3 minute read
The Big Interview
DANIEL
Having been part of the Railway set-up since the age of eight, two seasons spent at Scarborough aside, Dan Thirkell has become a household name amongst Railway supporters and a familiar face around Station View.
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While Thirkell’s presence has remained consistent, the club itself has undergone changes on and off the pitch since Dan first arrived at Station View.
Thirlkell was of course a member of the squad to win promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One North, although it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the newly appointed Captain.
The midfielder has had his fair share of relegation scraps over the years, but with the club now firmly on the up, Railway’s longest serving player insists there is no looking back.
“I started here as a junior and have grown up through the ranks. I had a couple of years at Scarborough, then came back and played for the under 19’s, but since then have progressed into the first team.
“I couldn’t see myself being anywhere else.” He added.
“When I made my debut we were still in the counties league so to come here and make this step up has been great. We were third the year we got promoted but ever since then we haven’t looked back.
Major changes have taken place at Railway this off-season, including in the managers’ seat where Lee Ashforth has stepped up to replace the departing Billy Miller.
Along with a number of changes to the playing squad, pre-season could be an unsettling time for existing squad members such as Thirkell, however the midfielder is positive about the season ahead and confident Lee is the right man to take Railway to the next level.
THIRKELL
“He’s hard working and puts a lot of time in which is good for the club and hopefully he’ll progress us on the pitch as well.
“I think you need to be five games in to really assess things but, looking from our point of view, Lee’s done very well bringing in the players he’s brought in and every week we seem to be getting stronger as a unit and progressing on the pitch.
“Jack Stockdill has been good, Cameron Lynn looks electric at times and Roy Fogarty has come into his own and scored a few goals.
“We’ve got a good set of lads here and Lee wouldn’t bring in anyone he doesn’t think would fit in with the lads that we already have.
“The banter is always getting better in the changing room and I’m looking forward to getting going.”
A healthy dressing room can often be carried over to the pitch; something Thirkell feels was of great importance in last season’s record breaking campaign.
“I think fundamentally we did the right things last year, we had a great set of lads which has built on to this year and it looks like we’ve got another great core of lads that are willing to fight for each other on the pitch.
“Last year we had a phenomenal team spirit that got us through, we went 13 games unbeaten and drove each other on throughout that stage and that carried on for the rest of the season.”
If Thirkell and company can harness the team spirit of last season, we certainly have a very exciting campaign to look forward to.
