Bakewell Town Ladies create plenty of optimism as season gets under way

Town began life in the Derbyshire Ladies League Division Two with a 1-0 loss against Pinxton and then a 3-2 win over local rivals Matlock Town last weekend.

And Wells-Lomas believes it will be a competitive season ahead based on the quality in the division.

He said: “I was quite surprised after the Pinxton game because people had said they were one of the weaker sides but we knew we’d been in a game and it was a good learning curve.

"It showed how we’ll need to change our approach and preparation for every game but it will make a great challenge for us and if we want to do well then we’re going to have to earn it, which is how it should be.”

With the ladies section at Bakewell growing all the time, the senior team getting up and running in a league is something Wells-Lomas hopes will be a springboard for more interest given it completes a pathway for young players coming through.

He said: “We have an under-12s team playing in a league now and the hope is more teams will be created soon. Having a clear pathway for young players to progress will be key to the club growing. We’re actually a bit ahead of where we thought we’d be at this stage but if we have enough players at a certain age group then we’ll create a team for them.

"The focus this year is very much on building the junior sides and we’ve had lots of positive input from those in the local area. Interest in the ladies game is building all the time and it’s good to have created another team that people in the Dales have on their doorstep and that are playing at a good level.”

As for personnel, Wells-Lomas has been pleased to attract good quality players into the setup.

He said: “We’ve brought some really good players in and the foundations of the ladies section being put down has given them a visual aspect as to what we have in place here.

"I’ve got no reason to believe we can’t be challenging at the top end of the table this season even though it’s our first. I expect us to win games with the players we’ve got and will continue to have that mentality with good reason.”