Last Tango

AFC Crossley  6  Leeds Modernians  1

West Yorkshire League – Division Two

Admission / Programme – No / No

Halifax is not a place I am overly familiar with if the truth be known.

Many years ago I made my one and only trip to watch Halifax Town play, it was a midweek night and they were playing Yeovil Town, I went up after work with a mate and we only just made kick off. I’ve also watched a couple of games in the town at lower levels, both of which were on the North side of the centre, and again, both midweek efforts where time was not on my side.

So, other than driving in, and then out again, my experiences of the town where the last tango is a known phenomenon, are zilch!

Another opportunity presented itself to me when it was announced that AFC Crossley had been admitted to the West Yorkshire League. A bit of research told me that they were a Halifax based club, playing at the Ovenden Sports Hub which was on the North side of town. To be far, when I looked on the map it was kind of in between the two other venues I’d visited on that side, namely Natty Lane and Shroggs Park.

Up until now, AFC Crossley have only managed to play a couple of home games, neither of which fell on dates when I was around, so somewhat belatedly, given we are at the end of September, that time had come, a rare Saturday excursion to Halifax!

Domestic duties meant a relatively later departure from Belper (I had to sweep the driveway), so by the time I was dropping off the M62 and heading down the long and winding road, also known as the A58, via Wyke and Hipperholme, it was too late to do anything other than head to the ground. As you enter Halifax though, the A58 is raised above the town and down below you, somewhat tantalisingly are all things cultural, touristy and edible / drinkable. It is quite an impressive vista as you trundle along, helped of course by the old mills that sit down in the valley, a happy one so it seems. I had a thought, but we’ll come back to that later….

AFC Crossley have had a good start to the season and sat in second place in the third tier of the West Yorkshire League. Visiting Leeds Modernians sat one place below them in the table, so I was looking forward to a pretty close encounter.

To get to the ground, you head North (have you worked that out yet?) out of the town and then take a left as you approach Ovenden. Climbing up a hill, the ground is on your left hand side, and it looks very much as though it’s an old community style centre that’s been converted into a sporting hub, with the main railed football pitch at the top of the complex on a plateau, while further down below is a rugby pitch which I believe is used by Ovenden RLFC.

I didn’t really have much of an idea what to expect from the facilities but I was pleasantly surprised that a bar had been developed in the old stone built building, while a more modern dressing room area looks to have been built which adjoins the original building. The football pitch is a short walk away up some steps, and as I previously said, it’s a fully railed enclosure with grass banking on two sides. The view from the top of the banking in the North West corner gives superb views across Halifax to the South and hills to the East that separate the town from the edges of nearby Bradford.

I liked it, and it was while I was waiting for the game to start that I had a thought about Halifax. Firstly, I established it was very much a place that could be visited on the train, at not too expensive a price, and for that matter, the main station in Halifax is not far from either the town centre, or indeed the Shay!

Secondly, noting that the National League season typically extends into May, then a ride up on a Spring Saturday for a nice little day out with a game at the Shay as the focal point, was an appealing prospect. In fact, one could argue that my last tango of 2023-24 season, could well end up being in Halifax!

Romanticism to one side, and swiftly back to reality, how did the game between AFC Crossley and Leeds Modernians pan out?

To be honest, it was far more one sided than I expected it to be. The hosts were dominant from the start and thanks to a hat-trick from Bailey Naylor and a further brace from Ethan Langley, they were always in control and full deserved the 6-1 victory that gave them the three points. Three points that saw them go to the top of the table with five wins and a draw from six games.

New teams in the West Yorkshire League do have a habit of moving quickly through the divisions, especially the stronger outfits from the Halifax, Huddersfield and Harrogate League’s, who perhaps have not gone for promotion earlier due to the increased travelling that would be incurred. AFC Crossley could well be another club to do just that.

So it was a fond farewell to Halifax as I headed out over the raised A58 and up into the hills, until next time, when we can get to know each other so much more intimately.

A last tango indeed……