Hylton Rangers
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Atmosphere
“Spirits are high at the moment, we
have great backing from the parents and
we have finally found the confidence
in the team which has helped us turn a
corner now. The lads have never been
happier; we’re like one big family. There’s
been a lot going on in the club with the
likes of sponsored walks, bag packing
etc. and its brought the lads much closer
together by doing events outside of just
playing football; I think all of them have
turned into great friends which helps
them when out on the field.”
This Season
“For most teams this season would
have been a disaster if they were in our
shoes but for me it’s been a great success.
The skill set of each player has improved
so much since the start of the season and
the team chemistry is now second to none,
as I’ve said previously we had a tough
start. We struggled to find the back of the
net up until the New Year.
We did a lot of work with the lads,
even getting them new strips so they
looked the part and since the beginning of
2017 we’ve been amazing. We’ve scored
at least 1 in every game since then and
battled out a 3-3 draw with a team second
from top. The main thing that makes this
season a success is the lads are enjoying
their football and that’s our main goal.”
2017
“The plans are still to search for our first
win as a new club. Then go into preseason
and develop the lads some more. By this
point we will be going into next season
in division 8 of the Russell Foster league
under 12s and I’m wanting our team to be
solid contenders for promotion.
We started off in division 7 as we
were late applicants to the league and this
is what has made our journey tougher,
I’m sure when we drop to division 8 the
opponent’s will be the same skill set as
ourselves and we will have a much more
enjoyable season. My focus with Hylton
Rangers is to keep and develop the young
talent that we already have all the way
through the leagues. I’m always keen to
trial new players as we go from 9v9 to
11v11 in two seasons time.”
Youth Development
“Youth football and development
is our main ambition at the club. These
lads have gone from not being able to
kick a ball in a straight line to playing
some great football. That’s what makes
youth football such a great thing, if you
believe in the players and you show them
that you believe in then the difference is
amazing on what they achieve in such a
short period.
At Hylton Rangers we always make
the game about having fun. If the team
are enjoying themselves in training and
warm ups it shows in their performance
on the pitch. It’s my job to keep their
spirits and confidence high no matter
what the scoreline is and that’s worked in
our favour so far this season.”
Challenges/Ambitions
“Climbing the divisions from division
8 is going to be our main challenge. I
believe all my Rangers are up for it and I
have faith in each and every one of them.
This season for us was a learning curve
but we are ready for the challenges that
come from next season onwards.
In the next 5 years I would like to see
ourselves in Division 3, by this point I’m
ho ping we’ve made our mark as a solid
team and climb the leagues every season.
Maybe even a cheeky cup run, you never
know. I’d also still like to have the same
set of players plus a few new additions.
When I took over I told the lads that
we’re all in this together and I would never
give up on any of them, it’s a team game
and every one of them plays an important
role. Other than that who knows, we may
even have a couple more teams within the
club for different age groups in the Russell
Foster youth leagues.”
“Climbing the divisions from division 8 is going to be
our main challenge. I believe all my Rangers are up for
it and I have faith in each and every one of them.
42 Issue 71