Harrogate’s Rachel Daly set for World Cup semi final showdown today

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly could be set to make another major tournament final as England’s Lionesses play in a World Cup semi-final today.

Daly and her teammates face host nation Australia in Sydney for a place to play Spain in the final on Sunday.

England sit four places above the Australians, known as the Matildas, in the world rankings.

However, Australia will be backed by a bumper home crowd and have built momentum throughout the tournament.

The 81,000 capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney is expected to be sold out.

Daly, who has started all but one game of England’s matches so far, could feature on the left hand side of midfield again.

The former Killinghall Nomads star helped the Lionesses reach the semi-final in a 2-1 win over Colombia on Saturday.

England, who have reached the last two Women’s World Cup semi-finals, will be hoping to make it one step closer to a second major trophy after clinching the Euros at Wembley last year.

England kick off against Australia at 11am today live on BBC One.

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How Harrogate’s hockey club coach made his passion his full time job

It was a mixture of trying to avoid rugby and suffering from concussion which led to Harrogate Hockey Club coach Jimmy Greenwood to pick up a stick.

The 51-year-old, who was born in Garforth, was forced to play rugby union when he moved to Harrogate and attended the grammar school.

In an effort to avoid being on the school team, he joined Harrogate Hockey Club as soon as he turned 14.

From there, it has been his love for more than three decades.

But, sat in the club on a Thursday afternoon as the pitch outside is packed with kids learning from Olympic gold medal hockey star Maddie Hinch, Jimmy says he never thought it would get to a stage where it became his full time job.

Picking up the stick for the first time

“I think I got concussed three times,” Jimmy says as he recalls his early rugby days at Harrogate Grammar School.

He had never picked up a hockey stick before turning 14.

But, to get out of playing rugby, he felt he should join the hockey team.

“I thought, if I’m in the school hockey team then I can’t get picked for the rugby team.

“So I began my hockey career.”

Jimmy’s school teacher Mr Sutton was a coach at Harrogate Hockey Club when it was based at Harlow Hill.

He took up a trial offer and ended up playing in the men’s side.

Jimmy in action for the men's side.

Jimmy in action for the men’s side.

Some may look at Jimmy’s story from player to full time coach as an accident given how candid he is about how he got into the sport.

But for him, hockey itself requires skill, technique and time to master.

“It’s an addictive sport. Once you’re in, you’re in.

“It’s an amazing journey when you start. Every other sport I played was just in your age group.”

Jimmy was playing with players much older than him when he joined Harrogate Hockey Club at aged 14.

At that age, he was able to play with adults – some of whom were into their 40s and 50s.

As a junior, he played on the wing because he was quick before he gradually moved to centre forward as he got older.

In the 1980s, the club was playing against the likes of Ben Rhydding, Thirsk and York – teams within the Yorkshire region.

It wouldn’t be until much later that Jimmy would test himself against tougher sides in Birmingham and further south when he studied at the University of Durham.

Much of Jimmy’s playing career was playing in the North Premier League for Harrogate.

However, in 2004, the club were promoted to the National League – which saw them pitted against the likes of Lewes and Birmingham.

For Jimmy, the move into the next division, which moved them outside of the north of England, was an eye opener.

“It was mainly decision making.

“There’s a level of skill that everyone can get to in hockey. There’s only so quickly that you can move a ball, like footballers.

“But then it comes down to how quickly the brain works.”

His passion for the sport took him as far as England trials – although his career never reached that level.

Turning to coaching

These days, Jimmy takes his hockey playing more casually.

However, he had his eye on becoming a coach when he was 18.

“I’ve sort of coached off and on for my whole career.”

He describes himself as a “technical” coach and has long argued that there is a difference between technique and skill when it comes to players.

“When I say technical, most people would call that a skills coach.

“Making sure people are stopping the ball correctly, holding the stick properly and showing them some tricky moves to do against opposition players.

“In my head – and I will argue this with everybody – that’s technique. The skill is picking the right thing to do at the right time.

“I like to empower anyone that I coach with as much technique as I can give them so that they are the best player that they can be. Then it is up to them, they can be world beaters if they can make the right decisions.”

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Amid the part time coaching and playing hockey on evenings and weekends, Jimmy had a day job.

Before the covid pandemic, he ran a book publishing business.

He worked for himself and enjoyed it, but then the covid pandemic hit and the world turned upside down.

“I have always run my own businesses and I wound one up about two years ago.

“It had done quite well through covid, but coming out the other side of covid the education sector changed quite drastically. The business couldn’t cope with the changes.”

Jimmy did not know what to do and tried to work for other people, but did not like it.

He turned to his passion in the hope that it may offer him work.

Fortunately for Jimmy, the club was in a position where it needed to offer support to its development officer, Megan Reid.

“She needed a coach to help her to do some of these outreach programmes into schools and to help do some of the club coaching here and to develop the juniors.”

Two months in, Jimmy says the job is a labour of love and something he feels he is well suited to.

“It is in some ways not like working because it is something that I absolutely love doing and I have done it for so long.

“But it is kind of strange to have never done it as a job before.”

While his new job involves coaching, it also involves helping to build the club back up from covid.

Like a lot of sports, Harrogate Hockey Club was hit hard by covid.

Some members did not return and the junior teams lost their way with no sport to play.

“To get everything back on track, it needs that extra support.

“I think it is happening in all sports now. Being able to rely on people’s goodwill to run teams nowadays is quite hard.”

The club has been fortunate enough to have stars like Maddie Hinch, who won gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016, hosting training sessions at the Ainsty Road pitch to help generate interest in the sport.

Despite the task in hand, Jimmy still has goals in mind.

He wants to try and play beyond the age of 55 and to help to grow the club and its membership.

“Having run businesses over the years, it’s like growing a plant.

“First and foremost, you need to grow it. You can get rid of some bits that are a bit unwieldy and then make it nice.”

If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured in Sporting Spotlight, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Barbie and Spiderman to attend this weekend’s Harrogate Town match

Harrogate Town’s first home league match this weekend will be attended by Barbie, Spiderman and Mario.

The club is celebrating the launch of its junior membership scheme and the ongoing school holidays.

Under-12s can attend from £6, and under-fives are free with a paying adult.

As part of this, the likes of Barbie, Mario, Spiderman and Sonic will be meeting young fans shortly before Saturday’s kick-off against Forest Green Rovers,

The club said in a statement:

“Having just been granted silver award in the EFL family excellence scheme, this is the latest offering from the club looking to attract more families to the EnviroVent Stadium.”

Harrogate have made a good start to the season.

A Jack Muldoon penalty helped to seal a 1-0 away win over Doncaster Rovers in the opening league fixture last weekend.

Simon Weaver’s men then beat Carlisle United 1-0 in the Carabao Cup to earn a home fixture against Blackburn Rovers in the second round.

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Harrogate Town star striker set to leave after weekend withdrawal?

Harrogate Town striker Luke Armstrong looks set to leave the club after making himself unavailable last weekend.

Armstrong was the club’s top scorer last season, scoring 16 goals.

The 27-year-old was left out of the starting 11 at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday after making himself unavailable. Fans were only informed shortly before kick-off.

In a statement, Harrogate Town said Armstrong made the request amid “a number of transfer bids from other clubs”.

Manager Simon Weaver said:

“We had tentative enquiries at the start of the week from other clubs about Luke and those have now led to proper offers.

“Those offers came after we had offered Luke a renewed contract and a three-year-deal, because he deserved it.

“He has been a dedicated and fantastic player for us and we would love to keep him, however on Thursday he informed us he wanted to go and didn’t think he was in the right mindset to perform at his best today, which was disappointing news at the time.

“He has been honest with me and told me he wants to move on and thought it would be detrimental to the team if he took to the field today.”

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Weaver added that a three-year contract offer to Armstrong “is still on the table”.

He added:

“The offer is still on the table from us for him to sign a new deal, but our position is clear; we have informed him and his agent that two things have to happen before Luke is able to leave the club, we have to do what is best for our club and get a significant fee for him and secondly we need a replacement that is going to make the fans proud.”

Weaver told BBC Radio York in a post-match interview that he had “softened” his approach to Armstrong from a “no sale” position following his request.

However, he reiterated that Town would still require a “significant fee” for Armstrong and a replacement player who is “not just a stocking filler”.

Despite the absence of Armstrong, Harrogate made it a winning start to the 2023/24 EFL League Two season with a 1-0 win at Doncaster.

Jack Muldoon scored the only goal of the game with a penalty which saw Town take all three points.

Harrogate Town begin fourth football league campaign tomorrow

Harrogate Town fans are optimistic of their side’s chances of avoiding relegation as the club enters a fourth campaign in the English Football League.

Town take on Doncaster Rovers away from home tomorrow in a tantalising Yorkshire derby to open the season.

The club has bolstered its first team with the likes of striker Abraham Odoh from Rochdale and winger James Daly among the summer recruits.

Phil Deighton, a long time season ticket holder at Wetherby Road, said Harrogate should be in a position to avoid the drop again this season.

He added that the additions to the squad during the summer transfer window, in particular Odoh, had pleased him.

Mr Deighton said:

“I am a season ticket holder and have been watching Town for a a long time. Just watching league football is brilliant for me as most of my time watching it has been non-league.

“The preparations for the new season look good, it is nice to see a couple of players that were on loan re-sign permanently and I was pleased that Mr Weaver added in the striking department  – I looking forward to seeing Abraham Odoh, he looks a skilful player.

“Overall, I think the pre-season has gone well, just a shame none of the game have been at home, and I think we will do slightly better in the league this season and not have the worry of relegation.”

‘Strongest squad in 14 years’

Town will head into the new season with an away trip to the Eco-Power Stadium to face Doncaster.

Manager Simon Weaver said the squad was the strongest he had in his time at the club.

He said:

“I think it is quite honestly the strongest squad I’ve had at the club in 14 years.

“I’m proud of the efforts of the players in pre-season. The new lads have settled in well, they have integrated into the changing room really easily which is great. The vibe is strong.”

Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town manager.

Simon Weaver, Harrogate Town manager.

Weaver also has a fully fit squad going into the new season, with the exception of long term absentee Stephen Dooley who is on the sidelines with an injury.

Ahead of the clash with Doncaster, Weaver said there was massive appetite for the derby but warned that it was “no more important” than any other match.

He said:

“Everybody builds up the first game of the season and that’s because there is massive appetite for it.

“But it’s no more important or no less important than any other game in a 50 game season. We have to stick to what we’re good at and be organised, hard working and have loads of energy and be an exciting team to watch.

“But at the same time, not put too much pressure on because there’s so many games this season and so many points to play for.”

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Harrogate head coach hoping to turn around rugby club’s fortunes

From Japan to New Zealand, Sam Fox’s love affair with rugby union has taken him around the world.

As early as he can remember, he recalls being taken to his local rugby club in Cornwall with his dad where he would kick balls into the river.

These days, he’s tasked with leading Harrogate Rugby Club as head coach.

While most sportsmen tend to swap the pitch for the touchline after retirement, Sam had his eye on coaching well before his last kick of a rugby ball.

He hopes his ambition for improving players and Harrogate as a whole will bear fruit in the coming years.

Taking rugby abroad

Sam grew up in Cornwall and has been playing rugby since he was three-years-old.

The love for rugby was bred from an early age. His dad was an ex-England schoolboys player and his mum a big supporter of the sport.

At 16, he went to college in Truro and started playing for Exeter Chiefs RUFC where he spent his formative years in the academy.

His most memorable experience was spending time in New Zealand after a stint in Japan, where he played in a world championships.

Sam played for Wellington Lions under-19s alongside guys who would go onto elite rugby.

However, it was the developmental side that caught Sam’s eye and led him onto a career path in coaching.

“It was amazing. In the UK, you’re coached and taught in a very similar way the whole way through. To see how differently it’s done in Japan and then New Zealand, you can see why they are one of the best teams in the world in the way they go about their coaching.

“It being their national sport out there, every kid has a ball in their hand from the second they’re born. Whereas here it’s football.

“It was really interesting to see and probably what pushed me down that route of coaching and wanting to explore different coaching methods and how to improve players.”

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The standard of rugby at Wellington was high.

Sam was lucky enough to count Thomas and Peter Umaga-Jensen as teammates. Both are nephews of former All Blacks captain, Tana Umaga. He said:

“They were just a different level altogether.

“They are both playing Super Rugby now in New Zealand. What they can do with a ball, I have never seen anything like it.

“It was great. I was playing 10, they were at 12 and 13, and I’d just give them the ball and they would score.”

Returning home to study

Sam returned to England in 2017 and enrolled at Leeds Beckett University.

It was here that he started to embark on his ambition for improving players and started to study sports coaching alongside playing for Harrogate.

About three years ago, Sam says he accepted that he was not going to make it as a professional player.

“There were people that were just a lot quicker and a lot more skilful than me at that stage.

“Knowing that I wanted to be involved in rugby for the rest of my life, coaching was the next best thing that I could do.”

For Sam, coaching is a craft and something that can be explored beyond just teaching players how to play rugby.

There is academic theory behind it and the application of that theory when it comes to improving players.

But it’s also about relationships with people and those that work with you on a weekly basis.

“A lot of the advice that I’ve got is it is a lot about relationships.

“If you can form good relationships with your players and coaching staff then you are already one step ahead of everyone else.

“Maybe you would see in the 80s and 90s, when the game was starting to turn professional, it was very much a dictatorship where the coach says ‘this is what you’re going to do and you do it’. No questions asked.

“Whereas now there is a lot more back and forth. There is a lot more challenges of what you’re doing and making sure your practices are as good as they possibly can be.”

Sam Fox playing for Harrogate Rugby Club.

Sam Fox playing for Harrogate Rugby Club.

Alongside his colleague Aled Jones, Sam launched the academy at Harrogate.

From there, he was made head coach of the first team for the 2021/22 season.

Harrogate were promoted to the Northern Premier League during the season which was effected by the covid pandemic.

However, the last campaign saw Harrogate relegated after a 24-12 loss to Tynedale.

For Sam, his squad, which had an average age of 22, lacked the experience to see games out. However, he added there was a lot the team could take into next season.

“While I was pleased with a lot of the things that we did, ultimately we conceded too many points and lacked the experience to see out games where we were within the seven points range.”

Preparation for next season has started in earnest.

Promotion will be the aim, but for Sam it will also be about improving the players enough so that they can maintain themselves in the next division.

Improving players is a thread that runs through much of Sam’s philosophy.

From setting up the academy with Aled to drawing up a curriculum for the younger players, much of the emphasis is on creating a squad that starts at Harrogate and, hopefully, finishes there.

This is the fifth article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

How Brazilian jiu-jitsu changed Harrogate instructor’s life

Brazilian jiu-jitsu changed the life of Harrogate instructor Lewis Matthews.

The 33-year-old has been practising the martial art for 17 years and owns the Gracie Barra club at The Zone on Hornbeam Park.

Lewis is a black belt grade one in jiu-jitsu and has competed in the British Open, where he won a silver medal just last month and has an ambition to achieve gold.

To get to this point, Lewis has had to make choices in his life from work to family life.

Despite having a steady job in construction which took him around the country, he decided to settle in Harrogate to pursue his love of jiu-jitsu.

‘It was something to do’

Lewis grew up in the village of Scackelton, a small village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire.

He started karate before he caught the jiu-jitsu bug after he went with his mum to Ampleforth College, where he was initially taking up swimming.

“It was something to do, really. I lived out in the sticks.

“My mum used to go this gym at Ampleforth College on a Friday. I used to go with her to go to the swimming and then there was a karate class on and I got signed up to that.”

To help himself get around, Lewis got a moped and began to go to the next village over to another karate class.

After finishing the session, he noticed more people turning up for another class – it was jiu-jitsu.

“I turned up, did the karate class and a couple of guys started piling in for this next class.

“I remember asking ‘what’s that?’ And they said ‘it’s jiu-jitsu’.”

Lewis (right) with coach and programme director, Jack.

Lewis (right) with coach and programme director, Jack.

Lewis was asked to stick around and join in the practice. From that moment, he started to take up the martial art as a hobby.

He left school and took up a joinery apprenticeship in Malton.

After completing his apprenticeship and a higher national certificate in construction at college, he took a career break and went travelling to South America.

At this point, he was a blue belt in jiu-jitsu – the first belt in the martial art – and he continued to practice and compete on his travels.

When he returned to the UK, he worked his way up to become construction manager at a firm in Leeds.

It was here that Lewis had a sliding doors moment.

‘I’ll leave my job before I leave jiu-jitsu’

After tendering a project for Bettys and Taylors at its factory in Starbeck, he allowed himself more time to commit himself to jiu-jitsu at the club in Harrogate – which was part time.

“That project allowed me to put the time in here on an evening.

“I was so close [to the club], I had never been so close before. I had always had to dot around to different clubs wherever I was working.

“But because I was two-and-a-half years in Harrogate, I was there every day and would come here on a night.”

Lewis demonstrating jiu-jitsu.

Lewis demonstrating jiu-jitsu. Picture: Gracie Barra Harrogate.

After he finished working in Starbeck, his wife became pregnant. 

At the same time, the club on Hornbeam Park, which Lewis founded with his friend Geoffrey Cumbus, had also grown while he was working on the project.

“It had become something that I was really passionate about. We had built a community with a lot people training.

“If I had continued to work for this company, I wouldn’t have been able to continue to do this.

“It was kind of a fork in the road. We’re going to have a family, so you can’t work all day and do jiu-jitsu all night anymore. Your next project might be an hours commute away. You won’t be able to get back to do all these classes that are two minutes from your current job.

“So, I handed my notice in.”

Lewis had already long been considering going full time at jiu-jitsu.

During the covid lockdowns, he was furloughed for eight-weeks and took time with his wife to consider what he wanted to do.

“We sat down in the garden and we wrote down what was most important to us if we were to do our perfect day.

“We wrote it down separately and told each other. It wasn’t having a massive expensive car and a flash holiday. It was time with each other, train jiu-jitsu, family and community. The things that we have already.

“I remember my wife saying at the time ‘you can’t continue to work two jobs and have a kid’. I looked at her and said ‘I’ll leave my job before I leave jiu-jitsu’. That’s when I decided to leave.”

Jiu-jitsu for everyone

The club on Hornbeam Park became affiliated with global martial arts organisation Gracie Barra in October 2017.

It forms part of a network of schools across the world offering the highest standard of BJJ instruction.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy allows people to develop the martial art and earn belts as part of their development.

The belt grading is at the discretion of the jiu-jitsu professor – Lewis was awarded his black belt in December 2017.

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Lewis took over the club fully after the covid pandemic and is now head instructor.

He takes pride in welcoming new people to the martial art.

“The good thing that we do here is that we teach people of all levels.

“You might get the 21-year-old who comes in. He goes to college and lives and breathes jiu-jitsu.

“Then you get the 40-year-old professional who has got two kids. He trains two nights a week and has got a mortgage, a wife, kids and a business to run.

“The 21-year-old might come in and kick his butt on the mat in a rolling session and think that he deserves to be a higher grade than him, but it’s all relative because their individual journeys are different.”

The club caters for all abilities and needs. It teaches self-defence, physical fitness but also offers a social element.

Techniques taught within BJJ focus not on striking, but on grappling and defending yourself, without the need to punch or kick someone.

But, for Lewis, jiu-jitsu is more than the martial art itself.

While he continues to compete in competitions, such as winning silver in the British Open last month in Coventry, and has ambitions beyond that – jiu-jitsu has always meant something more.

He said:

“It’s provided me with something through my life that’s kept me on a path all the time.

“We all have choices to make, don’t we? Every time we want to go for a beer, get drunk or buy that something that we don’t need.

“Jiu-jitsu has always been ‘you can do that or you can do this’. I want to do this more, so I’m not going to do that.

“It has kept me on a good path to where I am now.”

This is the fourth article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Knaresborough Town pair championing women’s football after remarkable season

Promotion and winning a title would be an astonishing achievement for any sports team in their first season.

But for Knaresborough Town Women, it was particularly remarkable.

The squad was formed, took pre-season and kicked off their campaign all within a matter of weeks in the summer of 2022.

For Sarah Parkes, vice-captain, and Emily Crispin, midfielder and team physio, the season was a whirlwind.

Sarah, 26, joined Town after playing for Harrogate Railway, while Leeds-born Emily moved from Harrogate Town.

The pair were keen footballers from being youngsters. 

Sarah’s Dad was an academy coach at Leeds United. She said she had little choice but to grow up kicking a ball around.

“Our family is quite interested in football.

“My dad coached Leeds United for 25 years for the academy. He was very focussed on bringing up me, my two brothers and my sister and getting us involved in football.”

Meanwhile, Emily, 25, caught the bug around six-years-old after playing in mixed teams with the boys at primary school in Leeds.

“I played with the boys team and then we ended up having a girls team.

“I think one of the girl’s played outside of school and her dad approached my dad. My dad liked sport, but he was never interested in football. It just went from there, really.”

Sarah Parkes in action Knaresborough Town Women.

Sarah Parkes in action Knaresborough Town Women.

Knaresborough Town Women did not exist some 12 months ago.

The side started out in July last year, with trials being held at Knaresborough Celtic for players aged 16 and over.

Sarah found out about the set up through family. Her brothers are both involved with the men’s side, with Simon the manager and club captain Ben

“It’s a very family club. We have a lot of friends and family involved in it.

“It was a no brainer coming to Knaresborough.”

For Emily, the move to Knaresborough was different.

Emily Crispin, who is also club physio.

Emily Crispin, who is also club physio.

She knew Ged Maloney, who helped set up the women’s side, from college. Ged was also involved with Harrogate Town, where Emily was playing the previous season.

At the time, Emily says she was “in between” whether to play or to take on physio – something which she studied at university.

In the end, she ended up doing both and has been the team’s physio while also helping lead the side to promotion.

Pre-season to champions

It was a quick turn around for Knaresborough Town.

Both Emily and Sarah had two weeks from pre-season, which was overseen by head coach Mike Bligh, to kicking off the season.

The pair prepared for the campaign by sharing facilities with the men’s side, including the playing home games at Manse Lane.

Town were thrown in the deep end against one of the league favourites Field Ladies FC for the first fame of the season.

Sarah said:

“It was very intimidating not knowing anyone and then we had to go into the first game after only meeting each other around four or five times at training.

“It was nerve wracking, but after that first game we got to know each other a bit more.”

Knaresborough Town Women clinched the title at Bradford City in April.

Knaresborough Town Women clinched the title at Bradford City in April.

However, the club went on to win promotion, sometimes winning games at a canter.

Along the way, they clocked up scores such as 15-0 against Leeds Hyde Park and 22-0 against Wakefield.

Once promotion was confirmed, the title was clinched with a 1-0 win away at Bradford City in April.

‘There is demand for women’s football’

With the success of England’s Lionesses at the Euros and the rise of the Women’s Super League, women’s football has seen success over the past couple of years.

For Sarah, who grew up in Knaresborough, this has been demonstrated locally.

“I think more people want to get more involved. 

“When I left Harrogate Railway, they set up a reserve team with the amount of interest they have got. 

“I’m hoping that Knaresborough Town will get similar interest and set up a development squad or something for people who want to get involved in football to come and get started at Knaresborough.”

Emily said women have proven that the demand is there for girls to get involved in football.

She points to the 60,000 people who attended last week’s Women’s Champions League game between Arsenal and Wolfsburg at the Emirates as an example.

“The demand is there. It’s amazing.

“We have clearly proven the demand is there if you women the platform to play in those type of stadiums.”

This is the second article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

How Pateley Bridge man won two league titles with Leeds United

Pateley Bridge man Alan Sutton can barely believe he won league titles with Leeds United.

His career at United spans three decades and includes a First Division title, a Second Division championship, a cup final at Wembley and stints in Europe.

But Alan was not a player – he was the club’s physio.

Sitting in his conservatory at his home in Pateley Bridge on a sunny April morning, he says it took him a while to realise his achievements.

“Have you ever seen that episode of Dallas when Bobby Ewing gets killed, but then he comes back again? He comes out of his shower and it was like a dream. 

“It’s a bit like that. I wake up and think: ‘did that really happen?’”

He’s documented his career in a book My Journey: Pavement to Premier League with Leeds United, which initially started as stories for his grandchildren during the first covid lockdown.

But Alan’s story of his time at the pinnacle of English football is not a conventional one.

In fact, 25 years prior to joining Leeds United as its physiotherapist, he was flagging pavements in Bradford.

So how did a kid from Bradford go from working on building sites to lifting a First Division title?

Flagging pavements in Bradford

Alan was born in Bradford in 1946. His mum and dad, Winnie and Alf, both worked typical mill town jobs.

Alf was a foundry man and Winnie worked in the mills.

Much like a lot of teenagers in post-war Britain, Alan left school at 15 in 1961.

His dream was to play football and his education suffered for it. As a result, he was left to apply for manual jobs in his hometown – some with not much success.

He said:

“I had three jobs in three months and got sacked from every one of them.

“I think the youth employment place was a bit fed up of seeing me.”

After many tries, Alan finally found a job as a street mason which involved him laying flags and kerbs for the Bradford Corporation.

For two weeks, he was told to sit in a shed armed with a lump hammer and a chisel learning how to chip away at stones.

“As you can imagine, I probably hit my hand more times than I did the chisel.”

While Alan was working on building sites and laying flags, he pursued a passion for football.

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He played in the Yorkshire league for Salts FC at Saltaire, as well as Bradford Minors.

Alan caught the eye of local coaches as a player and went on to play Leeds FA in the West Riding FA Cup final for Bradford Minors.

In a sign of things to come, Alan says on the day of the game, he read about a new signing for Leeds in the local Telegraph & Argus paper.

“I read in the paper that Leeds United have just signed another Scottish schoolboy international called Edwin Gray.

“It’s ironic how your life pans out and 30 years on, the amount of hours I would spend with Eddie.”

Despite his dream, Alan did not go on to have a football career as a player. 

He turned down an opportunity to sign as an apprentice for Bradford Park Avenue after impressing their manager, Jimmy Scoular.

From Canada to Leeds

After saving up money working in the building trade, Alan headed off to Canada in 1967 to pursue more work.

He returned to England in 1968 after making enough money and worked in the building trade while taking his coaching badges.

While helping coach young players at Bradford City, he opted to learn physiotherapy and take on an FA Management and Treatment of Sports Injuries diploma at Lilleshall.

Alan with his First Division title medal.

Alan with his First Division title medal

His big break came in July 1981, when Halifax Town FC hired him on £50 a week.

Alan went on to pass his diploma and took up a role at Mansfield Rugby League, before going on to Halifax Rugby League in 1985 where he would get his first taste of silverwear.

Despite the success in rugby league, Alan’s career would take a different path in another part of West Yorkshire.

In August 1986, Leeds United physio Geoff Ladley called Alan.

Geoff had decided to leave the club after 10 years to take up a new job at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

He asked Alan if he would be interested in taking over as physio and if he would meet with Leeds manager and club legend Billy Bremner.

The initial interview did not go to plan though.

“I’ve gone through to see Billy.

“But I’m still on a roll from winning the championship with Halifax and I’m not exactly the most positive person when I’m talking to him.”

Alan went back to his part-time job with Halifax Town, but was confronted about his interview by manager Mick Jones.

“He asks: ‘how did you get on with Billy?’ And I said ‘yeah alright’.

“He just looked at me in the eye and said: ‘Listen, you just cannot turn down Leeds United.’”

Alan called Geoff back up and asked for another chance, which he was given. Fortunately for him, Billy asked when he could start.

Success with Leeds United

Leeds missed out on promotion and reached the 1987 FA Cup semi final in Alan’s first season.

He describes his workplace as “mayhem” as the club’s physio.

“I had 40 people from kids to the squad to look after. Also, on a match day, I was kit man as well as physio.

“What I loved about Billy was he would come into the treatment room, he would sit down crossing his legs, smoking a fag and start telling all the stories.”

But Billy’s tenure wouldn’t last and a new manager would come in in 1989 and spark a “culture change”, as Alan describes it.

Howard Wilkinson arrived from Sheffield Wednesday and led an overhaul of the club.

The 1989/90 season saw Leeds promoted back to the First Division.

For Alan, who saw it firsthand, part of the reason for the success was recruitment and the type of players that were brought in.

“I get asked loads of times about who was the best player in my near 30 years at Leeds United.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, in those early days it was Gordon Strachan. He was like the manager on the field.

“We were still in the culture where everyone was drinking. He started to change all that.”

Leeds United's 1992 squad, which were the last team to win the First Division before it became the Premier League.

Leeds United’s 1992 squad, which were the last team to win the First Division before it became the Premier League. Alan can be seen in the blue jumper with an “AS” logo.

Strachan would be pivotal in that promotion season and more so two years later when Leeds won their first title since 1974 – and became the last team to win it before the Premier League.

The championship was clinched n April 26, 1992, after a chaotic game at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United.

Alan, who still has his First Division medal, recalls the aftermath of that game in Sheffield and finding out that they had clinched the title on the drive home on the radio.

During the drive, Liverpool were playing Manchester United at Anfield. A victory for the home side would secure Leeds the championship.

“I got my nephew to pick me up and take me to my sisters in Bradford.

“While we were driving, Liverpool had gone one-nil up. I’m half asleep and Mark Walters had got the second goal with about three minutes to go.

“My nephew said: ‘Uncle Alan, I think you have just won the championship.'”

Alan would get his hands on the title at the Norwich game at Elland Road the following weekend. 

Today, he keeps a picture of him with his wife Shirley, his son Miles and daughter Adele on the pitch, with the trophy in his home.

‘It gets under your skin’

Alan left Leeds in 2014 after 37 years of service.

When asked to sum up his career, he is thoughtful and takes time to reflect on his achievements.

Alan with current Leeds United captain, Liam Cooper.

Alan with current Leeds United captain Liam Cooper.

Much of his thoughts on his career are in his book, the proceeds of which go to two of his chosen charities: Sarcoma UK and the Gary Kelly Cancer Centre in Drogheda, Ireland.

For the most part, Alan reflects on how much Leeds managed to get to him throughout the past three decades.

“When someone asks me if I’m a Leeds United supporter, I say no.

“Leeds United became far deeper. It becomes your life. Eddie Howe was talking about Newcastle the other day. He said: ‘This place gets under your skin’. That was Leeds United.”

Alan’s book ‘My Journey: Pavement to Premier League’ is available now here. All proceeds go to Sarcoma UK and the Gary Kelly Cancer Centre.

This is the first article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Popularity of Harrogate’s premium indoor padel tennis centre continues to ‘surge’

This story is sponsored by Surge Padel.

The UK’s largest premium indoor padel tennis centre has ‘surged’ in popularity, with players travelling from across the country for games.

Based at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park, Surge Padel has grown to 1,400 members, with its six courts often fully booked.

Owner and CEO Stuart Perrin said members often play up to four times a week and he puts the sport’s popularity down to its simplicity.

He said:

“You serve underhand and the ball stays in play a lot longer than tennis. It’s a lot less technical, so people of all ages and abilities can play. It’s also super social as you play in pairs. Once you’ve played a few times you just keep coming back.”

A mashup of tennis and squash that originated in Mexico, padel has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

It is played between four players on reduced-size tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

Since November 2020, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has been the national governing body for the sport when it was officially recognised as a discipline of tennis. This has opened the door for greater recognition, support and funding.

Mr Perrin said:

“Because it is so fresh in the UK, we get people travelling to play. We get people from Middlesbrough and the far side of Leeds regularly.

“There aren’t facilities like this anywhere else, especially fully indoors.

“We have people coming from far and wide. I would say around 900 of our members are from the Harrogate district and the rest are from further afield.”

Surge Padel, which is located above Coach gym, is now a centre of excellence for the UK is fully affiliated with the LTA. It has hosted European Championships and events are held at the club most weekends.

Mr Perrin said:

“We are the largest padel tennis club in the UK and are member based. We’ve only been open since January 2022 and it is now getting really difficult to book a court on an evening, as it’s so popular. If we could have built a bigger site, we would have done!

“We have got a further four centres opening in 2023. One of those will hopefully be in Leeds.

“We offer state-of-the-art facilities at an affordable price.”

Book your court space or join as a member for the best benefits. Find out more and join the fastest growing sport in the UK.