Athersley Rec general manager and stalwart of the Barnsley non-league football scene, Pete Goodlad, is recovering well after being given the all-clear following a fight with bowel cancer.

'Porkie' founded the club more than 30 years ago and was manager as it became one of the most successful ever in the town's history. He underwent an 11-hour operation last month to remove part of his bowel after a mandatory screening following his 60th birthday led to the cancer being discovered.

Pete said: "The operation was supposed to last for four hours but mine lasted 11.It was bad for my kids because they kept ringing to see how I was and kept being told I was still on the table. They were panicking.

"The surgeons said it was the hardest one they have ever done. But it worked and I got the all-clear which is fantastic. I don't need a colostomy bag either.

"My family have been absolutely rock solid and I have had so much support from my friends with cards and visitors. They are mostly people I know through football. The nurses have been saying: 'how many people do you know?'

"I had to move into the dining area when visitors came because there were too many. But it's been fantastic and helped me through it."

Pete has now returned home after two weeks in hospital and should be able to leave the house later in the month. He said: "I should be back to normal in about three months. It's very, very painful at the moment. But I am still able to do some work on the laptop and I am applying for some funding for the club. It's strange not going down to Rec because normally I would be there every day. Alan Richardson (co-founder of the club and now a director) is doing a fantastic job without me."

Pete was initially given the operation date of October 23 but managed to rearrange it until after Athersley Rec's Sheerien Park appeared on BT Sport on November 4 when Shaw Lane AFC – who groundshare there – faced League Two Mansfield Town in the FA Cup.

He said: "It was a very proud day, after building that place up from just a field. I thought we did a fantastic job as a club and I am very grateful to the brilliant volunteers who were there from 6.45am making breakfast for the 75 BT staff until after midnight because we had a bonfire night the same day."

Shaw Lane have been playing at Sheerien Park all season since leaving Barnsley Rugby Union Club.

Goodlad is delighted with how the groundshare is working between two clubs who were previously fierce rivals. It's working perfectly. Both clubs are helping each other. We have gone out of our way to make them feel at home. A lot of people were against it, but it was a no-brainer. I was a bit worried about the pitch, with two teams playing on it, but it is holding up well."

While Shaw Lane are hoping to earn a sixth promotion in seven seasons from the Evo-Stik Premier into the National League North, Athersley play two divisions below in the Northern Counties East League Premier. Goodlad hopes that the increased revenue from Shaw Lane's tenancy will put Rec in a position where they can pay players for the first time and compete for promotion themselves.

"I don't see why we can't start doing that. It has always been something I have been against but you have to move with the times. I would never allow it if it put the club at risk but, if we have the money to do it in the future, then we have to think about it."

Rec were dumped out of the Sheffield Cup on Tuesday with a 5-1 beating at Frickley Athletic who play in the league above them. Simon Poole netted for Athersley. Their league match at Barton Town on Saturday was called off which left them 17th out of 22 with 22 points from 20 games.