A STALWART of Oxfordshire non-league football is stepping down after more than 20 years of service, writes James Roberts.

Keith Huxley, 71, has been North Leigh’s club secretary since 1996, while he is also match secretary and reports on first team games.

But the Cote resident admits the challenge of combining three roles contributed to his decision to retire.

He said: “If you’re a club secretary operating at our level, it’s a seven-day week, 24-hour job.

“I’m a volunteer, I receive no finance, and you never have a quiet day.

“It’s not a criticism, it’s just the way it is.

“I’m worrying every single day about some aspect of the football club.”

Huxley has twice battled cancer and revealed his health played a part in calling it a day.

He said: “Whatever time’s left for me on this earth, I just want to do things that I haven’t been able to do being a football club secretary.”

The 71-year-old is the father of former North Leigh captain Stuart Huxley and became youth team match secretary when his son joined the club in 1993.

In the last two decades, Huxley has seen the village side establish itself in the eighth tier and win the Oxfordshire Senior Cup three times.

He relishes North Leigh’s underdog status in the Evo-Stik South League West Division, which has recently included meetings with the likes of Salisbury and Hereford.

Huxley said: “You often hear people at away grounds saying ‘where are you from, we’ve never heard of you’ – which you understand because most people outside of Oxfordshire haven’t heard of us.

“We’re used to that now and in some ways it helps us.”

Despite recording top-ten finishes every year since promotion in 2008, North Leigh struggled this season.

They finished 18th and waited until the final week of March for their first win of 2018, while attendances have slipped to an average of 79.

But Huxley is optimistic about the club’s future and paid tribute to chairman Pete King, whose involvement with the west Oxfordshire side began in the 1960s.

Huxley said: “Pete is Mr North Leigh.

“We have our occasional arguments, we’re different styles, but we know each other very well.”

He added: “I think the future of the club is dependant on who Pete hands the reins over to.

“He’s got to do it, because if he doesn’t I dread to think what will happen. But I’m hopeful he can hand over to someone to carry on our good work.”