Latest news with #NorthernLeagueDivisionOne
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Back to the future: Edmo hoping for fresh success at Workington Reds
Darren Edmondson says the chance to return to Workington Reds as manager came 'out of the blue' – but he's excited by the prospect of going back. Edmondson has rejoined the Borough Park club some 12 years after his previous stint in charge came to an end. That first six-year spell saw Edmondson become Reds' longest-serving manager and the club have now turned to the 53-year-old to replace Mark Fell. The Cumbrian has left Northern League Division One club Penrith to return to west Cumbria to lead Workington in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. And Edmondson believes it is a good time to be heading back to the club, even if it was not an opportunity he had expected. 'It came totally out of the blue,' he told the News & Star. 'I was talking to my wife about whether we would keep going with Penrith or whether we might have weekends back as a family. 'Being a part-time manager is a big old slog – I don't think people realise what it takes. You're never off the phone, you've got your own daytime job to look after, then you've also got training on an evening, and the modern player is different to the old player – there's always an issue. 'But this was a different conversation. The standard of football is higher, there is the potential of the new stadium at Reds, and crowds show they seem to be going in the right direction again. 'So it's an exciting moment for myself.' Edmondson will be joined at Borough Park by his Penrith assistant Richard Prokas. The pair will work with existing Reds coaches Brian Dawson and Billy Redden, who guided Workington to NPL Premier safety in the closing stages of the 2024/25 season after Fell's departure. In the end Reds shot up to 12th on goal difference on the final day, before pressing on with their move to appoint Edmondson. Fans rally behind Edmondson in 2009 - the new boss hopes for more good backing from the faithful now (Image: PAUL JOHNSON) 'The two clubs [Penrith and Workington] spoke and there was an agreement that Reds would be able to speak to me,' he added. 'It has progressed slowly but quietly, and that's what everybody wanted. Everybody needs to be happy with certain situations, otherwise you're not going in with the right frame of mind. 'We're all happy with where we are. Bringing Richard in is great, and I know Brian and Billy and I'm sure we'll all work well. 'I also know a lot of the players so I think it will be an easy transition for us.' Edmondson believes there is potential for growth at Workington after two seasons back at NPL Premier level. 'The directors realised that the squad had maybe been underachieving last year,' he said. 'In the event they finished ten points off the play-offs, when everyone had been saying at the back end that the second half of the season was dreadful. 'I think it shows that maybe there was a gulf from the top three or four, where all the money was, but then the rest is very similar and very close. 'So the club are quite positive with what we can do next season. We've just got to start recruiting as soon as we can and see if we can pull in as much local talent as we can and see if they're all interested in coming to be part of a new project. 'Then, beyond that, we'll have to look outside the Cumbrian perimeter, which is always a difficult one but we have to consider everything.' Edmondson led Reds to the FA Cup first round in 2008 during his first spell, when they faced Bury (Image: ROBERT RATHBONE) Edmondson enjoyed some good times at Workington from 2007 to 2013, when he was in the infancy of his managerial and coaching career. He led the club in Conference North and also guided them to the FA Cup first round proper in 2008 – the last time they have reached that stage. What, then, about the old maxim of 'never go back'? 'I think that is different as a player to a manager,' he said. 'As a footballer, if you leave and go back two years later, you might be just bringing the same stuff back. 'As a manager, and certainly in my case at Workington, you're talking different times, different people at the helm – and you're different in yourself, differences in how you mature as a coach and a person. 'I was just starting out back then. There were some fantastic times. I'm not thinking about that now. If we can get anywhere near that, it'll be great, and if we don't there'll be reasons for it. 'I'll just give everything I can and try and push what's here and to try and take the club as far forward as we can go.' Certainly the support has grown for Workington of late, the club recently announcing that aggregate numbers through the Borough Park turnstiles (16,372) were at their highest level since the season Reds went out of the Football League (1976/77). Their average home gate of 780 was also their second highest since that campaign. Edmondson hopes to tap into this. 'I think with any club, when the fans are positive and coming down in numbers, that helps the team, doesn't it?' he said. Edmondson and assistant Richard Prokas have left Penrith for Workington (Image: Ben Holmes) 'That's vital and it seems to be what's been happening recently. So there's obviously a good connection between the club and the players and the fans, which is great. 'That was one of the reasons for me – that it seems to be uniting in the right direction, and I think that proved the case over the last few games where they picked up results and the crowd were back supporting the players. 'The first thing that has to be said is that fans have got to keep coming and being positive with the players, and the players will react in the way that everybody responds correctly to praise and positivity.' Edmondson, after his first spell at Workington, had two years at Barrow but, from 2015, other than a short stint with Bradford Park Avenue, was out of front line management for the next seven years, as he spent time as Carlisle United's academy manager and also pursued other opportunities, such as running the Cumbria Institute of Sport at Newton Rigg. His involvement with the latter saw him more closely on Penrith AFC's radar and he returned to the dugout with the Bonny Blues in 2022. He says that opportunity whetted his appetite for the role again. 'I've thanked Billy [Williams, Penrith chairman] for giving me that opportunity, for getting me back into the dugout and reigniting the spark again,' Edmondson said. 'The excitement and the stresses of it all…it comes as a package. But if you're a football person, that's what you enjoy and that's what you like. 'I had three great years at that club. The stadium is now fantastic and I wish everybody there all the best.' Edmondson, from his playing and coaching days, is closely associated with Carlisle United and hopes links between Blues and Reds can be strong, even as he laments United's drop into non-league themselves following consecutive relegations. 'I'm gutted about that,' he said. 'Hopefully it can be a one-year spin-around to get them back [into the EFL]. 'But any help they can give us, and vice-versa…that's got to be positive. I've had Dan Hopper at Penrith, and I've definitely seen a change in him since he came in, got roughed up a little bit and put himself about. 'Hopefully that will set him in good stead, and then likewise I know the directors at Workington have been impressed with the lads they've had from Carlisle. 'I always think it's win-win.' In terms of the immediate in-tray at Workington, Edmondson said: 'Making sure the players the club want to keep, sorting those lads out, is the first thing. 'And then it's looking to see what we can do recruitment-wise. 'In terms of what success looks like…that's a difficult one. 'Some will say now, even though I've done it before, I'm new to this level now and it's like starting again, almost. 'But we need to finish higher than we did last season and be pushing into the top half. We've got to start on a high, with the way the season finished and the fans that came down. 'I think we should be pushing towards play-offs, but that depends on how well we can recruit and retain. It's early days, but we've got to go in with a positive mindset in that if we can finish mid-table, there must be something in that squad that says we can go better than that.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Back to the future: Edmo hoping for fresh success at Workington Reds
Darren Edmondson says the chance to return to Workington Reds as manager came 'out of the blue' – but he's excited by the prospect of going back. Edmondson has rejoined the Borough Park club some 12 years after his previous stint in charge came to an end. That first six-year spell saw Edmondson become Reds' longest-serving manager and the club have now turned to the 53-year-old to replace Mark Fell. The Cumbrian has left Northern League Division One club Penrith to return to west Cumbria to lead Workington in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. And Edmondson believes it is a good time to be heading back to the club, even if it was not an opportunity he had expected. 'It came totally out of the blue,' he told the News & Star. 'I was talking to my wife about whether we would keep going with Penrith or whether we might have weekends back as a family. 'Being a part-time manager is a big old slog – I don't think people realise what it takes. You're never off the phone, you've got your own daytime job to look after, then you've also got training on an evening, and the modern player is different to the old player – there's always an issue. 'But this was a different conversation. The standard of football is higher, there is the potential of the new stadium at Reds, and crowds show they seem to be going in the right direction again. 'So it's an exciting moment for myself.' Edmondson will be joined at Borough Park by his Penrith assistant Richard Prokas. The pair will work with existing Reds coaches Brian Dawson and Billy Redden, who guided Workington to NPL Premier safety in the closing stages of the 2024/25 season after Fell's departure. In the end Reds shot up to 12th on goal difference on the final day, before pressing on with their move to appoint Edmondson. Fans rally behind Edmondson in 2009 - the new boss hopes for more good backing from the faithful now (Image: PAUL JOHNSON) 'The two clubs [Penrith and Workington] spoke and there was an agreement that Reds would be able to speak to me,' he added. 'It has progressed slowly but quietly, and that's what everybody wanted. Everybody needs to be happy with certain situations, otherwise you're not going in with the right frame of mind. 'We're all happy with where we are. Bringing Richard in is great, and I know Brian and Billy and I'm sure we'll all work well. 'I also know a lot of the players so I think it will be an easy transition for us.' Edmondson believes there is potential for growth at Workington after two seasons back at NPL Premier level. 'The directors realised that the squad had maybe been underachieving last year,' he said. 'In the event they finished ten points off the play-offs, when everyone had been saying at the back end that the second half of the season was dreadful. 'I think it shows that maybe there was a gulf from the top three or four, where all the money was, but then the rest is very similar and very close. 'So the club are quite positive with what we can do next season. We've just got to start recruiting as soon as we can and see if we can pull in as much local talent as we can and see if they're all interested in coming to be part of a new project. 'Then, beyond that, we'll have to look outside the Cumbrian perimeter, which is always a difficult one but we have to consider everything.' Edmondson led Reds to the FA Cup first round in 2008 during his first spell, when they faced Bury (Image: ROBERT RATHBONE) Edmondson enjoyed some good times at Workington from 2007 to 2013, when he was in the infancy of his managerial and coaching career. He led the club in Conference North and also guided them to the FA Cup first round proper in 2008 – the last time they have reached that stage. What, then, about the old maxim of 'never go back'? 'I think that is different as a player to a manager,' he said. 'As a footballer, if you leave and go back two years later, you might be just bringing the same stuff back. 'As a manager, and certainly in my case at Workington, you're talking different times, different people at the helm – and you're different in yourself, differences in how you mature as a coach and a person. 'I was just starting out back then. There were some fantastic times. I'm not thinking about that now. If we can get anywhere near that, it'll be great, and if we don't there'll be reasons for it. 'I'll just give everything I can and try and push what's here and to try and take the club as far forward as we can go.' Certainly the support has grown for Workington of late, the club recently announcing that aggregate numbers through the Borough Park turnstiles (16,372) were at their highest level since the season Reds went out of the Football League (1976/77). Their average home gate of 780 was also their second highest since that campaign. Edmondson hopes to tap into this. 'I think with any club, when the fans are positive and coming down in numbers, that helps the team, doesn't it?' he said. Edmondson and assistant Richard Prokas have left Penrith for Workington (Image: Ben Holmes) 'That's vital and it seems to be what's been happening recently. So there's obviously a good connection between the club and the players and the fans, which is great. 'That was one of the reasons for me – that it seems to be uniting in the right direction, and I think that proved the case over the last few games where they picked up results and the crowd were back supporting the players. 'The first thing that has to be said is that fans have got to keep coming and being positive with the players, and the players will react in the way that everybody responds correctly to praise and positivity.' Edmondson, after his first spell at Workington, had two years at Barrow but, from 2015, other than a short stint with Bradford Park Avenue, was out of front line management for the next seven years, as he spent time as Carlisle United's academy manager and also pursued other opportunities, such as running the Cumbria Institute of Sport at Newton Rigg. His involvement with the latter saw him more closely on Penrith AFC's radar and he returned to the dugout with the Bonny Blues in 2022. He says that opportunity whetted his appetite for the role again. 'I've thanked Billy [Williams, Penrith chairman] for giving me that opportunity, for getting me back into the dugout and reigniting the spark again,' Edmondson said. 'The excitement and the stresses of it all…it comes as a package. But if you're a football person, that's what you enjoy and that's what you like. 'I had three great years at that club. The stadium is now fantastic and I wish everybody there all the best.' Edmondson, from his playing and coaching days, is closely associated with Carlisle United and hopes links between Blues and Reds can be strong, even as he laments United's drop into non-league themselves following consecutive relegations. 'I'm gutted about that,' he said. 'Hopefully it can be a one-year spin-around to get them back [into the EFL]. 'But any help they can give us, and vice-versa…that's got to be positive. I've had Dan Hopper at Penrith, and I've definitely seen a change in him since he came in, got roughed up a little bit and put himself about. 'Hopefully that will set him in good stead, and then likewise I know the directors at Workington have been impressed with the lads they've had from Carlisle. 'I always think it's win-win.' In terms of the immediate in-tray at Workington, Edmondson said: 'Making sure the players the club want to keep, sorting those lads out, is the first thing. 'And then it's looking to see what we can do recruitment-wise. 'In terms of what success looks like…that's a difficult one. 'Some will say now, even though I've done it before, I'm new to this level now and it's like starting again, almost. 'But we need to finish higher than we did last season and be pushing into the top half. We've got to start on a high, with the way the season finished and the fans that came down. 'I think we should be pushing towards play-offs, but that depends on how well we can recruit and retain. It's early days, but we've got to go in with a positive mindset in that if we can finish mid-table, there must be something in that squad that says we can go better than that.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edmondson returns to Workington Reds as manager
Darren Edmondson has returned to Workington Reds as their new manager. The Borough Park club have announced that the 53-year-old has joined for a second spell in charge. Edmondson has left Penrith in order to become Mark Fell's successor at Workington. He has been joined by his assistant Richard Prokas, and the duo will work with existing coaches Brian Dawson and Billy Redden, who were in caretaker charge for the last three games of the season after Fell's departure. Edmondson was previously in charge at Workington from 2007 to 2013, becoming the club's longest-serving manager in the process. The club said they are delighted to have secured his return. "Darren was high on our list of targets as we looked to fill the vacant position," Reds said in a statement. "He fits our club profile perfectly and his links within the county and beyond will bring footballing benefits across the whole club. Richard Prokas has also joined Workington as assistant manager (Image: Barbara Abbott) "On top of that of course he was our longest serving manager in his previous spell with the club. Darren will bring with him Richard Prokas who was his assistant at Penrith and they will work alongside Brian Dawson and Billy Redden to prepare the squad for the new NPL season." Workington vice-chairman Richard Lewthwaite added: "We are delighted to have got Darren and Richard into the club. They share our ambition and desire to continue to climb the pyramid whilst maintaining the club in a position of stability and sustainability. "Our aim is nothing less than continued progression and building on the foundations that have been laid over the past few seasons." Edmondson will take the helm after Workington finished 12th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2024/25. The Reds were in a fight for survival in the closing weeks before Redden and Dawson guided them over the line, with Workington then shooting up the table on goal difference on the final day. The news leaves Northern League Division One club Penrith seeking a new boss after three years under Edmondson. They finished 17th in the table last season as well as reaching the Fred Conway Cumberland Cup final, losing 1-0 to Carlisle City. Former Carlisle United, York City and Huddersfield Town player Edmondson's return to Reds is the latest step in a managerial career which has also seen spells at Barrow and Bradford Park Avenue. He also runs the Cumbria Institute of Sport at Newton Rigg near Penrith.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlisle City boss reacts to Fred Conway Cumberland Cup triumph
Carlisle City boss Dan Kirkup said it was a rewarding feeling to have won the Fred Conway Cumberland Cup. City got the better of Northern League Division One rivals Penrith by winning the final 1-0 at Brunton Park. Jordan Irving's impressive goal secured the 2024/25 trophy for City as Kirkup's first season in charge ended with silverware. The delighted manager told the News & Star: 'I thought it was a really tight game – everything we expected to be fair. 'The two league games have been so tight and we were due a little bit of the rub of the green to go for us. 'I thought we were the better team. We had the better chances. Like I said last time they beat us, karma always comes back to bite you in football and it certainly did here. 'I'm really pleased for the boys. Everyone put a shift in. Fair play to Penrith, they gave as good as they got and matched us all the way. 'I'm really happy. It's what you play for in football, isn't it – end of season cup finals like this? We had our cup final and we've come out on top.' READ MORE: Match report from Carlisle City's county cup final victory against Penrith Penrith had good first half chances before City came on stronger after the break – and man-of-the-match Irving then struck the decisive blow with a superb strike from the left that dipped over opposition keeper Aaran Taylor. 'I said at half time there was going to be one goal in it – it was really nip and tick and I felt it was going to take a mistake or something a little bit special,' added Kirkup. 'We got that special something from Jordan Irving which won us the game. 'I don't think we came under too much pressure in the last ten minutes. I was expecting the kitchen sink to come at us like it did in the home game in the league, but it didn't, really. 'I thought we coped with what got thrown at us pretty well.' City got the better of Penrith to lift the trophy (Image: Barbara Abbott) City grew stronger as the game went on and Kirkup said a change of approach after the break helped his side win the cup for the first time since 2022. 'Callum Birdsall started the game after having not played for four weeks – he wasn't fit, he played on pretty much one leg but I wanted him there, he's our main man and I thought if we had a chance of winning we need him there,' said Kirkup. 'But actually when he went off [early in the second half] I thought we turned into a little bit of a better team because we put a bit more pace up front and I thought we really hurt them with balls in behind, rather than going into Callum which I think they were quite comfortable with. Fred Conway Cumberland Cup final - as it happened! 'They were big lads at the back and I don't think they like [opponents] running in behind. 'Credit to everyone, I'm pleased for everyone at the football club. It's been a tough season, there's no getting away from that in the league. 'We had our cup final and it sort of papers over a creaky season. But if you'd asked me at the start of the season if we could finish where we did [18th] and win a cup I would have snapped your hand off.' On the cup success after his first campaign in charge after succeeding Jim Nichols at the City helm, Kirkup said: 'Some people in management never really win a thing, so to win a major competition like this is really pleasing. 'It's for everyone at the club. There's a lot of unseen work behind the scenes – the players sometimes just have to turn up and play and they don't appreciate what goes into it. 'Nights like that are for the people who run the club and they'll enjoy it.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Loan watch and ex-Blues: Hopper on target, Robson off injured
Dan Hopper was on the scoresheet as the Carlisle United teenager helped Penrith to victory in their last home game of the season. The Blues youth team player netted in the 59th minute to seal a 2-0 win against Whitley Bay for Darren Edmondson's Northern League Division One side. Hopper's strike, which followed Luke Hunter's opener, was the 17-year-old's fifth since joining the Bonny Blues on work experience in December. His last game for Edmondson's 17th-placed side will come at Shildon next weekend. Hopper, the son of the late United and Workington Reds hero Tony, has been offered a deal to stay at Brunton Park. Also in Northern League Division One, Josh O'Brien helped Carlisle City to a clean sheet and a victory. The Blues defender was in Dan Kirkup's XI as they won 1-0 at Seaham Red Star thanks to Jordan Irving's goal. Their final league game comes at home to Northallerton Town next Saturday. North of the border, Luke Armstrong was a substitute for Motherwell in their 0-0 draw with Heart of Midlothian, the striker coming off the bench in the 71st minute for Michael Wimmer's side in the Scottish Premiership clash. Taylor Charters got his latest start as Queen of the South claimed another victory, the Blues man playing the first 65 minutes as Peter Murphy's side defeated Montrose 2-1. It was an 11th appearance for Charters with the Doonhamers, as they won a third straight game. They remain fourth ahead of next Saturday's trip to sixth-placed Kelty Hearts. There was an injury blow for another United loanee as Ethan Robson limped off in his third Gateshead appearance. The midfielder had to go off after just 38 minutes as Carl Magnay's side won 3-2 at Forest Green Rovers in the National League. 38 | Horton replaces Robson in an enforced change. 🟢 0-1 🐐 | #WorClub ⚪️⚫️ — Gateshead FC (@GatesheadFC) April 12, 2025 The north east side are fifth and Robson will hope to return for the rest of their run-in, with a home clash with York City next on Good Friday. In National League North, Sam Hetherington came off the bench in the 75th minute for his latest Darlington appearance at Chester, as the Quakers went down to a 2-1 defeat. Next for the young Blues player and his team-mates is a Friday clash with South Shields. Neither Jake Allan nor Aran Fitzpatrick were involved for Workington Reds in their 1-0 defeat to Leek Town in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. A number of ex-Blues were in the thick of the weekend action, meanwhile. In the Premier League, Jarrad Branthwaite helped Everton to a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, but Dean Henderson was on the receiving end as Manchester City fought back to defeat Crystal Palace 5-2. The Championship saw Jerry Yates on target for Derby County in their 2-2 draw at Portsmouth, while on Friday James Trafford helped promotion-chasing Burnley to a 2-1 home win over Norwich City. In League One, Jack Diamond netted Stockport County's first goal as they came from behind to win 3-1 against Rotherham United, with both Owen Moxon and Oliver Norwood also starting in the Hatters' midfield. WHAT A HIT THAT IS!#StockportCounty — Stockport County (@StockportCounty) April 12, 2025 Jon Mellish returned to the Wigan Athletic starting XI as the Latics drew 0-0 with Wrexham. League Two saw two ex-Blues play a key part in a dramatic fightback in the relegation battle, as Omari Patrick (two) and Kristian Dennis scored as Tranmere Rovers came from 3-0 down after 78 minutes to draw 3-3 with Accrington Stanley – Patrick hitting the equaliser in the 11th minute of added time. The SCENES here are some of the greatest you will see! 😲 Tranmere comeback from 3-0 down and every goal is a banger 👏@TranmereRovers | @EFL — ITV Football (@itvfootball) April 12, 2025 The sons of ex-United managers were in the goals again, with Aaron Pressley (son of Steven) scoring in Barrow's 2-0 win over Walsall, and Calum Kavanagh (son of Graham) hitting a hat-trick in Bradford City's remarkable 5-4 defeat at Swindon Town. Paddy Madden scored to seal Chesterfield's 3-0 win over Fleetwood Town. In the National League, Ryan Carr opened the scoring for relegated Ebbsfleet United in their 4-1 win over Sutton United. Quick feet by Aoraha allows him to slot the ball into the path of Carr who makes no mistake with his shot from inside the area! EUFC 1-0 SUFC — Ebbsfleet United FC (@EUFCofficial) April 12, 2025 Northern League Division One saw Max Cowburn score West Allotment Celtic's consolation goal from the penalty spot in a 3-1 defeat at Tow Law Town. There was a goal for 43-year-old Derek Asamoah in Haringey Borough's 2-0 win over Heybridge Swifts in the Isthmian League North Division. And in the Scottish Championship, there was an eventful evening for Ethan Walker, who scored a late equaliser and was then sent off for a second bookable offence in Ayr United's 1-1 draw with Falkirk.
