Some of you, like me, may not know much about Rossington Main Football Club. I obviously knew of them due to my love of non league football, and followed their scores whilst updating the website, but it wasn't until I found out that their play-off final victory over Horbury Town on the 22nd April, meant that they will be competing next season at step 5 for the first time in their history, that I wanted to find out more.
Playing their home matches at Oxford Street in Rossington, a former mining village in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, 'Rosso' have been part of the Northern Counties East League for the past twenty-three seasons. Before this year, their highest league placing at this level was 7th, which they achieved in 2012. They have also had a couple of name changes since their creation in 1919, starting life as Rossington Main Colliery until after the first world war, where they changed to Rossington Miners Welfare. It wasn't until the early 80's that they settled on Rossington Main, and that they remain.
They've also competed in several leagues in their local area, such as the Doncaster & District Senior League, Sheffield Association League, the Yorkshire League as well as the Central Midlands League, until they joined their current league in 1991.
Their current manager is Ben Hunter (pictured below), who alongside his assistant, Michael Fraser, have both committed to leading the club in to the Northern Counties East League Premier, next season.
Enough about my limited research, I wanted to speak to the people that actually know them. So, I reached out to the club, apologised for my lack of knowledge, and they were kind enough to fill me in. Here's what they had to say...
Firstly, congratulations on your playoff victory recently. It was a truly amazing achievement for the club, which I understand is the first time you've achieved promotion to step 5. Tell us what that means for yourselves as a club but also for the local community?
“It’s massive for the club and the community. There’s a lot of effort that goes on behind the scenes and it’s great to see everyone rewarded with the fantastic achievement of promotion. We’ll be playing step 5 football for the first time next season and so we’re all really excited for what’s about to come.”
Tell us a little about the history of Rossington Main. I'm ashamed to say I know very little, so it would be great to find out a little more about the club.
“Formed in 1919, the club came into existence as Rossington Main Colliery. The exciting thing is that we’re creating our own history having reached the highest level the club has ever been at. We have spent the past 32 years in step 6 of the non-league pyramid and so next year we will begin our journey in step 5. Rossington is an ex-pit village and is one of the biggest villages in England. We’re now the highest ranked non-league side in Doncaster, with only the professional outfit Doncaster Rovers higher up the football pyramid than us (SkyBet League Two) in Doncaster.”
2022/23 was a remarkable season for the club, only finishing behind eventual winners, Campion and Runners-Up, Harrogate Railway Athletic. But you amassed over 100 league goals, mainly due to the goals of the very experienced Ross Hannah, who I remember him mainly for his time at Grimsby Town. It must be great having someone of his experience and calibre leading the line. Tell us more about him and his teammates, and will he still be with you next season?
“Ross is a top lad both on and off the pitch. He always leads by example and I think knowing that you have him up there really boosts you with confidence that if he gets a chance he’ll more times than not find the back of the net. His future hasn’t yet been discussed but of course we’d love to have him back for another season.”
Now that the dust has partly settled, have you had time to think about what lies ahead? Could there be an attempt on back to back promotions, or do you think just be a consolidation period at that level?
“We firstly have to look towards pre-season and see how we get on. The current squad is more than able to compete in this division and so we’ll give it our all once again and see where the season takes us.”
Tell us about the facilities at Rossington Main. How big is the ground, and are there any improvements needed to compete in step 5 and possibly beyond?
“The ground is continuing to improve and is already an exceptionally good venue for football at the step 5/6 level. We’ll be working on improving this further over the summer as we plan to renovate an old unused building on the ground and turn this into an outside kiosk serving both food and drink.”
What are you looking forward to the most about the challenges of next season?
“Having been in the same division for the past 32 years, it will be exciting to visit different grounds, come up against different sides and also be back in the FA Cup.”
I must thank Jack at Rossington Main for taking the time in talking to me, and giving us a little more insight in to their club, their achievements over the last year, and their thoughts on what's to come. 'Rosso' are another club that I will be keeping more of close eye on next season, and with a bit of luck, maybe I can pop in for a visit.
Good piece that Matt, always great to hear more about clubs further down the pyramid.