Boldon CA must learn lessons from difficult season

Boldon CA joint-manager Dan Crooks believes the lessons he and fellow boss David Palmer have learnt this season can help them succeed in the future.

After taking charge at the Villa in September last year and taking charge of a Boldon side sat without a win in their opening 11 games in all competitions, the duo made a slow start to their reign after collecting just two points from their first three games in charge. However, goals from Jordan Reed and Kane Foy got Boldon off the mark with a 2-0 home win against Billingham Synthonia and that laid some early foundations for a gradual improvement.

By the end of the season, Boldon were sat 14 points clear of the bottom three in the Northern League’s second tier and Crooks is adamant the experiences of the season will aid both he and Crooks when the new campaign gets underway in July.

He told The Gazette: “When we took over, especially those three games, it was hard. We played Alnwick Town, Sunderland RCA and Grangetown, we thought there was potential to hit the ground running but it just didn’t happen. We were maybe a bit too nice, we gave everyone a clean slate but we didn’t know what we were working into really. We took two points and we knew it was going to be harder than we thought but we have learnt a lot during the season and we have faced a lot of challenges. In our first season, we have learnt a lot and I am absolutely positive that will help us in the long-term because we just know a bit more about what need to do to progress.”

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