Despite rumours to the contrary amongst Harrogate Senior League clubs, Ilkley AFC has yet to make a decision on the offer to join the West Yorkshire League for the 2004-5 football season.

Discussions have taken place within the club and with senior players this week, after the club's senior team management met with West Yorkshire League officials.

Two critical factors have delayed the decision-making process. Firstly, the continuing search for a home-base for the club, although negotiations are progressing with Bradford MDC and Ilkley GS.

The need for a playing field with perimeter fencing and on-site changing facilities is a priority requirement of the West Yorkshire League.

Secondly, the Harrogate Senior League management committee have threatened to impose sanctions on clubs seeking to progress up the FA Non-League Pyramid by excluding all teams from a club whose first-team moves out of the League.

This sanction has also been threatened against Otley Town who are seeking to remove their Reserve team and play it in the West Riding County Amateur League alongside its first team.

PRESENTATION NIGHT

The Ilkley AFC presentation evening at Hollygarth Social Club celebrated the continuing success of the first and reserve teams in the Harrogate Senior Football League.

The first team finished as runners-up in the Premier League and reached the final of the League Challenge Cup, while the meteoric rise of the reserve team was maintained with a fourth place finish in Division One and an outside chance of promotion.

The individual player awards were made by the Chairman of the Ilkley AFC and Juniors Club George Bloom, who also endorsed the senior team's possible move to the West Yorkshire Football League next season.

The following awards were presented:First Team - Clubman of the Year, Alan Stockdale; Captain's Trophy, David Knox; Most Improved Player, Joe Horne; Players' Player-of-the-Year, David Knox; Player-of-the-Year, David Bainbridge; Walter Lambert Trophy, Paul Braithwaite.

Reserve Team awards: Clubman Award, Simon Banham; Captain's Trophy, David Taylor; Most Improved Player, Chris Pierce; Players' Player-of-the- Year, Adam Davey; Player-of-the-Year, David Taylor.

Team manager's Chris Campbell and Dave Houlston acknowledged the importance of Ilkley Juniors in the development of local footballers, with over 75 per cent of the senior club players emerging from the junior teams.

Though the teams' results were the most successful recorded in senior football, at times during the season the need for a greater number of committed and local senior players was evident.