Worsbrough Bridge Athletic

Worsbrough Bridge Athletic FC 

Ground: Park Road

Capacity: 2,000

Club Founded: 1923

League: Northern Counties East League Premier Division Step 5/9th Tier (current level)

Don't stop believing should be the motto of Worsbrough Bridge Athletic FC, who won their first promotion to Step 5 non-league football in 2025-26.

Club History

Early Years

The club was formed as Worsbrough Bridge St James in 1923 to provide recreation for the colliers, before changing its name to Worsbrough Bridge Miners Welfare FC. The club competed in local Barnsley competitions, picking up a couple of titles in the 1950s. Promotion from Division Two of the Sheffield Association League followed in the early 1960s.

Two Division One titles led to promotion to Division Three of the Yorkshire League in 1971-72 in an era that saw some memorable FA Amateur Cup matches, including a visit from Blyth Spartans in front of a crowd of 1,603 at Park Road. A couple of promotions were won before the Briggers dropped down a couple of levels.

NCEL Years

Worsbrough became a founder member of the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) in 1982-83. They played in various divisions as the league found its feet before being placed in Division Two. Promotion followed in 1990-91, with Geoff Horsfield starting his career at the club around that time. 

The financial backing from the miners' welfare ceased, and the club changed its name to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic in 2006. Despite the financial burdens, many ground improvements were made to the Park Road ground. 

Darrell Bowman resigned as team manager in October 2009, with Mick Norbury stepping in for a short while to help stabilise the club. Chris Hilton was in charge of the team for four years before he was succeeded by Dave Mace. Further works were carried out at Park Road in the summer of that year to enhance what was already a nice venue. 

Managers came and went, including former Premier League star Lee Morris, who had an interim spell in charge. He returned and was appointed as team boss in October 2017 as the side finished too close to the drop zone.

Promotion to Step 5

Former club captain Luke Forgione was named manager in October 2020, who remained in charge until September 2023, when former boss Morris returned for a second spell. In 2025-26, Bridge defeated Leeds UFCA in the playoffs before beating Wakefield in front of an amazing attendance of 1,617 to send the club up to the Premier Division.

My visit

Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 0 Scarborough Athletic 3 

Northern Counties East League Division One - Saturday 12th January 2008

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 211 

I arranged a trip up to North Yorkshire to visit friends and relatives to coincide with a couple of Scarborough Athletic games and to attend the funeral of occasional Seadog, loyal Hull City fan, and absolute gentleman Nick Groombridge. 

After seeing the team win at Thornaby three days earlier, I got into the car with Jamie, his young son Marcus, Bunner, and Carl in good spirits. Boro were chasing a promotion place while Worsbrough Bridge Athletic were floundering near the bottom of the table.

We reached the village, a few miles from Barnsley, in good time, where we parked at the ground and searched out a pub as the clubhouse wasn't yet open. We found a nice, if slightly expensive, place back up the hill before returning to the small but friendly clubhouse. Many Seadogs were in good spirits and enjoying the hospitality. 

Some had visited The Ship pub and were promised free food if they returned after the game. The Park Road ground shared its facilities with the cricket club, which was based at the top end. The Clubhouse End contained the changing rooms and a raised path, which gave a good view of the pitch. 

There was a big slope from the road down to the playing area. Young Marcus had me kicking the ball up the hill to him while he tapped it back down to me. The stone wall at the top was only about 4 feet high, which meant passersby stopped and watched some of the action for free!

Because the ground is in a valley by a river and a weir, it is easily flooded. The club battled on despite being hit badly by floods the previous summer and attracting very few supporters. The ground had a narrow terrace and cover along the riverside and a Main Stand at the top of a bank along the other side. 

It was certainly a venue that was very pleasing to the eye. The home side put in an excellent performance on the pitch and should have been awarded a penalty at 0-0. Boro eventually took control and eased to a 3-0 victory with goals from Ryan Blott and Scott Phillips before the break, and then Craig Hogg eleven minutes from the end. 

Ryan Morton put in a very impressive performance on his debut, while the other highlight was watching the alternative ball boy in action. The ball cleared the cover and went into the river. He went through a gate in the fence, produced a small fishing net on the end of a long pole, and proceeded to knock the ball free from some rocks and spoon it out as it got alongside him!

All in all, a good and recommended day out. Our car certainly had a top day, as did the passengers of the supporters' bus, as the landlord of The Ship stuck to his promise and provided free sausages and chips!