Horsforth Fairweather FC
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HFFC 1985-86: Not Over Till the Final Whistle. |
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Previous... the
1984-85 season.
Next ... the
1986-87 season.
Back: Dave Vernon (and Michael), Mark Bickerdike, Mark Burrows, John Steenson, Ray Child, Neil Oddy, Mark Sweeney (and Adam). Front: Billy Potter, Chris Fardon, Tim Vickerman, Simon Vickers, Simon Hockney, Steve Burns, Craig Oddy. Running on empty. Horsforth's final season in the Sunday League was not an unhappy one, as most of the bickering of the previous years was put behind us, but by now the cumulative effects of successive seasons' disappointments meant that the club's ambition level was lower than ever. We took root in the bottom half of what was now the Sunday League's lowest division, and at this point it looked as if we'd stay there a long time. Simon Vickers replaced the long-serving (and long-suffering) Bernie Gilmore in goals. The defence was generally chosen from Steve Burns, Ray Child, Tim Vickerman, Si Holmes and Mark Burrows (who also had an impressive run as a striker). Chris Fardon and Simon Hockney also helped out on occasion. In midfield, Mark Bick again held sway, making himself captain initially, with Craig Oddy and John Steenson around him. Mark Sweeney was called upon to play in midfield, and ended the campaign as club captain again. Up front, Dave Vernon was out almost all season with a broken leg, which left rather an unprolific attack, with Simon Hockney, Billy Potter, Chris and Ray fighting for the three places - but, for the first, and by no means the last, time, midfield maestro Mark Bick was to be the side's top goalscorer. Dedicated long-time club servants Neil Oddy and Howard Churchill were also asked to deputise in a variety of positions during the course of this trying campaign. Following a dreadful October, when we went four matches without even scoring a goal, there was a brief spell in mid-season when points began to accumulate, from games against Kirkstall Liberals, Woodhouse Wanderers, Victoria RR and HPB Hibernian, but this soon gave way to another run of less than indifferent form in the spring. To compound the club's problems, our discipline, hitherto one of our greatest strngths, was deserting us: in the home game with Kirkstall Libs, Mark Burrows became the first HFFC player to be sent off, for fighting, and, a few weeks later, Tim Vickerman joined him on the banned list, for foul and abusive language. I guess, in retrospect, we'd reached the point in our life-cycle where most clubs tend to give up the ghost, and fold. But this is HFFC, so we didn't.
A highspot from this irredeemably dire season would be hard to choose,
but maybe, looking back, the final game was the most significant:
a therapeutic 4-2 win away to Plantation at Middleton Clearings,
when the fit-again Dave Vernon scored a hat-trick, and another new striker, Andy Davison,
also got on the scoresheet.
It was just one of those days that, even at the time,
seemed to suggest a corner had been turned.
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NB - Three points for a win this season.
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Awards.Player of the Year - Simon Vickers. Goal of the Season - Simon Hockney (v. Plantation at home). Top Goal Scorer - Mark Bickerdike (11). Club Colours.First choice - All green.
Change - Silver shirts, green shorts, white socks
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Previous... the
1984-85 season.
Next ... the
1986-87 season.
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