Poppleton United are 100 years old and the club recently celebrated their centenary season with a dinner dance at York Racecourse's Voltigeur Suite.

The Leeper Hare York and District League club are one of the city's oldest amateur outfits and can name former Bootham Crescent favourite Gary Ford among their past players.

Ford, a member of City's record-breaking 1984 Division Four winning side, played for Pop and also did a spot of coaching after retiring from the professional game and moving close to the village. He also played for Hull City and Leicester City during a successful career as a right midfielder.

Other players that have starred for the village over the years include Ian "Bammer" Bainbridge, whose 250 goals in as many games made him Poppleton's answer to Alan Shearer before he hung up his boots a couple of years ago, and current club chairman Phil Edwards, a former player who has now enjoyed a 30-year association with the club.

Current first-team manager Dave Japling, treasurer Graham Sunley and Village Community Trust Football Representative Noel Edwards are also former players who can boast 30 years of service.

The club's greatest moment probably came in 1996 when they beat off the challenge of 119 rivals to lift the York FA Junior Cup but they were also division four champions in 1986 and have twice won the league's division two Sportsmanship Shield.

Poppleton were members of the York and District League when it restarted after World War Two in 1946 and players from that side were among the 180 people who attended this month's anniversary bash.

The club's oldest team photograph dates back to 1908 and Poppleton's inception was traced back another five years after discussions with the children of players in that line-up, who still live in the village.

Poppleton's class of 2003 places emphasis on young, home-grown talent with seven of the first-team squad teena-gers and nine village residents.

They narrowly missed out on promotion to division one last season, finishing fourth with only the top two clubs moving up, but have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the new campaign, beating Wilberfoss 5-3 in the cup and drawing 0-0 with Stillington in the league.

The club, sponsored by the White Horse Inn, also run a reserve team who finished third in the 'B' division last season. And with junior teams from under-six to under-16 level and three girls' sides also operating within the village, Poppleton's senior team should be able to begin its next century of football with a new generation waiting in the wings.

Other people associated with the club who merit a mention for their sterling service include secretary Brian Jackson, reserve team manager and social secretary Chris Cook, former first team captain Kenny Powell and players Mick Fining, Charlie Jackson, Brian Hagyard and Paul Horsman.

The York and District League and the York and District FA have both marked the club's landmark anniversary with presentations.

Updated: 10:06 Saturday, September 27, 2003