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Back: Richard Yarnold, Kelvin Tapley, Matt Hazel, Steve Sedgwick, Mark Duce, Simon Banoub, Richard Horton, Geoff Knight. Front: Lee Monaghan, Paul Unwin, Ben Avison, Simon Parker, James Hunt, Sam Sinclair, Chris Davies.

  A period of great transition for the club, with many players leaving, for varied reasons, and a lot of new arrivals. On balance, it seemed we emerged stronger from the prolonged spell of horse-trading, and of course the average age of the side continued to go down, in marked contrast with most of our rivals.

  It was a season of contrasts, with hugely disappointing beginning and end phases, but much development during the middle period. Early experiments with the formation were perhaps at least partially culpable for the club's initial problems, while a certain, somewhat worrying decline in the standards we set for ourselves led to a sequence of dodgy results at the fag end of the short season. In between, however, a young side, learning with every game, made very tangible progress, reinforcing the club's reputation as able to live with the very best.

  However, September was an absolute disaster, with the club facing the prospect of relegation for the first time in our stay in the Wharfedale Triangle. A couple of battling performances in cup games helped to turn the tide during October, and by the spring a run of one defeat in eleven league games had made a nonsense of the earlier concerns about staying up. Losing the last three games was a bit of an anti-climax, but we ended comfortably mid-table. Overall, the reaction must be that we did more right than wrong this year, but needed a healthy dose of consistency if we were ever again to be measured against the elite over the course of a season.

  Of the new arrivals, defender or midfielder Geoff Knight was perhaps the pick of the crop, winning Player of the Year in his debut season. Richard Horton added some steel to the defence or midfield as required, while Richard Yarnold afforded the attack a measure of variety. Paul Unwin (a.k.a. Gobby) gave us a rather busier midfield when he played, and Sam Sinclair was as good a left-sided player as any club could wish for.

  In defence, Matt Hazel was now the mainstay of the back line, with Simon Banoub again a consistent and dependable accomplice. Sedge sat behind the back line, in the absence of Riggsy, and for the most part was a most positive influence on those around him. Dave Ridsdale, though not available anything like as often as we'd have liked, had many good games at right-back, though other newcomers, including Chris Davies, challenged hard for the role. James Hunt was, as ever, a regular match-winner between the sticks. The midfield was based upon the undying brilliance of Lee Mongahan, with Mark Duce (made club captain on the retirement of Riggsy) an admirable partner when he was available. However, others including Richard Horton, Gobby and Scott Lyons looked as if they would soon be demanding the club reconsider its selection policy in the central areas. Simon Parker was top scorer, still chipping in with figures of a goal a game, though Yarny and Mark Wani weighed in with some impressive goals when required. Andy Bowler played mainly in midfield this campaign, while John Newsome missed most of the season due to injury but gave us all a reminder of his talents in the spring. The absence of Andy Jackson was even more keenly felt, as one of the club's greatest ever strikers was forced to bow out injured. And it would be unfair to end without mentioning the immense contribution made by such squad members as Ben Avison, surely one of the great all-time HFFC club servants.

  At the fag end of a disappointing campaign, we did win another trophy, the inaugural Horsforth Invitational 9-a-Side Trophy: though it would be hard to maintain that was any genuine consolation for the lack of real success, it did at least suggest that better times were ahead.

  Highlight of the season? Well, for me anyway it was the successive draws with championship challengers Rawdon and Shipley Town (though the latter game, a league cup tie, went to a penalty shoot-out which we lost), two superb displays at a crucial juncture of the campaign from a team that had previously looked as though its very survival in the Premier Division might be on the line due to the early lack of form. Yes, we could still live with the best when we wanted to.

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Awards.

Goal of the Season - Richard Yarnold (v. Horsforth St Margarets at home).

Top Goal Scorer - Simon Parker (16).

Club Colours.

First choice - Royal blue shirts, shorts and socks .

Change - Yellow shirts, blue shorts, yellow socks, worn in the away matches with Pitchers, Park Rangers, Crown Celtic, Shipley Town, Yeadon Westfield.

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