As North Leigh enjoy record-breaking runs in both the Emirates FA Cup and Buildbase FA Trophy this season, MATTHEW BRUCE goes behind the scenes to find out what makes the club tick

IN JUST a few short decades, North Leigh have risen from a local village side into one of the top non-league clubs in Oxfordshire.

But while the team have made headlines on the pitch, enjoying their best runs in the Emirates FA Cup and Buildbase FA Trophy this season, none of it would have been possible without the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers.

“It’s a community effort and the whole village supports us,” said chairman Pete King.

“Lots of people muck in to help us out, whether it’s volunteers helping us to get things organised, coaches for our various teams or sponsors to help us keep running. The bigger the club has become, the more work there is to do.

“But there are a lot of people who put in the work to make everything happen.”

Keith Huxley is one member of a longstanding crew of volunteers who dedicate their time to ensure the club functions successfully.

The father of former captain Stuart, Huxley’s association with the Millers dates back 20 years.

He took up his current position as club secretary in 2005, but admitted that his workload encompasses many different tasks.

“Like most of the other volunteers here I have about two or three different jobs to do,” he said.

“As well as my role as secretary, I also do a lot of match reporting and other writing.

“As you get older it does get more gruelling – every single day I’m having to do something club-related.”

Manager John Brough was quick to compliment the work that goes on behind the scenes to give his side a platform for success.

He said: “Without the small community of volunteers working behind the bar, making teas and doing the ground work, I don’t know how we would keep the club running.

“It’s a tight-knit group and when one of them is away you can feel it, because the work then falls on someone else.”

MANAGER John Brough is full of praise for the hard work of North Leigh’s stalwart chairman Pete King.

The 43-year-old took over at Eynsham Park in May after winning Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West with Cinderford Town last season.

And after making a positive start to his time with the Millers, it was inevitable he would be offered opportunities at a higher level.

But Brough turned down the chance to go to Premier Division outfit Cirencester Town in September, thanks in large part to his close working relationship with King.

“He was one of the main reasons I chose to stay when Cirencester came calling,” said Brough.

“Like me, he says it as it is and I appreciate that.

“He’s been involved with the club for years and he knows the game inside out.

“His passion for the football club really rubs off on everyone.”

For King, the club has been a labour of love ever since he helped to re-form it in 1967.

Since then, the 68-year-old has fulfilled a variety of roles for the Millers and under his stewardship they have risen to new heights.

However, he is as likely to be seen astride a mower as he is in the boardroom and administrators.

“The chairman seems to do everything around here,” Brough added.

“From manning the gate to doing the tannoy, there’s so much he does on matchdays.”

Club secretary Keith Huxley believes the Millers owe much of their sustained success to King’s leadership.

He said: “Pete King is pivotal in the running of the club – he’s Mr North Leigh.

“Without him as the driving force the club wouldn’t be anywhere near the level it’s at today.”

NORTH Leigh’s fantastic cup form has had many of its biggest supporters dreaming of a higher level of football.

Four times this season the Millers have defeated higher-league opponents on their way to best-ever runs in the Emirates FA Cup and Buildbase FA Trophy.

While those distractions have caused the Eynsham Park side to fall away from the sharp end of Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West, promotion remains the aim.

However, despite lofty ambitions, North Leigh remain one of the lowest-supported clubs in the division – one of the few disappointments for chairman Pete King.

He said: “Over the last ten years we’ve always played attractive football, so it’s a shame there aren’t more people coming to watch it.

“Witney is only two miles away, but it’s difficult to attract people here.

“We’ve had a few decent crowds this season, which has been very pleasing, but I’d like to see that every week.

“We don’t get many crowds of more than a hundred and we’re trying to compete against sides getting several times that.”

Big clubs such as Hereford and Salisbury regularly pull in four-figure crowds, while North Leigh often struggle to attract more than 100.

Club secretary Keith Huxley said: “North Leigh is a small village of just a couple of thousand people, trying to compete at the same level as big towns like Taunton and Hereford.

“The crowds we get can’t compare to those teams and it means we have to work incredibly hard to compete.

“Grassroots football seems to have a shortage of people to run it and it’s a problem I can’t see getting any better.

“It’s the same at clubs all over the country – the committee is mainly male and they either have grey hair, white hair or no hair.

“We could really do with a few more people to help run the club.”