Thackley AFC V Knaresborough Town- Match Preview

Macron NCEL Premier Division- Saturday 25th July 2026- Kick Off: 3.00pm

Match Preview by Cayden Sands

Overview:
Thackley’s NCEL Premier Division season begins on Saturday as they welcome Knaresborough Town to the Meridian Stadium at Dennyfield.

With a positive pre-season campaign now firmly in the books, Jamie Price’s side will be looking to begin their season with a positive result against a historically tough opponent.

The build-up to the fixture is made all the more exciting with the addition of plenty of new faces to the Dennyboys’ line-up with a great mixture of youth and experience giving Price more than enough options on the pitch.

To complement this, many of last season’s squad have once again committed to the club for this season, ensuring that the squad depth will be even better than before.

The Opposition:
Knaresborough Town arrive in Thackley looking to build on a good campaign last season that saw the club pick up some impressive results and enjoy a deep run into the West Riding County Cup.

Last season, the North Yorkshire club were one of only three clubs to defeat the division’s runaway winners Liversedge, gaining a 2-1 win over Danny Forrest’s team on the final day of the season and joining Handsworth FC and Thackley as part of an exclusive group that inflicted a defeat upon Sedge.

Much like the Dennyboys, Knaresborough have also sought out consistency heading into this season, managing to retain a number of players from last season whilst also adding to their ranks as they look to get even higher up the table this campaign.

Key Players:
A name familiar to Thackley supporters is Slater Barnes, who was part of the Dennyboys team that competed in the 2024-25 play-offs.

Now with Knaresborough, Barnes has continued to show his quality on the pitch, scoring plenty of sensational goals along the way and proving to be a vital part of the team.

Alongside Barnes, other names that stand out include Jack Dyche, who recently represented Northern Premier League outfit Guiseley AFC, Lewis Knight, who also represented the Lions and enjoyed a memorable stint at Bradford (Park Avenue), whilst Alexander Charlesworth also represents the club, having played at Thackley last season.

Previous Meeting:
In their previous game, Thackley and Knaresborough played out an exciting game at Manse Lane, with this culminating in a 3-1 victory for the visitors on the day.

Dyche would give Knaresborough the advantage after 36 minutes, but Toby Marriott would soon be there to equalise.

Thackley would then enjoy a second half performance that they could be proud of, with Alex Washington and Luke Brooks getting on the scoresheet to secure the victory.

Admission Prices:
Adults: £8
Concessions: £5
Dogs allowed on a lead