'A brilliant occasion' - The non-league Leeds football club eyeing FA Cup dream this weekend as local derby awaits

Top-level football remains on hold but one local non-league team hopes an intriguing FA Cup derby can fill that void - and maybe kickstart a new weekend tradition.

Last week the YEP launched its Back Your Club campaign, encouraging fans to use the extended international break to support local teams. Among those in action this weekend are Guiseley AFC, who play their league football in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, England’s seventh tier.

Guiseley have started the season in good form, progressing in the FA Trophy thanks to a 4-2 win at home to Bamber Bridge last weekend. In the league they’ve won six from nine, enough for fourth place and a couple of positive results off early leaders Cleethorpes Town.

“It’s been a really strong start,” Guiseley’s Football General Manager and Football Secretary, James Pickles, tells the YEP. “Two years ago we got into the play-offs but last year we had a real slow start, and we were kicking uphill all season, trying to claw it back.

“But we got our business done early this year and just hit the ground running through pre-season and then the actual season. Promotion is the aim. Whether as champions or through the playoffs, who knows? But yeah, certainly we want to be in contention to go up.”

That promotion push is being put on the back-burner this weekend, with Bradford (Park Avenue) due at Nethermoor Park in the FA Cup third qualifying round. The visitors are another division further down the pyramid but have enjoyed an unbeaten league start. Victory on Saturday would put Guiseley one more win away from the first round proper.

“For a club like us, the dream draw would be Bradford City in the first round or a Leicester, a Portsmouth, whoever the ex-Premier League club is in League One at that point,” James admits. “But certainly at our level, probably Conference North and certainly below us as well, it's one of the highlights of the season, the FA Cup.”

Guiseley’s nine league games this season have brought 32 goals, while in the previous round of the FA Cup they thumped Hebburn Town 4-1. Plenty of entertainment, then, but James insists the quality of the football being played is just as big a draw as the exciting scorelines.

“I think everyone would be pleasantly surprised by how good the football is,” he says. “The pitch is as good as anything at this level, and probably a level above.

“I’ve not seen much of Park Avenue this year but we go after teams, we score goals, maybe we could keep a few more clean sheets, but it’s certainly entertaining football. We’re very much front foot, take the game to other teams. So yeah, you'll certainly see a good game.”

Like so many local non-league clubs around Leeds, one of the biggest draws is off the pitch. There is a real sense of community on matchdays, helped in no small part by Guiseley’s efforts to welcome the next generation of supporters - and a brilliant suggestion from one very young fan.

“We've had a big effort to gift season tickets to under 14s in the local area to try and bring younger supporters in with their families,” James explains. “I like to say it's a day out for the family, regardless of whether we win 5-0 or lose 5-0.

“We've also got a scheme that was created by a nine-year-old supporter, which we call a Lions passport. If the players see a young supporter with these passports, they’re encouraged to speak to the children, give them an autograph and take a photo.

“We try to get a real buy-in between the community, the younger supporters and the players. We don't want players to just rock up, play football, and go home. We want them to be part of the fan base and the community as well.

“You do see the players buying into it, taking selfies with the fans. After we beat Hebburn Town in the second qualifying round, there's photos of players celebrating with the supporters including one of the captain with a young supporter on his back celebrating on the pitch. So yeah, there definitely is a buy-in between the players and the fanbase.”

With an average attendance around the 700 mark, Guiseley are well supported in the local area but James hopes the pull of an FA Cup derby-day, well-timed inside an international break, can encourage more along. A target is set.

“We've not played Park Avenue for a couple of years, and if we can top 1,000, it'll be a brilliant, brilliant occasion,” he adds. “It can be massive, and then hopefully we would retain some of the supporters. We're not going to retain every person who comes for the first time but if we can retain anyone going forwards, it's a huge boost to the club.

“With it being a local derby, a bigger crowd, bigger occasion, two teams going well in the league, it should be an exciting game and people should want to come back. Fingers crossed.”