Parkgate front up after losing two main goal getters

​The club lost lots of goals when the prolific Ross Duggan and Jamie Austin left Roundwood for pastures new a few weeks ago. Nearly 20 of last season’s title-winning group have moved on.

Although newly promoted ‘Gate have struggled to stitch a consistent run of results together in the NCEL Premier Division, they aren’t far off the play-offs and, in Shay Evans-Booth, have a dangerous new front man.

He scored again in last week’s 3-2 win over Frickley Athletic at Roundwood while the returning Gadhafi Kiwanuka bagged two.

"It was good to have Gadhafi back and Shay has been a good signing,” said manager Scott Mason.

"We have lost some goals but Shay has found the net in every league game he’s played for us and I’m sure he’ll go on and score a few more for us because he’s a good finisher.

"We are working with what we’ve got now. We are giving lads chances and we’re working well with the reserves. They’ve got a couple of lads who can come in and start really.

"The dressing room is good, as good as it has ever been, and that’s what I like to create. The lads are all focussed on trying to win games, that’s all you can want from a dressing room really.”

Ninth in the table, Parkgate go to bottom-of-the-table Goole on Saturday. Mason is taking nothing for granted.

"They have signed quite a few players recently and have picked up a bit.” he noted. “It was a tough game at our place against them so I expect another tough one.

"There are no givens in this league. It’s quite a tight league compared to the league below and the one below that. You can’t go anywhere and expect to win and the table can change pretty quickly

"It only takes you to go on a bit of a dip. I’m sure we will be up and down all season because it’s difficult to get on a run but the lads will work hard to do that.

"We’re out of the cups but they are not really a priority. With the players we’ve lost and how it’s panning out, we need to concentrate on staying in this league and finish as high as we can.”

In Division One, inconsistency is keeping Maltby Main out of the top five. They went down 2-1 at Glasshougton last Saturday to two quick second-half goals after Ashley Flynn had put them ahead.

Main host Harrogate Railway on Saturday (3pm).

Lowly Swallownest have a week off after last Saturday’s morale-boosting 2-1 home win over Athersley Rec. Sam Foulds and Alex Wonham struck either side of an equaliser to give Swall their first win in six.