Selston captain Ben Moore backs club to rise to the challenge next season

The villagers finished rock-bottom of the Midland Football League’s Premier Division last season after their first season at step five level.

And, although Moore knows it will be a tough test, he is confident Selston has got what it takes.

“I think we have got enough to stay up next season,” he said. “The players that we brought in last season are either experienced or young lads willing to pull in the same direction.

“I look at some of the signings that the teams in and around us are making and it is going to be hard again.

“The budgets that they have considering what is happening is crazy, but I love a challenge.

“I would rather have a hard game every week and feel like you’ve had a game than winning every week.

“Generally for the team we have got and the players, they are all good lads, but we are punching above our weight before we even start.

“We will be all right next season. Last season was a big learning curve, it is going to be a challenge, but it is a challenge that we will look forward to.”

Experienced Moore (31) has played more than 300 times for the Parishioners and is all too aware that last season’s troubles were part of a tough learning curve for the club.

And the attacking midfielder is now keen to use those experiences to help Selston stabilise at step five.

“It was a tough season last year,” he said. “With all the success we have had over the last few seasons, we have probably hit step five at the worst possible time with regards to transition of the club and players.

“Things started to pick up at the end of the season. We have worked hard to get to this level and it is about enjoying it now and finding our feet and battling it out as best as we can.

“You have to take the rough with the smooth, we have had years of winning and winning and we have met our level now.

“We are at a good level for a village team. I have learned more as an individual and collectively as a group as to where we are at, you learn more with your backs to the wall.

“Life is easy when you are winning, but when you are losing and having to change games and constantly learn, it is a fresh challenge.

“I would rather be battling it out each week than going backwards and start winning again.

“We have met that target and it is about stability now and going again.

“Just because we have had that success recently people think it will just carry on, nothing carries on forever.

“It is a massive transition now and things change.”

And for local lad Moore, who has been at Selston since the 2006/07 season, the club’s fairytale rise remains something he is keen to keep enjoying for as long as he can.

He added: “We have gone from playing on park pitches with no stands to going to Worcester City with a 5,000 capacity stadium.

“We would never have dreamt of where we are now ,but have earned where we are, nobody owes us anything.

“To have a village team playing at step five with no budget is a massive achievement.

“We are realistic at Selston, we set a target five to six years ago that we wanted to play in the FA Cup, and if we could play at step five we would be chuffed to bits.

“We have had a lot of our young players poached from us, but there’s a lot of us who have been here long enough that we want to try and ride it out and stabilise and rebuild the club.

“I’m enjoying it and have never loved my football so much. For selston to establish themselves at step 5 would be bigger achievement than any of previous titles that we’ve won.

“For me it is just about being at Selston, I would love to hit 500 games.

“To play 500 games at one club is something you just don’t get nowadays. I am a local lad and it would mean a lot to me.”

Selston are currently not back in training as they await a firm date from the FA for the start of the new season.

It is a move which Moore feels is the correct one.

“It is just uncertain times at the moment and it is just about ticking yourself over,” he said.

“It would be nice to get a firm start date, you don’t want to commit too early and then have it drag on.

“You don’t want to back too early and burn out. You want to have a good hit and start preseason.

“I have seen a few teams are starting back, I wouldn’t say I am baffled but until you have a start date I am puzzled by it.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you