Garforth Town match preview

25/07/2023

GARFORTH TOWN MATCH PREVIEW

By Craig Biddlestone

It’s our penultimate pre-season friendly tonight, and our last on the road as we make the journey to Garforth Town (7:30pm kick-off).

Grant Black will be looking for a marked improvement after Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Goole, as he looks to get nearer to his starting XI for the opener at home to Northwich 1874 in the Emirates FA Cup on 5th August.

There’s no fresh injury concerns ahead of tonight’s match, and some of the trialists will still be looking to impress.

It will be a tough game for The Sheepicorns as this is Garforth’s final pre-season before their league kicks off this coming Saturday.

ABOUT GARFORTH TOWN

The Miners finished 4th in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division last season, and will be hoping to build on that this season.

Founded in 1964 as the Miners Arms, and based at the pub from which they took their name, they were initially a Sunday league team before switching to Saturday’s and the West Yorkshire League in 1976.

In 1977 they applied for the Yorkshire League but because they were still classed as a pub team entry was denied and the decision was made to change their name to Garforth Miners. In 1978 they entered the Yorkshire League in Division 3 before gaining promotion in 1980.

By 1982 the league had merged with the Midland League to become the Northern Counties East League, they started in Division One North and after another name change in 1985 to Garforth Town they established themselves in the league and won the League Trophy in 1997 and promotion to the NCEL Premier Division in 1998 along with the first of 4 West Riding FA County Cup wins, a trophy they won for the second time in 2000, as well as winning the League Cup that same year.

They were taken over by well known football coach Simon Clifford in 2003 after the club had been relegated to the NCEL Division One, and by 2005 Clifford had become owner/manager signing Sócrates (who had retired from football 15 years earlier following 60 Brazil caps and 22 goals - and played 1 game for the Miners) and England international Lee Sharpe (who had not played professionally for a couple of years but made 22 appearances, scoring 6 goals before retiring officially).

Another Brazilian, Careca, who played 64 times for his country between 1982 and 1993, scoring 30 goals, also played for Garforth that season albeit in a friendly.

They won promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One North in 2007 and won the County Cup for a 3rd time in 2009, retaining it in 2010, and after losing in the play-off semi-finals in 2012 they were brought by former Southampton owner Rupert Lowe but were relegated at the end of 2013 - Lowe would later leave in 2015.

Other notable former players include our very own David Brown, our former assistant manager Chick Hayward, our former attacker Adam Priestley, and former Aston Villa and Leeds United defender Brendon Ormsby.

HEAD TO HEAD

This will be the first time ever the two sides have met, in fact this is the first time an Ossett team have played Garforth since Ossett Albion won 2-0 in front of 92 fans at Dimple Wells in the County Cup in December 2015 - Albion’s goals courtesy of Connor Brunt and Connor Bower either side of half-time.

The last time they faced Ossett Town was in a pre-season friendly in August 2013, the game was played at Nostell Miners Welfare and Garforth won 1-0.

AT THE GROUND

Garforth Town play at the Bannister Prentice Stadium (also known as Wheatley Park) in Garforth, Leeds (postcode LS25 2PF)

The gates open at 6pm and it’s cash only on the turnstile though both cash and card are accepted in the bar and snack bar.

On site parking is available at the ground and on the approach road (Brierlands Lane). If this is full, additional parking is available a short walk away on Isabella road (LS25 2DY).

Garforth Town are a dog-friendly club, so you're welcome to bring along your four-legged friends.

Adults £7
Concessions £4
Children (U16) £2
U12 (must be accompanied)
U5 Free
Family Ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £16

CAN’T MAKE THE GAME?

Chris Cassidy will be live on Ossett United Radio from 7:25pm - https://ossettunitedradio.mixlr.com/