STALYBRIDGE CELTIC’S relegation from Northern Premier League, premier represents a huge slide in the fortunes of the Bower Fold club.
Celtic, members of what is today’s National League until 2002, now find themselves in Step 4 of non-league, the lowest they have been in the pyramid in its present form.
And preparations for the 2023/24 season remain in “limbo” according to interim chairman Gerald Crossley with majority shareholder and former chairman Rob Gorski selling up.
In a season in which Celtic had three chairman, manager Chris Willcock admitted the first relegation of his lengthy career, either as a player or manager, was a bitter pill to swallow.
He said: “It was definitely the most challenging season I have had at every level, both on and off the pitch.
“We had some major challenges, the lowest budget in the league and then in January it was cut again. And near the transfer deadline, we were unable to bring in the quality we needed.
“We failed to stay up by five points which was difficult to take. Had we been cut adrift, it would have been easier to take.
“We needed a couple more wins yet in seven of the last eight games we led comfortably.”
Willcock added he had been confident of finishing mid-table when the season kicked off, despite the shortcomings with the playing budget.
He pointed out that relegation ought not to have been a surprise, explaining: “It has been coming for the last decade.
“They have staved off relegation several times and that tells a story. To be successful at any level, it has to be right off the field as well, and we have not had both.”
Willcock pinpointed eight sendings off – as a manager he had never had more than two in a previous season – as not helping their cause as was losing goalkeeper Greg Hall in the crucial last phase of the season.
He continued: “I have looked at how I managed the club as the buck stop with me. First and foremost, I have looked at my own performance and how I managed the club.
“It has been the first time as a player or manager that I have been relegated and it has been difficult for me to process.
“I have learned a lot about myself as a manager. Hopefully I will not make the same mistakes, but at the end of day a manager needs the right tools.”
Willcock revealed the club was willing to cut everyone and go with kids when savings had to be made in January.
“Had that happened, our fate would have been sealed sooner. The players showed great loyalty to the club.
“There were positives in adversity as it brought the fans closer to the club and the players had a great relationship with them while gates were up to around 550/600 which was great for a team in our position battling relegation.”
Willcock admitted his own future is in doubt with the club’s ownership still to be resolved.
“When the new chairman takes over, do I feature in his plans or maybe he will want a clean sweep and move in a different direction,” he said.
“I have always left clubs stronger than when I arrived and with good teams. I do not want to leave in this situation. What drives my ambition is to put the wrongs right if I am given the opportunity to stay and eventually leave on a positive note.”
Willcock had a final warning that promotion next season is by no means a formality.
He said: “There is still a huge amount of work that needs to be done off the field.
“There are no gimmes and promotion is by no means a foregone conclusion. It took Workington seven years to get back to NPL, premier.”
CURZON ASHTON continue to punch above their weight in National League North.
“For us to still have a chance of the play-offs in the final week of the season was testament to the efforts of the players and staff, explained manager Adam Lakeland.
Though the Nash finished 13th, they were only four points adrift of Alfreton who were fifth and occupied the final play-off place.
“We fell just a bit short, but it was always going to be challenging playing the top two in our last two games. We could not have given more, fine margins cost us,” explained Lakeland.
The Nash were able to reflect on a successful season in which they accumulated 65 points, their highest-ever total at this level, and they are also reached the first round of the FA Cup when they took League One side Cambridge United to a replay which they lost on penalties.
Lakeland, reflecting on his first full season as manager, said: “We broke a lot of records and I am proud of how far we have come because, without doubt, we are one of the smallest clubs in National League North where we are up against big clubs with massive resources. The top three and four of the top seven were full time.
“What we have is a good spirit, togetherness and positivity as well as having some very good players. On our day, we can give anyone a game.”
Lakeland admitted this season has set a high bar and the expectations for 2023/24 will be to match them.
“We have a realistic group of directors who know we overachieved this season, but we will be looking to build and have another similar season and enhance the profile of the club,” he said.
Lakeland is optimistic about retaining the nucleus of the squad and recruiting well as they have done in previous years, though they have lost 22-goal top scorer Tom Peers and Hayden Campbell who have both signed for Macclesfield FC.
There was disappointment at HYDE UNITED after they missed out on a promotion play-off place in Northern Premier League, premier.
After at one stage challenging champions South Shields for top spot, the Tigers faltered at the business end to the season and lost out on a top-five place on the last day of the season.
The fact that Hyde were in the mix for promotion represented a massive turnabout in their fortunes as towards the end of the previous season they had been battling relegation.
“We had been up there all the time and it was a disappointing finish to the season in which the timing of our bad run coincided with others going on good runs,” explained manager Nick Spooner who pinpointed suspension to four key players in March for sending offs as contributing to their dip in form.
“It doesn’t take away the progress we have made. When I took over, we were battling relegation and my remit was to keep the team up which was boxed ticked.
“This season was again not to be relegated so that was boxed ticked and to have a cup run which again was boxed ticked.
“There were expectations we would be battling relegation again, so it was good to prove a lot of people wrong. We were recognised and complimented for playing good football with teams showing us a lot of respect.”
Spooner is already busy rebuilding his side for next season with eight players released including Liam Tongue, Javid Swaby-Neavin and Manasse Mampala.
Captain Brad Roscoe, Jack Redshaw, Matty Fearnley, Aaron Fleming and Adam Dawson are all staying while talks are ongoing with Callum Spooner, Tom Pratt, Dan Atherton, Jordan Fagbola, Craig Carney and Harry Ditchfield. Ryan White and James Chew will also be returning for pre-season.
Spooner has formulated a list of targets with a striker as they did not have an out-and-out number nine which proved costly as they were unable to take the chances they created.
“I have a big list of strikers, but it depends whether we can afford them,” explained Spooner.
MOSSLEY’S season in Northern Premier League, west replicated that of Hyde as they also narrowly missed out on the play-offs after challenging at the top end of the table throughout the season.
“It was a case of what ifs had we not had a bad run in February and March,” explained manager David Fish.
“We showed character and mentality to finish the season strongly and still had the chance of the play-offs until the penultimate weekend of the season,” said manager David Fish.
“When you look at the season as a whole, we improved our position and points total from the one before and it was another step in the right direction.
“We have finished eighth and seventh in the last two seasons and there have been spells when we have been very good. We are definitely getting a lot right, though disappointed not to get over the line.”
Fish also pointed to increased crowds which averaged almost 500 as another positive.
He is keen to keep the nucleus of the squad, though talented left-back Freddie Sarr has signed for National League North side Southport while a couple of others are attracting interest from other clubs.
Sarr follows Declan Evans and Devon Matthews who both moved to NLN clubs Southport and Curzon Ashton in the summer of 2022.
Fish picked out Mason Fawns and Jack Bannister as stand-out performers while Will Shepherd, Kane Hickman, Jordan Butterworth, Josh Dicken, Jack Grundy, Bailey Marsden and Sass have all matured according to the manager.
ASHTON UNITED, who flirted with relegation in Northern Premier League, premier, are setting their sights high for the 2023-24 season.
Manager Steve Cunningham, brought in late season when the Robins were battling to beat the drop, added the club have given him a brief to be challenging for a top-five spot next season.
Cunningham, who recently signed a new two-year contract to the end of the 2025/26 season, described it as a “rollercoaster” first 14 weeks in the job.
There was a new-manager bounce for Cunningham which ensured their survival followed by a bad run and finish with a win against play-off finalists Bamber Bridge.
Cunningham, who works in solar energy, said: “When I came in, I met the chairman’s objective which was to stay in the division and also change the culture at the club as well as the style of football.
“There is a good vibe at the club, and we are all on the same page. I used as part of the next pre-season to understand what we want and managed to do a lot in those 14 weeks.”
Cunningham has already overseen a sizeable rebuild of the Robins’ squad but admitted there is still work to be done.
“We have the nucleus of the squad in place, but I am looking for four or five more players. This is the fun bit when I become a salesman and haggling is something I like,” he said.
Cunningham, who previously managed Buxton to promotion to NLN and taken Colne from the North West Counties League to NPL, said: “The club wants to be challenging for the top five and we want to be amongst it for the play-offs.
“We showed what we are capable of by performing well against the top teams which shows there was not a million miles between us and those club. We just need to be more consistent.
“The club wants to progress but is realistic where it is. I have not been told I have to win the league, this is a project over the next 12/24 months.
“I know exactly what I need and would not have taken the job if I did not think it would be challenging. That is what’s exciting about the job.”