He was the epitome of Yate Town’s turnaround in fortunes during the course of the 2023/24 season.
Oli Jenkins made, by his own admission, a slow start to the campaign at newly-promoted Cribbs, but a switch to Pitching In Southern League Division One South rivals, Yate Town, at the beginning of November kick-started things for him and his new club.
His impressive form culminated in him winning the Supporters’ Player of the Season award and helped the team go from a place in the relegation zone to the cusp of the play-off places.
“The start of the season was tough for me,” he admitted to us. “I was laid low with a combination of injury and illness and I just couldn’t find my feet in the Cribbs team.
“It was definitely a good learning experience for me, though. You can learn a lot when things don’t quite go your way and that was the case here.
“The move to Yate saw my fortunes change. I joined a club who were starting to find their feet following a difficult start to the season of their own and I was able to settle down straight away.
“My confidence soon started to come back and I was able to score a few goals and generally play my part in an upturn in fortunes for the club as we went on a great run.
“The Gaffer was able to add some extra quality to what we already had and it made a big difference. For me to go on and win the Supporters’ Player of the Season award was very special for me.
“It’s a privilege to get an award like this ahead of so many other worthy candidates. Yate is a big club with so many great people involved and I appreciate the support that I have received from everyone.
“The fans deserve a lot of praise because they stuck by the club and really helped to push us on. It’s a pity that we fell just short of the play-offs in the end.
“This is a very tough and unpredictable League. It’s a good challenge because there are no easy games and you have to maintain high standards week in, week out.”
IMAGE: Yate Town FC
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