Season Preview
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Penistone Church
Steve Lenthall is approaching his first full season in charge and he has retained the squad who performed miracles last season.
Last Season’s Position 6th
Manager Steve Lenthall
Club stalwart Lenthall was the club’s reserve manager for years. He was thrown into the breach following Ian Richards’ decision to take charge at Stocksbridge Park Steels last year.
Opening Five Fixtures Handsworth (h), Lower Breck (a) – FA Cup, Silsden (a), Golcar United (h), Hemsworth Miners Welfare (a).
Notable Transfer Movement Cameron Simpson and goalkeeper Harry Amber have signed for Church.
One to Watch Brett Lovell
Interview
Steve Lenthall says Penistone Church have a real challenge if they want to improve on last season’s 6th placed finish.
Lenthall highlights the strength of the Division as his reason why.
“Myself and Jubby (John Whitehead) have got a goal that we’re never going to publicise,” Lenthall told Non League Yorkshire.
“The club has told us to finish as high as we can in the league and have good runs in the cups.
“We have our little goals that we’ll keep to ourselves but the club haven’t put any pressure on us by saying ‘we need to do this and that’.
“On paper it is the toughest Division the league has had in years.
“You look at the teams who have come down and the teams who have come up like Ferriby, Hallam and Golcar.
“They are all established clubs with good backing behind them.
“I think in previous years the pressure has been on from people who have said we’re one of the favourites to win promotion.
“Now you have seven to eight teams who could potentially win the league.
“Our aim is to finish as high as we can and hopefully we can finish sixth or higher and have a better season than last season.
“If you finish higher than what we did last season you have to say it is a successful season.
“I’ve said to the club if you finish in the top ten it would be a successful finish because of how hard the league looks on paper.
“I just think because of the teams who have come into it and how well teams have recruited that it is going to be a strong league.
“All the managers I have spoken to have said the same that it is going to be one of the hardest they have ever played in.
“I think a top ten finish would be a good season but we want to finish higher than what we did last season.
“Then we can class it as a really good season, especially if we have some cup runs.”
Penistone host Handsworth for tomorrow’s opening day fixture and Lenthall says it is a mouth-watering fixture.
“It is a massive game and you look at it and say you couldn’t have asked for a better opening game,” he said.
“It is a local derby at home and you’re hoping the crowd is going to be decent.
“Handsworth are another team who have recruited well.
“It is going to be a tough opening.
“You’ll get an indication of how tough it is going to be between two good sides.
“They beat us three times last season so it is a massive game for us and we’ve told the lads we want to start on the front-foot and have a positiver start.”
Prediction Top Half