Athersley Rec are set to complete their season tomorrow before welcoming ‘international football’ to Sheerien Park the following week.
The Yorkshire International Football Association team is set to take on Somaliland at Athersley’s ground on Saturday, May 4 from 3pm. General manager Pete Goodlad said: “It’s another big coup for us as a club. “We have had an FA Cup game on BT Sport before but this is something different. Hopefully we will get a big crowd because everyone will want to come and support Yorkshire.
“Obviously a lot of Barnsley fans will be going to Bristol Rovers that day but the Yorkshire game kicks off at 3pm so people can watch it then follow the Barnsley match from 5.30pm afterwards. The officials from the Yorkshire team came to our last game and were impressed with our facilities, which are second to none in the area. Hopefully they will stage a lot more games there.
“We have a lot of Sunday League and Junior League finals at our ground as well and it’s a good way of bringing money into the club without having a big financial backer.”
The game will act as a warm-up for the Atlantic Heritage Cup which will take place across Yorkshire in June featuring Ellan Vannin from Isle of Man, Parishes of Jersey FC and Kernow FA from Cornwall. The tournament is a qualifying competition for the CONIFA Sportsbet.io World Football Cup 2020 that will take place in Somaliland in 2020.
Philip Hegarty, Chairman of YIFA, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to promote Yorkshire, football in Yorkshire, and the warmth of our welcome to friends, new and old, from around the UK and beyond. The Viking spirit of YIFA can conquer allcomers if we have the support of the whole community behind us.”
Meanwhile, Rec are aiming to avoid finishing the Northern Counties Premier Division season with a eight-game winless run when they host Garforth Town tomorrow.
Luke Potter’s side ended a six-game losing streak with a 2-2 draw at home to Handsworth Parramore on Saturday. The visitors scored five minutes into the first half but netted an own goal five minutes into the second. Christopher Wood put the hosts ahead before the hour-mark but Parramore levelled in the 85th minute.
Goodlad said: “It was a very good performance and a good point, although we played well enough to win it. We’ve been playing a lot of under 18s in the last few weeks and they’ve been unlucky not to win more games. We’re focusing more on youth now and I’m coming out of retirement next season to coach the under 19s.
“The fans understand what we’re doing and they’re really getting behind the team. We’ve stayed up which was our aim once we lost key players at the start of the season.”
The Penguins – whose last six games of the season are all at Sheerien Park – are now certain to finish in 17th place, two positions above the relegation zone.
At the other end of the table, second-placed Penistone Church are set to host fourth-placed Yorkshire Amateur in their last game. Church are guaranteed to finish in second place.
Worsbrough Bridge are set to complete their best season in recent decades at home to Armthorpe Welfare tomorrow. Bridge’s total of 59 points is their best in five years while their current position of seventh would be their highest since 2002. They could fall back to eighth or ninth tomorrow depending on results.
