Brighouse may have got off to a bad start by losing their first game but they are determined to celebrate their 50th anniversary in style.

The club was formed in 1963 and last season finished runners-up in the top flight of the Northern Counties East League – a division where only the champions are promoted.

Current chairman Ray McLaughlin has served the club as a player in his younger days and is very proud of Town’s record.

He said: “The club started as a works team and played in the Huddersfield League. It was back in days when every town had a big factory and half of the community either worked there or was related to someone who worked there.

“The club was renamed as the town team when the business reduced in size and, unfortunately, it’s gone altogether now.

“The club did well representing Brighouse and we joined the West Riding County Amateur League in 1975 and played there until 2008.

“We won the West Riding County Cup in the 90s and always enjoyed the County Amateur League – they were good days. We tried to build up slowly but always wanted to turn semi-pro and get onto the non-league ladder.

“Silsden were doing very well at the time. They pipped us to the pyramid system and that inspired us to keep striding forward.

“It was disappointing to miss out on promotion last season but it was an exceptional 12 months for us. We finished second in the league and had a long – and eventful – run in the FA Vase.

“Someone told us that the points tally both us and Bridlington Town, who finished third, got last season would have been enough to win the league in any other year since it began.”