Penistone Church will wait to see if they are promoted to Evo-Stik Division One due to a restructuring of the leagues but, even if not, manager Ian Richards is delighted with the club’s highest ever league finish.
Church completed their season with a 3-0 home win over fifth-placed Yorkshire Amateur with Jordan Coduri netting a hat-trick in front of 264 supporters.
They have finished second on 82 points, eight fewer than champions Worksop Town who claimed the only promotion place. Church are the only side to pass 100 goals, with 112 from their 38 games.
Second would have taken them into the Evo-Stik Premier last season when three clubs were promoted due to a league restructuring. With AFC Mansfield and North Ferriby both choosing to move down to NCEL level, there may be an extra promotion place.
Richards said: “It’s possible we could go up but we will have to wait until the Evo-Stik play-offs finish in mid-May. We would deserve it because we’ve had a fantastic season and our league is the only one in which second place doesn’t get at least a play-off place. We’ve achieved great success and I’m extremely proud.
“We haven’t got the trophies or medals we wanted but you’ve got to give credit to Worksop Town winning 18 in a row. I also give credit to our players for finishing as runners-up in this very tough and difficult league with some high-profile teams and players.”
Richards and his brother and assistant Duncan are highly-rated on the non-league scene after taking their hometown club from the County Senior League up two divisions on a smaller budget than most clubs around them.
“I have made no secret of my ambitions to manage at a higher level. There might be a time when I get an offer I can’t refuse but I have just finished my tenth season with Penistone and I’m really happy there. I am already planning for next season with Church and the club is matching my ambitions to move up the leagues so, as long as that is the case, I am happy and not looking to move elsewhere.”
Richards is hoping to keep hold of his star attackers Nathan Keightley and Sam Scrivens, who are both in their early 20s and have each passed 20 goals this season.
“My job is to keep everyone at this football club – which will be very difficult this summer – and try and go one better and win the league. We’re going as a squad on holiday abroad as an end of season do then I’ll start planning for next season.
“Nathan and Sam are two young and extremely talented players who will attract a lot of interest from a lot of clubs. They know that they are supported and developing at Penistone and they will only leave if it’s a really good offer from a really good level.
“We just have to hope that they choose their football development over finance but we want our players to go as high as possible and we won’t stand in their way. If they get offers from clubs two or three levels above us, then we will struggle to keep them and we definitely won’t be able to match that offer.”
On Saturday’s game, Richards said: “It was a perfect performance and result to finish off a nearly perfect season. To dominate a very good footballing side for 90 minutes is exceptional, it shows the character, attitude and culture we’ve created in the changing room.
“We’d secured a top two finish two weeks ago so it could have been a coasted last game of the season but the players aren’t like that and you could see that. Jordan Coduri got himself a well-deserved hat trick. He was exceptional and the best player on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Athersley Rec’s season ended with a 4-0 home loss to Garforth Town with all the goals coming in the first 33 minutes. They finished 17th, two places and nine points above the relegation zone.
