IT’S SEDGE WITH A CUTTING EDGE
HIS side stormed to glory in their maiden Northern Premier League season, but Liversedge boss Jonathan Rimmington is expecting an ‘absolutely huge’ challenge in the top-flight.
In a remarkable debut campaign in NPL East, Sedge lost just one of their 36 league games and finished with a whopping 93 points to finish five clear of runners-up Marske United.
But now they are stepping up to Step 3 and set to mix it with the likes of South Shields, FC United and Warrington Town.
Boss Rimmington, who has been in charge for seven years, said: “I’ve been at the club a long time and I’m passionate about what we do. I want us to be the best we can be on and off the pitch.
“Three years ago we were getting 60 people, whereas after Christmas we were averaging seven to eight hundred. The club has gone from strength to strength and it’s really important to us all.
“I think we can compete. I would like us to be top ten, see where we are at and try to get in the top six the year after. But if we get off to a good start we are capable of anything.”
Diamond
Among those who have left the West Yorkshire club are wingers Nicky Walker (Whitby Town) and Lewis Whitham (Alfreton Town), but Rimmington believes his new recruits can help make up for the departures.
Wingers Sumali Cissa, 24, from Eccleshill United, Casey Stewart, 23, from Yorkshire Amateur and Shiraz Khan, 24, from Brighouse Town are being given the chance to show what they can do at Step 3, while centre-back Josh Barrett, 29, (Scarborough Athletic), and strikers James Walshaw, 38, (Ossett United) and Iren Wilson, 22, (Hallam) have also arrived.
“Winning the league can cause its own problems,” explained Rimmington. “It highlighted our best aspects and people took four or five players, a couple who wanted to play closer to home.
“We have lost our two best wingers but we have replaced them with hungry players. Everyone is signing ex-pros, but I’m trying to find a diamond at the moment.
“I’ve gone back down to the Northern Counties East League to sign a couple of players I feel should be playing higher.
“We have to get them in for training and give them belief that they are good enough to play at this level.
“I’ve known Sumali since he was eight and if we can get him playing, we’ve got a real player on our hands. Casey is a player – he can step up and cause teams big problems.
Hungry
“Shiraz was at Brighouse, but I think there’s something more in him. Iren was at Hallam, but I have watched him and had reports on him. I’ve sold him our club and he’s bought into it. They are hungry players that need and want to prove themselves and get up the Pyramid.
“I’ve kept 12 of the team that were here last year and I’m quite happy with the squad. It’s going to be a learning curve next year for us and for me – I’m going to be coming up against tactically good managers.”
It’s going to be virtually impossible to repeat last season’s heroics, though.
“I knew we had signed the right players, but we got a bit lucky in certain aspects,” added the 57-year-old.
“The lads fitted in well together and we had a great dressing room. We didn’t have any lunatics – apart from me!
“I had 18 great lads, I rotated the squad and everyone bought into what we were doing.”