North Ferriby United

Evo-stik Northern Premier League
Premier Division

 North Ferriby United v Whitby Town
Tuesday 21 August
Kick-off 7.45pm

Ferriby their their 2018-19 Evo-Stik Premier Division home campaign When they entertain Whitby Town.  It will rekindle a series of old battles which began at Wembley in The 1997 FA Vase Final.

The Villagers got off to a promising start on Saturday with a more than deserved draw at Marine. Whilst the hosts may have had a difficult time in more recent seasons, they have always been a difficult side to visit and come away with a point or more.

The first-half on Saturday was an edgy affair with both sides making too many unforced errors. This was best epitomised by the fact that both teams missed a penalty with, first, Martin Fearon saving for Marine then Lewis Exall saving for Ferriby.

Ferriby had the better of the first 45 minutes and could have gone in two or three goals ahead. As it was, they had to settle for a well-worked and finished goal from Luke Lofts just before the interval.

The second-half again saw both sides making errors and the game was punctuated with unnecessary and niggly fouls. In the end, this led to Ferriby conceding the equaliser. Dan Norton, having been cautioned for dissent was then sent off after receiving a second caution for simulation. Ferriby found it difficult to believe the decision as it appeared to most people that it was a foul on Norton as he was about to shoot from close-range. As often happens, once play re-started, Marine went straight to the other end and equalised.

Marine threw everything they had at The Villagers in the final 15 minutes bit resolute defensive work from, especially, James Piercey, Jack Mail and Lewis Exall saw Ferriby hang on for a point.

Bolder had this to say after the game,

“ We have to take as many positives as we can from that performance.  With so many of our players not having played at this level I think we would have settled for a point before the game.

“It’s going to take a few weeks and games to get used to the standard at this level.

“The sending-off was harsh to my mind because I thought it was a penalty and, as often, happens they go down to the other end and score.

“Overall though, Paul and I are happy with the performance and it gives us all something to build on in coming weeks.

Looking towards Tuesday’s game, Bolder continues,

“Whitby  Town  are  one  of  these  clubs  who  have  a  great  history  at  non-league  level  and  have  added  some  excellent  players  to  their  retained  list  from  last  season. We  know  they  have  managed  to  raise  funds  in  order  to  add  players  to  their  squad  as  well  as  adding  some  quality  players,  who  have  recently  plied  their  trade  at  a  higher  level.

“We know it’s going to be difficult. They won on Saturday with a goal from their expensive new signing so they will be in a good frame of mind.

“I’ve had some good and close encounters with Whitby over the years and I imagine that Tuesday will be similar.

“Our players put in  a good performance at Marine and that should give them confidence as we move further in to the season.

“There are a lot of games in a short space of time so Paul [Robson] and myself will have to consider utilising the whole squad. That said, we are unlikely to make too many changes on Tuesday. We will be without Ben Leyland as  he is unavailable. However, we picked-up no injuries so have virtually the whole squad to choose from.

“The  support  we  received  towards  the  back  end  of  the  season  was  fantastic  in  very  difficult 

circumstances  and  the  home  games  in  pre-season  have  continued  our  trend  of  having 

great  supporters.”

Ferriby’s travelling fans will have appreciated the team’s performance and attitude at Marine. Hopefully they will be able to persuade many more to turn-up on Tuesday night. Ferriby needs large numbers through the turnstiles as owner Carl Chadwick continues to improve the club’s financial situation.

Skipper James Piercey was also pleased with the way his side played at Marine,
“It was a good performance in many respects. The lads showed their attitude and commitment in that final 15 minutes. Most of us have probably experienced nothing like that. We were defending in front of a lot of very noisy fans who really got behind their time and we really had to focus on our game and not them.
“Last  season  was  a  big  jump  up  for  me  from  the  NCEL Premier  Division  into  the  Conference 

North  and  now  again  this  is  a  completely  new  level  to  me,  so  I  just  want  to  continue  to  prove  myself  and  work  hard  to  get  better  each  and  every  week.

“It  was  a  huge  honour  to  be  named  captain  and  it  was  certainly  something  that  I  was  not  expecting.
“The  squad  is  shaping  up  very  nicely  now  and  we  have  a  lot  of  strong  competition  for places  within  the  camp. Competition  only  brings  out  the  best  in  each  and  every  one  of  us  and  it  is  making  sure  we  are  all  working  harder  during  training  sessions  and  out  on  the  pitch  in  order  to  get the  nod  for  the  start  of  the  season.

“In  terms  of  targets  for  the  upcoming  season,  the  general  consensus  in  and  around the  camp  is  that  we  can  shock  a  few  teams  this  campaign. And I think Saturday’s result will have surprised many.”

Ferriby’s squad: Lewis Exall, Ben Clappison. Jack Smith, James Piercey, Jack Mail, Paul Robson, Jamie Forrester, Joe Lamplough, Dan Nichols, Danny Norton, Charlie Dunkerley, Eddie Rogerson,  Kent Bannister, Alex Knox, Alex Bannister, Luke Lofts, James Nichols, Josh Walker