Keighley Shamrocks quit league (From Keighley News)

Keighley Shamrocks quit league

10:40am Thursday 28th January 2010

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Long-running West Riding County Amateur League side Keighley Shamrocks have disbanded due to a lack of players.

The Division One club, who have existed since 1953, resigned last week after attempts to boost numbers failed.

Last year’s under-17 players made up the bulk of this season’s side under manager Gavin Thompson but the youngsters struggled to make the step up to senior level and a significant number moved on.

The Marley side had lost all nine league games this season, scoring just three goals, and chairman Andy Gaughan admitted the situation was ‘soul-destroying’.

He said: “Just before Christmas, a few of the older guys rallied round and hoped to keep things going until the end of the season, but it’s died a death.

“The final nail in the coffin came when three people turned up for training.”

An early warning sign came two years ago when the reserve side folded.

After relegation from the Premier League in 2008, Shammies only survived in Division One last season due to the withdrawal of South Bradford.

Gaughan, who has spent 15 years with the club, said: “We should have been relegated and it might have been a good thing to go down just to find our feet again.

“The County Amateur League is a very high standard. You need a blend of youth and experience, like Steeton have. You can’t just throw kids in against men.”

The scrapping of the senior set-up comes just weeks after the club – which has a thriving junior section – celebrated gaining FA Charter Standard status.

Gaughan added: “We’ve all these junior teams but we can’t fulfil our fixtures. I’d put my boots on myself but I’m a 47-year-old. It’s soul-destroying.”

The former Shammies player, who thanked Mick Vickers and John Spurr for trying to keep the side running, said there was a chance an open-age side might be established again in a couple of years through up-and-coming juniors.

But he said he would not be involved.

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