Now that Golcar United have secured their place in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division for next season, striker Buddy Cox believes the club can push on and seal a top half finish.
The club currently sits 10th in the division but Cox says the target is a top eight spot and added: “We want to push up the division and finish as high as possible.
“We didn’t start the season in the best of form but have really turned it around,” he said. “It wasn’t that we played badly, we just didn’t score enough. Results were tight and we were just ending up on the wrong side of them.
“Over in the last few months results have started to go for us. What is really pleasing is that as well as tightening up at the back of late and not conceding those goals, we are scoring them too from different areas of the pitch.
“I’ve got seven, Slater Barnes has grabbed a few as has Dan Naidole. Kayle Price has been fantastic since coming in and we have a lot of talent at Golcar. Once we found our feet at this level I had no doubt we’d be a difficult team to face and that’s how it’s turned out.”
Golcar were promoted via the play-offs last season and Cox added: “We have players who have played at this level of football and know what it’s about.
“I personally haven’t and so I’ve enjoyed the challenge of competing against some great teams in this division. Every game is tough but we go into every fixture knowing if we play like we know we can do then we can beat them.”
The camaraderie in the squad has always been a strength at Golcar and Cox added: “We are a close dressing room and we are friends on and off the pitch. That’s what it’s always been like at Golcar, a close community feel.
“I remember when the club was growing and we were developing the ground, players would come down and help. We all want the best for the club. We all want it to succeed.”
Cox has now lived in the village for six years, and despite originally coming from down south, he has now settled in Yorkshire with his family and in Golcar specifically.
He insists there is no other club for him right now and that the Weavers are firmly where he wants to be.
The 30-year-old said: “I love playing for the club, it’s a fantastic place to be. We’ve had some good times of late and I’m really settled in the village with my family.
“I am originally from down south but moved up to Huddersfield when I was about five years old and have been here ever since. Being part of the club’s journey from amateur to semi-pro has been really heart-warming and fills me with pride.
“Both my kids Jamie, seven, and Jacob, five, have joined the club’s junior teams and love playing their football. We are very much part of Golcar now. One day I hope my kids can play at a higher level than me. I enjoy coaching the junior team at the club.”
Earlier this season Cox took some time away from the club and wanted to concentrate on home and work life. However, he missed those Saturday afternoons and Tuesday nights and couldn’t stay away for long.
He said: “I’ve scored seven goals so far this season and only been here for half the campaign really. I needed to take some time away from the game but when the gaffers, Ash and Gav Connor rang me, I knew I wanted to come back.
“I had missed playing and being around the place. So coming back was something I couldn’t resist. By the end of the season I’d like to get to 15 goals if I can, that is my ambition.”
