Today looks like it will be our last game in the NCEL for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, we did not quite manage enough points to get out of the bottom two. We left ourselves with a mammoth task but my god! What a second half to the season we have had. To put 28 points on the board from December after being on zero points is a great achievement. Matt and the boys are hurting still because they care so much. They really believed they could drag us out of the mess, and we came so close in the end. It just wasn’t to be. The objective now is to finish on 31 points and maybe finish 19th depending on Harworths result against AFC Emley. The lads are playing for pride now and they will want to finish on a high, especially after beating Swallownest last week. The lads were excellent that day.

For Winterton they have had a great season! They can potentially finish 3rd after today depending on Hallams result. They have secured a 4th place finish which is fantastic for them. It’s a shame that there are no play offs this year as it would have left Winterton with something to fight for. They have had a tremendous season and they can be proud of what they have achieved.

For us, we will be looking to prepare for step 7 football next season. Build on the foundations laid and keep chipping away at our overall club target. To be a community club. You only have to look at Retford FC and admire what they have achieved in their short journey. Anything is possible if you believe in something. In football terms, people tell me that there might be reprieves. The FA is still restructuring all the leagues and there might be life lines thrown about. We can’t bank on that happening. We will prepare for relegation and then see what happens after then. We have loved our time in the NCEL. Met some cracking people who all go above and beyond for their clubs and the love of the game. There would be to many to name but the stand out guys for me would be Mark Booth of Worsbrough (such a lovely guy), Carl Stokes of Rossington when he was there, Jonathan Wilson of Harworth and Stephen Basford & Mike jolly of Hallam. There is also Wilf Race of Maltby. Never met him properly but my dealings with him have been class. He is a proper gent and I have a lot of time for people like that. Of course, Kev and Aimee at Shirebrook who have been brilliant with us since I’ve come in. I’ve met great people at every club, and you all deserve a medal. There are also members of the league of course David Morrall, Matt Jones, Brian Gould, Steve Wall and the rest of the guys there. Its been a pleasure, thank you for having us.

Internally I would like to thank everyone who have supported us on our 'mission impossible' venture this season. Anyone who has come through the gates to cheer the boys on when we have needed it most. My most memorable memory was beating campion at home 3-0. The supporters really appreciated the level of performance the lads put in that day.

I would like to thank our volunteers who have been with us this season. I’m very grateful for the time you dedicate. A special mention to the social media team (Josh Chatfield, Adam Hartshorn, Sam Butler & Oli Knowles) who have come in and really lightened up the mood online and also produced some cracking images. A lot of “tongue and cheek” humour which is harmless but has helped build good rapport with other clubs and football people around. Lastly, I would like to thank our sponsors for all their support this season. We are all very humbled by your efforts in supporting FC Bolsover.

I thank Matt and his staff/players. For showing the courage to battle on when it seemed there wasn’t a hope in the world. Matt dusted himself down after every game and kept believing he could get us out of this. The guys got tremendous spirit and it resonated through the team in our final stretch of games. I would also like to mention Jack Warwick. One of the first names on the team sheet. Jack is currently sitting on 16 goals this season. Its fair to say he maybe could have had a few more. I played with this guy when he was a teenager at Sunday league level. He has come into non-league football for the first time ever and has been a revelation. He has been a joy to watch.

I hope you all have a great summer.

Ben
Chairman
FC Bolsover