Having completed his second full season at the helm of Eagle Valley side, Arnold Town, manager Ash White, who took over midway through the 2022/23 season, is now bearing witness to wholesale changes across the club.

Not only have his first team made the lateral move from the Central Midlands Alliance, where they’ve resided over the past five seasons, to the Nottinghamshire Senior League, where they’ll join their Reserves side, the Eagles are also bridging the player pathway within the club by adding a Development side into the mix.

Previously with Ashland Rovers, White’s arrival was initially as assistant to Roy Hogarth and Sergiy Korposh, but, after they stepped down midway through that season, the start of 2023 would see White at the helm.

Leading them to an eleventh-place finish in 2023, a slight dip saw 2024 in fourteenth, before regrouping and finishing in eleventh again in the season just ended; that coincided with the news that the club would be moving to the NSL, and with it a new challenge.

“When I took full control there was an overhaul,” explained White of his arrival at Eagle Valley.

“But to be honest, you constantly feel like you’re rebuilding at this level; but it’s totally different at the club now to when I arrived a couple of years ago.

“Well except for our ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ crew, a committee that has been brilliant throughout, as well as having a lot of good fans here.

“Moving to the NSL though, that’s mainly for travel reasons, and will help both getting new, local players to the club, and the same with sponsorship, both of whom are always welcome.

“We’ve had our Reserves in the NSL for a while now so, adding extra give more to call on, to be able to provide that extra linkage between junior and adult teams.

“It’s great here as well, my assistant, Adam Clift, is my old captain, and the players are both friends, and loyal to the management team.”

With the beautiful game having been played in and around Arnold for over a century, the current incarnation, following a merger between Arnold (formerly Arnold St. Mary’s) and Arnold Kingswell in 1989, led to a new era.

There was plenty of early success for the club, both in the old structure of the then Central Midlands Football League, and the Northern Counties East League, throughout the 1990s, however, the turn of the millennium has been far from fruitful, with only a Notts Senior Cup success, their last of five (2005), and a couple of cup runs to look back on.

The FA Vase did bring some excitement in the early years of the new millennium, reaching the fourth round in 2001, and the fifth in 2002 and 2006; now though, they are looking to not only get back into a position of silverware, but usher in a new era, a halcyon era, of success at the club.

“We are looking forward to the new season, the new challenge,” continued the Eagles manager.

“I want us to push forward, and not be a mid-table side; with the core of last season already committing, and adding some new lads, then I’d say we can push for the top five.

“Yes, it’s a new era for the club, and I know that we’re really going to push for ut, whilst also looking at bringing youth football in the area forward alongside it.”

Finishing outside of the top ten in recent seasons, in the Central Midlands Alliance Premier South, hasn’t been a happy scenario for Ash White and his management team; just ten victories in the league, and a slip from pace in the run-in, was tough on them.

Since the new year, and the twenty games played, the first ten saw White’s side win five and draw two, however, form changed quickly, it happens, and the Eagles closed out the season with just two wins and two draws from their final ten outings.

At times not scoring enough, as well as conceding more than they’d like, has certainly been an issue; in-front of goal only Akeem Campbell has reached double figures, netting a dozen goals, twice as many as the next best of Toby Francis and Jake Ogden, with six apiece – another plus was perhaps that there were twenty different scorers for the Eagles throughout the campaign also.

At the back meanwhile, they’ve conceded three-or-more perhaps more times than they’d have liked, whilst only keeping a handful of clean sheets along the way, in what was a tough division with the likes of free-scoring champions South Normanton Athletic (103), fourth place Cromford & Wirksworth Town (83), runners-up Melbourne Dynamo (76), and sixth place Wirksworth Ivanhoe (73) all passing the seventy mark.

“Last season, it wasn’t great for us,” admitted White.

“Having picked up mid-season, it dropped off and was more of an up-and-down type of campaign.

“We lost nine first teamers over the Christmas period and, although that’s no excuse, it does affect and is something which can happen.

“Now, with pre-season around the corner, we’re hoping that at least half-a-dozen friendlies, whilst working with the first, reserves, and development side, will give us a solid foundation to move forward with.”

As for the new season, in the Notts Senior League Premier, that league has just come off an exciting one which saw promoted champions FCV Gace Dieu, and runners-up Cotgrave, battle it out to the end, Aslockton & Orston have their best-ever campaign in finishing third,

along with top five finishes for the likes of Awsworth Villa (fourth) and Keyworth United (fifth).

The easing of the travel, and the expected uptake in playing personnel at Eagle Valley, sees White, Clift et al looking forward to what could well be an exciting season ahead.

“It’s new to us, doing this,” concluded White.

“But we know a lot of clubs in the league, and yes, there’ll be new challenges ahead, and new rivalries forged, but it’s certainly something in which to look forward to.

“We’ll sit down and look at the league first, and see what’s what with it all, but it’ll be nice to start off at home.

“I’m happy with whoever, wherever though, and just can’t wait to get started.

“Let’s go and get the good times back at Eagle Valley again.”

Announcing their pre-season friendlies, Ash White’s Arnold Town will be opposing Teversal (A, 12/7), Clipstone (H, 19/7), Linby Colliery Welfare (A, 26/7), AFC Normanton (H, 30/7), and Eastwood CFC U21s (A, 4/8), as they prepare for life in the NSL.

Keep up-to-date with all the goings-on at Eagle Valley over pre-season, and throughout the new campaign, by following Arnold Town on Facebook and X/Twitter

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @TheOfficialATFC Ash White with Assistant Manager Adam Clift.