Delight for Ripon City boss Paul Beesley as league title is wrapped up

The Mallorie Park outfit have enjoyed a stellar campaign and were crowned West Yorkshire League Division Two champions on Saturday courtesy of their 3-0 home win over Tingley Athletic.

That victory was their 16th in 23 league outings this term and guarantees them promotion to Division One for 2023/24.

“It’s gone really well, I’m really happy,” former Harrogate Town striker Beesley reflected.

“I had four or five months in charge of Harrogate Railway a few years back but this is my first full season as a manager and it couldn’t really have played out much better.

“Ripon CIty is a really good club. I feel comfortable here and I enjoy it. They’ve been in the second division for a few years now, so I must have done something right to get a promotion in the bag.

“One of the key things is how few goals we have conceded. Just 21 in 23 league matches means we have the best record in the division and that’s given us a platform.

“We’re also the top goal-scorers, which isn’t a bad combination is it.”

Beesley took over as player-manager last season and helped City to a mid-table finish, but having been persuaded to stay on for 2022/23 he insisted that the club aimed higher this term.

“We were a mid-table side last season, so the first job was to get some more players in over the summer and see if we could get ourselves in the promotion picture,” he added.

“We had a really good pre-season and battered some teams from higher divisions, so at that point I started to fancy our chances.

“First game of the season we played Horbury Reserves and, unbeknown to me, seven or eight of their first team squad turned up and they beat us 4-0.

“So that wasn’t the best start and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but since then we just haven’t stopped winning.

“After we beat Rothwell at the start of February my mindset changed from thinking we were good enough to get promoted to believing we could go all the way and win the title – and that’s what we have done.”

Beesley feels that Ripon’s success this season has been a real team effort, but there are a number of individuals he believes are deserving of a special mention.

“My captain Elliot Gracey, Kyle Fox and Brandon Fox are three lads who have been here a long time and have been superb for me this year,” he continued.

“We also brought in some new players who have made a real difference. Josh Myers and Josh Underwood have done well, while James Purkiss, who we persuaded to leave Knaresborough Town and come here has made a big impact up front and added some experience.

“Joe Gosling is another one who has been brilliant. He’s a young right-back who played for Liverpool as a kid and is a real talent.

“And Tom Lowery, my assistant manager, he has helped me massively. He’s done a great job and deserves a lot of credit.”

Ripon round off their season this Saturday when they visit Leeds Modernians, 2.30pm kick-off.