Horsforth Fairweather FC
|
HFFC 1980-81: A Mountain to Climb. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Previous... the
Early Years.
Next ... the
1981-82 season.
Back: John Field, Rob Phillis, Mal Clements, Paul Kenyon, Mark Bickerdike, Martin Riley, Ray Child. Front: Bernie Gilmore, Chris Shenton, Steve Burns, Pete Gable, Chris Fitzgerald, Andy Lewis. In the days before colour photography had been invented, Horsforth Fairweather's first season in competitive football was the stuff of which legends are made - for all the wrong reasons! Placed in a division which was at that time some way short of the lowest, the immature and inexperienced Horsforth side were beaten more or less every week, usually by an embarrassingly large score. We bought some new red and white striped shirts (nobody really remembers now why we chose those colours), and rented a pitch at Butcher Hill in West Park, we organised changing rooms at the Dalesman, and generally put our collective heart and soul into it, to no avail. We were quite simply out of our depth. From a narrow reverse in the first game, 3-2 against Wilsons Sports at East End Park, the margins of defeat quickly spiralled upwards, and before long double figures were being conceded quite regularly. Facing opponents of the calibre of Station Hotel from Crossgates, travelling across Leeds on Sunday mornings to such undiscovered venues as Middleton Clearings, Snake Lane, Temple Newsam, etc for the first time, and coming home humiliated every week, the experience can only be described as "character-forming". We did salvage two unforgettable wins, away and at home to Union Tarpaulins in successive weeks just before Christmas, but the Sunday League must have been greatly surprised to receive our application for the next season. The team, though greatly variable, most often consisted of Paul Kenyon ("Kenny") in goals; a defence comprising some permutation of Steve Burns, Ray Child, Mark Bickerdike, Steve Watson, Rob Phillis, and Andy Lewis; a midfield chosen from Pete Gable, Ian McGregor, John Field, Colin Bennett, Dave Murphy (stolen from Negas), Howard Churchill, Tim Hirst and Thackley Thumpers mainman Mal Clements; and strikers including Martin Riley, former Post Office player Chris Fitzgerald, and Tony Cole. The club captaincy passed from Pete to Ian to Ray during the course of the campaign.
To pick a high spot out from this grim season is actually an easy task,
given the lack of alternatives.
The club's first-ever competitive win, 3-1 against Union Tarpaulins
in the mud and rain at Bedquilts in December (scorers John Field and Chris Fitz 2)
was a game that no one who took part in it will ever forget.
Back to
top of page.
Back to
top of page.
Back to
top of page.
Back to
top of page.
Awards.Player of the Year - Mark Bickerdike. Goal of the Season - Chris Fitzgerald (v. Golden Lion in the Jack Shaw).
Top Goal Scorer - Chris Fitzgerald (7).
Club Colours.First choice - Red and white striped shirts, white shorts, red socks.
Change - Light green and blue shirts (the "Court Jesters"), white shorts, blue socks
Back to top of page.
Previous... the
Early Years.
Next ... the
1981-82 season.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
