Heyside target swift return

HEYSIDE’S sole aim this season is to win promotion from division four of the Huddersfield and District League.

Unlucky to be relegated at the end of last term following a tremendous run of form which yielded eight victories from their last 10 matches, Heyside have made an encouraging start to the present campaign and are one of the favourites for promotion.

That start is in stark contrast to last year when one win in the first 10 games ultimately cost them their place in division three.

And it was the league’s decision to increase the number of relegated teams from two to four which made Heyside’s demotion to the bottom tier even more hard to swallow.

Long-serving Heyside secretary John Norbury said: “The league had to redistribute the numbers of teams in their four divisions for this season and we paid the price.

“Our run at the end of the season should have been enough to keep us up and, in normal circumstances, we would have been comfortable.

“It’s early days yet and you never can tell, but we are hoping for a swift return.”

While relegation was obviously a blow, it wasn’t all doom and gloom last season as Heyside lifted the Groom Cup.

James Cummins and James Taylor are in charge of first-team affairs, while Nick Dempsey is player-manager of the second team.

Heyside entertain Rastrick CC at Heyside Park, Blackshaw Lane, on Saturday (kick-off 2pm).