After one of the most memorable campaigns in the club's recent history, Emley AFC are preparing to write the next chapter as they embark on life in the Northern Premier League - Premier Division.

Promotion to Step 3 was secured ahead of schedule, with Richard Tracey's side achieving a five year ambition in just two seasons. Now, with a blend of proven performers and exciting new additions, the Pewits head into the 2026/27 campaign determined to establish themselves against some of non-league football's biggest names. Emley open their Premier Division campaign away at Hyde United on Saturday before welcoming Ilkeston Town and Curzon Ashton to the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground in the opening week of the season.

For Tracey, preparations for a new campaign began almost immediately after promotion was secured. He said: "We wrote to all the players with an offer within a couple of days of last season finishing. We wanted to deal with everything professionally and give them the opportunity to return because they were the players who earned promotion. The conversations were overwhelmingly positive. Kurtis Turner was the only player who decided not to accept the offer. He was very honest with us and explained that, at this stage of his career, he wanted to play more locally and alongside some of his friends.

"Kurtis still had another year on his contract, but because he had been straightforward with us, we agreed to release him. He played an important part in helping us win promotion and left with our best wishes."

That continuity means the spine of the squad remains intact, with captain Jack Cowgill, Charlie Barks, Isaac Baldwin, Ellis Farrar, Ross Hardaker, Joe Clegg, Hayden Lindley, Joe Stacey, Harry Sheppeard, Bailey Thompson, Gabriel Johnson and Laurence Sorhaindo all retained.

Tracey continued: "We are really pleased to have retained the backbone of the side. Jack, Ellis and Barksy were central to an excellent defensive record last season, and we know the quality they possess. We kept two clean sheets against a Redcar side that scored more than 120 goals, so that shows the defensive ability within the group. We are very fortunate to have those players committed to Emley, with Jack also contracted for another two years.

"We have also retained important attacking players such as Bailey Thompson, Gabriel Johnson and Laurence Sorhaindo. With the new players who have joined us, there is now genuine competition for places throughout the forward areas.

"The players who got us promoted deserved the opportunity to step up with us. At the same time, everybody understands that there are only 16 places available in a matchday squad, so performances and standards will determine who earns those shirts."

While rewarding the promotion winning squad was a priority, Tracey also knew strengthening would be essential ahead of the club's first season at Step 3. He continued: "Although the players who earned promotion deserved the opportunity to return, we weren't naive enough to think we didn't need to strengthen in certain areas. We worked quickly during the summer and managed to complete the vast majority of our business quite early."

Among the new arrivals is goalkeeper Ben Bottomley, who impressed whenever Emley faced North Ferriby: "Recruiting a goalkeeper was an important part of that work," Tracey explained.

"We identified Botts early because he has been excellent against us during the past couple of seasons with North Ferriby. We believe we have signed a very good young goalkeeper who will continue to improve, and the fact he is based relatively locally is another positive for us."

Former Pewit Adam Porritt has returned to the club, while Jamie Spencer arrived from Guiseley to strengthen the midfield: "Adam Porritt brings experience and versatility across several positions," Tracey said."He has worked incredibly hard following his operation and is now looking to get back playing regularly. He has had previous spells with Emley, so he knows the club, and he is a very welcome addition to the squad."

Versatility has been another key theme of Emley's recruitment. Aaron Haswell's ability to play across midfield and attack gives the manager plenty of options: "Aaron Haswell became available at a time when we were looking to create more competition in the wide areas," Tracey said.

"He is a very technical and versatile player who can operate on the left, as a right winger, as a number 10 or in central midfield. We have been really impressed with him during pre-season and believe his versatility will be particularly valuable at this level."

Alex Kiwomya's arrival also adds another dimension: "Alex Kiwomya gives us something we were missing last season in terms of raw, explosive pace. He also has plenty of experience, having come through Chelsea's academy and represented England at youth level. He scored 10 goals for a team that reached the step three play-offs last season. He had opportunities closer to Manchester, but he wanted to move nearer to home because of work commitments. We moved quickly to complete the deal and are delighted to have him with us."

Experienced striker Diego De Girolamo brings proven goalscoring pedigree after successful spells higher up the non-league pyramid. Richard explained his arrival: "Diego De Girolamo is a clever and experienced striker who has previously been a leading goalscorer at this level. He has a strong reputation in non-league football, has fitted into the group extremely well and gives us another player with real quality in the attacking areas."

Rinor Ejupi, Carlos Rodriguez, James Murray and Jacob Jessop complete the summer additions. "Rinor has been a standout performer for Garforth and was at the stage where he wanted to test himself at step three. He will give us a greater attacking threat on the right hand side and create strong competition with Harry Sheppeard. That competition is going to be important. We need players pushing one another throughout the season because that is what will drive standards and help us continue to improve. Carlos has also rejoined us and is somebody we want to continue developing. We have brought in James Murray, a tidy young central midfielder who has featured throughout pre-season, and Jacob Jessop, a young right back who has recently left Sheffield Wednesday. They are young players who can add to the squad, gain experience of men's football and hopefully develop alongside us."

Despite an encouraging summer, pre-season has also brought disappointment. Jamie Spencer and vice-captain Chris Dawson have both sustained significant knee injuries. "The major disappointment of pre-season has been losing Jamie Spencer and Chris Dawson to serious knee injuries. To lose two players of that quality is a huge blow. Jamie joined us from a higher level, while Chris was our Manager's Player of the Season last year. We'll see how things progress with them both.”

Jamie Spencer at this time has decided to retire from playing football. We will keep the door open for Jamie if he wishes to rejoin us after his recovery is complete. The club thanks Jamie for his time during pre-season and of course that fantastic goal during the Rotherham United game.

Those setbacks have added to what has already been a disrupted pre-season: "From a staff perspective, there isn't really an off-season," Tracey said: "As soon as the previous campaign finishes, recruitment begins and players start wanting to have conversations with you. Pre-season has been disrupted by holidays, injuries and player availability. We haven't yet been able to field our established defensive three together. Despite those challenges, there has been good competition within the squad. We are slightly light in central midfield following the injuries to Chris and Jamie. We aren't panicking and we won't make a signing for the sake of it. Football can change significantly during the opening weeks of a season as players become available, so we will keep our ear to the ground and wait for the right opportunity."

With fixtures against Hyde United, Ilkeston Town and Curzon Ashton to begin life in the Premier Division, Tracey is excited by what lies ahead: "We feel that Emley's name belongs alongside clubs such as Hyde, Curzon Ashton and FC United. Our first objective is to be competitive, establish ourselves at step three and show that we are capable of winning plenty of football matches. The minimum target is to finish above the relegation places and establish ourselves. At the other end of the scale, we would love to be knocking on the door of the play-offs and seeing how far we can go. Anywhere between those two positions would represent a satisfactory first season at step three. Anything beyond that would be phenomenal."

Looking ahead to Saturday's opener at Hyde, he added: "It will be a challenging opening game, but it is one we are looking forward to. The players have earned the opportunity to compete at this level and can go there, express themselves and show what they are capable of. It would be fantastic to start the season by putting three points on the board."

And with two home fixtures following in quick succession, Tracey hopes supporters will once again play their part: "My message to the supporters is simply to get behind the players," he said: "We are trying to establish Emley at a higher level and that will take time. We hope the supporters understand the size of the challenge, stay with the players and continue giving us the fantastic backing they provided last season. Hopefully, we can repay that faith with some strong performances and plenty of victories.”

Read the 2025/26 Season Review
Read the Hyde United Match Preview