Ladies training: Up To 24th August Tuesdays: Ladies 1s and Club training 7 - 9 From August 31st Tuesdays: 3/4s 6.30 - 8.0, 1/2s 7.45 - 9.45 Juniors Tuesdays: 5.0 - 6.30 stats 10th August and Sunday mornings from 15th August
Brooklands Manchester University HC is back in the
Premier Division, just 10 years after a brief one-season taste of taking on the
big boys. This time, with a squad built round a successful youth programme and
coached by the recently honoured John Bell as England Hockey¹s Performance
Coach of the Year, they believe they are much better equipped for life at the
top.
John, who was in the team that failed to survive in
the Premier 10 years ago, is back at Brooklands as coach with a long-term plan
that saw this season¹s promotion from Conference North as just one step towards
his goal. ‘I don¹t feel I have achieved anything yet. This is just the
beginning' he says.We drew up a plan
to get into the top division when I took over as coach at Georges Road three
years ago. ‘I devoted my first year to finding out exactly what we had at the
club and the capabilities of the players. The next season was all about
building the squad and then of course this last year has been an all-out drive
for promotion' he explained.
Brooklands were in a tough, competitive league and
they only emerged North champions to qualify for the play-offs ahead of Belper
on the last day of the season. Unbeaten all season they just needed a point in
that final game against their Derbyshire rivals and that¹s just what they got
after coming from behind for 3-3 thanks to two goals from Welsh international
Oliver Cooper.
The return of Cooper to the club where he played as a
youngster, and the arrival of David Seddon from nearby Formby were, key factors
in the surge to the top. With 25 League goals from Cooper and 22 by Seddon,
Brooklands finally had a couple of experienced strikers to provide a cutting
edge. But as John Bell, who last season also coached the England Under-16 boys
as well as delivering coaching and skills modules for England Hockey, went on
to say: "We had three or four mature players like our strikers, skipper Andy
Howse and Brad King, as well as being brilliantly served by our goalkeeper Lee
Ible. We will pursue the Welsh number one spot for Lee who will also be
involved in the Great Britain training squad because he has the quality.
Essentially, though, we are a very young side recruited
locally. Peter Flanagan who joined us from Bolton before joining Cannock was a
pathfinder who enjoyed our coaching and facilities. I think his success here
encouraged other Bolton youngsters to come to us, like Peter¹s young brother
David, Andy Bull and Scott Evans. They are in the junior international system
now while Peter Jackson who joined us from South Cheshire is now the England
Under-18 captain. They have been terrific for us. So were Henry Weir and Martyn
Scanlon before their studies took them south and I am delighted they have
continued to progress and have played for the England Under-21 team.
We didn¹t get our success by going out poaching or tapping
other clubs¹ players and we will only take players who want to come of their
own accord. Of course Manchester has a lot going for it with three major
universities and our merger with Manchester University has given us a strong
student identity which has not just strengthened our first team squad but right
down the line through the rest of our teams. We will continue to build round
youth and develop emerging talent, while also exploring the strong links we
have with South Africa and Australia.
The main thing is to keep our youngsters together, though we
wouldn¹t wish to prejudice their choice of university when the time comes. Our
first team is not a closed shop. I¹m proud that, three players who finished up
playing in the promotion team, David Flanagan, Anthony Pike and Richard Bond,
all started the season in the second team.
Next season is of course going to be a big challenge but we
are an improving squad capable of progressing. We showed up well in a very
competitive Conference North and we came out top in the play-offs, so my
immediate aim in the Premier is to finish our first season in a reasonable
position and consolidate. The following season I want to see us making a
challenge for a European place. Personally I don¹t feel we have won anything
yet and the coming season is going to show us exactly where we are, how far we
have come and how far there is to go. We have two serious injuries, Nick Little
a fractured kneecap and Richard Bond a broken arm, but I¹m sure they will be
back soon. We are losing two players; skipper Howse is going to New Zealand and
Paul McComb is going towork in London. We will be ready to
go again, though, and as I say, promotion is just the beginning for Brooklands
Manchester University."
