Yellows Elation and Deflation
The start of the year saw the yellows involved in a 5 from 6 team competition for the title and the four play off spots. The teams being Aylestone Park, Birstall United, Bourne Town, Newark and Radford.
Hucknall had 4 successive home games winning 3 and drawing one but ended the month with a single goal defeat at Birstall.
February saw the Yellows play 7 times in the league and it was pretty much a mixed bag of results. The Yellows started the month with a 3 nil away win away at Kirby Muxloe but then lost at home to play off rivals Newark Town by the same score.
A 6 nil win at home to bottom club Grantham got the Yellows back on track but in a league where even draws cost you vital points a nil nil draw at home to Rainworth and a 1 1 draw away at Blackstones cast doubt on the Yellows play off hopes as everyone else in the mix were winning. A fine 5 1 away success at previous bogey side Gedling was followed by a very bitter 3 2 defeat away at Champions Elect Aylestone despite a battling display from the Yellows.
March saw the Yellows playing 5 times starting with a 2 nil home success over Saffron Dynamo who also had become a bit of a bogey side and indeed beat the Yellows earlier on in the season on their own patch. The second game of the month saw another home game against Blackstones which was midweek and a rearranged game for what should have been the first game at the RM.. The race for the play off spots was a tight affair and with the Yellows trailing to a single goal going into added on time it looked like a loss of 3 vital points was on the cards. However Hucknall managed to get an equaliser and with a draw being no good to the visitors they pushed forward allowing Hucknall to break quickly and getting a free kick on the edge of the visitors area. The free kick struck the bar but Captain Short headed the rebound in sparking unbelievable scenes of jubilation with players and supporters all joining in. In my opinion that was the RM's first real memory made and I am convinced that game had a big influence on what was to follow. It also ended Blackstones late effort of upsetting the play off party. A Grantham away victory followed where the Yellows just did enough against the bottom side. The month ended with a 3 1 victory at home to Holwell Sports and a disappointing draw at home to Southwell.
April saw the last 3 games of the League campaign and Hucknall's play off hopes had been boosted by Radford having 3 points deducted. . A home win over Clifton and an away victory at another bogey side Dunkirk confirmed Yellow's place in the play offs for a second successive season. They ended regular season with a disappointing loss at Barrow town by the only goal of the game.
This left the Yellows in 4th spot and meant a difficult looking play off game away at Bourne Town though the Yellows had won there in the league campaign. A huge crowd of 893 with a good following of Yellows supporters saw Hucknall take the lead through leading scorer Craig Westcarr only for Zac Munton to equalise for the hosts. The second half was tense as was the period of extra time but the game went to a penalty shoot out. . This was when Hucknall's keeper Louis Kinnerley stepped up to the plate and with some fine saves and some great penalties by the Hucknall lads the Yellows progressed to the play off final where they would have to travel to runners up in the league Birstall United, who had defeated Newark Town.
Another big crowd of 850 saw another very tense affair saw Kieran Knight score from close range on 54 minutes only for Birstall's captain and talisman striker equalise 2 minutes later. Again after a tense match the game went to penalties. Again Hucknall scored all of their penalties and Kinnerley was again the hero as against all odds Hucknall gained promotion to the UCL Premier division North. Manager and assistant Andy Ingle and Michael Banister deserve huge credit for that achievement.
With fans anticipating step 5 football for the first time in a few years Ingle and Banister had the task of trying to assemble a squad good enough to compete at the higher level. It must have come as a big disappointment to them as it did the supporters to lose the spine of the promotion winning team to another local side Sherwood Colliery. The 50 goal strike force of Westcarr and Knight departed to Debdale lane as did goalkeeper Kinnerley and fans player of the season Louis Tomlinson.
There is absolutely no doubt that these departures had a massive bearing on how Hucknall started the league and have consequently struggled since.
The season started with a hard fought draw at home to Wisbech in a game that showed the Yellows faithful the gulf in standard from division 1. That turned out to be the only point Hucknall would get until their first and only victory so far in the league at home to Ashby Ivanhoe on the 20th of September. Included in that run of defeats was a home game against bottom side Pinchbeck United, a game that most Hucknall followers expected the Yellows to win. Instead Hucknall's hopes were left in tatters as they suffered a 5 nil hammering which contributed to the downfall of the management team. Banister stepped down from his role a week later (Sept 8th) after the Yellows had suffered a 7 2 cup defeat at division 1 Newark Town. Manager Andy Ingle Stepped down a week later ironically after a rare Hucknall victory at Southwell City in the Notts Senior Cup. This left club Secretary Phil Henry in caretaker charge as the club sought a new management team.
It didn't start well with a 6 nil away defeat at Deeping Rangers but Henry was at the helm when Hucknall secured that only league victory so far. Indeed this coincided with an upturn in Hucknall's fortunes. Hucknall drew their next league game at Newark and Sherwood before the new management team of Louis Bland and Reece Limbert took the reins on October 2nd. Two more home draws and encouraging displays followed against Loughborough Students and AFC Mansfield before a disappointing exit from the Notts Senior Cup at home to local rivals Radford.
Then followed four successive games against top 4 sides in Sherwood Colliery, Melton Town and Lincoln United both home and Away. Despite encouraging performances from the Yellows no points were gained from these fixtures. Also during this period changes in the playing staff saw comings and goings to the extent that only 3 players remain that were part of the promotion winning squad 4 if you count the long term injured Aaron Lamb. Technically you could also count Callum Orange and Trev Lindo though they were bit part players at the time.
Bland and Limbert had brought in a lot of players and were beginning to make things happen so it was a shock to everyone at the club when Bland left the club for an opportunity at Grantham Town which was to good to turn down and I really do wish him well in that role.
Bland's departure followed the 2 1 home defeat to Lincoln United where the Yellows were very unfortunate not to get something from the game.
This left plenty of optimism for the upcoming games against fellow strugglers AFC Mansfield away and Kimberley MWFC at home on Boxing day. This was all to no avail as a poor performance at Mansfield resulted in a 2 nil defeat and despite an improved display at the RM Kimberley ran out winners with the only goal.
The year closed with the Yellows soundly beaten 4 1 at Loughborough Students. This coupled with the improving results of Pinchbeck leaves the Yellows rock bottom on just 7 points from 19 games played 5 points behind second bottom Pinchbeck who have played 21.
This leaves 15 games for Hucknall to try and maintain their step 5 standing. I still think this team needs to gel and is capable of victories but it needs to start happening and happening soon.
As supporters we need to back the team and get behind the lads. I think we have largely done that for the vast majority of the season but I am beginning to sense an air of discontent and there is only one way to make that stop.
Happy New Year to all
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