XI questions with | Whitby Town

And 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, it's the turn of Paul Connolly from Whitby Town. 

It was a 17th-place finish last season for Whitby, narrowly avoiding relegation. How do you ensure you climb back up the table this season?

It’s been a full reworking of the squad to try and avoid what happened last season, as we kind of fell off a cliff, so to speak. 

We’ve brought in well over a dozen new faces so far, most of them from lower levels, but they’ve all got ambition and a point to prove. 

It’s important to bring in hungry players with quality, especially in the attacking area as we struggled for goals last season.

Manager Lee Bullock was appointed in May. How excited are you by this new era for the club with his leadership?

Bully is someone very familiar with the football club.

He’s been involved with us since 2013 as a player and managed here before alongside Chris Hardy and Nathan Haslam. He knows the club inside and cares about it deeply. 

I had a long conversation with him last year, and you could tell this matters to him. 

He’s a good manager and fantastic with everybody around the club. He will build a squad in the image of the player he was - honest, hard-working, and always ready for a battle. 

What Whitby fans want to see is that heart and desire to win football matches every week.

Do you have any major concerns heading into the new season?

Until a few weeks, we were a little behind where we wanted to be. 

But then we signed four from Boro Rangers, which has brought us up to speed. We probably need a couple of taller players that we seem to be lacking. That should be addressed quite quickly. 

Which of the new signings are you most excited to see in a Whitby shirt?

The one I’ve picked out from pre-season so far is Charlie Stirland, a young centre-half who is really composed and looks the part. 

We’ve seen him with his long-range passing where he is putting balls on a six-pence. 

Other than that, I’d say Stuart Rose. He’s come in from Boro Rangers with an outstanding goal record. It’s the first time he’s stepped up to this level, but he’s got an instinctive knack for finding positions in the box to score goals.

Which grounds are you particularly looking forward to visiting?

I’ve got a few on my list. I’m looking forward to Emley, as I usually prefer the closer ones!

Are there any lesser-known Whitby players opposition fans should look out for?

I think this season, it will be our two local lads - Jack Kilpatrick and Tommy Dowson. Both are really raw talents who are aggressive on the ball and like to attack. 

People will be surprised by what they can do in senior football, despite their ages. They’ll be in the mix for starting places, not just making up the numbers.

Who do you expect to be the most important member of your squad?

The goals Stuart Rose brings will be massive, but strikers still need plenty of service. 

You look to the likes of Callum Hickman as a creative force in the middle of the park who has the ability to make late runs in the box. He’ll be a very big player.

For anybody unfamiliar with Whitby, describe your style of play…

We’re going to be a side that presses for 90 minutes and doesn’t stop running. 

High effort, high intensity. Expect a lot of work to be done by the wing-backs to try and get crosses into the box. 

If you could purchase one player from the NPL Premier Division, who are you getting and why?

There are probably a few options. 

I’d take Luca Navarro all day long - mainly because it’d at least remove the nagging feeling I get every time he plays against us that he’s going to score, considering his previous record against us! 

The same goes for Ash Jackson at Gainsborough Trinity, though that might be a hard sell considering his Scarborough past!

After a lot of deliberating in my head though, Danni Lay at Redcar Athletic would ultimately be my pick. He's a no-nonsense centre-half who takes absolutely no prisoners. 

You can’t beat having a commanding centre-half who goes out and battles for 90 minutes. He is a born winner and horrible to play against.

Who are the league’s dark horses for 2026/27?

I expect Ashton United, given the players we’ve signed and the manager they’ve got. 

Redcar Athletic will be a decent side at the level: they’re not here to make up the numbers. They’ll cause plenty of teams problems, and while they have brought players in from a lower level, they have plenty of quality in the squad. 

Who wins the league, and why?

You’d expect Bury as favourites, but who’d have thought Hebburn would have won the league last year? 

If I had to hang my hat on it, I’d say Bury. It’s not going to be easy though. 

It took the likes of Macclesfield and South Shields a few seasons to break out of the league. FC United of Manchester will be strong, yet I don’t think they’ll win it.