As Emley AFC heads into pre-season, we can now announce its retained list for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The following players have decided to stay with the Pewits and help us compete in the Northern Premier League Division One East.

The club has already posted an announcement regarding the players who have left. However, we are delighted to reveal that the majority of Richard Tracey's men will be continuing their journey at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground.

Left back Ross Hardaker has agreed to stay at the club for next season. First signing for Emley in the 2021-22 season, Ross has already played 94 times, with 57 of those appearances coming last season as he was ever-present for the side.

Goalkeeper Declan Lambton made 17 clean sheets last season with 42 appearances for the Pewits. His reliable hands at the back provided a solid foundation for the team.

Centre-back Jack Cowgill has confirmed he will stay on, he made 46 appearances last year, scoring three goals. The versatile defender was another key reason we won promotion last season.

Finally, one of the longest-serving members of the team, Alex Metcalfe, is also staying. Now going into his sixth year at Emley, Alex has played 158 times for the club, scoring 27 goals. The creative midfielder made 47 appearances last campaign and contributed 11 goals, helping to earn the team's second promotion.

Commenting on the announcement of the retained list Vice Chairman, Marcus Pound said:“Our move to the Northern Premier League (NPL) Division One is coming up fast, and we start our pre-season campaign this weekend. As expected, we knew that we might lose some players during the break as they have been offered new opportunities or didn’t want to move up to step 4. We recently announced the departures of several players, but I’m delighted that the majority of the squad has decided to stay.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for our retained players to have a chance to play at a higher level after securing the promotion for us. Secondly, it gives Richard continuity and a basis to work from, along with the ability to add to the quality in the squad we already have.

We have 100% confidence in all the players we have retained and are delighted that they have decided to stay with us on the next part of the club’s journey.”

A full list of players who have been retained for the 2024-25 season are listed below:
Alex Metcalfe
Charlie Barks
Declan Lambton
Donae Lawrence
Isaac Baldwin
Jack Cowgill
James Walshaw
Joe Clegg
Joe Kenny
Nathan Curtis
Ross Hardaker
Sam Pashley
Tom Haigh