Brett Lovell is determined to help bring unprecedented Northern Premier League football to Penistone Church before bringing the curtain down on a great playing career.
Although you have to watch what you say about him as his dad will have you, Lovell is an elder statesman in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division and has defied his age to be a leading centre-back in the Division.
Lovell, 38 has no plans to retire anytime soon and hopes to be still playing in two years’ time, but he agrees promotion to the NPL may be a fitting final chapter to his playing days.
“When I signed (in 2014) for Richo (Ian Richards) I talked to him and I said ‘we’ll get promoted from Division One of the NCEL’ and I think it happened a little quicker (in 2017) than he probably anticipated,” Lovell told Non League Yorkshire.
“Me, Ringy (Andy Ring) and Ryan Johnson brought a bit of experience and we got promoted.
“The targets then shift (after promotion from Division One) and you think ‘oh it would be great to finish after getting the club into the Northern Premier League’.
“Would I have carried on playing (if the club had got promoted into the NPL in 2019)? It is hard to say.
“I would have probably signed on as a player, but whether I would have played much in the NPL, that’s a question for Richo.
“If we’re both honest, I would have probably gone into a coaching role.
“It has been playing on my mind that I want to give it another tilt at getting the club promoted (to the NPL).
“There’s myself, Ringy and Ry Johnson who are all at a similar age and I think we’re all thinking if we got promoted that it would be a nice way to bow out.
“I’ve talked to Ringy loads and we feel a bit robbed over the last two seasons because of our age.
“It has robbed us of a full season and half-a-season from the year before. Minutes and games are precious at our age because we have to treat each season as it may be our last one.
“We definitely feel because of the pandemic it has made us more determined to give it another go because we don’t want to finish on two curtailed seasons.”
Lovell, whose Non League career began with Stocksbridge Park Steels who he served for many years and where he played alongside Jamie Vardy, is expecting to be back from injury in the next few weeks.
He broke his Fibia in training during the Yorkshire Trophy competition period in May.
His recovery has been fairly quick as he has been going the extra mile – something he does anyway as he has mastered the art of longevity thanks to a strict diet and fitness regime.
“I have been determined to continue,” he said.
“I love the game, winning on a Saturday, the camaraderie in the dressing room and I love the club.
“I’ve wanted to keep going at the highest level I can play so I have had to cut a few things out of my diet.
“I enjoy a beer after a game so I’ve had to cut back and I didn’t go out during the Euros as I know the Penistone lads like a party!
“I watched the Euros at home with the family.
“I have protein shakes during the day. One in the morning, one for my dinner and one for my tea. It has been working for me.
“Before my injury I started running 15 or 20 miles a week and getting fitter because with age you need to.
“I still feel I can do it and that I’m one of the best centre-halves in the league.
“We have a lot of younger lads coming through at the club. The likes of Jack Shephard, Tom Charlesworth and Cameron Simpson and it would be great when I do stop playing if I can have an impact on the way they go with their careers.
“But, I’m fully committed to being a player, until told otherwise!
“I feel optimistic that I can keep going for a couple more years.
“Richo has signed two or three centre-halves so people are looking and thinking ‘I wonder if Brett’s done’?
“I haven’t, but I’m totally respectful of what he’s doing because he has two centre-halves who are one bad injury away from saying we’re done so he has to be prepared for that.
“There might be times when we are coming up against a big, tall and physical team and he’ll play me.
“Then the following week we may a team with two young ‘uns who are going to run into the channels and Richo might think ‘I might be better playing the younger lads at centre-half’.
“I think the older you get the more open minded you are to manager decisions like that.”
Lovell’s Penistone journey began in September 2014 when ex-Stocksbridge team-mate Richards persuaded him to join the then-NCEL Division One new-boys.
His first game – an FA Vase game at Atherton Collieries – was a disaster – “we rarely touched the ball and got beat 4-0”.
Any concerns were quickly forgotten as Penistone won promotion in 2017 along with the League Cup at Bramall Lane.
Church have since challenged constantly at the top of the Premier Division – with the second-placed finish in 2019 the nearest they have got to the NPL – and Lovell expects a keenly-fought promotion race this year.
“Richo will never let us go into a season without letting us think we can’t be champions,” he said.
“That’s always been my mentality. I don’t like losing whether it is football or Tiddlywinks with the little one.
“Because there’s one promotion spot and one play-off spot (to play a team from the league above), it is a difficult ask.
“But it is definitely within our reach and I think the league is a little more even next year in terms of budgets and games.
“I think there is going to be six or seven sides who could easily get promoted.
“The league has improved with the teams who have come up.
“Winterton are a decent side and I think we played Sherwood Colliery in the FA Vase a couple of years ago and they were decent.
“It is going to be a good league and we’ll definitely be pushing for promotion.”
Promotion to the NPL would rank as the pinnacle of Richards’ long reign at Penistone.
The former midfielder has taken his home-town on an incredible journey from County Senior League obscurity to multiple promotions, cup finals to memorable FA Cup matches.
Lovell admits his long-term friend has done an unbelievable job.
“Everyone keeps thinking ‘is it his last season, is going to go to pastures new or take the club somewhere else’” he said.
“There’s definitely been offers to go.
“But he has that affinity to the club.
“He’s a Penistone lad, he’s the deputy principal at Penistone Grammar School and he’s respected in the community.
“He knows the infrastructure of the club could withstand a promotion.
“We have a good junior set-up. We have a development squad now and a reserve side in the County Senior League which always does well.
“Ian has certainly put the club on the football map.
“There’s been hard work from the committee and the community, but you’re as successful as your first team.
“But the club has come from absolute nowhere.
“I can remember playing there in my County Senior days when I was 17 at Swinton Athletic and the place was nothing compared to what is now.”
When Lovell does retire, he has eyes on the dugout.
Asked if he plans to join Richards’ Penistone coaching staff, he said: “Definitely, 100%.
“I think that’s Richo’s thoughts as well.
“He knows I have plenty of Non League experience behind me and I know a lot of players.
“Whether it is at Penistone or somewhere else I think we will stick together.
“He’s a good manager to learn from.
“He puts on good sessions and he’s a diplomatic manager, he doesn’t lose his head.
“He is very reserved when he goes through negatives with the team.
“I’ve played with some managers who have given the complete hairdryer treatment and gone completely ballistic. He’s not like that.
“So I definitely want to stay in the game. Whether that’s as a coach or manager remains to be seen, but I’m looking forward to the next challenge, even though I’ll be absolutely gutted to stop playing.”
Penistone visit Eccleshill United for their first game of the Premier Division next Saturday.
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NCEL wide open this season just hope its played to a natural conclusion