Mike Thompson’s first game back as manager of Bridlington Town, will see his side travel to West Yorkshire to take on Ossett United tonight in the Northern Premier League East.
It’s been a week of change for the Seasiders, as it was announced on Sunday that Denny Ingram had resigned as first team manager, though he will remain at the club in his coaching role with the Under 19s.
A few hours later, Mike Thompson was revealed as the new gaffer, leaving Bottesford Town to rejoin the club that gave him his first managerial job two and a half years ago.
On his return, a fifth spell at the club having also played for the club on two occasions, as well as joining as a coach under Brett Agnew, Thompson said:
“It’s an absolute pleasure and an honour to return to Bridlington Town this new year and with a real feeling of ‘unfinished business’ about it. I’m really excited to get my feet under the table and start shaping 2025 and beyond.”
Despite ambitions of moving the club forward, Thompson’s initial challenge is to keep the club in the division, as they currently sit 21st, with only Sheffield FC below them.
That starts against Ossett, which comes off the back of a disrupted schedule for the Seasiders. Their Boxing Day clash with Grimsby Borough was abandoned just after half time due to fog, with the score at 0-0.
Moreover, Bridlington’s first two games of 2025 against North Ferriby and Brighouse Town were postponed following pitch inspections, due to a waterlogged and frozen pitch, respectively.
Friday’s game is also at risk, with temperatures forecast to get as low as -7 degrees celsius overnight on Thursday. Hopefully it won’t be four games in a row disrupted by the wintry weather.
Speaking of four games in a row, that’s currently the Seasiders’ losing streak, most recently falling to a 3-2 defeat against Carlton Town, so Thompson’s first task will be to put that to an end.
As for Ossett, they sit just outside the relegation zone in 18th, though only two points above Bridlington Town, so there’s an opportunity to overtake James Walshaw’s side with a win.
Walshaw took over Ossett part-way during the season, and has moved them out of the drop zone for now. Their last three games have seen an impressive 3-1 win over Bradford Park Avenue, a 2-1 defeat against Ashington AFC and a goalless draw with Liversedge FC.
They too are yet to play since the turn of the year, as their matches against Pontefract Collieries and Grimsby Borough were postponed, again due to waterlogged and frozen pitches respectively.
The reverse fixture between Bridlington and Ossett was arguably the Seasiders’ worst of the season so far, as they suffered a 5-2 defeat at the Mounting Systems Stadium.
Last time the two sides played at Ingfield, it ended 1-1 last season, thanks to Jack Walters’ late strike. Later in the campaign, Ossett beat Bridlington 2-1 in the penultimate league game. It was a crucial game at the bottom of the table, though ultimately both sides avoided the drop.
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