Non-League club ready to enjoy promotion after dark times
Stocksbridge Park Steels are ready to enjoy their return to the Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division after pushing through dark times.
The Sheffield club have returned to the seventh tier for the first time since 2014, and volunteer Dave Bradley believes they will present a challenge to the established order.
Steels won promotion on penalties in the play-off final, beating Dunston, having secured their place in the play-offs on the final day of the regular season.
'I keep watching videos,' Chapeltown resident Bradley said of their dramatic victory, 'I can't really put my finger on it, but it is a bit surreal at the moment, even after this whole time.
'We went through some dark times in 2013-15 and over Covid as well, so to get promoted and all the hard work that the volunteers do, it just rewards it. It is a magical feeling.
'When our former chairman Alan Bethell finished in his role, we had just been relegated, and volunteers had to pull together.
'We all needed to have a reset moment, and it was going so well, then Covid hit, and we almost had to reset again. Now, three or four years after Covid, we are back where we should be.
'There's been a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes at the moment, we are going out there to enjoy it. When you speak to the manager, he has said he wants to enjoy it.
'We are definitely not going to make the numbers up, we are definitely going to be up there. We just go quietly as we do and get on with it.'
Bradley, who works as a warehouse manager for Lloyd & Jones, first got involved with Steels in the 2009-10 season.
Since then, he has held a myriad number of roles, now serving as the canteen manager on game day.
With 15 years of service under his belt, volunteering is something the 49-year-old encourages others to do, with opportunities available on the Pitching In Volunteer Hub.
Through entering their postcode, individuals can locate volunteering opportunities at nearby clubs and discover more details about which roles are available.
Bradley added: 'It's brilliant, you meet different people, people come and go, but most of them stop.
'But it's nice to see people on a Saturday, you get talking to the players and people, other fans and anybody else that pops along, it is really enjoyable, most of all this year.
'Volunteers will be even more important next season. We've just been talking about the fact that we need a few more volunteers helping and coming along.
'We have managed to get a few more, but we'll still need some more volunteers. It is massively important that we get these volunteers so we can keep the club going.
'It is about going out and going to see people and talk to people. If you have a crappy day at work you can get out and talk to people who are not in your usual friend group and you can talk to them about different things.
'There are a lot of positives in there and something you will only realise when you get further down the line.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
9 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Finn Russell says Andy Farrell helped put any tension with Johnny Sexton to bed
Finn Russell has revealed that he buried the hatchet with Johnny Sexton with the help of Andy Farrell as the old foes join forces on the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. Sexton has previously been critical of Russell, labelling him 'flashy' and a 'media darling', while adding he would choose Owen Farrell over him against the Wallabies because the former England captain is a 'Test match animal'. And in his autobiography, the Ireland great confessed that it 'kills me to this day' that he was overlooked in favour of Russell for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa. Now the former fly-half rivals are working together to plot the downfall of Australia, with Sexton acting as the Lions kicking skills coach and Russell in pole position to take the playmaking duties in the Test series. When they first linked up after the players involved in the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals arrived into camp earlier this week, any acrimony quickly faded. 'It's just been bit of a craic. It was never a thing. When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed so that was good,' Scotland international Russell said. 'Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don't believe. We're all here with the same goal, which is to win the series. 'I've only been here a few days but it's been good working with Johnny. I'm happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he's seeing. 'With the numbers we've had, he's had to jump in sometimes so it's been quite funny being on the same training side as him. 'It's good to have a guy with his experience here. I can chat to him and bounce things off him as and when I need. 'All the coaches seem open to conversations and chats. It's a good environment to be in.' Australia will be Russell's third expedition with the Lions, with all three set to be very different experiences. In 2017 in New Zealand he was part of the controversial 'Geography Six', a group of Scotland and Wales players who were called into Warren Gatland's squad not on merit but because of their close proximity while on summer tours. Four years later he travelled to South Africa where all matches were played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, denying the Lions their famed 'sea of red' support. The Bath ringmaster started the third Test against the Springbocks. 'New Zealand was still amazing because it was my first time being called up to the Lions,' Russell said. 'We weren't there for the whole tour, but to have gone to New Zealand and played was really cool for me. 'And then in 2021 it was special going the whole time, even though it was Covid. We couldn't have family and friends or fans at the game, but it was still amazing in a different way. 'In terms of the boys, we probably got to know each other a little bit better because it was just us in the hotel and whatnot. I'm looking forward to what this one's going to be like.'
North Wales Chronicle
9 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Finn Russell says Andy Farrell helped put any tension with Johnny Sexton to bed
Sexton has previously been critical of Russell, labelling him 'flashy' and a 'media darling', while adding he would choose Owen Farrell over him against the Wallabies because the former England captain is a 'Test match animal'. And in his autobiography, the Ireland great confessed that it 'kills me to this day' that he was overlooked in favour of Russell for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa. Now the former fly-half rivals are working together to plot the downfall of Australia, with Sexton acting as the Lions kicking skills coach and Russell in pole position to take the playmaking duties in the Test series. When they first linked up after the players involved in the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals arrived into camp earlier this week, any acrimony quickly faded. 'It's just been bit of a craic. It was never a thing. When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed so that was good,' Scotland international Russell said. 'Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don't believe. We're all here with the same goal, which is to win the series. 'I've only been here a few days but it's been good working with Johnny. I'm happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he's seeing. 'With the numbers we've had, he's had to jump in sometimes so it's been quite funny being on the same training side as him. 'It's good to have a guy with his experience here. I can chat to him and bounce things off him as and when I need. 'All the coaches seem open to conversations and chats. It's a good environment to be in.' Australia will be Russell's third expedition with the Lions, with all three set to be very different experiences. In 2017 in New Zealand he was part of the controversial 'Geography Six', a group of Scotland and Wales players who were called into Warren Gatland's squad not on merit but because of their close proximity while on summer tours. Four years later he travelled to South Africa where all matches were played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, denying the Lions their famed 'sea of red' support. The Bath ringmaster started the third Test against the Springbocks. 'New Zealand was still amazing because it was my first time being called up to the Lions,' Russell said. 'We weren't there for the whole tour, but to have gone to New Zealand and played was really cool for me. 'And then in 2021 it was special going the whole time, even though it was Covid. We couldn't have family and friends or fans at the game, but it was still amazing in a different way. 'In terms of the boys, we probably got to know each other a little bit better because it was just us in the hotel and whatnot. I'm looking forward to what this one's going to be like.'
South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Finn Russell says Andy Farrell helped put any tension with Johnny Sexton to bed
Sexton has previously been critical of Russell, labelling him 'flashy' and a 'media darling', while adding he would choose Owen Farrell over him against the Wallabies because the former England captain is a 'Test match animal'. And in his autobiography, the Ireland great confessed that it 'kills me to this day' that he was overlooked in favour of Russell for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa. Now the former fly-half rivals are working together to plot the downfall of Australia, with Sexton acting as the Lions kicking skills coach and Russell in pole position to take the playmaking duties in the Test series. Russell (right) says Farrell (left) has helped ease any tensions (Brian Lawless/PA) When they first linked up after the players involved in the Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals arrived into camp earlier this week, any acrimony quickly faded. 'It's just been bit of a craic. It was never a thing. When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed so that was good,' Scotland international Russell said. 'Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don't believe. We're all here with the same goal, which is to win the series. 'I've only been here a few days but it's been good working with Johnny. I'm happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he's seeing. 'With the numbers we've had, he's had to jump in sometimes so it's been quite funny being on the same training side as him. Sexton is part of the Lions' coaching setup (Brian Lawless/PA) 'It's good to have a guy with his experience here. I can chat to him and bounce things off him as and when I need. 'All the coaches seem open to conversations and chats. It's a good environment to be in.' Australia will be Russell's third expedition with the Lions, with all three set to be very different experiences. In 2017 in New Zealand he was part of the controversial 'Geography Six', a group of Scotland and Wales players who were called into Warren Gatland's squad not on merit but because of their close proximity while on summer tours. Four years later he travelled to South Africa where all matches were played behind closed doors due to the pandemic, denying the Lions their famed 'sea of red' support. The Bath ringmaster started the third Test against the Springbocks. Russell has been part of two previous Lions tours (Steve Haag/PA) 'New Zealand was still amazing because it was my first time being called up to the Lions,' Russell said. 'We weren't there for the whole tour, but to have gone to New Zealand and played was really cool for me. 'And then in 2021 it was special going the whole time, even though it was Covid. We couldn't have family and friends or fans at the game, but it was still amazing in a different way. 'In terms of the boys, we probably got to know each other a little bit better because it was just us in the hotel and whatnot. I'm looking forward to what this one's going to be like.'
