Tintwistle promoted to Manchester Premier Division

Late last month, Tintwistle Athletic rounded off their stellar 2023/24 season by sealing promotion to the Manchester Football Premier Division.

 An emphatic 8-0 win over UOB Bolton Borough in their final match confirmed their place in the division next season. 

The victory initially took Tinny to the top of the table, but Stockport Georgians’ 2-2 draw with Heywood St James meant they pipped the Derbyshire side to the title by just a singular point. 

Despite missing out on the title, manager Nathan Neequaye was thrilled that his side achieved promotion: 

“We were obviously disappointed not to win the title but our main target at the start of the season was to get promoted, whether that was by finishing first, second or third, so we’re delighted.” 

Promotion was looking unlikely at the halfway point of the season, with Tintwistle finding themselves in mid-table, coming off the back of two losses to promotion rivals Baguley. 

After their poor start, Neequaye and his coaching staff knew something had to change: 

“We weren’t happy with our start to the season so we wanted to tweak a few things. 

“We changed our formation and style of play which helped us to become a lot more solid defensively, and we ended up going on an amazing run after that.” 

After turning around their fortunes, Tintwistle powered themselves to a second placed finish against the odds. 

Not only did Nathan Neequaye’s side excel in the league but they also managed to pick up a trophy along the way, winning the Derbyshire Divisional Cup North back in March after defeating Cromford & Wirksworth Town 2-1 in the final. 

This made it back-to-back county cup wins for Tinny, who picked up their third piece of silverware under Neequaye’s stewardship. 

The talented gaffer was recognised for his achievements at the Derbyshire FA Grassroots Football Awards, picking up the the coach of the year award back in May. 

Though he is proud of this award, Neequaye says the rest of the coaching staff at the club deserve immense credit: 

“It’s a great achievement for myself but it’s not just about me, I couldn’t have done it without the amazing team around me, they’ve all helped us get to where we are.” 

Looking ahead to next season, the staff at Tintwistle have high expectations, none more so than first team coach, Jason Sweeney: 

“With the right recruitment I think we can push towards the top of the table. 

“We’ve got quite a settled squad so we might only need three or four additions but if we can get a couple of talented players in then hopefully they can take us to the next level.” 

Tintwistle begin their pre-season campaign on July 6, when they welcome local rivals New Mills to West Drive, in what should be a real tough test. 

Their players will be put through their paces on and off the pitch during pre-season, as they will be linking up with local martial arts club, Evolution Martial Arts. 

Kelly, who runs the club, will be training the squad over the coming months, ensuring they are ready for the new season. 

This was also the case at the start of the last campaign, and manager Nathan Neequaye was keen to do this again: 

“Kelly is fantastic, she helped us out last year and got us fit and ready. 

“This really helped with the team bonding and there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to do it again this year.” 

As the club continues to grow on the pitch, they are keen to flourish off it, as they look for new sponsorship opportunities going into next season. 

There are a number of options available, including sponsoring players or coaches, as well as sponsoring the first team tracksuit. 

To learn more, you can contact the club via email: tafcfirsts@gmail.com