The FA Cup starts this weekend. Steven Penny reports on one of the many non-League team's hoping for glory.
Eight years ago, Silsden were a small village club, keen to give youngsters the chance to continue their love of the game at a higher level.
Tomorrow, they start their bid for fame and fortune with a debut in the FA Cup.
Less than 100 days after Roy Keane lifted the famous old trophy at the Millennium Stadium, the road to Cardiff begins again with the region's minnows dreaming of becoming the latest club to capture the public's imagination.
While Leeds side Yorkshire Amateur kick-off their 99th match in the competition at Norton & Stockton Ancients at 12.30 – aiming to score the competition's first goal since Ruud van Nistelrooy completed a 3-0 victory for Manchester United over Millwall – Silsden make their first appearance at Hebburn two-and-a-half hours later further up the A1.
After testing the water last season in the junior FA Vase competition, they have taken the plunge and entered the FA Cup.
But there is little in the way of glamour for them. There will be no overnight stays or even a pre-match meal for the trip to Tyneside.
"We might take a few sandwiches to eat on the way up but we don't like to be stuck on the coach for too long," said manager-cum-secretary Andy Geary.
"We'll be leaving home at about 11am and aim to be up there for
half-two, just in time to loosen up a bit before we play."
Not that Silsden do not have any FA Cup pedigree.
Recent signing James Nettleton was a member of the Guiseley team who reached the first round proper two seasons ago when they fell 4-0 to Joe Kinnear's Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
But the bulk of Silsden's squad are local lads, many having been with the club from youth.
"We always try to bring more young lads in every season but, as we've progressed higher, we've also brought in one or two more experienced players," said Geary.
Silsden are confident of doing well at the Northern League Division Two side tomorrow.
"We know a little bit about Hebburn from a few friends we have up there," explained Geary.
"They lost their opening league game 4-0 last week to Seaham Red Star.
"Last season we lost 1-0 to Alsager in the FA Vase, a round after they had beaten Seaham 9-3, but teams change so much that you can't really make a comparison from that.
"We're taking it very seriously. Even though we played a league match on Wednesday, we trained as normal on Tuesday and were also planning a session last night.
"If we win, we get Hallam at home in the next round.
"It would be wonderful for the district to get such a big game.
"There's Skipton and Addingham as well as Keighley without a major football team and it's our chance to compete with some of the other towns in the region to show them what we have got here.
"We had more than 400 fans last year for the visit of Thackley in the FA Vase.
"That shows the potential is there for a reasonable standard
non-League club but we just need to get them to come every week.
"Hopefully, a good run in the FA Cup will help us do that."
The original Silsden club was founded a century ago, although the senior side have had a chequered time and the present team only came into being in 1996, formed to give the village kids the chance to play at senior level after progressing through the junior ranks.
They joined the Craven and District League and promptly finished second in Division Two to earn promotion.
The feat was repeated at the higher level the following season and then won the title in 1999 and opted for fresh pastures with a move to the higher-standard West Riding County Amateur League.
Success continued with the Division Two championship swiftly added to the trophy cabinet and the Division One award followed a season later before a slight stall in proceedings – Silsden could only finish second in the Premier Division in 2002.
Undaunted by that 'failure', the club won the league for the following two seasons before taking another ambitious step.
Although the Northern Counties East League was the next logical rung on the non-League ladder, the club elected to travel over the Pennines to join the North West Counties League for the 2004-05 season.
They play their home matches at Cougar Park, home of Keighley Cougars RLFC. The facilities at the village's Keighley Road ground were short of the standard needed to progress up the non-League pyramid.
"There's no floodlights at
Silsden and we had to look
elsewhere to keep up the progress," said Geary.
Surprisingly, Silsden elected to join the Lancashire and Cheshire-based North West Counties League.
"We're in the middle of nowhere and because of the travelling situation it's easier to travel up and down the M6 corridor than along the M62 and M1," explained Geary, who pointed out that Bradford Park Avenue had taken a similar route on their way up through the ranks to the Conference North where they now reside.
"In the Northern Counties East League, a lot of our opponents would be in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Even on a good day that would take at least two hours. Once you hit the traffic it would be a nightmare. By comparison, a lot of our trips in this league are easier."
Geary acknowledges that similar progress to Avenue might be unlikely for the village team, but added: "It's always been our plan to keep moving up.
"Nine years ago in the Craven League no one thought we would be playing in the FA Cup; it was not even something from our wildest dreams. But you just never know."
steven.penny@ypn.co.uk