Silsden ended the 2022/23 Northern Counties East League Premier Division season on a high, with a spectacular 5-0 victory over relegated Goole at The Office Interiors Stadium on Saturday.

Two first-half strikes from Jack Normanton were followed by three goals in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Tyler Walker put the ball through his own net, with Lennon O’Grady and Ellis Hudson adding their names to the scoresheet late on.

The thumping victory not only ended the Cobbydalers’ 13-game winless run, but also saw them leapfrog fellow Bradford District side Albion Sports to finish 11th in the table on 51 points.

Both sides ended up with exactly the same goal difference (-4), but Silsden snuck above their derby rivals by virtue of scoring more goals this season.

The Cobbydalers ended up five points clear of Thackley and eight ahead of Eccleshill United too, meaning they finished the campaign as the Bradford District’s top dogs.

From the first whistle on Saturday, the hosts looked to take the game to the Vikings, with Normanton lashing an early effort into the side netting after a loose ball dropped to him in the box.

Goole keeper Mateusz Zaniewski was then forced into two good saves, first blocking Luke Brooksbank’s low effort with his leg, before getting down well to deny Normanton’s acrobatic effort on 20 minutes.

Many Silsden fans may have been surprised to see defender Liam Hudson in between the sticks, but Hagie Damba’s absence left the hosts with little choice.

Hudson proved himself to be a fine shot stopper though, making himself big to deny a Goole striker after a loose backpass allowed them through on goal.

Normanton broke the deadlock for the hosts on 28 minutes.

He raced through and though his initial effort was saved, he reacted quickest to follow up and poke the ball home with his left foot.

He grabbed his and Silsden’s second just before the break, with good work from Brooksbank enabling the striker to rifle home from inside the six-yard box for 2-0.

The Vikings came out after half-time looking to turn things around, Hudson once again being called into action with another great save one-on-one.

Things were not going quite as well for Goole keeper Zaniewski however.

His miscontrol from a Walker back pass gifted Silsden their third goal and summed up a disappointing season for the away side.

On 74 minutes, O’Grady added the finishing touches to a well-crafted Silsden move, his first goal for the senior team since making the step up from their West Yorkshire League side.

Ellis Hudson’s great run and finish on 78 minutes put the icing on the cake of a five-star Silsden performance.

Brooksbank and Joe Crosby both came close to applying further misery in the closing moments, but their late misses mattered little to the outcome of the game.

With this result, Silsden recorded their highest-ever NCEL Premier Division points total of 51 points, meaning there are plenty of positives to take from the campaign for the Cobbydalers.

The club have thanked all of their fans, players, staff and volunteers for a wonderful season and have said they hope to see them all again next season.