THACKLEY is setting up an association of former players and managers and is hoping a lot of their former staff will return to Dennyfield.

The Dennyboys is the only founder member of the Northern Counties East League to have been in the top tier since it was formed in 1982 but,it recently came close to folding.

Club secretary Stuart Willingham said: “At the start of the season we were up the creek without a paddle. We’re doing much better now, nowhere near where we want to be but it’s looking a lot brighter.

“I was here as secretary way back then and I’m in my 70’s now. I’m back here like a few of the committee from a few years back to steer the club through its difficulties. We’re only doing it because we love the club.

“It's funny, when you come close to losing something you realise just how much it means to you and I think the community would miss this club if it wasn’t here. I don’t even want to contemplate that.

“But it gets you thinking and Geoff Scott, Steve Paley and myself keep remembering all the players we’ve seen come and go down the years and all the managers we’ve had.

“There have been some great characters and some wonderful players that have passed through our club and many of them still hold the club dear. That’s why June Willingham started the drive to get an association going.

“We’re trying to reach as many of the old players and managers as we can and we’re going to organise events and even games so that we can all meet up again.

"We just want get-togethers at the moment. If we get enough people involved we can organise an event and if that raises a little bit of money, then all the better.

“But its early days yet and we don’t know how many will want to get back in touch. You never know it might just be us old fuddy-duddies that think so much about the club!”

The likes of Ian Ormondroyd and Greg Abbott, who qualifies on both counts as a former player/manager, can fill in a form on the club’s Facebook page or e-mail to June Willingham directly junewillingham@hotmail.co.uk