Promotion and winning a title would be an astonishing achievement for any sports team in their first season.

But for Knaresborough Town Women, it was particularly remarkable.

The squad was formed, took pre-season and kicked off their campaign all within a matter of weeks in the summer of 2022.

For Sarah Parkes, vice-captain, and Emily Crispin, midfielder and team physio, the season was a whirlwind.

Sarah, 26, joined Town after playing for Harrogate Railway, while Leeds-born Emily moved from Harrogate Town.

The pair were keen footballers from being youngsters. 

Sarah’s Dad was an academy coach at Leeds United. She said she had little choice but to grow up kicking a ball around.

“Our family is quite interested in football.

“My dad coached Leeds United for 25 years for the academy. He was very focussed on bringing up me, my two brothers and my sister and getting us involved in football.”

Meanwhile, Emily, 25, caught the bug around six-years-old after playing in mixed teams with the boys at primary school in Leeds.

“I played with the boys team and then we ended up having a girls team.

“I think one of the girl’s played outside of school and her dad approached my dad. My dad liked sport, but he was never interested in football. It just went from there, really.”

Sarah Parkes in action Knaresborough Town Women.

Knaresborough Town Women did not exist some 12 months ago.

The side started out in July last year, with trials being held at Knaresborough Celtic for players aged 16 and over.

Sarah found out about the set up through family. Her brothers are both involved with the men’s side, with Simon the manager and club captain Ben

“It’s a very family club. We have a lot of friends and family involved in it.

“It was a no brainer coming to Knaresborough.”

For Emily, the move to Knaresborough was different.

Emily Crispin, who is also club physio.

She knew Ged Maloney, who helped set up the women’s side, from college. Ged was also involved with Harrogate Town, where Emily was playing the previous season.

At the time, Emily says she was “in between” whether to play or to take on physio – something which she studied at university.

In the end, she ended up doing both and has been the team’s physio while also helping lead the side to promotion.

Pre-season to champions

It was a quick turn around for Knaresborough Town.

Both Emily and Sarah had two weeks from pre-season, which was overseen by head coach Mike Bligh, to kicking off the season.

The pair prepared for the campaign by sharing facilities with the men’s side, including the playing home games at Manse Lane.

Town were thrown in the deep end against one of the league favourites Field Ladies FC for the first fame of the season.

Sarah said:

“It was very intimidating not knowing anyone and then we had to go into the first game after only meeting each other around four or five times at training.

“It was nerve wracking, but after that first game we got to know each other a bit more.”

Knaresborough Town Women clinched the title at Bradford City in April.

However, the club went on to win promotion, sometimes winning games at a canter.

Along the way, they clocked up scores such as 15-0 against Leeds Hyde Park and 22-0 against Wakefield.

Once promotion was confirmed, the title was clinched with a 1-0 win away at Bradford City in April.

‘There is demand for women’s football’

With the success of England’s Lionesses at the Euros and the rise of the Women’s Super League, women’s football has seen success over the past couple of years.

For Sarah, who grew up in Knaresborough, this has been demonstrated locally.

“I think more people want to get more involved. 

“When I left Harrogate Railway, they set up a reserve team with the amount of interest they have got. 

“I’m hoping that Knaresborough Town will get similar interest and set up a development squad or something for people who want to get involved in football to come and get started at Knaresborough.”

Emily said women have proven that the demand is there for girls to get involved in football.

She points to the 60,000 people who attended last week’s Women’s Champions League game between Arsenal and Wolfsburg at the Emirates as an example.

“The demand is there. It’s amazing.

“We have clearly proven the demand is there if you women the platform to play in those type of stadiums.”

This is the second article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Pateley Bridge man Alan Sutton can barely believe he won league titles with Leeds United.

His career at United spans three decades and includes a First Division title, a Second Division championship, a cup final at Wembley and stints in Europe.

But Alan was not a player – he was the club’s physio.

Sitting in his conservatory at his home in Pateley Bridge on a sunny April morning, he says it took him a while to realise his achievements.

“Have you ever seen that episode of Dallas when Bobby Ewing gets killed, but then he comes back again? He comes out of his shower and it was like a dream. 

“It’s a bit like that. I wake up and think: ‘did that really happen?’”

He’s documented his career in a book My Journey: Pavement to Premier League with Leeds United, which initially started as stories for his grandchildren during the first covid lockdown.

But Alan’s story of his time at the pinnacle of English football is not a conventional one.

In fact, 25 years prior to joining Leeds United as its physiotherapist, he was flagging pavements in Bradford.

So how did a kid from Bradford go from working on building sites to lifting a First Division title?

Flagging pavements in Bradford

Alan was born in Bradford in 1946. His mum and dad, Winnie and Alf, both worked typical mill town jobs.

Alf was a foundry man and Winnie worked in the mills.

Much like a lot of teenagers in post-war Britain, Alan left school at 15 in 1961.

His dream was to play football and his education suffered for it. As a result, he was left to apply for manual jobs in his hometown – some with not much success.

He said:

“I had three jobs in three months and got sacked from every one of them.

“I think the youth employment place was a bit fed up of seeing me.”

After many tries, Alan finally found a job as a street mason which involved him laying flags and kerbs for the Bradford Corporation.

For two weeks, he was told to sit in a shed armed with a lump hammer and a chisel learning how to chip away at stones.

“As you can imagine, I probably hit my hand more times than I did the chisel.”

While Alan was working on building sites and laying flags, he pursued a passion for football.

Read more: 

• Harrogate’s Archie Gray signs professional deal with Leeds United
• Harrogate man’s 40-year love affair with Leeds United

He played in the Yorkshire league for Salts FC at Saltaire, as well as Bradford Minors.

Alan caught the eye of local coaches as a player and went on to play Leeds FA in the West Riding FA Cup final for Bradford Minors.

In a sign of things to come, Alan says on the day of the game, he read about a new signing for Leeds in the local Telegraph & Argus paper.

“I read in the paper that Leeds United have just signed another Scottish schoolboy international called Edwin Gray.

“It’s ironic how your life pans out and 30 years on, the amount of hours I would spend with Eddie.”

Despite his dream, Alan did not go on to have a football career as a player. 

He turned down an opportunity to sign as an apprentice for Bradford Park Avenue after impressing their manager, Jimmy Scoular.

From Canada to Leeds

After saving up money working in the building trade, Alan headed off to Canada in 1967 to pursue more work.

He returned to England in 1968 after making enough money and worked in the building trade while taking his coaching badges.

While helping coach young players at Bradford City, he opted to learn physiotherapy and take on an FA Management and Treatment of Sports Injuries diploma at Lilleshall.

Alan with his First Division title medal

His big break came in July 1981, when Halifax Town FC hired him on £50 a week.

Alan went on to pass his diploma and took up a role at Mansfield Rugby League, before going on to Halifax Rugby League in 1985 where he would get his first taste of silverwear.

Despite the success in rugby league, Alan’s career would take a different path in another part of West Yorkshire.

In August 1986, Leeds United physio Geoff Ladley called Alan.

Geoff had decided to leave the club after 10 years to take up a new job at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

He asked Alan if he would be interested in taking over as physio and if he would meet with Leeds manager and club legend Billy Bremner.

The initial interview did not go to plan though.

“I’ve gone through to see Billy.

“But I’m still on a roll from winning the championship with Halifax and I’m not exactly the most positive person when I’m talking to him.”

Alan went back to his part-time job with Halifax Town, but was confronted about his interview by manager Mick Jones.

“He asks: ‘how did you get on with Billy?’ And I said ‘yeah alright’.

“He just looked at me in the eye and said: ‘Listen, you just cannot turn down Leeds United.’”

Alan called Geoff back up and asked for another chance, which he was given. Fortunately for him, Billy asked when he could start.

Success with Leeds United

Leeds missed out on promotion and reached the 1987 FA Cup semi final in Alan’s first season.

He describes his workplace as “mayhem” as the club’s physio.

“I had 40 people from kids to the squad to look after. Also, on a match day, I was kit man as well as physio.

“What I loved about Billy was he would come into the treatment room, he would sit down crossing his legs, smoking a fag and start telling all the stories.”

But Billy’s tenure wouldn’t last and a new manager would come in in 1989 and spark a “culture change”, as Alan describes it.

Howard Wilkinson arrived from Sheffield Wednesday and led an overhaul of the club.

The 1989/90 season saw Leeds promoted back to the First Division.

For Alan, who saw it firsthand, part of the reason for the success was recruitment and the type of players that were brought in.

“I get asked loads of times about who was the best player in my near 30 years at Leeds United.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, in those early days it was Gordon Strachan. He was like the manager on the field.

“We were still in the culture where everyone was drinking. He started to change all that.”

Leeds United’s 1992 squad, which were the last team to win the First Division before it became the Premier League. Alan can be seen in the blue jumper with an “AS” logo.

Strachan would be pivotal in that promotion season and more so two years later when Leeds won their first title since 1974 – and became the last team to win it before the Premier League.

The championship was clinched n April 26, 1992, after a chaotic game at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United.

Alan, who still has his First Division medal, recalls the aftermath of that game in Sheffield and finding out that they had clinched the title on the drive home on the radio.

During the drive, Liverpool were playing Manchester United at Anfield. A victory for the home side would secure Leeds the championship.

“I got my nephew to pick me up and take me to my sisters in Bradford.

“While we were driving, Liverpool had gone one-nil up. I’m half asleep and Mark Walters had got the second goal with about three minutes to go.

“My nephew said: ‘Uncle Alan, I think you have just won the championship.'”

Alan would get his hands on the title at the Norwich game at Elland Road the following weekend. 

Today, he keeps a picture of him with his wife Shirley, his son Miles and daughter Adele on the pitch, with the trophy in his home.

‘It gets under your skin’

Alan left Leeds in 2014 after 37 years of service.

When asked to sum up his career, he is thoughtful and takes time to reflect on his achievements.

Alan with current Leeds United captain Liam Cooper.

Much of his thoughts on his career are in his book, the proceeds of which go to two of his chosen charities: Sarcoma UK and the Gary Kelly Cancer Centre in Drogheda, Ireland.

For the most part, Alan reflects on how much Leeds managed to get to him throughout the past three decades.

“When someone asks me if I’m a Leeds United supporter, I say no.

“Leeds United became far deeper. It becomes your life. Eddie Howe was talking about Newcastle the other day. He said: ‘This place gets under your skin’. That was Leeds United.”

Alan’s book ‘My Journey: Pavement to Premier League’ is available now here. All proceeds go to Sarcoma UK and the Gary Kelly Cancer Centre.

This is the first article in a series of Sporting Spotlight interviews. If you have any local sporting heroes who you think should be featured, contact calvin@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This story is sponsored by Surge Padel.

The UK’s largest premium indoor padel tennis centre has ‘surged’ in popularity, with players travelling from across the country for games.

Based at Harrogate’s Hornbeam Park, Surge Padel has grown to 1,400 members, with its six courts often fully booked.

Owner and CEO Stuart Perrin said members often play up to four times a week and he puts the sport’s popularity down to its simplicity.

He said:

“You serve underhand and the ball stays in play a lot longer than tennis. It’s a lot less technical, so people of all ages and abilities can play. It’s also super social as you play in pairs. Once you’ve played a few times you just keep coming back.”

A mashup of tennis and squash that originated in Mexico, padel has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

It is played between four players on reduced-size tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

Since November 2020, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has been the national governing body for the sport when it was officially recognised as a discipline of tennis. This has opened the door for greater recognition, support and funding.

Mr Perrin said:

“Because it is so fresh in the UK, we get people travelling to play. We get people from Middlesbrough and the far side of Leeds regularly.

“There aren’t facilities like this anywhere else, especially fully indoors.

“We have people coming from far and wide. I would say around 900 of our members are from the Harrogate district and the rest are from further afield.”

Surge Padel, which is located above Coach gym, is now a centre of excellence for the UK is fully affiliated with the LTA. It has hosted European Championships and events are held at the club most weekends.

Mr Perrin said:

“We are the largest padel tennis club in the UK and are member based. We’ve only been open since January 2022 and it is now getting really difficult to book a court on an evening, as it’s so popular. If we could have built a bigger site, we would have done!

“We have got a further four centres opening in 2023. One of those will hopefully be in Leeds.

“We offer state-of-the-art facilities at an affordable price.”

Book your court space or join as a member for the best benefits. Find out more and join the fastest growing sport in the UK.

Harrogate is set to host some of the country’s best padel tennis players for a major tournament.

Surge Padel launched in the space above Coach gym at Hornbeam Park in January as the UK’s largest premium indoor padel tennis centre — it has six indoor courts.

Padel tennis is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Surge Padel has sought to put Harrogate at the centre of that growing interest with its modern facilities.

Home Of Padel, the UK’s top padel event organiser, selected Surge Padel for its next competition on October 8 and 9.

The winner will take home a £3,000 prize.

Read more:

• Ripon Tennis Centre opens new £180,000 padel tennis courts
• First glance at Harrogate’s new £1.5m padel and gym centre

HOP has worked with Surge Padel before for its new-to-advanced players and women-only tournaments. But this is the first time the professional tournament has come to Harrogate.

John Leach, Team GB’s padel coach, and Javi Serrats, who has had success in the professional padel game, are behind HOP.

Mr Serrats said:

“Padel is played on a court the third of the size of a standard tennis court. The mass appeal of it is that any age and ability can play.

“The tournament in October is an official event counting towards UK rankings and includes £3,000 of prize money. The tournament will showcase the best padel players in the country.”

A Harrogate petanque player has won a prestigious national competition as part of a team from Yorkshire.

Charles Stewart was one of three players who travelled to Leicester for the Petanque England National Veterans Triples competition.

Along with Alan Swift from Wetherby and Richard Burrow from Leeds, he took part in the league stages of the contest before going on to the knock-out rounds.

“Our main aim was to qualify for the main knock-out, getting through to the last eight. We achieved that last year but got knocked out in the quarter final.

“This time we went and played the quarter final, then the semi, and got through to the final where we played three ex-international players. I imagine we were probably the solid underdogs on paper, playing the pedigree of the people we were up against!

“It was one of those great occasions where things go your way. We were 11-1 or 12-1 up and said to each other, ‘it’s not over yet’. They had a little flurry of activity but we managed to nip it in the bud and the final score was 13-5.

“It was certainly worth the trip to Leicester!”

The team of three, who play under the name Le Dragon, are now set to represent Yorkshire in Lowestoft at an inter-regional contest in September. Yorkshire has just been promoted back into the first division so the trio know they will face strong competition across the two-day event.

Despite the high level they play at, Mr Stewart said the events retain the friendly, sociable feel of local, informal games, which is one of the attractions for participants.

Read more:

• New women’s beginner football league could be created in the Harrogate district
• Ripon Tennis Centre opens new £180,000 padel tennis courts

Mr Stewart, who was a founding member of Harrogate Montpellier Petanque Club and is now president of Yorkshire Petanque, said interest in the sport across the Harrogate district has never been higher.

A new terrain has been built in Darley, while the Harrogate club has created a new headquarters with 10 courts in the grounds of Pannal Ash Junior Football Club next to Oatlands Junior School.

Meanwhile, local club members often travel to play in Ilkley, Wetherby, Horsforth and Leeds.

Mr Stewart said:

“Terrains are popping up everywhere, usually on a smaller scale because it’s often an enthusiastic group of individuals who get the ball rolling.

“In lockdown, when it was permitted to play socially distanced sport outside, it was perfect. Every club I’m aware of grew during the last two years.

“We’re trying our best to motivate and get these small clubs enthused. When you are playing in a highly visible site, like the pierhead in central Harrogate, it attracts people to stop and watch. It goes from six or eight people involved to now around 50 members in Harrogate.

“A lot of clubs suffer from being hidden away behind a hedge or a fence. The more people see it’s a game for all ages and there’s no restriction on who can play, the better.”

Harrogate club chairman Nigel Clay added:

“We are delighted for Charles and his success at becoming a national champion. As the regional chairman, Charles is also working very hard to help develop the sport across Yorkshire, and with increasing interest across the county.”

Boroughbridge Junior Football Club is holding its annual taster day later this month to encourage more youngster to join the team. 

The “try before you join” session will be held  at Boroughbridge High School on Saturday July 23, starting at 10am and running to 12pm.

Players will be able to take part in supervised games with FA-qualified coaches able to answer any questions and take subscriptions.

Nigel Charlesworth, Boroughbridge Junior FC club secretary, said:

“The club motto is football for all, so we encourage players of all abilities to come along.  

“If your son or daughter already plays for the club then come down and register for the new season and let them play supervised games. New players are also welcome. So, come down, try us out, meet the coaches and make new friends through football. Use this as a taster session. If you like what you see, then join us for the new season.”

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The taster session will run teams for the following age groups (child’s age on 1 September). Boys: Under 8s, U10s, U12s, U14s and U15s, girls: Under 6-11 (development squad) U12, U13 and U15 years and Pan Disability Football for boys and girls aged seven to 18.

There will also be a training session for budding goalkeepers on the day. 

The club also said volunteers and helpers were always welcome.

For more information, visit the Boroughbridge Juniors FC website, email nigelcharlesworth@btinternet.com or contact the club on Facebook and Twitter.  

Two new padel tennis courts have opened at Ripon Tennis Centre following a huge wave of support from residents and businesses.

The £180,000 facility is already proving popular with players, who have been taking advantage of taster sessions with the club’s coaches.

The project was put forward to help boost the Park Lane club’s membership in the wake of the pandemic.

It follows a successful crowdfunding campaign, which saw more than £30,500 raised in 28 days.

Additional funding has also been provided by Sport England, alongside a loan from the Lawn Tennis Association.

Carol Tetlow, the club’s honorary secretary, said:

“We had lost a considerable number of members as a result of the pandemic. Many of them dropped out or didn’t come back, so that meant there was significant financial loss. We also weren’t able to use the indoor courts, so we lost financially from that as well.

“So we were looking at a way to come back bigger and better. With padel being an explosive, exciting new sport, we had a look into that.”

The two courts – one indoor and one outdoor – have been built on derelict land at the centre, which also boasts two indoor tennis courts, six outdoor floodlit courts, a gym and a licensed café area.

The new padel tennis courts at Ripon Tennis Centre.

It is a welcome boost for the Ripon area, as prior to the courts’ construction, the nearest padel options were in Harrogate and Middlesbrough.

Ms Tetlow said:

“We’ve already had lots of enquiries.

“It’s clearly a sport that’s taking off in a big way. Anybody can play it, you can walk on a court and just hit the ball and feel like you’re having a good game.

“It’s good for any ability. It’s also good for any age. Because it’s less running around than tennis, people who are less mobile enjoy it. We have a member who is just over 80-years-old and he had a go and thought it was fabulous.”

Read More:

• The sport ‘anyone can play’ that has exploded across the Harrogate district
• Boom in padel tennis brings new centre to Harrogate
• The new sport taking the Harrogate district by storm

Ms Tetlow started playing tennis seven years ago and has been the centre’s secretary for around two years. She offered to take on crowdfunding campaign, which she described as “hard work, but very rewarding”.

“The best thing was going around Ripon’s shops, cafes and restaurants and asking if they would contribute something and so many people said ‘if it’s for Ripon, yes’.”

Ripon Tennis Centre.

The club has recently taken on a new coach, Christopher Stanford, who will teach padel, as well as tennis.

Future plans for the padel courts include kids’ clubs, social evenings and block bookings. An official launch event is also in the pipeline.

Ms Tetlow said:

“At the moment we are just letting as many people play as possible, so they can have a go and see what it’s like.”

A mashup of tennis and squash that originated in Mexico, padel has been described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports.

It is played between four players on reduced-size tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.

It will be a mix of emotions for Harrogate’s Rachel Daly if she plays tonight for England at Elland Road.

The international friendly against the Netherlands is part of the preparations for Women’s Euro 2022, which takes place next month on home soil.

Rachel, who was announced in Sarina Wiegman’s squad last week, began her career at Leeds United but has never played at the club’s famous old ground.

She has, however, watched the Leeds men’s team play there many times as the diehard fan used to have a season ticket as a child.

Rachel even has a line from the club’s anthem Marching on Together tattooed on her forearm.

In an interview for the matchday programme tonight, she said:

“It’s a club that has held such a special place in my heart and my family’s heart and I’ve got so many memories of being at Leeds.

“It’ll be really exciting to go back as I was there my whole youth career – I started there when I was about eight years old, right through until the senior level.

“I’ve actually never played there, which is crazy because I’ve played in so many different grounds with England, but never Elland Road.

“I’ve been a lifelong, diehard supporter of Leeds…my whole family has. As far as I can remember, I’ve been going there since I was a kid. It’s such a great environment being there as a fan, so being able to play will be even better for me.”

https://twitter.com/Lionesses/status/1540067554848391168?s=20&t=ct1KUrxeS8aaSRbxwxZbcw

Read more:

• Harrogate footballer’s journey from Killinghall Nomads to Tokyo Olympics

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly makes Euro 2022 squad

If she plays, Daly will reach the impressive milestone of 50 England caps.

But the game at Elland Road will be bittersweet as Rachel’s dad Martyn, who died last year, was also a massive Leeds fan.

The Stray Ferret met Mr Daly before the Tokyo Olympics. He told us all about the Daly family’s love of Leeds United.

Rachel said her dad “was the biggest Leeds fan I’ve ever met in my life.”

She added:

“It will be so awful to not have him there because I think it would have been one of his proudest moments.”

“I have a different perspective towards football and life now. Football has always been the be-all-and-end-all for me, and it still is, but now I play for a different purpose as well.

“When I get on the pitch, it’s not just about me performing, it’s me performing to make my dad even more proud than he already was.

“I think I carry that weight with me, but it’s a nice weight to have because it’s every game I want to do better and better. I know I’m making him proud up there.

“But in a way, that’s what will make it even more special, having the rest of my family there knowing how big fans we are.”

The game tonight kicks off at 8.00pm and will be shown live on ITV4. Tickets can still be purchased but only at the Elland Road ticket office.

Harrogate footballer Rachel Daly has made the England squad for the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament this summer.

Daly, who went to Saltergate and Rossett schools, now plays in the United States for Houston Dash.

The full-back is also an experienced international who has made 46 appearances and scored seven goals for her country since her debut in 2016.

Manager Sarina Wiegman has used the versatile Daly as a substitute in recent fixtures.

The Lionesses have reached the Women’s Euros final twice before in their history, in 1984 and 2009.

This year’s tournament will be played in England and the squad will be hoping home advantage will give them an extra edge. They are in a group with Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland.

Daly, along with the rest of the squad, today met Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, who wished them luck.

⚽️ Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses ahead of this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.

A major tournament on home soil is an exciting prospect and it’s clear the players are looking forward to the opportunity to show what they can do. pic.twitter.com/RzoZ4BYvMk

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 15, 2022

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Rachel Daly dedicates England goal to late dad Martyn
• ‘She’s just my daughter!’: Rachel Daly’s dad’s pride at Olympics star
• Harrogate footballer’s journey from Killinghall Nomads to Tokyo Olympics

When do England play?

Wednesday July 6

England vs Austria, 8pm, Old Trafford

Monday July 11

England v Norway, 8pm, Brighton and Hove Community Stadium

Friday July 15

Northern Ireland v England, 8pm, St Mary’s

All of England’s games will be shown live on the BBC.

https://twitter.com/RachelDaly3/status/1537115164931153920?s=20&t=Hl6Dk4RnCIKTtmbWt6blwQ

Sixteen-year-old St John Fisher Catholic High School student and talented footballer Archie Gray enjoyed jubilant scenes in the Leeds United dressing room yesterday after the club secured their Premier League status.

But the celebrations didn’t last long as he had to be at school for 9am this morning to sit a geography GCSE.

Archie was an unused substitute in Leeds United‘s dramatic win over Brentford yesterday.

He’s in year 11 at the Harrogate secondary school and is still two years from legally being able to have a celebratory alcoholic drink with teammates.

Less than 24 hours after celebrating survival in Brentford with star internationals like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips he was back in Harrogate to sit in a silent exam hall for his GCSEs.

St John Fisher deputy head Matthew Flanagan said Archie’s quick progress in his football career has been a “fantastic achievement”.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“From the school’s perspective, what impresses us about Archie is not just his sporting aptitude. He is polite, engaging and has a real humility about him.”

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The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the first team but scored a wonder goal for the under-23 team against rivals Manchester United earlier in the season.

In April he also captained England under-16s at a tournament in France.

Mr Flanagan called him a “wonderful ambassador” for St John Fisher.

“There is no sense of arrogance, he is popular with his peers. He’s a nice young man who deserves all the accolades and success that will come his way.”

Archie is highly rated by the club and was just 15 when former manager Marcelo Bielsa put him on the bench for a Premier League game.

He’s the great-nephew of Leeds legend, and Kirkby Overblow resident, Eddie Gray.