Dave Morgan is glad the West Riding County Cup final at Valley Parade is a thing of the past because it had started to take them away from their main focus.

With the Thackley manager pushing for another top four finish in the Kool Sport NCEL Premier Division, he said: “I heard nothing else other than ‘the big cup final’ for weeks and not just from the players because all the committee, the coaches and volunteer workers and the supporters were full of it.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that they all had it to look forward to and they all deserved it for the effort they put in. But it did take a bit of focus off our main aim which is the league.

“Everyone in and around the club has worked hard to get things right and the structure has come on in leaps and bounds. I have seen a big change, even since I’ve been here, and the club is geared up for promotion.

“The trouble is that this is such a tough division to get out of. There is only one promotion place, there are no rewards for the runners-up or play-offs to aim for.

“Every year there seems to be one club that has either dropped down out of the Evo-Stik League or have been reallocated to this league from an even higher standing because of financial problems or one that was in with us the previous season but has just decided to push the boat out and spend money like it’s going out of fashion.

“But you just keep trying because you think at the start of every season that it will be your club that does it but it really is like trying to win the lottery.”