"We want to bring the good times back!" Worksop Town goalkeeping coach John Hood says Tigers plotting for promotion

Hood, who was a long-time servant to the Tigers’ rivals Frickley Athletic, also explained the role of the number one spot for whoever may fill that position next season.

Discussing next season's ambitions, Hood stated: “We are looking to bring the same mentality and the same spirit that we had at Pontefract and bring it to Worksop Town.

"We are at a big club with a great fan base and we want to bring the good times back to Worksop.

“The management team are great, and they are very good lads.

"I joined Craig (Parry) and the rest of the management time last season and I got on well with them.

"I have known all of them for quite a while, playing with Luke (Jeffs) and Mark (Whitehouse) in the past.

“We are all on the same page, meaning we are all wanting to win the league, but I would say the minimum achievement from us should be finishing in the play-offs. But our ambition is promotion as a collective.

“We would also like a cup run, like in the Sheffield Senior Cup - to win a trophy would be great."

Hood also knows what he expects from whoever wears the number one jersey, and those who play in front of him, next season.

“The goalkeeping position is very important," he added.

"We need him to stay alert and for him to keep organised and to make sure that everyone is doing their jobs in front of the keeper.

“Craig’s philosophy is to get a lot of bodies forward, but as we looked back at last season, we saw that we conceded very few goals and had a hell of a lot of clean sheets.

“The main thing is that if we are pushing teams and scoring goals, then the opposition cannot attack, meaning the goalkeeper needs to maintain a good solid base and to make sure he is on his ball at all times for when we are on the defensive.”

Last season, Pontefract Collieries – Parry’s previous club – only conceded eight goals at Beechnut Lane in 11 games, losing just twice in that run.

Hood believes that Worksop can make Sandy Lane a fortress next season.

Hood added: “We came across to the ground the other week and met the chairman, Pete Whitehead, who outlined his plans for the club and it looks like it will be really good for us going forward. It is an exciting times and I am looking forward to it.

“I think every club aims to make their home a difficult place to lose at.

“If you don’t lose your home games and you pick up points away from home, then you are going to be right in the mix.

"The main aim for many clubs will be to maintain a really good home form.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.