IT’S been a season to remember for Olympic FC with the Sunday league side claiming a famous treble.

Mujahid Malik, manager of the Bradford side, guided his team to victories in the Sunday County Cup, Sunday District Cup and Bradford Sunday Alliance Football League Premier Division.

Olympic have become the first side to win that exact treble, and the club’s manager has been overjoyed with what he’s seen throughout the course of the season.

Malik said: “You know what, it was a gruelling season but it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed. We faced some of the best Sunday league sides in Yorkshire, particularly on the way to the County Cup final – where we played teams like Chapeltown and Queensbury.

“I’ve been extremely impressed with what I’ve seen; the boys have shown me something different this season – a different kind of mentality. We planned on moving to Saturday football at the start of the season to really challenge ourselves, but we stayed put in the Sunday league with an intention of going out there to complete a historic season, and we’ve done that. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Malik added: “We will be staying in the Sunday league next season too because we’ll have the privilege of playing in the English Cup, which of course is the big one. Hopefully, we can show up and push as far as possible in that. I think that we are good enough to win it.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Steven Hollingworth scored four goals in Olympic’s 5-1 victory over Chequerfield FC Chequers in the County Cup final to help his side lift the trophySteven Hollingworth scored four goals in Olympic’s 5-1 victory over Chequerfield FC Chequers in the County Cup final to help his side lift the trophy (Image: Olympic FC)

Claiming the Bradford Sunday Alliance Football League Premier Division didn’t come easy for the treble winners, as neighbours Westwood Park (Sun) open age continued to push Malik’s men right until the very end.

Olympic eventually won the division by one point (53-52), and the champions’ boss revealed that it was a close call, admitting: “I never felt truly settled in the lead up to winning the league because I knew how good Westwood were, and I knew it would be a challenge. I’ve got to give them (Westwood) a great deal of credit because they pushed us right until the last day, and that kept us focused until that point.

“We knew we couldn’t drop our standards as we felt Westwood would be on hand to catch us. They beat us in the league, so we were always aware of the quality they possessed. Thankfully for us it spurred us on and we are able to turn that pressure into momentum. It had similarities of the season that Manchester City and Liverpool chased each other down to the wire in the Premier League. I felt extremely proud to come out on top.”

Looking ahead to next season, Malik said: “I’m excited for it already. It would be nice to start now because once you’ve got momentum you want to keep going. Hopefully, we will be entering five tournaments next season, so it will be a good test for us, but I know we have the quality to do well in each competition.

“I won’t be arrogant, but if we get the right additions into the squad then I feel we can challenge on all fronts.”

Olympic will have the chance to defend all three of their titles next season.