Harrogate Railway Past Programme

November 2016

WIDER VIEW the

Harrogate's First Lady Ref We talk to Ann Kirk about her involvement in football

Training Woes

James Grayson talks about training facilities

Standing View

We talk to new club sponsor Prestige Projects' Terry Sharrocks

PRIDE | PASSION | TRADITION

THE

WIDER VIEW 4

EDITOR’S VIEW Why do we love the beautiful game that is football?

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THE INTERVIEW We chat to Ann Kirk and find out how she got involved at Railway

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THE VIEW Photos from around Station View - some familiar, some not so...

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MATCH REPORT Railway went to Rainworth for a midweek game in the league

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AROUND THE GROUND A view of a part of the ground that you may not be so familiar with

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TRAINING WOES Non-League Yorkshire's James Grayson training facilities

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RAILWAY CLUBHOUSE Need somewhere to host an event our clubhouse is the perfect place

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TRACK RECORD A brief look at Railway’s history, bang up to date!

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STANDING VIEW We talk to Terry Sharrocks of Prestige Projects about The Rail

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NOVEMBER FIXTURES Who are Railway playing in November? Here's our quick guide

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WHO ARE RAILWAY Club details, who's who and links to social media to find out more

NOVEMBER Read previous issues of our monthly magazine and match day programmes online

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EDITOR'S VIEW

EDITOR’S VIEW / OPINION

The clocks have gone back. The nights are drawing in and the temperature feels more wintery than summer or autumn.

Why is it that I, like many other people love football at this time of year?

Getting wrapped up, eating pie and peas at the side of the pitch, reading the match programme and enjoying football under the floodlights all add to the magic that is the beautiful game.

Non-league football has a growing fanbase thoughout the country as it offers some great value for money entertainment. It is also very local.

When the Premier League clubs are charging £40, £50, £60 and more for each fan to see their team, it is easy to see why non-league can be seen as a bargain.

Costing anything from £5 to £15, it is instantly more affordable and allows a parent to take their children to see live

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football.

It may not have the glamour of the big leagues, the international sports stars, the experience of being in a crowd of 40,000 to 70,000 and indeed the players may not have the silky skills of a Messi or Bale.

But what non-league has is an intimacy. There are skills on show. There is commitment. There are thrills, twists and turns.

At the end of the day, be it Premier League or NCEL Premier League the rewards are the same - three points.

You can watch the game, get involved in the 90 minutes and then chat to the players and managers after the game in the clubhouse.

You can't do that with league football.

So as the nights draw in and the weather gets colder...pull on your biggest, warmest coat and go down and support your local non-league club. You won't regret it!

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ANN KIRK THE INTERVIEW

ANN KIRK / INTERVIEW

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A

s part of our regular series of interviews to find out a little more about the people who make Harrogate Railway the club it is, we talk to Ann Kirk.

The family name “Kirk” has been associated with Harrogate and District Railway Athletic Sports and Social Club since the 1950’s.

Father in Law, Walter Kirk, was a signalman on the railways and president of the club at the time.

In those days you had to be an employee of the railway to be associated with the club.

Later husband David joined the club and was entertainment secretary for many years.

We got together in July 1973, which is when I was introduced to “the Dagger”. Over 40 years ago!

At that time the Dagger was in two large portakabins with the bar linking both sides together and women were not permitted as members.

It has certainly changed since then being housed in its’ lovely modern building we see today.

David started his refereeing career

before we got together and over the years rose to the heights of the then football league and also was president of Harrogate Referees Association, reaching the pinnacle of his career and officiating in the FA Vase Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in May 1989 between Sudbury Town and Tamworth.

Tamworth won 3-0 following the replay at Peterborough.

At the time of his passing David was still on the Management Board of the Northern Counties East Football League.

So as the old saying goes “if you can’t beat them, join ‘em”.

Having weathered a few years of referees meetings and every Saturday football ruled along with midweek matches too, we decided that perhaps if I knew a bit more about this prized game of 22 kicking a ball about I would get to like it a bit more.

Hence in 1984 I embarked upon the referees training course and was the first woman in Harrogate to pass.

It certainly made my life a lot easier!

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ANN KIRK / INTERVIEW

Although the “offside” rule still takes some working out!

My son, Craig, also completed the course many years later, so a real football family.

In July 2015 I thought long and hard about joining the committee, I wanted to give something back in to the club in David’s memory.

I was proposed and seconded as a committee member. Great!

However, just before the Annual General Meeting, Alan Smith approached me and asked how I felt about being club secretary.

“You won’t have to do much just maybe write a few insurance letters, look after various things, membership etc” Looking back I think Alan was a bit economical with the job description!

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I was general secretary of the National Federation of Fish Friers based in Meanwood, Leeds for many years subsequently this role has certainly helped me to undergo the role of club secretary “boldly” treking where no women has before.

Club secretary is certainly a busy role, not just turning up for matches.

Behind the scenes each day there is always a task to carry out, big or small.

My role as club secretary is certainly made easier by my colleagues on the committee and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support along with the members of the club.

Being voted as “person of the month” by your own peers was not only a great surprise but also overwhelming.

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The View

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RAINWORTH MW / MATCH REPORT

NCEL PREMIER

Rainworth H

arrogate Railway travelled to Rainworth Miners Welfare, near Mansfield for a 7:45pm kick off in the NCEL Premier League looking to continue on with their recent good form.

There were various changes to the squad, with the likes of Mike Morris unavailable and Chris Fisher stepping into the starting eleven.

A positive start by Railway was disrupted in around the 15th minute as a serious injury to one of this season’s most impressive players, Ryan Sharrocks, meant that he had to go off and Albert Ibrihimi came on in his place.

Both teams were keen to get the ball down and play it around, but neither were creating many clear openings to score.

The game was to change towards the end of the first half as Chris Ovington let a ball run across him in midfield.

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RAINWORTH MW / MATCH REPORT

The Rainworth midfielder ran in from the other side and both slid in to try and get possession of the loose ball.

The wet conditions and full-blooded nature of the tackle from both players meant that there was going to be some contact.

The referee blew his whistle, indicated a foul and produced a straight red card for Ovington.

The balance of play shifted to The Wrens as they took advantage of the extra man.

The weather was also deteriorating, with rain being swept across the pitch by the wind, which was picking up.

Just when it seemed The Rail would go in at half time on level terms, Rainworth got the breakthrough.

Declan Brewin got the ball in the

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penalty box and put Rainworth ahead on the stroke of half time.

1-0 after 45 minutes.

The referee signaled half time and Ryan Sharrocks was carried to the changing rooms by a couple of teammates.

The weather in the second half improved a little, with the rain stopping and only threatening half-heartedly once or twice to return.

Railway competed as a team in the second 45 with the impressive Jordan Hendrie posing a threat down Harrogate’s right wing.

Brandon Deane, who was feeling unwell, came off and Stephen Bromley was introduced to try and provide a different threat up front for the Locomotives.

However, Rainworth’s great passing and movement meant that Railway were having to work hard to get possession.

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RAINWORTH MW / MATCH REPORT

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RAINWORTH MW / MATCH REPORT

It was not a surprise when Matt Sykes got Rainworth’s second of the game after 66 minutes and then Owen Heather completed the scoring for the hosts with their third in the 72nd minute.

Railway finished the game the better of the two teams, creating a few half chances with

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Bromley close to getting on the end of two crosses in the penalty box.

It was not to be Harrogate Railway’s night and now they face the prospect of losing Hendrie, Sharrocks and Ovington for certainly the next game and in Chris Ovington’s case, for the next three matches.

FT: Rainworth MW 3-0 Harrogate Railway

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STATION VIEW / AROUND THE GROUND

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HARROGATE RAILWAY / CLUBHOUSE

WELCOME! My name is Teri. Myself and my husband, Buz, manage the bar here at Station View.

Members and non-members alike are all very welcome!

The clubhouse is a light, airy and modern building, ideal for functions and parties, which we host for a variety of occasions to

suit your needs.

The venue is free to hire and parties of over forty adults can claim a ÂŁ50 bar tab.

We offer hot and cold catering in a buffet style at competitive prices.

We can also arrange a disco

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and/or karaoke from Buzstarz Karaoke at a special club price.

There is a special atmosphere here in the clubhouse on matchdays. However, the fund doesn’t stop there!

Our opening hours are given below and we host pool and darts team matches here.

We have a monthly quiz and it is a really fun family event held on a Friday evening. Food is provided, along with a raffle and other games.

Buzstarz often finish the evening with a karaoke sing-song.

Opening hours: Thurs 7pm, Fri 6pm, Sat midday, Sun midday to 6pm.

We host bands and singers regularly - check our calendar of events.

Come and join us, we look forward to seeing you soon!

To make enquiries on how we can help host your event, contact Teri on 07412 384 644 or 01423 883 104

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TERRY SHARROCKS PRESTIGE PROJECTS 28 November 2016 TheRailFC.com

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OPINION / INTERVIEW

STANDING VIEW

Harrogate Railway announced a major new sponsorship deal at the beginning of the season. Prestige Projects became the Main club sponsor and we caught up with owner Terry Sharrocks to discuss what the club means to him.

Terry you’ve come into Harrogate Railway and have become the major sponsor, taking over from G H Brooks. What made you want to become involved with Harrogate Railway and to sponsor them?

Obviously Ryan plays here and Bradley is involved this season. But I have always been involved in football in some way and I have sponsored for a few seasons a lot of local teams where I live over in Leeds. I’ve also been involved in Leeds Rhinos and Leeds United for some years at corporate level.

I love the set up here and it is a really nice club, nice people and I see it as a little bit of a sleeping giant really, and I think it just needs a bit of a push by someone like me along with Rob to back it where we can.

Obviously, it could be good for business… who knows.

Can you tell us a little bit more about Prestige Projects, who are sponsoring Harrogate Railway?

We’re based in Leeds 13 and we are an all trades building company.

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We do new builds, lots of extensions, loft conversions, we do work for schools, NHS, local authorities and like I say we have all trades from groundworks, through to decorators. You name it we’ve got it, such as a roofing division and brick laying. Everything really. We’re very experienced.

Bradley and Ryan are apprentices, so it is a bit of a family business.

Where do you live?

I live in Pudsey, Leeds 28 so fairly local to Leeds 13.

So not too much of a trek to get into Railway?

Half an hour-ish. We do work over here as well.

Are you looking to expand over here into Harrogate?

Hopefully, you never know. There are lots of things going on behind the scenes business-wise and with the club. Exciting times ahead.

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OPINION / INTERVIEW With Ryan and Bradley getting into the Railway squad; I know that Ryan has been a mainstay in the team up to this week when he got injured – how did they get into football?

I’ve always been involved in sport from an early age and when you have two boys you I want them both to get involved in sport.

From an early age they both got involved in football and both were involved at Leeds United for a while and Bradley has been involved down at Bradford City for a couple of years.

They’ve both played for local teams. Ryan’s a really good cricketer who played at Yorkshire schoolboys level for many years.

They’re really all round good sportsmen and we’re from a sporting background – my dad was always involved in sport as well.

How long have you been aware of

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Harrogate Railway?

I’ve always known about them. I obviously didn’t know what type of club it was and about the people. It’s a really nice set up and lovely people.

I think it really needs to go to the next level, it has had a few barren years and it is a shame that they got relegated last season, but you really have to just bounce back and move on.

You need to get a good side together, a good squad and hopefully get promoted at some point.

So you have got involved in the football committee. How has that been?

Different. It’s been quite enjoyable.

Obviously when Lee left his position, it wasn’t nice because he is a nice guy. But it is interesting…my other half thinks it is just another excuse to come out and have a beer!

But it’s not.

It is interesting. I think you need to have decent people to make decisions, proper decisions as far as club and football team are concerned.

I am involved on the football side and do not get involved with the day-to-day running of the clubhouse.

But, I am enjoying it!

Have you noticed a change since you’ve got involved this season, such the feeling around the club?

If I am honest yes, definitely.

I think we have a bit of steel, I feel like we are getting there slowly but I’ve seen changes. I think there’s a bit of belief around here.

I know we lost midweek [against Rainworth] through injuries and the sending off. But I had a feeling we’d bounce back today [against Maltby Main] to be honest and we’ve added a couple of really good additions to the team.

We’ve been missing central players, holding players with a bit of experience and there’s

more on the cards.

We’ve put seven days in for certain players and hopefully we are starting to attract some decent players again.

It’s always good to see club sponsors come to home games, but we’ve also seen you travel to a lot of away games, which it is a little unusual to see.

Yeah, I enjoy it and I want to come and give my support.

I mean, I have been to games like today where Ryan and Bradley aren’t playing because of injury, but you have to come to games and give your support. I actually enjoy it.

I’ve always been involved with football for many years, but I want to see them do well and I want to be part of it.

I think there is something good about to happen here and they won’t be far away as well to be honest. Especially in this league because I think everyone is beating everyone.

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OPINION / INTERVIEW

Anything is possible really, so long as you don’t get too far away from the front runners, if we go on a bit of a good run from now until January…you never know!

It is a tough league. Typically if you lose four or five matches, you don’t get promoted as there is only one promotion spot. Do you think the rebuilding may be a little too much for this season, but next season there may be a really good run at promotion?

I agree with you, I think it is a little bit out of our reach this season. We could go on a good run and it builds for next season.

But realistically we build that platform now and really attack it next season and hit the ground running.

But stranger things have happened though…

It’s always nice to give a bloody nose to teams, like a couple of years ago under Billy Miller in the Evo-Stik, when we beat a few of the teams in the hunt for promotion.

Absolutely. It is too much of an ask this season to win promotion, so realistically next season…hopefully.

Looking forward to the remainder of this season. Looking for the results to improve. Over the last four, five or six matches we’ve seen performances improve, we’ve seen results improve and Railway have picked up points and getting a little bit further away from the bottom of the league, which always helps confidence. Are you happy with how things are going?

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Now, yes. I am now, yes.

It is always nice to get points and we are going in the right direction. If you look at the league, another three wins and it makes it interesting and it gets us in the right area.

Yes definitely, there has been a big improvement make no mistake. Without being too critical, a change needed to happen and I think everyone will agree with that.

With Paul coming in, he is a no-nonsense type of guy and it is good to see him playing as he has made a difference up front, albeit he’s not 100% fit, but he has made a difference.

He’s installed a bit of steel into the squad and that is what we need. And there have been improvements with one defeat in five.

So yeah, it has improved and we are going in the right direction. It’s good to see to be honest.

So Prestige Projects, are they going to be building a ten thousand, twenty thousand seat stadium here in the next few years when Railway go up the leagues?

Who knows…I’ve lot’s of contacts and people that want to be involved. But we need to stabilise first and start doing well on the pitch.

If you are doing well and people see that you are going in the right direction, it is easier to bring other people in. You never know.

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes and exciting stuff, but it is too early to say anything. But you know, we are going in the right direction.

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WHO ARE WE / HARROGATE RAILWAY

Harrogate Railway AFC Station View, Harrogate HG2 7JA CLUB OFFICIALS Chairman

ROB NORTHFIELD Treasurer

CHRIS PARKES Club Secretary

ANN KIRK

Football Secretary

DAVID SHEPHERD

CLICK TO SEE INSIDE

Commercial Manager

ALAN SMITH Committee

CHRIS ADAMS, SANDI ADAMS, BEN DRURY, DAVE GREEN, GARY JOHNSON, SIMON MERCER, CHRIS WATT, ANGELA WISE, DENNIS WISE Media/Press Officer

MARK P DOHERTY Clubhouse Manager

GARY JOHNSON TERI BUSSEY FIRST TEAM Manager

PAUL BEESLEY Assistant Managers

LIAM ORMSBY Physio

NICOLA MAWSON

All images copyright Caught Light Photography Limited, unless otherwise accredited. Non League Yorkshire article is copyright James Grayson.

A big thank you to our article contributors - Hal Boxhall-Dockree, David Shepherd, Ann Kirk, James Grayson/Non-League Yorkshire, Terry Sharrocks and Caught Light Photography Limited.

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You’ll find us at the end of Station View you may be surprised by our facilities!

f

@THERAILFC HARROGATERAILWAY THERAILFC

Find us on Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, Wordpress, Snapchat and Whats App. Simply search for TheRailFC. Visit our website at therailfc.com

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TRAINING WOES

NON-LEAGUE YORKSHIRE / OPINION

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@NonLeagueNorth Non League Yorkshire www.nonleagueyorkshire.com

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NON-LEAGUE YORKSHIRE / OPINION

James Grayson

“Training Woes” I

t is that time of the year when the dark nights are here and clubs start to look for indoor or floodlit all-weather facilities for training.

Speak to many and it is a difficult task. Some clubs are lucky to have their own facilities. The majority do not and many struggle to find a training base.

Hiring courts at five-a-side centres, such as Goals Leeds on Kirkstall Road, can be a solution. But finding large FA or FIFA approved 3g pitches is problematic.

“I can imagine finding a facility for the right kind of time and at the right cost being a real problem lower down, certainly in the NCEL,” says Stocksbridge Park Steels manager Chris Hilton.

“It is a big reason why teams don’t train. That’s not good because training is vital if you want to be successful.”

Stocksbridge have a good relationship with a facility away from Bracken Moor so training at a regular time is never a problem for Hilton. He was not so lucky during his four-year stint in charge of Worsbrough Bridge.

“At Worsbrough, it was very difficult to get somewhere for the right time,” Hilton adds.

“We could train at six o’clock and not everyone would be there because work pattens. A lot of the time we would train in the nine until ten slot. The six until seven slot is the one that everyone wants, but because a lot of five-a-side leagues run at that time, you can’t get it “Then there is the cost because it is expensive. You’re talking either £30 or £40 for an hour and some clubs can’t afford

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that. I was lucky at Worsbrough that I had a sponsor that covered some of it, but not all of it. The rest was usually made up by me and the players.”

“If we couldn’t get Maltby Academy, we’re where people walk their dogs. They’re horrendous pitches, but that’s the only other pitches that we could train on.

Currently there are 697 FA or FIFA approved 3g pitches in England.

Yorkshire has 81 (27 in the West Riding, 35 in Sheffield & Hallamshire, 12 in East Riding and seven in North Yorkshire).

“I think the problem we have in England is the facilities.

Maltby Main use the FA approved 3g pitch at Maltby Academy for training.

Their manager Spencer Fearn is well-versed in the mechanics of football. He was once the owner of Scottish League club East Fife, as well as the vice-chairman of Stockport County for a period.

Fearn is not surprised that clubs have problems finding facilities, because he sees it as part of a bigger problem. He believes there has been a lack of investment in facilities and coaches at grassroots for a long time.

He sees it as a systematic failure and says that other countries are miles ahead of England, including Iceland who beat the National Team in this year’s Euros.

“People says we haven’t got enough qualified coaches, but facilities is where it starts because if you haven’t got the facilities you’re not going to get the coaches and the players.

“I also coach an under 11s team and you look at some of the places where they train,” he says.

“They are not going to develop as players playing in mud-baths every week.

“You look at Holland and Spain.

Alright Spain has the climate. But there are some good facilities and that’s why they are producing some excellent players.

“If you look at Norway, kids go to their local club after school and clubs are a big focal point of their communities.

“There needs to be more investment in facilities,” Fearn says.

“They have 3g pitches everywhere. They have done it in Iceland, who of course beat us in the Euros. They have invested in grassroots and provided clubhouses, pitches.

“We are fortunate in Rotherham because we use Maltby Academy which is a new 3g pitch, but there is pretty nothing else out there.

“They have all these wonderful facilities and was it a great surprise they beat us? I have a colleague over there and he said ‘we’ll beat

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you’. No because they have invested in grassroots.”

There may be some good news on the horizon for clubs. The FA have previously announced that they want to increase the number of approved 3g pitches to 1000 by 2020.

That aim received a boost on Monday when the FA agreed a new overseas broadcasting rights deal for the FA Cup - reportedly worth £1bn from the 2018/19.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn says would enable increased investment in pitches, facilities and participation.

But it won’t happen overnight and it may be too late for Mick Godber and his young Dinnington Town players. As well as running the Handsworth Parramore first team, Godber also manages his son’s under 10s team.

“Every single village or town should have a floodlight 3g pitch paid for by the Premier League or the FA,” Godber says.

“They have the money to do it and there should be more money filtered down to give kids the opportunity to play football. There’s no facilities where I live. There’s a pitch where Dinnington Town play, but there’s no kids facilities.

“There’s a school which we hire and pay to use. It is a considerable amount, that’s nothing against the school, it is just how it is “How do you get kids off their XBOXES and iPads, only way is giving them facilities to run about in.”

It is clear that the problems that many semi-professional clubs face are just one part of a bigger nationwide problem.

rayson G s e m a J

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CLUB SPONSPOR / THERAILFC.COM

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Track Record

HARROGATE RAILWAY / HISTORY

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H

arrogate Railway will compete in the NCEL Premier Division in 2016/17 for the first time in 11 years after finishing 21st in the NPL Division One North last season.

received an offer from Tadcaster Albion for his services, where he would go on to lift the NCEL Premier Division title.

The managerial shift came to fruition after Miller

Railway’s new gaffer brought in the likes of Alex

Going into 2015/16, Railway promoted Lee Ashforth to Manager having served as Billy Miller’s Assistant for the previous three years.

One of Ashforth’s first jobs in management was to replace the likes of Matt Heath, Adam Baker and Jordan Armstrong who had followed in Miller’s footsteps to the i2i Stadium.

Low, Jack Stockdill and Charlie Clamp to his newly forming squad as well as naming long serving player Dan Thirkell Captain for the forthcoming season.

The season started positively with draws against fancied Droylsden and Spennymoor Town being followed up by home wins against Radcliffe Borough and Mossley leaving Railway in a strong position by mid-September.

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HARROGATE RAILWAY / HISTORY

Nine matches passed before the club’s next win, however, with November’s 3-2 win at Droylsden keeping Railway above the drop zone.

The weather then played its part in preventing Railway moving up the table as only one game was completed between mid-November and January, with the derby clash with Ossett Town at Station View abandoned at half-time with the home side 3-0 up!

The Railwaymen recorded just one win in the 18 games that followed the abandonment, but still had hope of surviving if they could go to Ossett Town and win in the final month of the season.

After falling a goal behind, Amar Purewal struck the visitors level and gave Ashforth’s men hope of claiming the much needed victory, only for Simon Rogers

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to head in a winner that all but sealed Railway’s relegation.

Railway did go on to record back to back wins against Prescot Cables and New Mills, but their drop back into the NCEL was confirmed with three games of the season remaining.

The club had spent 24 years in the NCEL’s various divisions between 1982 and 2006 before former Manager Martin Haresign guided the club to a third place finish and promotion to the Northern Premier League.

During the NCEL years, Railway shot to fame by reaching the second round proper of the FA Cup in the 2002/03 season when Second Division Bristol City travelled to Station View and came away with a 3-1 win in front of Sky TV’s cameras.

Incredibly the Yorkshire club repeated the feat of reaching English Football’s oldest trophy’s second round just five years later when Railway, under the management of Vince Brockie, defeated neighbours Harrogate Town on the way to setting up a tie with The Stags.

Live on Match of the Day, Mansfield saw off a plucky Railway 3-2 on a soggy Sunday afternoon at Station View.

In the penultimate season of their 11-year stint in the NPL, Harrogate Railway recorded their highest ever finish in English football in 2014/15 when the club placed eighth in the NPL Division One North, finishing above the likes of Warrington Town and Clitheroe.

Under the helm of Billy Miller, Railway’s cause was helped by the scintillating goal scoring form of striker Nathan Cartman, who at one stage of the season was outscoring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, and lifted the NPL Golden Boot.

Cartman earned a big money move to Darlington 1883 in January 2015 where he has since helped the phoenix club achieve back to back promotions to the National League North.

Railway narrowly escaped relegation to the NCEL just three years previous to their highest finish, but were handed a reprieve after finishing 21st following the demise of Woodley Sports and Durham City.

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READ ALL OUR PROGRAMMES AT ISSUU.COM/THERAILFC CLUB FIXTURES IN NOVEMBER NCEL PREMIER LEAGUE

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