Defender ​Jorge Sikora’s back with Brighouse Town

Strong and assertive centre-back Jorge Sikora, 22, was a surprise addition after saying only in the lead-up week he was not for coming back if Town were once more possibly looking down the barrels of another relegation season.

However, he had given his manager a telephone call to say he was impressed with who he had signed and who had been retained and had decided, if still wanted, to resume with Town for the 2024-25 season in the Pitching-In NPL East Division season.

Black assured him he was more than welcome to come back and fight for a place in what is looking to be a strong squad already.

Sikora, who is from Harrogate, has already seen plenty of action with Bradford City's academy, loan spells with Ossett United and Spennymoor Town, and with full registrations at the likes of Step 3 clubs Guiseley and FC United of Manchester and former club Marske United who then manager Graham Lee, now at Spennymoor, loaned him to Town before calling him back ahead of them going bust in mid-season.

Town now have Sikora joining the likes once more of central defenders Josh Dacre, Matty Nebard and Jamie Allsop, who is also a playing member of the Great Britain Police team and West Yorkshire Police side.

The reign of Grant Black and Mick Norbury started in earnest on Saturday when most of the newly assembled squad attended the first pre-season training session.

However, the hard work for Grant and Mick had started much earlier immediately after their appointment was announced, with phone calls, face to face meetings and extensive negotiations in targeting the existing squad and new targets for the forthcoming season.

The result of all that hard work was apparent on Saturday.

The first get together produced a fantastic turn out of existing and new faces and a committed and thoroughly challenging session.

The respect that both new boss Grant Black and Mick Norbury are held in was clear immediately from the whole of the new squad.

Expectations relating to hard work, commitment and teamwork are always expected but the immediate buy in from all to what they expect from the squad and the demands for a unity that will lead to success were also clearly apparent.

The session was hard and more will be expected on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as preparations for the new season continues.

Grant was clear that every shirt is up for grabs and the efforts and results achieved in pre-season will determine who deserves to make the starting line up in early August.

More new faces are expected to come into the squad to challenge for those places and on the evidence of Saturday we will be looking upwards towards the top of the table rather than down.

In Grant and Mick, we have acquired a management team who have achieved success wherever they have been, and we have no doubt that they see Brighouse Town as another opportunity to do the same.

Black said: "As we arrived Saturday at the Heffernan Utilities Stadium to torrential rain it didn't have a usual feel of pre season with the normal early summer blazing sunshine, something the lads appreciated as we got into the hard work

"We had a good chat with all the players before we started, setting out our expectations from them from the first day of our management.

"The players all took that on board and produced a fantastic session, one in which they looked in great physical shape and completed everything asked of them to a great standard

"We emphasised we would make a snap decision on anyone who dropped out of any running which we feel would show us a weak mentality.

Not one player dropped out and it was great to see players pushing themselves and each other to get over the line

"A session like that, as I said to the players after, can quickly build a bond when you look at the player next to you and he's willing to not let you down in pre-season, then he is someone you can trust throughout the season

"A very positive start and with some players still away, and will have to earn that session from the ones who were there which will build competition.

"All in all a very good start."