Woodhead Delight As Retford Champions

A 2-2 draw away to rivals Retford United, on Bank Holiday Monday, was enough to give Chris Woodhead and his Retford charges the United Counties League Division One title, and with it, promotion.

Both Retford sides have been challenging pretty much all season long for the top two places in the Division and, although the Badgers have edged the derbies (United won 2-0 at the Rail earlier in the season), it’s been the Choughs that have emerged victorious.

Speaking to Choughs boss, and co-founder, Chris Woodhead, who celebrated 400 games at the helm back in mid-February (a 2-1 win; Jack McKay and Iren Wilson netting), he said of their season; “The aim was to go one better than last season (when they finished runners-up, and lost the play-off final to Blackstones).

“We wanted to take last season’s disappointment, bottle it up, and use it as some positive momentum going into this season.

“We’ve been very consistent though, and not suffered too many knocks on the injury front.”

On the field there’s been thirty-three wins and six draws from their forty-three outings thus far, the Division One title set to be hoisted following their season finale against visiting Clifton All Whites this weekend.

After an early season loss, 2-1 at Pinxton on 9 August, the Choughs embarked on a twenty-game unbeaten run, taking them through to the reverse against Ryan Hindley’s Badgers on 27 December.

After the derby defeat the Choughs only lost two of their remaining seventeen outings, winning a dozen, as they marched to the title, surpassing both a century of goals, and a century of points (United also achieved this).

The Choughs, they’re the fourth UCL Division One side to win the league having topped a century of points, Kimberley Miners Welfare did so with a mammoth 112pts in 2022, Oadby Town notched 109pts back in 2014, and Bourne Town picked up 108pts in 2024 (Hinckley picked up 103pts as runners-up in 2022 also).

Looking back on how his own side have progressed during his decade at the helm, Woodhead added; “It’s been an up-and-down journey.

“Off the pitch has been amazing, having U21s, Juniors, Veterans, and Women’s teams, we’ve also got Doncaster Belles here at present.

“It’s been a fantastic rise though, over the last decade, and we’ve completed the last two, five-year plans.

“Next one, Step 4 in the next five years I’d say.”

Consistency has also been key, seventeen clean sheets, a sturdy defence (only conceded 34 goals), along with seven players making forty or more appearances, and another seven with

thirty or more. The seven surpassing forty appearances were Richard Patterson and Ahmed Tahar (40), Liam Bennett and Rory Coleman (41), Jacob Priestnall and Iren Wilson (43), and Aaron Sennett-Nielson (44), he having made over 80 appearances for the club in the past two seasons alone.

Twenty players overall have found the net as well, it’s just been one of those seasons really; Iren Wilson impressing with 32 goals in 43 games, whilst Rory Coleman (14) and Ahmed Tahar (11) have also chipped in with double figures.

Woodhead, praising his squad, and looking ahead, continued with; “It’s been interesting watching the players we’ve got here.

“We’ve always managed to bounce back from any games where we’ve dropped points and kept going.

“But we’re also already looking ahead to next season, started on pre-season, and got some players locked in.

“Then we’ll look to consolidate at Step 5, more as there’s competitive budgets. But we just want to get to where we can.”

It has been a title-winning season that was dedicated to the memory of the Choughs’ Vice President, Marton ‘Buster’ Keeton (more here) who passed away in back in October 2021.

“Buster was always with us, a big part of all we’ve done here, and is never far from our thoughts.”

The Choughs now have one game left to complete their season, a home game against a Clifton All Whites side sitting tenth in the division; kick-off is 15:00, followed by the trophy lift and celebrations.