North Ferriby United

It is the start of another chapter in Ferriby’s history on Saturday with new manager, and  former player, Chris Bolder taking charge of his first official game as manager.

Bolder was a popular player at Ferriby during his eight years with the club. He played in 315 games, scoring, for a midfielder, an impressive 52 goals. He was an instrumental figure in the club’s rise over the last 15 years or so.

“It’s good to be coming back to my home town club where I had a successful career”, comments Bolder. “I have an affinity with the club and the messages of support from fans on social media are appreciated.

“It’s that affinity that was one of the reasons I’ve accepted Jamie’s [Waltham, club owner] to become manager. The other main reason is that it is a progression in my management career. I’ve learnt a lot working as Steve Kittrick’s assistant at Scarborough and the Ferriby role is a good opportunity for me.”

Bolder is aware of the difficulty position the team is in but he is optimistic that things can still be turned round with just over the half season still to be played.

“The goal for the season is to try to stay in the National League North and we will all be working to achieve that. at the league table, it’s a big ask. But I’ve been looking at the recent results for other clubs and there is no reason why we can’t do what Gainsborough, for instance, have done recently, and put a little run together. If we can, that will generate confidence on and off the pitch.

“There is always something of a confidence issue when you are in a poor run of form but a few good results can turn that round. When you’re in this sort of situation it seems that every mistake is punished and that decisions go against you.

“We have good players here but we need to develop the basics quickly and start reducing scoring opportunities for opponents. It goes without saying that we also need to put goals away at the other end so we will also be looking at increasing opportunities for the strikers.”

In the medium and long-term, Bolder and Waltham are looking to bring in more local players to the club. As Bolder says,

“Hull and the East Riding has produced good players over the years over the years so in the long-term we want to include more local players. There are good players in the area and they need the opportunity to play at a higher level. For some it will be a step too far but there are others who will thrive and develop.

“North Ferriby was quite unique when I played for them. We had a large number of local lads in the squad. That develops a closeness to the club because players arrive with a sense of belonging and an identity with the club and its fans. Jamie and I feel it is important to try to bring that quality back.

“I’m looking forward to the next few months. At the moment we can only look  as far as the end of the season. It’s going to be a difficult task but I can assure all the fans that we will be giving it a go. They may have to be patient but I hope they turn up in numbers and get behind the team.”