Leek Town: NIL DESPERANDUM — Terrace Edition

Words: Mike Bayly

Images: Mike Bayly

The play-offs became a regular feature of non-League football in 2004, following the implementation of the National League System (NLS), a pyramid of ‘steps’ below the Football League consisting of increasingly regionalised leagues that (in theory at least) offers a pathway from from park football to the professional leagues.

Prior to this, only divisional non-League champions were promoted to the level above, subject to meeting the necessary entry criteria.

Even with play-offs long established, ascension through the non-League pyramid remains notoriously difficult. Broadly speaking, only two promotion places are available from each division, awarded to the champions and play-off winners.

©Mike Bayly. Leek Town vs Runcorn Linnets.

Given the slim odds of success, defeat at this late knockout hurdle can be especially devastating. Few teams in recent times have experienced this heartbreak as much as Leek Town of the Northern Premier League (NPL) West Division at Step Four. The Blues have made the play-offs five times in the last nine seasons, failing to win promotion on each occasion.

This season the club are well placed for another play-off challenge. Will 2022-23 be sixth time lucky for the Staffordshire side?

One person who has lived and breathed Leek Town’s recent travails is Jon Eeles. A native of Leek and lifelong supporter, Eeles became Chairman in 2015, having previously acted as a board member.

“The biggest disappointment was the play-off final home defeat to Sutton Coldfield Town in 2015.

This was the catalyst for me to become Chairman and try and push the club forward. I kick every ball with the players and know how hard it is to regroup for another season at the same level aftercoming close to promotion so many times.”

Leek Town are certainly geared for the next level in terms of infrastructure. Their ground, Harrison Park (currently named the F. Ball Community Stadium for sponsorship purposes) meets National League North (Step Two) grading and briefly graced the GM Vauxhall Conference (now the National League National Division at Step One) between 1997 and 1999 when The Blues played at the apex of non-League football.

In 2021, Harrison Park was upgraded with a state-of-the-art 3G pitch, opened by former player Mark Bright. Primarily funded by the Football Foundation and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, the facility has enabled Leek Town to expand its youth and community projects, raising the profile of the club. “The new pitch has created a halo effect” says Eeles. “We operate 20 junior teams, ladies’ teams, and a walking football initiative, in addition to holding tournaments. As a traditionalist I prefer grass, but I’m pragmatic about the wider benefits artificial pitches can bring. “

Whether it is the club’s elevated community profile, Leek’s remote location on the edge of the Peak District, or the affordable, attractive football that might appeal to those disillusioned with the professional game, local fans are clearly backing Leek Town regardless of their recent play-off sorrows.

Attendances have almost doubled over the last decade, averaging 681 this season, the second highest in the NPL West Division. Crowds like this wouldn’t look out of place far higher up the pyramid, although Eeles believes running a club is about more than climbing the divisions. “As a minimum we want to play in the NPL Premier Division (Step Three), and maybe even National League North at some point. However, we also want to be fully sustainable, regardless of level. The club has made great strides in this direction, showing it is possible to achieve progress without promotion.”

Non-League football could benefit from more of this measured approach. Its annals are littered with clubs aiming too high, too fast, only to implode in relegation or liquidation. Short term gains mean little if they are supplanted by long-term consequences. Visiting Leek Town, it is evident that the committee and volunteers care deeply about the club and supporters.

There is a genuine family atmosphere (indeed, the Chairman’s son, Tom, is First Team Secretary), only created when something is loved for what it is, not the benefits it might bring. Harrison Park, in the simplest of terms, is a lovely place to watch football. Saturday’s home defeat against fellow promotion hopefuls Runcorn Linnets leaves Leek Town in third place, five points behind leaders Macclesfield with a game in hand. Will 2022 finally be their promotion year?

Only time will tell. Whatever level The Blues are playing at next season, the residents of Leek have a club they can be proud of.