23rd April 2025

 Over 65s v Wakefield 

WFA National Cup, Round 1

The Over-65s travelled to Wakefield Football Centre for this first round tie. 

Wakefield are one of the strongest outfits locally at this level, so the Strays' squad knew it would be a tough task, but after conceding an early goal they settled into a solid shape, began to play some decent football, and had a number of attempts on goal. Graeme Bell equalised with a shot on the turn, and things stayed fairly even until Wakefield poached a second goal before the half-time whistle. 

Sadly for the Strays, all hopes of an upset vanished as Wakefield turned it on in the second half and scored a couple of goals in pretty similar style - their striker kept possession around the edge of Harrogate's box and waited patiently for a supporting midfielder to back him up and find space to receive a short lay-off and slot the ball past Steve Platt. Harrogate briefly sensed a potential comeback at 4-1 down, when Mike Pyle struck a fine shot after overlapping on the right to make it 4-2. But Wakefield calmly kept control of the game and rattled home three more unanswered goals in clinical fashion. The Strays were overrun and suffered a humbling 7-2 defeat to an admittedly powerful opposition. 

Good luck to Wakefield for the rest of the tournament.

Strays' squad: Bernie O'Brien, Derek Rowe, Graeme Bell, Mike Pyle, Paddy Keightley, Steve Platt, Steve Williams

Bernie O’Brien

 Over 60s 

Northern Premier League

Round 1

The NPL season for the Over-60s began at Goals Leeds in glorious sunshine as the Strays' squad took on Rothwell Old Boys (ROB) Yellow, Leeds Morley and Bradford City to begin their hunt for Division 2 glory.

Against ROB Yellow, the Strays began on the front foot and pretty much sustained it throughout. Only poor finishing meant that the teams reached half time all square and goalless. In the second half, the Strays remained on top and took the lead from a Bernie O'Brien shot that struck the inside of the post and was deflected in off the diving keeper. Always keen to increase the lead, Harrogate pressed on and scored a second from Neil Waite's cross-shot that flashed past the goalie and into the top corner. A well deserved win lifted the spirits.

Against old foes Morley, a team reshuffle didn't work as planned, and Morley probably had the better of the game. The Strays had a few shots on target, but nothing to worry the opposing keeper unduly. Meanwhile Morley had plenty of possession and were busy trying to find a way through the Strays' defence to no avail. A 0-0 draw looked on the cards until a Morley player turned and hit what seemed a speculative shot in the final minute, the ball evading Mike Norris low to his right. A goal seemingly from out of the blue and no time to hit back. Sick parrot time.

In the final game, the Strays dominated the early stages and took a two-goal lead through classy finishes from Neil. Both shots were from similar positions, but the second was a particular peach, calmly side-footed from distance into the bottom corner after space opened up just inside the Bradford half. But instead of coasting home, the Strays got a little jittery, allowing Bradford to apply pressure, which resulted in them snatching a goal back and increasing the tension. Harrogate struggled to relieve the pressure, although Bernie thought he'd settled matters with a shot that somehow hit both posts before being recovered by the keeper. Nevertheless Bradford couldn't find the equaliser, so the Strays bagged a second victory of the day.

Most pleasing was that the team played some excellent football in patches and worked hard for each other. Reservations about fielding a team in this year's NPL were put to bed with a couple of wins, and one referee complimented the team's play in terms of spirit and attitude, with very few warnings issued to our players. We go forward with a real sense of positivity.

Squad: Bernie O'Brien, Debbie Naylor, Keith Nesbitt, Mike Norris, Neil Waite, Steve Dodsworth, Steve Williams, Terry Tuplin, Tom Robinson

Bernie O’Brien

Manager, Over 60s

Northern Counties Alliance 70’s Walking Football League

Following March setbacks to consolidate, the squad travelled to Wakefield missing two key players in Mike Pyle and Charlie Florance. Steve Williams, under a dispensation from the league, was drafted in to cover for Mike. 

This time around the squads were Doncaster Rovers, Wakefield Purple, Leeds Walking Football, Wakefield Red and Bradford City. The team rested was Leggy Mambos, giving a chance for 3 sides to leapfrog them in the league.

GAME 1 - First up were Doncaster Rovers

A much improved and re-organised Doncaster put the Strays on the back foot from the off. They were dogged, determined and difficult to play against, however the team settled into an early rhythm with Paddy hitting the first goal to settle the team. However Doncaster wanted to

make a game of it where the second half saw a tightening of the game with Doncaster getting a very well executed equalising goal after some very good interplay. Determined not

to lose, the Strays kept plugging away snatching a second from Derek with 3 minutes to go to secure our first win of the day but a bruising start. 

Result Doncaster Rovers 1 Strays 2

GAME 2 - Next up were Wakefield Wanderers Purples.

So the theme from game 1 continued.  The purples were looking for a repeat of last time out and/or better, in truth they were at us like no tomorrow where it took all of our efforts to stay in the game! We were completely off the pace and not playing our game the way we

intended. Throughout the match we had numerous chances taking none of them and had it not been for some great defending from Steve and Adrian, we would have suffered. Calling for a re-organisation we pushed back hard; a penalty miss from Derek at the very end didn’t help our cause and our efforts to win were to no avail. It was an awakening where in the end we were grateful to take the draw. 

Result Wakefield Wanderers Purples 0 Strays 0

GAME 3 - Our next opponents, Leeds Walking Football.

Last time out we threw away a 2 goal lead against Leeds and after the previous game it was a stark reminder to all the players that this league contains teams that wish to compete so we talked about that reality to find a way to up our game. From the off we were at them, we were like a different team, holding the ball, playing at our pace, creating space all over the pitch to

gain maximum shooting opportunities and so it proved by hitting six with 1 in return, all credit

to Leeds, they kept going and made it difficult but on the day we were at our very best in that game, with Colin getting a hat trick, Derek a brace and Paddy with a solitary goal, all of which did our goal difference a power of good and set us up for a very hard test in the next

game. 

Result Leeds Walking Football 1 Strays 6

GAME 4 - Our penultimate opponents, Wakefield Wanderers Reds.

As our nearest rivals to catch Leggy Mambos, a win against Wakefield Reds was a minimum expectation and considering the performance against Leeds and having beaten the reds in the 3 previous games we were buoyant and up for it. That soon came crashing down! Yet again the team ethos evaporated; we simply did not find any rhythm in the first half, conceding a shocking goal that put their tails up and our spirits down. A re-organisation in the

second half provided better impetus where five very good chances for us found the bar, upright and very good goalkeeping where on another day they would have resulted in goals

and turned the tide. The reds used our desperation to get our goals against us and simply played possession football for the remaining 5 minutes to snatch the win which felt like a bitter defeat, but credit to them, they were the better side in possession. The team has to find

a way to consolidate good form into winning habits if we are to continue our progression at this level and standard of Walking Football, blowing hot and cold as a group has to be arrested. 

Result Wakefield Wanderers 1 Strays 0.

Game 5 - The final game brought us Bradford City.

Our chance to recover some points on the day rested in this our final game against very physical and organised opponents in Bradford. A win was a must, anything else but a final win was a bad day at the office! We started brightly, each team cancelling the other out in all positions, unfortunately Bradford gained the first advantage from a free kick being deflected past our keeper Steve, and in doing so, Adrian incurred a knee injury resulting in a re-organisation at half time. This change to an attacking format put us back in the driving seat. We absolutely peppered their goal but no goals materialised. From the resultant press an awry ball found a Bradford attacker free on the left to slot home a 2nd with little time left to recover. The team did their best in this game and were very unfortunate not to get something out of it,

but two straight defeats in a row by narrow margins was difficult to take. It is a lesson learnt from league formats that from the off in every game we have to be on our toes in all areas of the pitch. We now need to apply it going forward. 

Result

Bradford City 2 Strays 0

Two wins, two defeats and a draw was not what we wanted to take away from this league outing where, on past results and form 4 wins and a draw was an achievable target.

As a team we were missing two very key players and to lose Adrian, which may also be longer term, is a blow, but we have the character and resilience to bounce back when we go

again on 6th May including a new arrival in defence, with a seasoned WF player in Dave Sparrow

(Spuggy), so we set the bar high to put up a good show to earn the right to cement our position at the top half of this league to put the pressure on the others to catch us.

Despite this last setback and narrowing of league positions the team spirit remains positive. The errors that are costing us are now all very well recognised, along with the way forward to correct and improve our performance levels, especially when we need to tighten up in games

at key points.

The squad was: Steve Simpson, Adrian Harrison, Steve Williams, Dave Byrne, Paddy

Keightley (Captain), Colin Stringfellow and Derek Rowe.

Derek Rowe

Over 70s Manager 

 Over 65s Friendly 

Skipton v Strays 

This was an opportunity to give a few of our less experienced players a taste of inter-club walking football, which, as was confirmed afterwards, presents a different set of challenges to our regular club sessions, both physically and mentally. It was our first outing as a squad and was complicated by being 7-a-side, which we don't often practise. So, the emphasis was on building experience around the concentration and discipline required in competitive matches.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this was a patchy set of games. In the first, Skipton were well on top in the early stages and dominated going forward, without seriously threatening the Strays' goal. Strays improved marginally in the second half, and seemed to be finding a better passing rhythm, but neither side looked like scoring. A 0-0 scoreline was an accurate reflection of the game.

Game two started much more brightly for Strays, with better attacking movement and a large degree of possession. Although playing well, shots on target were few and far between. Slightly against the run of play, Skipton then had a series of free kicks around the edge of the Strays' area, two or three of which were blocked by solid defending, but one flew past Steve Simpson via a deflection. Spirits sagged thereafter, and Skipton closed the game out to win 1-0.

In the final game, the quality of the Strays' game dipped noticeably, with passes going astray and positional errors allowing Skipton to get well on top. Skipton scored after a failure to clear our lines resulted in a snapshot that beat Steve inside his right-hand post. Tired minds and weary limbs meant that Strays rarely looked like clawing back an equaliser, and Skipton notched another merited 1-0 win.

Even if none of us were happy with the overall team performance, we hope that our newer players will benefit from the experience when involved in the upcoming Northern Premier League (6-a-side) and the new Pizza League (7-a-side!) matches, where we can expect to meet similarly committed opposition.

Squad: Adrian Harrison, Bernie O'Brien, Derek Rowe, Jo Bower, Keith Nesbitt, Lee Brandon, Phill Holdsworth, Steve Simpson, Terry Tuplin

Bernie O’Brien

Manager, Over 60s

Friendly – Leeds Morley v Harrogate Strays over 65s 

Injury and illness struck hard at Harrogate Strays immediately before the clash with Leeds Morley, leaving just six fit players in the squad. Was this an unlucky omen?

The first game was a fairly close affair, as both sides settled into their game and tested each other out. Mark Speight, on his debut, put Harrogate ahead around the midway point but Morley equalised with a sweetly struck shot into the top corner. Mark then managed to slot home a second as Harrogate started to exert a bit more control, and the Strays kept things tight to run out 2-1 winners.

In the second game, Harrogate turned possession into domination and rattled off the goals to make it count. Neil Waite hit a fierce shot from distance that, possibly courtesy of a slight deflection, found the back of the net. Thereafter the Strays controlled the game, and Tom Robinson proved deadly in front of goal, netting three goals in quick succession to help the Strays to a convincing 4-0 win.

Game three sadly witnessed a series of calamities for Harrogate which impacted severely on the outcome of the match. Morley took an early lead and seemed eager to impose themselves after two defeats. Then an ankle injury to Mike Norris in goal forced his departure and, in the absence of substitutes, Harrogate had to reshuffle with the help of a Morley player as replacement. The loss of a trusted keeper was damaging, and Morley soon notched a second. Worse was to follow, as a calf injury to Mark Speight resulted in him also leaving the field of play and a second Morley player filling the gap. Bernie O'Brien reduced the arrears to give some hope of a recovery, but Morley would not be denied and bagged a third to secure a 3-1 victory.

Many thanks to Morley for arranging the fixture, which was played in a good spirit throughout. The late injuries were unfortunate and clearly painful, but both sides contributed to the games with some decent football.

We wish Mike and Mark swift recoveries.

Bernie and Paddy

Northern Counties Alliance 70’s Walking Football League

Considering the squads excellent start in the new league at Wakefield the squad arrived in a positive mood to consolidate our ambition and intent to maintain our great start. Due to the leagues immediate popularity. a new entrant had entered, thereby increasing the

teams to 7, the new team being Leeds Walking Football, assembled from a mixture of players known to us from Titans and Morley. 

Doncaster elected not to play in this fixture due to illness and player unavailability.

GAME 1 - First up was Wakefield Wanderers Reds who were considered the stronger of the

two Wakefield sides and so it proved to be, they were dogged, determined and difficult to play against, however the team settled into a rhythm with Colin hitting the first goal from a

delightful Paddy pass across the goal to settle the team, the second half saw a tightening of the game with the Reds getting an equalising goal after some very good interplay. The Strays kept plugging away snatching a second from Colin with 2 minutes to go to secure our first win

of the day and a great start. Result Wakefield Wanderers Reds 1 Strays 2.

GAME 2 - Next up were Bradford City, mindful of our hard fought result last time out this game had all the ingredients for a feisty affair.  Bradford were a much improved side with our very own England keeper, Steve Platt between the sticks, this was a big signal that we had to

increase our performance level and tempo to match them. In truth they were equal to us in all respects. That said Colin managed to edge us ahead on 5 minutes with a very good goal only for them to grab one back right on half time, but with 3 running offences against them it was a

tightrope. To increase our tempo Derek came on to replace Colin where our attempts on goal

from the team increased resulting in a fourth running offence against Bradford and a penalty for Strays that Derek put away with venom. With less than a minute to go to we played the game out cautiously to secure our second win of the day. Result Bradford City 1 Strays 2.

GAME 3 - Our next opponents, Wakefield Purple, faced us on the back of two defeats in a row so we looked to take full advantage and so it began with Derek striking from distance to put us one up at the break with the whole team maintaining the required shape and energy. At the resumption the style of play from our opponents was visible from the off, they sat back to

frustrate, defend and break where we got completely sucked in again to their tactics, our lack of concentration and energy allowing them to snatch a goal, and despite our attempts to break open the play we were unable to find the required edge ending in a disappointing draw

but credit to them in sticking to their game plan. Result Wakefield Wanderers Purple 1 Strays 1.

GAME 4 - Our penultimate opponents, the newly entered Leeds Walking Football came to us with a mixed start based on a win and two defeats and, following our disappointment from game 3, we fancied our chances, considering our last game was against Mambos the tactic was to get to a winning lead to rest Mike. The team started the game at pace, resulting in 3 quick

goals from Mike, Charlie and Derek, with 1 in return putting us in what we thought was complete control at the break. At the resumption Mike was rested and following 5 minutes of slack play and carelessness, this allowed Leeds to recover the deficit. In the end we were fortunate to get another draw; this game felt like a defeat and was a setback along with yet another lesson to us as a team that nothing less than 100% focus from all of us has to be our

benchmark. Result Leeds 3 Strays 3.

Game 5 - The ultimate game brought our old adversaries, Leggy Mambos, to face us on the back of 4 wins and tails up, this was a very stiff test against the inevitable goal scoring machine they have in their side. Despite our best efforts they were the better side on the day

and, even with a change in attack they kept us at bay and unable to find a route to recovery. It is clear that our tactics against them have to change and fast. Result Leggy Mambos 3 Strays 0.

Two wins, two draws and a loss was not what we wanted to take away from this last league outing where a minimum of 4 wins and a draw was an achievable target. As a team we have the character and resilience to bounce back when we go again on 1st April, and, with Leggy Mambos not playing, this gives us our chance to put up a good show to earn the right to cement our position at the top putting the pressure on the others to catch us. Despite this setback in going joint second on GD the team spirit remains positive. The errors that are costing us recognised, along with the way forward to correct and improve our

performance levels, especially when we need to tighten up in games at key points.

The squad was: Steve Simpson, Adrian Harrison, Charlie Florance, Mike Pyle (captain),

Paddy Keightley, Colin Stringfellow and Derek Rowe.

Derek Rowe

Over 70s Manager

  Friendly  – Bradford City v Harrogate Strays over 65s 

Strays Over-65s took on Bradford City in a mixed, but mostly positive, set of games played in glorious sunshine next door to the hulking shape of Valley Parade, as the 65s'  management team experimented with different line-ups in three matches.

Game One was extremely impressive. A disciplined team shape, quick passing and lethal finishing all combined to earn Strays a whopping 7-0 victory. Graeme Bell hit a purple patch, twisting and turning his marker and giving a masterclass in deadly finishing. Five goals were his reward, some struck with venom, some slotted home. In the midst of this demonstration, Paddy Keightley scored from a rebound after Graeme's shot was saved, and Bernie O'Brien scored with a low shot after a pass from Graeme. Bradford City looked shell shocked.

To their credit, Bradford tightened up and showed much more resilience in Game Two. The Strays didn't exert the same control, and Derek Rowe was given a very physical battle up front, eventually resulting in his marker being blue carded for a dangerous slide tackle late on. It remained a tight game throughout, with the Strays possibly having the edge overall, but not the cutting edge needed to follow up with another win. A 0-0 draw came as something of a shock after the opening game, but Bradford earned their point with an improved performance.

In Game Three Bradford showed a lot more attacking intent and took advantage of a drop in the Stray's positional discipline. Sloppy defensive work allowed Bradford to drive in their first goal of the day and they looked to be heading for a win as the Strays began to rush their attacks and paid for their haste. Fortunately Graeme rammed home an equaliser towards the end, but the general flow had dissipated, and another draw was the best that could be achieved.

Following the football, the squad enjoyed post-match samosas and onion bhajis with their hosts at the community centre and then retired to a nearby pub to rehydrate after their physical exertions.

Squad: Adrian Harrison, Bernie O'Brien, Derek Rowe, Graeme Bell, Mike Pyle, Neil Waite, Paddy Keightley, Steve Platt, Steve Williams

Rod Clifton

Secretary

  Friendly  – Doncaster Rovers v Harrogate Strays over 70s 

The Strays over 70 squad were invited by Doncaster Rovers to play in a re-arranged 3 game friendly fixture at their training venue in the city at a great facility called Goals and at no cost!

This was an opportunity to try a new playing formation with the available squad in an attempt to make the attacking midfielders play a dual role of defensive cover and wide attacking positions in order to open out more goal scoring opportunities across the team and as a decoy tactic against future opposition by drawing defences to the central striker in a revised 1-1-3-1 formation.

The format was 3 x 20 minute games with no breaks so fitness would count, unusually they had two referees in each game, both of which had different duties.

The first game was a question of re-assessment of our opposition and to test our new formation, we knew some of the players but not all and it was clear from the off that we had to watch two of them in particular. As we settled into our new formation the rhythm of the game was almost immediately in our favour, they simply could not get the ball and when they did we fought hard to win it back resulting in a great opening goal from Mike, followed almost instantly from Paddy then Colin and a final second goal from Mike putting the game beyond doubt, it was a pleasing performance and an easy opener. 

Result Doncaster Rovers 0 Strays 4

Next game they brought on two bigger players up front and midfield so our formation was changed putting Colin to right Midfield and Derek as the striker, we continued as we left off but increasing the tempo of the game and putting them under constant attacking pressure, resulting in a hat trick from Derek and a very well executed game plan from the team 

Result Doncaster Rovers 0 Strays 3

The final game gave us the opportunity to try Mike up front and Derek back in midfield, we stuttered even with going 1 up from Mike so we reverted back to our starting formation, Colin getting two, Mike another, Paddy a solo effort and Derek with a further two, admittedly we had worn them out and they conceded that our fitness, passing movement, defensive solidity, team work from the goalkeeper to strikers and hunger to get goals was exceptional, Frank the manager complimented the team attitude and behaviour making a point of how much we as a team had improved.

Result Doncaster Rovers 0 Strays 7

Not wishing to decry our opposition, who clearly had an off day, but taking nothing away from our squad, we still turned up, kept our discipline and secured 3 very good results from a team that are in our Northern Counties Alliance 70’s League, so we take the three wins, 15 goals for and 0 against as a good day at the office and a confidence booster ready to go again at Wakefield in the NCA on 4th March 2025 as we look to improve further and cement our place.

The squad was: Steve Simpson, Adrian Harrison, Mike Pyle (captain), Paddy Keightley, Colin Stringfellow and Derek Rowe.

Rod Clifton

Secretary

Northern Counties Alliance 70’s Walking Football League

  This new League, with very, very stiff competition, is what the Stary’s over 70’s squad have been building up to from last year, as the squad travelled to Wakefield we were all in high spirits with a clear ambition and intent to start the league season off in the strongest possible manner.

Six teams in our region (West Riding) are to compete in this league with an Eastern Region of six teams replicating our region to amalgamate during the year in quarterly competitions. The teams competing in our league being - Bradford City, Leggy Mambos, Doncaster Dynamos, Wakefield Wanderers A, Wakefield Wanderers B and Harrogate Strays.

First up was Wakefield Wanderers B, the style of play from our opponents was visible from the off, sit back, frustrate, defend and break, we got completely sucked in to the tactics they deployed with very few chances coming our way, despite our attempts to break open the play we were in the doldrums resulting in a disappointing opening game ending in the draw. 

Result Wakefield Wanderers B 0 Strays 0

Next up were Bradford City mindful of what they did to us last time out we were not going to a repeat, our performance level and tempo in this game was much higher. Numerous chances came our way with Derek securing our first goal on 7 minutes, followed by a well struck goal from Colin on 10, Bradford got one back with 3 minutes to go meaning a re-grouping to shut the game down to secure the win. 

Result Bradford City 1 Strays 2

Our next opponents, Doncaster, faced us on the back of two defeats in a row and we took full advantage with our tails up, we completely controlled the pace and tempo of the game, Mike striking a great opener on 6 minutes and, following the best team passing movement on the day from us enabling Derek to put he game to bed on 11 minutes, despite a late rally from Doncaster we held our formation to secure the win. 

Result Doncaster 0 Strays 2

Our penultimate opponents, Wakefield Wanderers A, came to us on the back of 2 wins and a defeat so these were the team we had to beat considering our last game against Mambos, the team continued in the same manner as we left off, controlling the game at our pace, Colin striking our first goal to be followed by a very well taken Paddy strike, a change of players to rest for the last game allowed Wakefield to hit one back but we stayed resolute to get the game past the line in our favour. 

Result Wakefield Wanderers A 1  Strays 2

The ultimate game brought our old adversaries, Leggy Mambos, to face us on the back of 3 wins and a surprising draw against Bradford City, this was to be a very stiff test with them fielding 3 England Players and an exceptional Striker we had to be on our game, unfortunately it was Xmas for them gifting them 2 openings to put us 3 down before we knew it, a Strays reset and uptake in tempo with 2 quick goals from Derek had us playing as we should until error struck again allowing them to increase the lead, a third goal from Derek to bag a hat trick put them into a tailspin and as we pressed they were teetering but, with time running out we could not find the equaliser or winner ending in a bitterly disappointing result. 

Result Leggy Mambos 4 Strays 3

Three wins, a draw and a loss is yet another improvement on last time out and another fine achievement for manager Derek Rowe and his squad. We go again 11th February 2025 in a friendly against Doncaster Rovers at their ground aiming to put that last defeat against Mambos behind us and use these next games to change the formation to improve our performance even further.

The squad was: Steve Simpson, Adrian Harrison, Charlie Florance, Dave Byrne, Mike Pyle (captain), Paddy Keightley, Colin Stringfellow and Derek Rowe.

Rod Clifton

Secretary

 The Kevin Fielden Memorial Cup 

Players from our 60s squad took part in the Kevin Fielden Memorial Cup at Leeds, Goals.

The format for the competition saw 10 teams being placed equally into two leagues (A&B) with each team in the league playing four games and the winners of each league meeting in the final.

First up we met Leeds Irish who were a mixed team of men and women and we managed a convincing 5-0 win with Graeme Bell scoring a hat-trick and Derek Rowe and Neil Waite scoring a goal apiece.

Next up were Rothwell B, a team of old adversaries we have met several times in the Northern Premier League with mixed results. Well today was our day! Having played well and defended resolutely, we won 1-0 with the goal coming from Graeme.

This was followed by our game with Leeds Social, and despite having the majority of play we conceded a late goal due to a lapse in defending. Even then we managed to score, only for the referee to disallow our goal because he had already awarded us a free kick. A 1-0 defeat which was hard to take.

Our final game was with Pennine Parkies, a group of players who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, but boy were they a very good side, and their goalkeeper was phenomenal in the saves he made; not just in our game, but throughout the tournament! Even though we peppered his goal with shots from every angle we still only managed a 1-0 win with a goal from Derek.

Having completed our games, with 9 points in the bag, we then had to wait on the result of the Leeds Social v Rothwell B game. Leeds Social had 7 points and if they secured a win they would have won our league. However, they were held to a 0-0 draw meaning that we topped the table.

In the final we met ‘The Fieldens’ (the family of Kevin Fielden) who had won their place after a penalty shootout with Bradford. The Fieldens consisted mostly of a number of much younger players who benefited from a certain amount of latitude from the referee with regard to walking football rules.... But the game was played in a highly competitive and friendly spirit nonetheless, befitting the occasion, and the family-based team ran out winners at 2-0.

After the final we learned that the 9 points earned by the Harrogate Strays was the most points won on the day by any of the 10 clubs in the Memorial Cup competition.

Not a bad day’s work....

The Strays squad was: Adrian Harrison, Debbie Naylor, Derek Rowe, Graham Bell, Mike Norris, Neil Waite, Terry Tuplin, and Tom Robinson

Tom Robinson, Treasurer, 

Harrogate Strays 

Walking Football Club

Strays’ Over 65s v East Riding Rangers

Harrogate Strays Over-65s made the long trek to Cottingham, Hull, on Wednesday 22 January to take on East Riding Rangers. 

Forewarned that East Riding would present a significant challenge, the Strays began the first game in the worst possible way, conceding an early goal and looking slightly shellshocked. East Riding lived up to their reputation with another quick goal, and rounded off a comfortable 3-0 victory in pretty short order.

The second game began more cagily; the first half scoreless and short of major goal attempts. But East Riding raised their game in the second half and again rammed home three goals thanks to excellent link-up play and clinical finishing. The Strays persevered and managed to snatch a consolation goal via an artful, left-footed volley by Paddy Keightley to lift the team's spirits, despite the ultimate 3-1 defeat.

In the final game of the three-match series, Strays began with an improved period of passing and support to Graeme Bell up front. Bernie O'Brien scored with a sumptuous drive after a free kick taken by Adrian Harrison to put Harrogate ahead. In the second half, Paddy Keightley burst from midfield to take on the keeper and slide home a second goal. This roused East Riding into greater effort, and sloppy defending allowed them to pull back two goals to equalise. However, at the death, East Riding paid the penalty for committing four team running offences, with Steve Williams stepping forward to score from the penalty spot to secure a hard-earned 3-2 victory for the visitors.

Plaudits to Steve Williams for a battling display in defence against top notch attackers, to Steve Platt and Mike Norris, who shared goalkeeping duties and pulled off some excellent stops, and to Paddy Keightley for getting on the scoresheet twice. Other squad members were Mike Pyle, Adrian Harrison, Graeme Bell and Bernie O'Brien.

The home team graciously treated the Strays squad to a pub lunch afterwards, a welcome ending to a set of games played in a good spirit. Harrogate returned home extremely envious of the facilities enjoyed by East Riding Rangers and pleased to have given a decent account of themselves against a quality outfit.

Bernie O'Brien

Chairman

Harrogate Strays

Walking Football Club

Strays’ Over 60s v Riverside Seniors

In our first game of the new year, a trial run for prospective Over-60 players took place, hosted by Riverside Seniors, a fairly new walking football club, at Middlesbrough Sports Village.

Strays played out two goalless draws in a bitterly cold lunchtime session. In view of the conditions, the teams agreed to keep as many players active as possible, resulting in a 7v7 contest in the first game and an 8v8 in the second. Despite a large pitch, neither side was able to take advantage of the spaces. In addition, the goal areas were huge because of the pitch markings, which meant any attempted shots had to be from distance.

In the first game, play was fragmented, with both midfields struggling to assert control, and in the words of one observer "no flow to the game". Efforts on goal were rare, although Riverside tried a few potshots to no avail during a short period of sustained pressure, whereas their own keeper was at least forced into a couple of saves at full stretch. 

The Strays had more possession and greater pressure in the second game, but again failed to beat the keeper despite creating more opportunities in a good second half spell. Credit goes to Riverside for their dogged determination when retreating into defensive positions around the edge of the box, which forced the Harrogate efforts to be hurried and largely off target.

Many thanks to our hosts on the day for arranging the fixture, and we wish them well as their club continues to develop. 

The Harrogate Strays squad consisted of: Adrian Harrison, Bernie O'Brien, Debbie Naylor, Derek Gibson, Mike Norris, Mike Pyle, Paul Rogers, Terry Tuplin and Tom Robinson.

Bernie O'Brien

Chairman

Harrogate Strays

Walking Football Club