AMBITION AND CAUTION FOR YARM & EAGLESCLIFFE

The hard work starts now for Yarm and Eaglescliffe FC as they make their debut in the Ebac Northern League.

They’re ahead of schedule for the goals that they set themselves six years ago when they started the club.

They’re ground sharing with Billingham Town and have a hectic few weeks ahead of them, including a trip to Newcastle Blue Star, who were also promoted to the league this season, for their second game of the season.

Club chairman James Francis is looking forward to the new season.  “It’s fantastic to be in the league but it’s a bit scary at the same time.

“The club has only been in existence since 2017 so we have done pretty well to get to the league by 2023.  We were mid-table in our first season in the North Riding League and then always in the top four after that.

“But last season, as no-one else applied for promotion, we knew we only had to finish in the top five.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge but it’s still a leap into the unknown and we couldn’t organise friendlies or look at players until our promotion had been confirmed.  It will be very different from the North Riding League in relation to finance, players and travel.

“We’ve had more meeting than we’ve ever had to make sure we are organised and ready.

“Our management team are very ambitious but from my point of view as chairman, I just don’t want any disasters and have something to build on next year.  Some people have seen Boro Rangers go straight up and believe the other promoted clubs can do the same, but it’s more difficult than that.”

Meanwhile, manager Glenn Kyle is aiming for mid-table/top half of the division as they prepare for their first match on Saturday against Prudhoe YC Seniors.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be in the league.  That was our ambition from the start in 2017, but we’ve achieved it quicker than we expected.  We still have a lot of work to do but we’ve had a decent pre-season.

“August will be a busy month and hopefully we are prepared for that.  We have a squad of 25 players and running a team is always about keeping players involved and happy.  We’re not used to so many games so people will get their chance.

“I know there are several very good teams in the division but I’m looking for the top half – you’ve got to be ambitious and go for it.  It’s great that there are quite a few Teesside teams in the division.  We know it’s not going to be easy, but everyone’s excited about it.  Saturday is a big game for us and we just want to do ourselves justice.”

Further details about the club, including their fixture list, can be found here:

https://www.northernfootballleague.org/team/yarm-eaglescliff/