Town End Season With Victory Over Hedon

Humber Premier League Champions Beverley Town travelled to South Holderness for their final game of the season to take on Hedon Rangers, hoping to complete the season with a perfect away record.

A number of players were missing due to injury and holidays. Craig Muirhead came in for a start alongside the returning Matty Start.

The game started a little slowly with the game certainly having an end of season feel to it.

Town were enjoying plenty of possession with centre backs Dane Mortimer and Ryan Nicholls being particularly comfortable with the ball, but the team were lacking any real penetration.

It was going to take a real touch of inspiration to break the deadlock, and it was Danny Norton, who unduly gave it cutting inside onto his left foot and dispatching an exquisite finish into the top corner for his eleventh goal of the season.

The champions were now starting to play with more tempo and Start was put through well by Dan Kingsley, but his attempted lob was comfortably collected by the Hedon keeper.

Start had another opportunity when good work from Andrew Stott and James Whittingham led to Whittingham delivering a perfect cross, but Start could not quite get on the end of it.

The home side never really threatened but on one counter attack goalkeeper Adam Nicholson had to be quick off his line to thwart the Hedon striker.

Beverley then claimed their second when from a corner, the ball broke to Mortimer, who finished well for his 8th goal of the season; this is a superb return for a centre back.

As the second half began Town made a couple of substitutions with Dan Walker and Jamie Cording replacing Whttingham and Kingsley.
These changes and with a change in formation disrupted the flow a little with the away team struggling to gain a third goal.

Many opportunities were lost when poor decisions were made in the final third. Stott was a constant threat down the left, but too many times his crosses could not quite find their target.

Hedon rarely troubled Nicholson in the Beverley goal, and the game petered out for Town to claim their second consecutive Humber Premier league title.

So as the season comes to a close what a tremendous achievement by Beverley winning the league championship to add to the Northern Counties cup.

This has been achieved by winning 21 away games in a row, scoring 112 goals and only conceding 18 league goals in 28 games. It has truly been a team effort with six players gaining double figures in the scoring charts.

The club and committee now have some very important decisions to make as manager Dave Ricardo and assistant Steve Mulligan are moving on to pastures new, and it is key that the right appointment is made for the future of the club in replacing them.

Beverley Town football club would also like to thank all the supporters who have enjoyed the success with them this season and to all the sponsors whom without their financial input, a local club like Beverley would not be able to sustain themselves.

Report by Steve Mulligan