Steeton FC - Marley Stadium

Steeton FC

Marley Stadium

Aireworth Road

Keighley

West Yorkshire

BD21 4DB

Official Website

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Ground Number: 1046
Sunday 6th March 2022
Steeton 2-1 Ashton Town
North West Counties League D1 North

STEETON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1905. Originally known as Steeton Church Lads Brigade, they played in the Keighley & District League at first. They moved to the Craven League in the 1960s before later moving to the West Riding League. They progressed through the divisions and around 2017 looked to join the North West Counties League. Their application was accepted and in 2018, they joined Division 1 North where they remain to this day. They made their debut in the FA Vase in 2018, winning 2-1 at Northallerton Town before losing 3-2 to Avro in the 1st Round. Local cup wins include the Keighley Cup and the West Riding League Cup. Steeton is a village near Bradford in West Yorkshire. The population of the village is just under 4,400 and it has several local amenities including a major hospital called Airedale General Hospital.

MY VISIT

For the final day of the hop, we had a couple of games. Usually, I hate Sundays at work and so it was nice to have a day off from being at the mercy of the general public. I was up at 8, packing my bags and getting everything sorted before having a shower and getting dressed. As usual, I was running behind and it was 9.40 by the time I dropped my key off and got going. I'd arranged to give Boston fan Shaun a lift to the games and so I met him at the Travelodge at 10. He was good company and we had a good chat on the way to the game. I parked ina road near the ground and we were there at 10.45 with the entry being £5. I was also hungry having not had any breakfast, so I got a couple of rolls from the tea bar for £2 each. I met up with fellow hopper Dan and got some pictures of the ground before settling down for the game. It was quite nippy for the time of year and so I was glad I'd wrapped up warm.

Steeton were in 14th and in disappointing form. They'd lost their latest game 5-0 at Garstang, 4-1 at St Helens Town, 5-1 at Holker Old Boys and on penalties to Ilkley Town in a local cup. They'd beaten the same opposition 2-1 in a league game and drawn 1-1 with Daisy Hill. Ashton Town were in 16th and in even worse form. They'd lost 2-1 to both Nelson and Chadderton and 3-1 to both South Liverpool & Bury. Their only win in the last six came as they beat Bacup Borough 3-0. The game was fairly even but Ashton Town took the lead on 15 minutes when Declan Hill fired into the roof of the net. It was an excellent goal that provided the equaliser on 34 minutes, a good run and shot from 20 yards by Toby Jeffrey. Both teams hit the woodwork and both would have a man sent off. Firstly Ethan Van Aston was shown the red card for an elbow and then Steeton's Andy Briggs was dismissed for a late tackle in what had become a tetchy game. In between, Jordan Townsend grabbed an 88th-minute winner with a shot from the edge of the area to speak jubilant celebrations for the hosts.

THE GROUND

The Markey Stadium is a fairly bland new build, although its 3G pitch makes it useful for cold weather. At least the stands are decent, there are two covered areas. This includes a seated area with benches for around 100 and a standing area for around 50. Both of these are converted shipping containers and are quite unique. There's also basic food offered, the standard football fare. Parking is plentiful but there's not much near the ground with it being on the main road near a housing estate.