‘Half time’ report is a glowing one for Parkgate FC

The Steelmen started it locked in a winter relegation battle in the Northern Counties East League that was only won in the latter weeks of the campaign.

The glimpses of promise shown in escaping the drop have increased ten-fold since, with manager Scott Mason and his coaching team putting the finishing touches to a squad which has carried Gate 17 wins from their opening 21 league games.

They sit a point behind leaders AFC Wakefield and have four games in hand.

"It was all about staying up last year, which we achieved,” said Mason. “We managed to keep the players and add a few and knowing the group of players we had, the aim this time was get into the play-off position.

"Would we have taken our current position coming into the turn of the year? Without a doubt. The lads have been brilliant. We’ve had nine clean sheets and we’re scoring goals for fun.

“Also, we’ve won all but one away game and that’s going some because it’s all OK playing on the pitch at Roundwood but when you go away you can’t always play the way you want.”

Keeping up the home work, Gate despatched Athersley Rec’ 5-0 on Saturday with a second-half hat-trick from Jamie Austin and a late brace from Ross Duggan, slowly being eased back to fitness.

Then, on Boxing Day, they dug deep to pull out a 1-0 win away to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic, decided by a 70th minute strike from the irrepressible Austin. After being well protected by the men in front of him in so many games, goalkeeper Jordan Greaves was there when the team needed him with some good saves. He was the man of the match.

"We had lads missing and were still good enough to go away and win,” said Mason, who extended thanks to chairman Albert Dudill and secretary Bruce Bickerdike for sticking by him when times were tough and to the club’s sponsors, including JBM metal recycling, for their ongoing support.

"We have a squad of 19 or 20 to choose from at the moment and such is the strength, I have no worries about starting any one of them and they’re all really keen to be a part of it and show that they should get a starting shirt.”

Saturday’s game at home to bottom of the table Ollerton Town (3pm) gives Parkgate the chance to take top spot should Wakefield slip up at home to Selby but with so much more football to be played, they aren’t looking too far ahead.

Mason just wants what will be a hectic second half of the season to be as good as the first.

He added: "We are only at the halfway point and we’re still in the Sheffield Senior Cup and the League Cup. We are going to be playing three games in eight days for weeks now all the way to April.

"We still have to play a lot of the top sides again and we know we are going to have games where it won’t go the way we want but with the belief we’ve got now, we can turn games around that we couldn’t before.

“Our goal is to go up now. We want to get out of this league."