A Welcome Homecoming

Wortley  1  Leeds Medics & Dentists  2

Yorkshire Amateur League – Supreme Division  

It’s hard to imagine that you could be into December and not yet played a home game this season.

Well, this is the case with West Leeds based Wortley FC, the side newly promoted to the Supreme Division of the Yorkshire Amateur League at the start of the season. They won the Championship at a canter last time around and no doubt had high hopes of creating an impression this time around.

I’d originally got them pencilled in for a visit on a midweek night in August, until it transpired that all of their initial home games were postponed, and it turns out that was to do with the ongoing construction of new dressing rooms at their ground.

Beyond that, I did try and make a visit back in November, but the weather put paid to that plan, and to be honest, it has done ever since. Prior to Saturday they had only played four league games all season, and to put that into perspective, Athletico from the same division have played fourteen!

So, with an affirmative from the helpful club secretary on the Friday afternoon (subject to biblical weather in the interim period), the game against the wonderfully titled Leeds Medics & Dentists was on, and Wortley were homeward bound.

Of course, biblical weather did not arrive, in fact Saturday was one of the most beautiful days of the year, perfect for football, and once again a prompt service from Hon Sec confirmed all was ok. I was subsequently pointed in the right direction of the ground, otherwise thanks to my shoddy research and presumptive nature I would have ended up in the wrong place! The first two places I thought they played at turned out to be wrong!

Wortley then, the easiest way to get to it is to take the M1 onto the M621 and then head to the exit just after Elland Road. A right at the roundabout takes you onto the main road that runs parallel to the Blue Hill Lane where West Leeds Rugby Club is located.

Why West Leeds Rugby Club? Well, in the league directory this is detailed as the clubs headquarters, and the ground is stated as being on the same road, but, the ground is actually just off Blue Hill Lane round the back of some houses, while the Rugby Club is indeed the football clubs eating and drinking space.  

I arrived as the footballers were milling in the car park, which gave me confidence to have a pint safe in the knowledge that all was present and correct. I would have had some dry roasted peanuts, but they didn’t stock the correct variety, as readers of my blog will now be well aware of. #KPnutsonly

Suitably refreshed, I headed down to behind the rugby pitch, out of the gate and down to the cul-de-sac where the pitch is located, right at the end, across a muddy track and upon something of a plateau.

With a smart brick built clubhouse of the new variety behind the goal, the pitch is railed on three sides. On one side is a huge bank which provides a good view of the game, as long as you stick to one end of it as some trees block the view otherwise. The pitch looked in good nick, but talking to referee Damian Edge before the game, he did say the area in front of the dugouts was a touch on the sticky side.

It was good to talk to Damian to be fair, a former rugby union man turned football, he has spent the last few weeks calling games off and going shopping on a Saturday so this was welcome for him to actually have a game to officiate.

The visitors, who are made up of medical students (as you would expect) came into the game without a win to their name yet this season, having finished runner-up last time around. However, in the first period they were comfortably the better side. Goals from Alex Diaz and Colm Hicks gave them a 2-0 lead and they were certainly good value for that.

The second period was a different ball game. Wortley got into their rhythm and spent much of the half on top, pulling a goal back through substitute Callum Bell, but despite plenty of late pressure they couldn’t find the equaliser that they deserved on the second forty five minute showing.

It had been a good game, at a tidy venue, but for Wortley, the defeat will no doubt have hurt, but the relief of finally being back home after all this time is perhaps for them the highlight of the afternoon. They’ve got some serious catching up to do though, lets hope the weather Gods are smiling on them.