Touchline teams are shining lights

8 May 2017 By David Watters

Chris Hardy and his management team at Whitby Town and their counterparts at three other EVO-STIK Northern Premier League clubs are being hailed for the shining example they set on the touchlines over the course of the 2016-17 campaign.

EVO-STIK NPL referees liaison officer John Jones singled out the touchline teams at the Seasiders, Lincoln United, Scarborough Athletic and Lancaster City for special praise on Monday for their "impeccable" behaviour following the publication of the final 'technical area' marks of the season.

According the proud Football League assessor and long-serving referee, Hardy, pictured, and his staff led the way in the EVO-STIK NPL's top flight after receiving no less than 39 'excellent' marks and seven 'goods' in their 46 league fixtures.

With match officials awarding minus one point for poor, one for satisfactory, two for good and three for excellent, Jones called the record of the Turnbull Ground staff "remarkable" after they posted the stand-out average score of 2.85 among the EVO-STIK NPL's 68 clubs.

Jones said: "They were way out in front in the statistics, impeccable, and to not get one poor or even just satisfactory mark all season really is remarkable and should be commended.

"Like Lincoln United, Scarborough Athletic and Lancaster City, they've set a fantastic example for their players and everyone else to follow. As a league we are very proud of them all because they couldn't have demonstrated more clearly why the the Northern Premier League continues to be recognised by the Football Association for having the best record on sportsmanship and Respect at both league and club level in Non-League football."

While Sam Wilkinson and his management team at Lincoln United were the only ones in EVO-STIK NPL First Division South to post an average above 2.7 with a score of 2.76, Steve Kittrick and his team at Scarborough Athletic narrowly pipped Phil Brown's champions at Lancaster City to top spot, posting an average of 2.76 to beat the Dolly Blues on 2.74.

Brown can console himself with seeing his side collect the President Cup at June's annual awards night in Blackpool as this season's best behaved side across the entire EVO-STIK NPL.

Images courtesy of whitby-town.com

Follow us: @evostikleague on Twitter | Facebook www.facebook.com/evostikleague

Where next?

Dundas decides to call it a day Scott Dundas and his management team have left EVO-STIK Northern Northern Premier League Newcastle Town.

Tooth is back as new Pitmen boss Neil Tooth is back in the EVO-STIK Nothern Premier League as the new manager of Hednesford Town after the Pitmen moved swiftly to replace Gary Birch.