SEAN Regan’s first full season in charge of Eccleshill United started brightly with five victories from the first six games, but it was to become a rollercoaster ride.

There were difficult times but the former Thackley and Liversedge boss showed his resilience and leadership qualities.

Regan was not afraid to make changes to the squad, and some of the side’s more established players had to make way.

The only match Eccleshill failed to win in that six-match opening sequence was a second-round NCE League Cup tie.

One of the run of four consecutive defeats that followed as the season moved into September was the Eagles being knocked out of the FA Vase at the first hurdle.

The 2-0 defeat at Stockton Town in the first qualifying round was a huge blow as Eccleshill had not qualified for the FA Cup.

A 13th-place finish the season before saw them miss the cut.

With no money-spinning, high-profile run in a national knockout competition on offer and already out of the League Cup, the West Riding County Cup was the only silverware on offer.

That hope, however, was short lived as they slumped to a home defeat to Evo-Stik Division One North outfit Ossett Town in the first round.

Former Avenue striker Danny Frost and former Brighouse Town defender Tyrone Gay were both on target for Ossett, who cruised to a 5-1 win.

The Eagles were just at the start of October and had only the league to focus on.

Three league victories on the spin at the start of that month helped Regan’s men up to eighth and looking like play-off hopefuls.

But Eccleshill’s season lurched in the opposite direction once more as nine defeats followed from the next 11 games.

As the Eagles went into Christmas, they were a lowly 12th in the table.

They bottomed out one place lower at the end of January.

From then on the only movement was upwards but they ran out of games.

Eccleshill lost just one of their last ten fixtures as they hauled themselves back up to ninth, earning a place in next term’s FA Cup and threatening to break into the play-off places until the final fortnight of the campaign.

LEAGUE POSITION

NCE Div One 9th P42 W20 D6 L16 F95 A80 GD15 Pts66