2015, That Was The Year That Was

Glossop North End’s 2014 finished with a win against our local rivals New Mills – the post-Stockport Sports expulsion version anyway -and we very much hope that 2015 will end in the same manner. What happened in between though? It was certainly pretty lively here at Surrey Street.

January

The weather tried to win out in January, with several games postponed, including the FA Vase tie at Worksop on the 17th. It did go ahead on the 24th though and in a highly competitive game it was Jason Carey’s back header in extra time that won the day, Glossop North End taking it 1-0. Only two league games were possible, away wins at Congleton & Squires Gate.

February

A month of cup games! Carey & Lee Blackshaw saw off Chesterfield in the Derbyshire Cup at the start of the month cup before a bad tempered defeat at home to Matlock at the end of it meant a semi-final exit. Carey & Sam Grimshaw defeated Squires Gate in the league cup securing another semi-final. However the main focus of the month was again the Vase and two titanic games against former winners Dunston UTS.

At Surrey Street Glossop North End went behind, took the lead then lost it in a 2-2 draw. Up in the North East, Dunston scored early, but a Matt Russell screamer levelled it before Dave Young & Kieran Lugsden secured a quarter final game with Shaw Lane Aquaforce.

March

The FA Vase dominated the headlines again, with the month bookended by two memorable ties. First up Shaw Lane Aquaforce were beaten in a replay, and in the final week of the month a 2-0 win at St Austell gave the Hillmen one foot into the final at Wembley, a job they finish a week later, despite a 1-0 defeat in the home leg. This led to extraordinary scenes in the torrential rain.

However, the league campaign had to be kick-started too, and games were coming thick and fast. Runcorn Linnets had opened up a sizeable gap at the top, but 6 league wins on the bounce kept the momentum going.

April

13 games in the 30 days of April, but what an extraordinary month in the life of the club. A place in the NWCFL League Cup Final was secured with a 2-1 win over Bootle, whilst in the league the wins kept coming. This despite being forced to play on consecutive days at one point the players kept giving it their all, eventually securing the title with a 3-0 victory over Nelson on 18th April. Two goals from Lee Blackshaw and one from Mark Reed gave the Hillmen an unassailable lead at the top and won them promotion to the Evo-Stik NPL North.

There was more to come. The Hillmen played Atherton Collieries in the NWCFL final, and won out 2-0 with goals from Kelvin Lugsden and Eddie Moran, lifting the trophy for the first time, and completing a rare double.

May

Only one game in May, and sadly it ended in defeat. The 2-1 extra time defeat at Wembley against North Shields hurt, but we can now look back in pride at the achievement of a remarkable squad in that cup run and over the whole season. The town celebrated with an open top bus parade to Norfolk Square.

August

A new beginning! The Hillmen started life in the Evo-Stik North, promoted from the NWCFL after over 30 years of membership. Draws against Spennymoor and Ossett Albion opened the campaign before resounding wins against Prescot, Droylsden and New Mills ended the month. There was also FA Cup progress.

After all the waiting, we were up and running!

September

Wins against Witton and Farsley saw Glossop North End head into the upper echelons of the division before the FA Cup run came to an end when a late late Skelmersdale leveller was followed by an extra time replay defeat.

This was the month that Glossop North End discovered the travelling involved in this new division, with away games in midweek at both Scarborough and Harrogate. Despite the distance, the faithful still travelled in great numbers and proved in those games, a 0-0 draw and a 4-2 win, that they were among the best in the league.

October

More travelling early on, this time enforced as a 1-1 FA Trophy draw against Spennymoor saw us travel up there for a replay on a Tuesday night, only to lose 3-2. As with Skem the previous month, Glossop North End had been the better side in the home tie and ought to have progressed, and were finding out the hard way that you have to make your pressure pay when you have the advantage. That adage was again in the mind when losing on penalties to FC United of Manchester after their Manchester Premier Cup tie finished 2-2.

In the league there were wins against Kendal & Clitheroe, but at Droylsden the team suffered their first league defeat of the season, going down 2-1. Including a spell at the top of the league, the month ended with Glossop North End well placed for the rest of the season.

November

A trip to Spennymoor yielded a battling point but 3 defeats followed; at Marine in the Doodson Cup, at home to Ossett Albion, and away at title rivals Warrington Town. A 2-2 draw at Bamber Bridge ended a testing month for the team.

December

Just one league game so far in this saturated month, a 1-0 home defeat to Burscough, and one cup game, a magnificent 5-3 victory over Chesterfield, in which Dave Young contributed his annual strike from his own half.

As we head into 2016 the Hillmen have plenty of cause for optimism. They are fourth in the league, and well placed to challenge for a play-off place in April. Only one cup competition remains, the Derbyshire Senior Cup, and a quarter final against Belper awaits.

After an extraordinarily busy 2015 – busy enough to be mentioned all over the national media – 2016 could be a little quieter, game wise. However the same hard work and camaraderie that characterised the club in 2015 will continue into the New Year. Can’t wait!

Here’s a few of our favourite photographs from last year.   For more awesome photographs from Jim Lockwood, see https://www.flickr.com/photos/glossopnorthend/ – thanks Jim!