SILVERWARE CAPS A CONSOLIDATING SEASON
Hucknall Town capped a consolidating season in the UCL Premier North with winning the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup after an incredible 6 6 draw after extra time and a 4 3 penalty shoot out win.
The season began with an away fixture at Sleaford Town and although the Yellows had long periods of possession they couldn't find the goal they deserved and succumbed to a late goal by the hosts. A 5 2 drubbing at home to Belper United followed and then an early exit from the FA Cup with a 3 2 home defeat to an impressive Bottesford Town made it a disappointing start.
A further home league defeat followed, inflicted by Bourne Town who we now know went on to be promoted via the play offs.
Town finally picked up their first point away at Shirebrook but it should have been all three as we completely dominated that game. Champions elect Lincoln United came to the RM and returned home with the 3 points in a 3 1 win.
Thankfully Ashby Ivanhoe were our next opponents. If ever a team has a bogey side we are definitely theirs. Beating them home and away last season the trend continued with another victory and our first 3 points of the season thanks to a Brad Wells goal.
Another victory away at Wisbech followed with goals from Luis Parkes and Niall Towle securing the points.
The optimism was short lived though as Gresley inflicted a 4 1 defeat on the Yellows at The Moat.
Aylestone then expectedly dumped us out of the League cup before a 1 nil victory at Selston saw us through to the next round of the Notts Senior Cup (who'd have thought eh).
A welcome home victory came against Boston Town with goals from Niall Towle and Mykah Skervin sealing a 2 1 victory over a sde that made the play off final.
Again we were Jekyll and Hyde as we succumbed 2 1 at home to AFC Mansfield who also made the play offs.
Our Fa Vase campaign started with a fine 6 1 win at Lutterworth with Niall getting a hat trick but unfortunately Heanor Town ended our Vase campaign at the RM in the next round winning a penalty shoot out 5 3 after the game finished 1 1. Heanor went on to have a fine run in the competition reaching the quarter finals before bowing out.
In between the Vase games the yellows picked up a point in a goalless draw at home to Shirebrook, another game with them where we failed to take our chances. There were also defeats at Skegness and at home to our local rivals Eastwood CFC who were the other team to make the play offs.
The vase exit was tough to take and the fans were in the doldrums fearing another relegation battle despite us competing better in games in comparison to last season.
Heanor then inflicted a 4 1 defeat on the Yellows at the Town ground four days after the Vase game and this was significant as manager Reece Limbert tendered his resignation after the game which was accepted by the club. I'd like to thank Reece for his contribution in keeping us up last season but I felt it was the right time to move on. Personally I never saw him as a manager but as a very good coach and he has had great success in this role at Quorn who won their league and the promotion.
This meant the club needed to find a new management team. In the meantime up stepped Chris Galley from the coaching staff as interim manager. One of the legacy's of gallers time in charge was the loan signing of a young keeper Luke Jeffrey from Hinckley Leicester Road to step in for Alfie who was out injured for a while. What a signing that proved to be.
Newark Town though weren't in a mood to party and a 4 1 away defeat started Gallers brief spell in charge. However results certainly picked up with the change. a 1 1 home draw with Sleaford, another game we should have won easily was followed by a revenge victory in the Notts Senior cup at Newark Town (how far can we go in this competition).
A disappointing home draw with Harrowby and a 2 1 defeat at Newark and Sherwood ended Gallers brief spell in charge with the Yellows still very much in a relegation fight.
So a new era began in the recruitment of new management team Tris Whitman and Aaron Large. both ex yellows players and a proper Manager/Coach set up. Something I personally think was very much needed.
Their first game in charge though they themselves would admit it was their first look at the players came with a most welcome if unexpected victory at champions elect Lincoln United. Goals from Ethan Hulley and Niall plus a tenacious defensive display secured an astonishing victory especially after going behind after only 5 minutes.
It did look like this was going to be a false dawn though as relegation rivals Deeping rangers inflicted a 3 2 defeat on the Yellows and another defeat at a stormy Boston followed this time 3 nil.
A very welcome 3 nil home victory over Melton Town at the RM followed as an early Christmas present but a disappointing defeat at bottom club Kimberley on Boxing day left us very much in the relegation mix.
However a new year always brings renewed optimism and so it proved. A fine display at then top of the table Eastwood saw the Yellows triumph 3 1.
This result was the beginning ofan astonishing turn around and further victories followed. Another fine display in the Notts Senior cup saw us dump Sherwood Colliery out of the competition in a 2 1 win at the RM (somethings brewing here)
3 victories in 4 league games followed1 nil at home to Wisbech (which saw the introduction of another key signing in Reece Sugars), a 1 nil victory at Ashby Ivanhoe (they must hate us) and a key 3 0 home victory against Gresley (A game which saw our goal of the season winner from Joey). The other game saw us draw1 1 at Harrowby.
These results lifted us away from the relegation scrap but we suffered our first defeat of the year at home against our own bogey side Heanor who won 3 1.
This didn't halt the Yellows good form and another bogey side in the form of Belper United were beaten in another fine display at Eastwoods Coronation Park.
This was the game before our Notts Senior Cup home tie with Basdford where to be honest most of us though tthat would be the end of our run in the competition. However the lads produced a fantastic display both in attack and defence to win 2 nil (we couldn't could we) to set up a final at Mansfields Field Mill against Newark and Sherwood.
Back to the league and Skegness came to the RM and took away a point in a disappointing game maybe understandably after the Basford game. I don't know what the management team said after that game but the following display at Melton Town was one of the finest I have seen from a Hucknall team. Melton were dismantled 6 1 and it could have been a lot more. That was also the game where I felt we secured our place in this league for next year.
A home defeat followed inflicted 2 1 by Newark Town but this was followed by a 2 1 home victory over Deeping Rangers which ended any doubts.
The rest of the league campaign saw the management rotate and give the squad game time. A 1 1 draw at AFC Mansfield, A 3 nil home win over our cup final opponents, our first away defeat of the year 3 2 at a very good Bourne Town and a very disappointing though understandable 3 nil home defeat to another bogey side Kimberley who avoided relegation because of this result.
So we finished a respectable 12 with our form in 2025 being that of play off contenders. It remains to be seen which players will remain with us for next seasons campaign but I'm hopeful that the majority will and that we can push for the top half/play off places next time around.
So all things led to Field Mill where no one could have predicted the most incredible game of football I have ever witnessed. The incredible scenes in the scoring of the last kick of normal time to make it 5 5 will never be forgotten. To go from there and being behind so many times to winning the cup on penalties was monuMENTAL.
It capped a great season and rewarded everyone concerned with well deserved silverware and is a giant step of where we want to get back to.
So have a lovely break everyone and I'm sure the time will fly until the first PSF when we go again.
