XI questions with | Ilkeston Town

Across the country, supporters are preparing for the new campaign with renewed hope and ambition for the season ahead.

Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign getting underway on Saturday 8 August, we sat down with supporters from the NPL clubs at Step 3 to hear their thoughts on how things are shaping up.

Today, we catch up with Ilkeston Town fan Zane Henson.

You finished 11th last season, and sixth in the 2024/25 campaign. How do you ensure you stride further up the table this time around?

We’ve had a complete reset for this season.

The management team for last season and the previous two seasons before have departed. We’ve gone for a different approach: we are going for a youthful, more attacking style of football. 

I’m hoping with good recruitment, picking as much of the local talent from sides like Chesterfield and Mansfield to come play for Ilkeston Town, we can give ourselves the best chance to be competitive. 

Who knows where we’ll end up!

What does a successful season look like?

I think every football club has to be ambitious. 

For someone who has the football model we have, if we finish pushing for the play-offs with a good Derbyshire Senior Cup run or a proper attempt at getting into the FA Cup first round proper, that would be a successful season in my eyes.

Manager Tris Whitman is a relatively recent appointment. Are you confident he takes you to the next level?

I was worried to start with. 

When Whitman replaced Ian Deakin, a lot of the players went onto pastures new. But the way Tris has set the team up with a midfield diamond, using wing-backs and good strikers to play football, I’m actually quite excited to watch us do things differently. 

A lot of the NPL is kick it up-field, live off the scraps and try to win the game. Instead, we’re looking to win with a strategy, a way to do things. 

We have an analysis team this season, which is headed by Richard Allan who used to be a coach at Nottingham Forest. 

Alfreton Town are back in the division this year. How excited are you to renew that rivalry?

In last season’s league, we had no teams local to us. 

I think our nearest games were Stocksbridge Park Steels or Leek Town. Living in Ilkeston, you want some of your local sides there so you can have good Boxing Day or New Year’s Day fixtures.

To see them come down to our level, even though they’ve got five or six of our previous players, it makes it quite exciting. 

Based on their results last season, I don’t think they are a team we need to worry about!

How would you sum up your transfer window so far?

We’ve signed a guy called Pharrell Williams: his father is Michael Johnson, who used to play for Derby County. 

He was playing for Swindon last season, had offers from Football League teams, but through injuries, they didn’t offer him a new contract. 

Watching him in pre-season friendlies, he’s an absolute beast. So powerful, over 6ft tall. These kinds of players we’re bringing in have re-sale value and have the opportunity to progress onto Football League clubs, which benefits Ilkeston Town as well.

Which of the new signings are you most excited to see in an Ilkeston Town shirt?

Looking at the players coming from Hucknall Town - Cashmere Rowe, Lewis Belgrave - I’m surprised they’ve not been snapped up by teams at the higher level because they look so comfortable. 

If you look at the Jamie Vardy example, he moved from Step 3 to the Premier League and played for England. 

For that reason, I’m sure there are players who can move from Steps 5 to 3 and be more than competitive. They’ve just not been spotted properly. 

Who is one lesser-known Ilkeston player who opposition fans should look out for? Maybe someone who hasn’t created many headlines previously?

The one to watch is Jordan Stevens. 

Jordan was playing for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa, was on the bench and made some starts. He went to Yeovil in the National League, but he’s had issues with hamstring injuries. He went to St George’s Park, and they’ve got to the bottom of the problem. 

I believe next season he’ll be the man we’re watching and going ‘wow how have we got this guy here?’. His technical ability on the ball and his pace are brilliant. 

He’s going to rip it up this season.

Which new grounds are you looking forward to visiting?

The ground I’m looking forward to most is Bury's Gigg Lane. 

I’ve never been before, and it’s going to be absolutely incredible. It feels like a Wembley day out for Ilkeston supporters, when you go to a proper stadium with seats and thousands of people on the concourse. You don’t get that very often in non-league football. 

Who are you predicting to be the league’s dark horses for 2026/27?

It will be interesting to see how Quorn do.

If I were to go for an underdog, I’d say Lancaster City. I think they could potentially challenge, but as we know, anyone can beat anyone in this league though.

Who wins the league, and why?

I think Bury, mainly because of their budget and the fans they get. 

Getting thousands of fans per week means they are realistically a Football League club. Maybe not right now, but I’m sure they’ll get back to that. 

They can also afford to spend that little bit extra that other teams at this level cannot.

What’s your final message to the squad ahead of the new season?

Just stick with it, listen to what the new coaching staff want to implement. 

Make yourself familiar with the supporters, and get involved with what Ilkeston Town are looking to do as a business and football club. 

I’m sure it’ll be a good ride.