EVEN in these hedonistic days there can't be too many footballers who go clubbing nearly every day of the week.

But that's how it goes for Pickering Town FC midfielder James Drinkall, though the clubs he visits are those stashed inside his golf bag.

Drinkall is arguably the fittest man at the Northern Counties East League premier division outfit. Besides being a central midfield dynamo with the Pikes, he is also the assistant professional at Malton and Norton GC.

And as if that energy-draining workload was not enough, the 24-year-old is currently in training for next week's North Run to round off seven days that started this afternoon with the Pikes' FA Cup trip to Bishop Auckland and then takes in the prestigious 54-hole PGA Assistants' Championship with a prize fund of £16,000 at St Anne's Old Links on Tuesday.

Just announcing that schedule could leave anyone breathless, but Drinkall is the most fervent believer in fitness.

Ironically, had it not been for snapped ankle ligaments in his late teens he could well have been a professional footballer. He had a spell at York City, a trial at Sunderland, while Manchester United were about to check him out before the injury setback.

"It was not to be, so golf became my number one sport and I opted to play football on a semi-professional basis," said the Malton and Norton assistant, who joined the pro' ranks last year.

"Just staying fit is an essential part of life and the football and the running helps my golf game."

Updated: 11:24 Saturday, September 13, 2003