Emley AFC continued their strong push in the Northern Premier League Division One East with a resounding 5–0 victory over West Yorkshire rivals Brighouse Town at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground on Saturday afternoon. The emphatic derby win, which featured a hat trick for Gabriel Johnson and goals from Chris Dawson and Ellis Farrar, kept Emley firmly in the race for promotion.

Manager Richard Tracey was full of praise for his side’s performance but was keen to highlight that the team’s intensity and focus were just as important as the final score. He said: “I was really pleased with both the performance and the result. I know the scoreline was emphatic but it certainly wasn’t straightforward early on. Their goalkeeper made some very good saves, and on another day it could have been even more. At 1–0, Dec Lambton made a really important one on one stop and that was absolutely key because it kept us in control of the game and allowed us to keep building rather than giving them something to hang on to.”

Tracey underlined the full team effort that went into the victory, stressing the players’ work rate and collective discipline: “They didn’t make it easy for us at all. They never gave up, they never stopped working hard and they kept asking questions, but I thought we were relentless throughout. When we reviewed the statistics after the match, the distances covered by the players were higher than in any other game this season, which tells you everything about the effort and commitment the lads put in. They worked incredibly hard and got the result they fully deserved.”

It wasn’t just the defensive solidity that impressed the manager, Emley’s attacking play was fluid, positive and consistently dangerous throughout the afternoon: “It wasn’t just about being solid defensively either, it was the way we went about our attacking play. We were aggressive, positive and on the front foot, and we really took the game to them. At the top end of the pitch, it was fantastic to see Gabriel get his hat trick and really contribute. He was a constant threat and could easily have had more on the day.”

The strength of the squad including influential performances from midfield and substitutes was another clear takeaway for Tracey: “Laurence Sorhaindo came on and had a terrific spell. He caused them problems straight away, created a couple of chances for himself and then laid one on a plate for Gabriel, which was great to see. In midfield, I thought we completely won the battle. We got around the pitch well, controlled the game and created plenty of opportunities, and to top it off, the clean sheet was really important because it’s been a few weeks since we’d managed one.”

One of the most pleasing aspects for the manager was how unselfishly the front players combined, with goals reflecting teamwork rather than individual glory: “Gabriel and Bailey Thompson have forged a really strong partnership, and what was really pleasing for me on Saturday was how unselfish they were. Two of the goals were about being side before self. Bailey went through and could have taken the shot himself, but instead he picked Gabriel out in the middle to tap into an empty net. Loz did the same as well, and that really shows the togetherness in the group.”

This commitment to collective success, Tracey believes, underpins the team’s strong league position: “That kind of decision making tells you a lot about the mentality of the squad. We’re all in this together and everyone is fighting for one common goal, which is to do our very best in the league and keep pushing each other to higher standards.”

Despite the scale of the victory, Tracey was quick to temper celebrations with focus on the next challenge: “The changing room afterwards was obviously buzzing, but we’re very level headed as a group. We don’t get over excited when we win and we don’t beat ourselves up when things don’t go our way either. For us, it was a job done. We enjoyed it briefly and then we moved straight on to focusing on what comes next.”

That focus now turns to an away trip this Saturday to Ashington AFC, a fixture that remains something of an unknown ahead of kick off: “Right now, we just want to get into the next football match in the position we’re in. Ashington is a bit of a blank canvas for us because they’ve changed management and they haven’t played their last couple of games. We don’t know who’s in charge, whether there’s been a turnaround in the squad or what sort of changes might be happening behind the scenes.”

But regardless of the opponent, the manager is clear on how his team will approach the game: “The way you plan for that is by focusing on yourself. We’ll put the best team we’ve got out on the pitch, try to be on the front foot, take the game to them and make them worry about us. I don’t think there’s any other way you can approach a situation like that.”

On squad news, Tracey confirmed there were no new issues heading into the week: “In terms of the squad, everything is just as it is at the moment. There are no new injuries and no changes coming in or going out, so we’ll take it from there and keep building.”