In his statement, which was printed in the programme for the victory over champions Staveley, the Chairman  was full of praise for the efforts of the Academy management, coaches and players. Guy Nottingham wrote the following:

“With the appointment of Brendon Ormsby as First Team Manager, one of the things that the club was trying to achieve was to secure the services of a man whose approach to the game was in accord with the values and aims of the club. Personally, one of my two strategic aims for the club this season was to ensure that we ended the season with the right management team in place, and this means one in which everybody is pulling in the same direction. Obviously, the First Team Manager is the single most important role within the club, and the appointment of the gaffer was a key move in achieving this goal.

In this respect – as in all others – I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the progress we have made. In just a few weeks, the feeling around the whole club has been transformed, and the old frictions that seemed to pull people in opposite directions have dissipated. If we had a quid for every time somebody within the club has said something along the lines of “it’s great that we all seem to be pulling in the same direction at last” over the last couple of months, we would have immediately achieved my other strategic aim for the season – making the club financially sustainable for the future without the need for individual contributions.

One of the most pleasing knock-on effects of Brendon’s appointment has been the uplift in morale within the Academy. When we drew up the profile of our perfect manager prior to sounding Brendon out, one of our main criteria was that the manager should believe in the development of young players and the promotion of youngsters from within the club’s structure. The gaffer is a believer in youth, and a developer of talent.

However, it was by necessity rather than by design that Warren Redford, Leon Guest, Callum Green and Jack Hill were thrust into first team action so early under the new regime. One of my own proudest moments was to oversee the win against Louth Town with three Academy players on the pitch when we won the game – Jack, Leon and Warren. The following Tuesday, we took the same three lads, plus Callum, to Staveley, and knocked the Champions and holders out of the Wilkinson Sword Trophy. The kids were outstanding – Leon grabbed both goals, Warren led the line on his own against the best defence in the league, and Callum was so good that we did not miss Paul Haigh – who must be a top contender for our Player of the Season! Perhaps most impressive of all was Jack, who did not get onto the pitch, but whose attitude was fantastic in support of his team-mates.

Following the Staveley game, the “buzzing” gaffer arranged a game between the first team squad players and the Academy players to get a look at the talent at his disposal and, as a result, he has also signed Hassan Ahmed, Karl Abbott and James Jenkins on for the remainder of the NCEL season. During every one of Brendon’s games in charge, several Academy players have featured, and they have been excellent. They have also settled into the dressing room with ease, and the lads must take great credit for this, as must the senior players. Led by Luke Smith and Nicky Handley, the established players have welcomed the youngsters with open arms, and made their transition to senior football as seamless as possible. The attitude of everybody has been positive and superb.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that seven of their number are now in the First Team squad, the morale within the Academy team has been sky high, and this has impacted on their performances. With wins over Pocklington Town, Garforth Town, and – amazingly – league leaders Pickering Town, the team have become the first Ponte Academy side to win three-in-a-row in many a year, and lifted themselves into third place in the league. They have also achieved their points target for the season with two games left to go. Crucially, the team are playing some fabulous football, playing the game the right way, and growing in stature with every game.

We have moved a long way in a short time: earlier this season we lost the services of Brad Thompson and Jimmy Eyles, two of the most talented lads you could wish to see, and many of the current Academy team were looking to leave the club, frustrated by the lack of opportunities being offered.

The transformation of the Academy is only partly down to the new gaffer, though. The vast bulk of the credit must go to “The Two Johns” – Redford and Osborne. It has been a major boon to myself that John Redford has committed himself to running the Academy in the long-term, and his renewed enthusiasm has re-invigorated his charges. In turn, the return of John Osborne has also been a major factor, both in the revival of “the other John” (John R seems like a Cloughie who has got his Peter Taylor back!) and the lifting of the player’s performances. John Osborne is a terrific coach and a good leader, and I am thrilled that he has rejoined the club. There are so many good initiatives that come out of the Academy – the introduction of Players Books and player development reviews, for example – that it is critical that this continues to develop, as a key part of turning Pontefract Collieries into a true “University of Football” for the area. With such a strong management team in charge, the players’ careers are in safe hands.

However, we must not get carried away. It is important to remember that the majority of our Academy players are very young for U19s football – they were playing U16s football last season, and the majority of the squad will still be eligible for U19s football in two years’ time, let alone next season. With young players, our aim must be to manage their development, and not rush them into playing a 38-game senior league season when their bodies are still developing, along with their footballing intelligence. They are still developing as players, and the primary focus of the club needs to be on helping every young player to reach his potential. With Brendon and the two Johns – and Ian Burchnall and Chris Kirby in the background – we now have an integrated management team, committed to developing, promoting and trusting young players, and all pulling in the same direction.

With a united – not to mention talented – management team in place, the future is bright for these young lads, who I hope will form the backbone of the First Team in years to come.”

With Jack Hill winning the Man of the Match award in the four-nil victory over Leeds Carnegie and Warren Redford bagging two of the goals while Hassan Ahmed scored the fourth to cap a series of fine performances, the club is moving closer to its aim of promoting and developing local talent.