2023–24 Northern Counties East Football League

The 2023–24 season was the 42nd in the history of the Northern Counties East Football League, a football competition in England.

Emley celebrate winning the 2023-24 Northern Counties East League title at Goole in March 2024

The allocations for Steps 5 and 6 this season were announced by The Football Association on 15 May 2023.[1] Starting this season, the Premier Division (Step 5) in the league promotes two clubs; one as champions and one via a four-team play-off. This replaced the previous inter-step play-off system. For this season only, there was only one club relegated from the division.[2]

Emley were confirmed as Premier Division champions following a 5-0 away win at Goole on 30 March 2024 and were presented with the league trophy a week later in their final home game against Golcar United. Parkgate were confirmed as Division One winners on 25 April. Both divisional champions contested the League Cup final with Parkgate coming out as winners and therefore league and cup double winners.

Premier Division

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Northern Counties East
Football League
Premier Division
Season2023–24
ChampionsEmley
PromotedEmley
Garforth Town
RelegatedMaltby Main

The Premier Division featured 16 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with four new clubs:

 
Emley lift the 2023-24 NCEL Premier Division trophy

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Emley (C, P) 38 26 7 5 99 29 +70 85 Promotion to the Northern Premier League
2 Campion 38 23 7 8 106 68 +38 76 Qualification for the play-offs
3 Garforth Town (O, P) 38 24 3 11 102 47 +55 75
4 Rossington Main 38 22 6 10 72 49 +23 72
5 Albion Sports 38 21 7 10 68 50 +18 67[a]
6 Penistone Church 38 19 5 14 79 64 +15 62
7 Thackley 38 18 7 13 61 57 +4 61
8 Knaresborough Town 38 17 9 12 74 58 +16 60
9 Hallam 38 17 8 13 71 59 +12 59
10 Silsden 38 19 1 18 76 66 +10 58
11 Tadcaster Albion 38 15 8 15 62 65 −3 53
12 Golcar United 38 15 7 16 76 66 +10 52
13 Handsworth 38 12 8 18 59 77 −18 44
14 Barton Town 38 12 7 19 64 80 −16 43
15 Frickley Athletic 38 12 6 20 62 79 −17 42
16 Eccleshill United 38 12 5 21 51 75 −24 41
17 Bottesford Town 38 9 8 21 51 89 −38 35
18 Goole 38 10 4 24 56 112 −56 34
19 Pickering Town 38 8 6 24 52 98 −46 30
20 Maltby Main (R) 38 7 5 26 46 99 −53 26 Relegation to Division One
Source: Northern Counties East Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Albion Sports were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player.[3]


Play-offs

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Semi-finals Final
      
2 Campion 0
5 Albion Sports 2
3 Garforth Town 0 (5)
5 Albion Sports 0 (3)
3 Garforth Town 0 (4)
4 Rossington Main 0 (2)

Semifinals

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27 April Campion0–2 Albion Sports Manningham
15:00 Report
  • Flynn   48' (pen.), 50'
Stadium: Scotchman Road
Attendance: 303
27 April Garforth Town 0–0
(4–2 p)
Rossington MainGarforth
15:00 Report Stadium: Wheatley Park
Attendance: 976

Final

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Stadia and locations

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Club Stadium Capacity
Albion Sports Horsfall Stadium[a] 3,500
Barton Town Euronics Ground 3,000
Bottesford Town Birch Park 1,000
Campion Scotchman Road 1,000
Eccleshill United Kings Way 2,225
Emley Fantastic Media Welfare Ground 2,000
Frickley Athletic Westfield Lane 2,087
Garforth Town Wheatley Park 3,000
Golcar United Skye Direct Stadium 1,200
Goole Victoria Pleasure Grounds 3,000
Hallam Sandygate 1,300
Handsworth Oliver's Mount 2,500
Knaresborough Town Manse Lane 1,000
Maltby Main Muglet Lane 2,000
Penistone Church Church View Road 1,000
Pickering Town Mill Lane 2,000
Rossington Main Welfare Ground 2,000
Silsden Keighley Road Stadium 1,500
Tadcaster Albion Ings Lane 2,000
Thackley Dennyfield 3,000
  1. ^ home of Bradford (Park Avenue) (groundshare)

Top goalscorers

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(all competitions)

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Ruben Jerome Emley 39
2 Robbie Fox Albion Sports 33
3 James Walshaw Emley 31
4 Nathan Keightley Penistone Church 29
5 Thomas Waudby Barton Town 27
Patrick Sykes Campion
7 Antony Brown Penistone Church 26
Kayle Price Silsden
9 Oliver Norman Tadcaster Albion 25

Division One

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Northern Counties East
Football League
Division One
Season2023–24
ChampionsParkgate
PromotedParkgate
Beverley Town
Shirebrook Town
RelegatedOllerton Town

Division One featured 18 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with five new clubs:

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Parkgate (C, P) 44 34 5 5 125 41 +84 107 Promotion to the Premier Division
2 Beverley Town (O, P) 44 32 7 5 132 49 +83 103 Qualification for the play-offs
3 Shirebrook Town (P) 44 31 7 6 114 45 +69 100 Qualification for the play-offs,
then promotion to the United Counties League
4 Wakefield 44 30 7 7 134 45 +89 97 Qualification for the play-offs
5 Retford United 44 28 9 7 121 47 +74 93 Qualification for the play-offs,
then transfer to the United Counties League
6 Wombwell Town 44 28 5 11 108 49 +59 89
7 Horbury Town 44 25 8 11 119 66 +53 83
8 Brigg Town 44 22 6 16 89 84 +5 72
9 Staveley Miners Welfare 44 19 9 16 84 62 +22 66 Transfer to the United Counties League
10 Dronfield Town 44 19 7 18 90 78 +12 64
11 Harrogate Railway Athletic 44 18 10 16 83 76 +7 64
12 Retford 44 18 8 18 85 87 −2 62 Transfer to the United Counties League
13 Louth Town 44 18 7 19 76 72 +4 61
14 Selby Town 44 18 5 21 96 89 +7 59
15 Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 44 16 5 23 67 77 −10 53
16 Clay Cross Town 44 14 6 24 61 89 −28 48 Transfer to the United Counties League
17 Nostell Miners Welfare 44 14 5 25 79 92 −13 47
18 Athersley Recreation 44 13 5 26 61 109 −48 44
19 Armthorpe Welfare 44 12 5 27 68 120 −52 41
20 Glasshoughton Welfare 44 10 5 29 61 108 −47 35
21 Yorkshire Amateur 44 10 8 26 49 121 −72 35[a]
22 Swallownest 44 4 4 36 39 157 −118 16
23 Ollerton Town (R) 44 1 1 42 28 206 −178 4 Relegation to the Central Midlands Alliance League
Source: Northern Counties East Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) head-to-head results[4]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Yorkshire Amateur were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player.[5]

Play-offs

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Semi-finals Final
      
2 Beverley Town 2
5 Retford United 1
2 Beverley Town 1 (4)
3 Shirebrook Town 1 (2)
3 Shirebrook Town 4
4 Wakefield 0

Semifinals

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4 May Shirebrook Town 4–0WakefieldRawmarsh[6]
Report Stadium: Roundwood Sports Complex
Attendance: 507

Final

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11 May Beverley Town 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Shirebrook TownBeverley
15:00
  • Hinchliffe   26'
Report
Stadium: Norwood Recreation Ground
Attendance: 1,525
Location of the clubs in the 2023–24 NCEL Division One on a map of the East Midlands
Club Stadium Capacity
Armthorpe Welfare Welfare Ground 2,500
Athersley Recreation Sheerien Park 2,000
Beverley Town Norwood Recreation Ground
Brigg Town The Hawthorns 2,500
Clay Cross Town Mill Lane
Dronfield Town Stonelow Ground 500
Glasshoughton Welfare Glasshoughton Centre 2,000
Harrogate Railway Athletic Station View 3,500
Horbury Town Slazengers Sports Complex 300
Louth Town Marshlands
Nostell Miners Welfare The Welfare Ground 1,500
Ollerton Town Walesby Lane Sports Ground
Parkgate Roundwood Sports Complex 1,000
Retford The Rail 1,000
Retford United Cannon Park 2,000
Selby Town Richard Street 5,000
Shirebrook Town Langwith Road 2,000
Staveley Miners Welfare Inkersall Road 5,000
Swallownest Miners Welfare Ground 500
Wakefield Belle Vue 9,333
Wombwell Town Recreation Ground 2,000
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic Park Road 2,000
Yorkshire Amateur Bracken Edge 1,550

Top goalscorers

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(all competitions)

Rank Player Club Goals
1 James Cusworth Horbury Town 49
2 Kieren Watson Shirebrook Town 40
3 Ross Duggan Parkgate 39
4 Joe McFadyen Beverley Town 33
5 Marcus Day Shirebrook Town 31
6 Max Rhodes Dronfield Town 30
7 Liam Owen Retford United 29

League Cup

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2023–24 Northern Counties East Football League League Cup
Tournament details
CountryEngland
Teams42
Final positions
ChampionsParkgate
Runner-upEmley
Tournament statistics
Matches played42

The 2023–24 Northern Counties East Football League League Cup was the 42nd season of the league cup competition of the Northern Counties East Football League. The final was between the 2 divisional winners on Wednesday 8 May 2024, 7:45pm at Glanford Park, Scunthorpe.

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

References

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  1. ^ "The FA releases National League System club allocations for Steps 3-6 in 2023-24 term". The Football Association. 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Step 5 to 4 promotion/relegation update". The FA. 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Points deduction for Lions". Northern Counties East Football League. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b "The FA Handbook 2020/2021 Part 29 Standardised Rules Section 12.2". The FA.
  5. ^ "Points deduction for Ammers". Northern Counties East Football League. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Neutral venues for Semi-Finals of Division One Play-Offs". Northern Counties East Football League. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
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