Blackett and Josh Bywater.

Up front, Neil Stephens has worked tirelessly for the team even when the rewards have been limited.

At the back Josh Holmes, Mike Guinea, David Powell and Sean Oldfield have given good service while Johnny Hart has been a regular in goal.

Injuries have not helped Bull’s young side but the spirit of the side is best illustrated when the likes of Adam Hind can step in when brother Dean has been sidelined.

Acklam Steelworks

Acklam Steelworks chance of league glory probably went out of the window when they lost narrowly to Coulby Newham just before Christmas in a game that everyone involved acknowledged they did everything but score.

Getting a regular side out has been secretary Ken Dalton’s main problem.

When the likes of centre back Darren Bartlett, midfielder Gary Smith and striker Lee Bowes are all available, the Steelies are formidable opposition for anyone but unfortunately other commitments mean that this has not always been the case.

Losing two nil to Grangetown YCC after an hour, best illustrates the point when Lee Bowes late arrival inspired the team to a four two win scoring one and setting up two others.

Desperately unlucky to go out to Bedale in the North Riding Cup, the Steelworks will be hoping to see off the challenge of St. Mary’s 2007 in their Arthur Reed Shield semi final as well as giving this year’s league cup their best shot.

St. Mary's College Old Boys

From the Stokesley League’s perspective, one of the welcome changes this season was the formation of a second team from St. Mary’s College.

The College Old Boys have been part of the local football scene for over 70 years but in 2007, they took the gamble to create a second team.

This gave the opportunity for Saturday afternoon football both for new players at the club who were keen to develop their game and the chance for the older, established players in the club, the chance to keep playing on a regular basis.

The two sides have been run by independent management teams and credit must go to both set ups for the way that this new venture has prospered.

Inevitably, the ‘older’ Old Boys have had a difficult start with long term injuries and new players finding their feet not helping their cause.

Only Paul Mellon has managed to play in every game as ever giving a 100% commitment when
requested to play in numerous different positions.

St Marys Old Boy’s performance's have been hit and miss this season often paying the penalty for making basic mistakes.

Inability to field the same team in consecutive games has also contributed to some below par performances but with younger players such Nial O'Hanlon and Ben Lowes always willing to help out, the College Old Boys are confident of continuing to fulfill their fixtures on a weekly basis.

The signing of two forwards in the New Year and the return of players from long term injury gives the side optimism for the remainder of the season where progress in the Wilf Leader Trophy is the first target in their quest for laying hands on some silverware in this season.