Selston Bouncing Back With Silver Success

Book-ended by championship winning seasons, Selston are side looking to bounce back after a few years of instability, and a run of poor results.

East Midlands Counties League champions in 2019, the future was a rosy one for the Ashfield-based football club; they finished six points ahead of runners-up, Newark Flowserve, and had won twenty-nine and drawn seven of their thirty-eight league matches.

Then covid wiped out what little there was of the next two seasons, Selston at this time residing in the Midland League Premier Division but, of these thirty-five matches, the club lost twenty-five – they weren’t the only side to struggle over those years, but they did.

That ‘hangover’ if you will, carried on when they kicked off the 2021-22 season in the United Counties League Premier North, finishing fifteenth that season, before relegation to UCL Division One at the end of the next.

That form continued into the next two seasons, a credible fourteenth place was witnessed in 2023-24, before suffering a second relegation twelve months later, overall suffering 96 defeats over their four seasons in the UCL – but now, they’re back, and itching to prove a point.

Speaking after leading his side to the Central Midlands Alliance Premier South title at the first time of asking, Selston’s joint-manager, Lee Stevenson (he shares the role with Benjamin Moore) told the Nottingham Sport; “We took over from Craig Weston just after Christmas 2024, so we’ve been here a season and a half now.

“We had some good results but were already behind and unfortunately, we were relegated.

“We regrouped though, this past season, and, on paper, we had a really good squad, we just had to get that winning mentality back after all those defeats.

“There was an expectation going in to the season and, although we had an up-and-down start to it, we were put in our place a couple of times.”

A 4-0 win away to Linby Colliery Welfare was quickly followed by defeats at Cromford & Wirksworth Town (3-1) and Wirksworth Ivanhoe (4-0), as well as away to Graham Street Prims (5-3) four weeks later.

Exiting the League Challenge Cup, again at Cromford, perhaps helped their cause a little towards the back end of 2025, that coming in the midst of a seven-match unbeaten run, and progression in the Floodlit Cup.

As momentum in the league gathered pace, Selston also progressed in the Nottinghamshire FA Senior Trophy, that campaign starting with a 7-0 home win over East Leake Robins Reserves, braces coming from Dale Fairfield and Connor Ward.

For Stevenson and company though, it’s been about building something, he adding; “We knew we had a job on, and that we had to put the effort in.

“But it seemed that we were always playing catch-up; the weather was unprecedented and the cup games was a bit like another pre-season campaign.”

A 4-0 defeat at Staveley Miners Welfare Reserves in the Floodlit Cup, and a 3-1 reverse away to Melbourne Dynamo in the league, both kept Selston in check, and spurred them on, more when looking at the run in which was put together to finish the season.

That run was eleven games unbeaten, in which they kept ten clean sheets, en-route to winning the CMA Premier South title, although there was the disappointment of defeat in the NFA Trophy final, 1-0 against Collingham.

“We’re proud of the eleven-game run we had, especially after the loss to Melbourne Dynamo,” explained Stevenson.

“Being as solid as we’ve been at the back is great, especially when we’ve used the least number of players in the league.

“(attacking-wise) we’ve not had an out-and-out scorer, but the goals have been spread about what is a good, solid unit of players.”

Now though, it’s all about returning to old pastures, with a new mentality.

“Three seasons ago we were up there anyway, so we’re looking forward to next season,” concluded the Selston boss.

“Most of the lads will be used to it anyway, it’ll be difficult though and there’ll be a lot of games, especially early doors, but we’ve seen it all, so we’ll see where we are come Christmas.

“I think our season will be defined in the first quarter, and react to situations as they happen.”

Along with several other newcomers, Selston’s CMA Premier South title success, and with it promotion, will see them take their place in the United Counties League Division One next season alongside Clifton All Whites, Clipstone, Cotgrave, Dronfield Town, Dunkirk, Gedling Miners Welfare, Harrowby United, Louth Town, Maltby Main, Pinchbeck United, Pinxton, Radford, Sandiacre Town, Shirebrook Town, Sleaford Town, South Normanton Athletic, Southwell City, Stapleford Town, Staveley Miners Welfare, Swallownest, and West Bridgford Colts.