By Neil Atkinson
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate at Berry Brow AFC.
One is that the Huddersfield District League club are celebrating the 60th anniversary of its relaunch in 1963. And five more are the glittering trophies that the club has won in an amazing 2022-23 season.
It was so nearly six: the 1st team lost 2-1 to Heywood Irish Centre in the Barlow Cup Final at the John Smith’s Stadium on Wednesday.
But that blip aside, this has been an incredible season for a grassroots club. The 1st team secured the Huddersfield District League Division One title and the FA Challenge Cup, while the 2nd team collected the Reserve Division One title, the FA Challenge Trophy and the Richardson Cup.
The club’s 3rd and 4th teams also did well, with the 3rd team finishing runners-up in Reserve Division 2 and reaching two semi-finals – ironically losing both to the club’s Reserves – and the 4th team lost out 1-0 to Wooldale in the semi-finals of the Gee Cup.
Brow were led by new coach Nick Jaggar, with Chris Dolan taking the Reserves, John Howes the 3rd team and Dave Lomas the 4th team. No other club in Huddersfield has four teams and Brow fulfilled every fixture of a very long season.
The statistics are impressive. Brow’s 1st team topped the 100 mark for league goals and in all, the four teams hit the net more than 420 times. The Reserves were unbeaten in all competitions and seven players topped the 20-goal mark.
The victory charge came over a hectic 14-day period in May after the season was extended. May 4 saw the Reserves lift the Richardson Cup, beating Britannia Sports 4-0, and two days later claimed the league title with a 5-3 win over closest rivals Fothergill & Whittles.
On May 10 the 1st team lifted the Challenge Cup, beating higher-league Shelley 3-0, and a day later the Reserves completed their treble with a 3-1 FA Trophy win over Holmbridge.
The league title went to the 1st team on May 13, when they beat Linthwaite 9-3 at the Bernabrow park.
It all means there will be plenty to celebrate when the club holds its presentation evening tonight (Saturday May 20) at Grappolo, one of the main sponsors.
Scroll through our gallery of images below from the Barlow Cup final by Huddersfield Hub photographer SEAN DOYLE
Past players have been invited to the event as it comes 60 years to the month that keen young players persuaded Berry Brow Methodist Church officials to back their bid to bring a soccer team back to the village on the back of history dating back to 1899.
Club chairman Andrew Roberts said: “We made a big decision in the summer of 2022 to look outside the club for a new manager and Nick Jaggar fitted the bill. He has brought in a handful of new players but also a discipline and a belief in our style of play.
“He and the other coaches have worked very hard all season, as have the players, and the trophies are testament to that.
“We are also very lucky to have a committee of hard-working volunteers who not only make sure the teams meet their commitments but also raise much-needed funds so we can field four teams.
“We have great sponsors including Fluid Power Engineering, Alphacrete, Grappolo restaurant, Autex Acoustics, Native Hair, Hirst Wool and The Monkey Club, which is our base.
“The Barlow Cup loss was felt hard but we have had an amazing season and deserved so much. Now we can have a break and then look ahead to next season.”
