TT No.149: Bill Williams - Sat 22nd December 2007; Whitkirk Wanderers v Field Sports and Social;         West Yorkshire League Premier Div; Res: 1-2. Admission: Free; Programme: £1.00 (24pp); FGIF Match Rating: 3*

Not fancying the 150 mile round trip to watch my first choice team I plumped a visit to Whitkirk Social and Sports Club to watch the home side clash with Fields Sports and Social. The residential suburb of Whitkirk is situated five miles from Leeds city centre on the eastern side of the city off Selby Road. The location of the sports club also affords good access to the motorway network with the M1 J46 just over a mile away.   Approaching the club from Leeds watch for the entrance on the right just before the graveyard of the local church. If coming from the M1 go straight through the traffic lights with the Brown Cow PH on the right and the entrance is immediately past the cemetery on the left.   Entering the grounds you first come to the expansive cricket pitch with tennis courts in the far corner which were in use even in late December. The small car park lies immediately ahead with the social club beyond as you enter the grounds both of which face onto the expansive cricket ground.   The football ground is reached by walking past the social club and down a slope with the dressing rooms immediately on the right. The near goal backs onto a hill and has two obligatory containers hewn in to it. The ground is surrounded by a metal fence and the pitch is railed off on three sides with the far goal backing on to the perimeter fence. There are several park pitches on two sides of the adjacent playing fields that form part of the grounds of Temple Newsam House which can be seen in the distance.   The pitch has a slight slope from corner to corner but has a lush covering of grass; to think we are nearly halfway through the season. Dugouts are located on the halfway line either side of the pitch and the barrier surrounding the pitch stops just short of the far goal on the top side.   Entrance is free but spectators are encouraged to purchase a matchday programme for £1 which proves to be good value with twelve pages enclosed in a glossy cover that is a credit to the club in a league where most teams do not produce a programme.   The visitors Field Sports and Social have experienced a meteoric rise through the West Yorkshire ranks achieving successive promotions since joining the league two seasons ago. Five years previously to this the team had disbanded following relegation from the West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division. Having their application to join the same league refused league five years on the Bradford based club joined the WYL which has since seen several clubs join from the WRCAFL.  In contrast the home side have been stalwarts of the WYL and currently occupy a mid-table slot with their visitors in third place in the Premier Division.   The game proves to be a keenly fought affair and erupts twenty minutes in when the home side have a player dismissed but the score remains goalless at halftime. The second half is just as keen with ten man Whitkirk always in the game even when Field grab the lead, the home side restore parity straight from the kick off.   Field eventually secure victory with a sweet goal late in the game but the animosity that has been evident since the sending off incident erupts outside the dressing rooms as the teams come off the field with the sent off player being held back by his colleagues as he berates the opposing management and players. Not a dignified end to what had been a good game and individuals like this moron really should learn to grow up.

contributed on 24/12/07