FOUNDED in 1912, Oxenhope Recreation FC have long been one of the most recognisable amateur football clubs in Keighley.

Many local footballers can count Oxenhope as a place they have played at some point in their career, with the club having a long-held tradition of showcasing some of the best talents the surrounding area has to offer.

Best known for their once-sloping pitch, which has since been levelled out after the club secured some much-needed funding, they play their home matches at the Recreation Ground, whilst the Bocking Working Men’s Club serves as their base off the pitch.

Oxenhope played in the Craven and District League for many years after its formation, before transferring to the West Yorkshire League, where they now face off against sides like Otley, Salts and Wyke Wanderers.

They have enjoyed notable success in that league, as well as in the Keighley Cup, a tournament in which they reached six consecutive semi-finals from 2012 to 2018.

That run saw Oxenhope lift the trophy in both 2012 and 2014, with the latter final seeing Dan Moriarty score a hat-trick in their 7-1 thrashing of rivals Silsden Reserves.

Current first-team boss Liam McNichol was in the cup-winning team that day and has since carved out a fine career as both a player and manager.

He has had a tough three years at the helm, but he is hopeful that the 2021-22 season will see Oxenhope complete a full set of fixtures for the first time in his tenure.

During the lockdowns, the club trained when they were allowed, with a combination of friendlies and sporadic league fixtures helping to blow off some of the cobwebs.

But after the cancellation of the 2020-21 season, they chose to opt out of the league’s trophy-style competition due to a lack of players keen to take part.

However, interest at the club is now higher than ever, and with several local sides folding over the past few months, the club have seen an influx of players.

McNichol also credits his 15-year association with both Oxenhope and Keighley Athletic, who a number of the players feature for on a Sunday, for maintaining a healthy squad despite the challenges thrown up by the pandemic.

“Luckily, I’ve managed to keep most of my lads interested enough to carry on playing,” he explained.

“It has been a struggle to keep going throughout Covid, the players were finding other things to do and not returning to the sport.

“A lot of the lads had just had enough, with the attitude of ‘what’s the point?’, and the management was in a similar boat.

“We prepared the team and trained, but then we couldn’t play or had to play within a certain set of rules that were ridiculous and unenforceable.

“No fans were allowed, but we play in a public park where you cannot stop people walking through.

“We were asked to enforce it, which was impossible.”

Favouring a possession-based attacking style of football, the first team currently sit mid-table in the second tier but are focused on promotion to the West Yorkshire League Premier Division.

Meanwhile, an upturn in form has seen the reserves pick up three wins on the bounce in an exceptional start to the new year.

After securing the points against Salts and Hall Green United Reserves last time out, the club will be hoping for another six-point weekend this Saturday, with their first team travelling to face Otley Town First, and their reserves hosting Boroughbridge Reserves (both kick-off at 2:30pm).

But it’s not just on the pitch that things are looking up for Oxenhope, with a host of sponsors on board, including Clever Energy Boilers and local mental health charity It’s Worth Talking About.

The latter was set up by local player Ryan Anderson after the tragic passing of club captain Tom Marshall in October 2019, and both of those sponsors are set to spark a refurbishment of the club’s facilities in the near future.

Anybody interested in joining Oxenhope is urged to contact McNichol via their social media channels, while their training sessions, which are at Marley on Wednesday nights from 7:15pm, are also open to new players.