Stapenhill FC, on the brink of celebrating its 70th anniversary, is 'certainly on the right track' says a man who has dedicated much of his life to the Staffordshire amateurs - and even ten minutes of his wedding day.

As the Swans, based at Edge Hill on the outskirts of Burton, celebrate their milestone, a man who fell in love with the plucky non-leaguers 60 years ago has told the Burton Mail just why this unassuming club is on the cusp of something special.

Ian Gough first began playing for Stapenhill in October 1968, as an up and coming 18-year-old midfielder, ready to take the footballing world by storm.

Now 68, Ian has fulfilled a wide range of roles at the club, from player, player-manager, full time manager to now chairman.

He said: "I had good times anywhere that I went, and sport has really been my life, between both football and cricket. But it's amazing how you get a certain affection for a place, which is right here for me, at Stapenhill FC.

"I played at Gresley, Burton and Hinckley as well, they're all great clubs but I've always felt an affinity with Stapenhill."

Ian brushed aside suggestions he was 'Mr Stapenhill FC', instead pointing the finger at the man who set up the club back in 1947, Fred Sleigh, who passed alway in 2002.

He continued: "When I started playing, it was the days of Freddie Sleigh, who is and always will be 'Mr Stapenhill.'

Ian Gough, the chairman at Stapenhill FC
Ian Gough, the chairman at Stapenhill FC

"Freddie and his wife Muriel were fantastic. Fred used to work for Hodges and Son, in Burton but he was still up here every day. These were the days in which our pitch was the best in the area, the reason was that only the first team were allowed to play on it.

"He made us walk around the pitch to get onto the training ground, not like now when I let the lads walk right across it. That pitch was really his prize possession, and no-one was allowed to go on it. It was a very good pitch.

"He was here every day, but a lot has changed since then. I remember back in 1969 we got to the final of the Leicester Senior Cup and we beat Enderby, who were a top team then. We won one-nil, they absolutely murdered us, and they had a really good side, but it was always meant to be ours.

The club's ground is based off Maple Grove, in Stapenhill
The club's ground is based off Maple Grove, in Stapenhill

"I always remember that we had a new kit, all white with a round neck, like Real Madrid, and Muriel, Freddie's wife, spent all that week sewing numbers onto the back of the shirts. Nowadays you'll never do that.

"Freddie was a top, top player, and was playing in Burton until he was well into his 50s."

Ian, who worked at Pirelli tyres in Burton most of his working life, played for Burton Albion and Gresley Rovers during his own footballing days, before becoming manager at the club more than ten years ago in 2005.

Following two promotions, the club found itself in the Midland Alliance, now called the Midland Football League, the ninth division of English football and the highest rung of the football ladder so far graced by Stapenhill.

Stapenhill FC is an old school club which is firmly on the up

He left in 2008 following a devastating fire which ripped through the social club and dressing room block, forcing the club to close temporarily for a few months.

He returned to his beloved Swans in 2015 as chairman and told how he even took time out of his wedding day to watch a Stapenhill game.

"I think I was meant to always be here. Even on our wedding day, which was back in 1977, I was player-manager and on the day we were playing Friar Lane Old Boys here, they had a top side at the time, they’d reached the FA Vase semi-finals two years running.

"On our way home from our reception in Burton, at the Riverside, we came past here about 4.30pm, and my brother who also used to play here was in the back, he was my best man. I said to my wife, Annette, who was in her wedding dress, 'would you mind if we watched the last ten minutes?'

Freddie Sleigh began the club in 1947, but unfortunately died in 2002
Freddie Sleigh began the club in 1947, but unfortunately died in 2002

"So there we stood, Annette in her wedding dress watching the last ten minutes, now not many women would do that on their wedding day, would they?

"But football has absolutely been my life. And here, I really just love it. I do it out of the love for the club, it's got to be, and always for the respect I have for Freddie Sleigh.

"I used to get paid when I played here, along with two others. I would sit in the changing rooms with Fred and I would moan that I was only on £15 a week. I’d come back out the dressing room after training though, thinking 'blimey, I'm not worth £15 a week.'

The ground has two stands featuring both sitting and standing areas
The ground has two stands featuring both sitting and standing areas

The Swans are based at Edge Hill, on Maple Grove in Stapenhill, but when the club was first founded in 1947, they played on the other side of the railway bridge which sits next door to the current ground, moving to Edge Hill in 1955.

Stapenhill FC only run a first team, but youth teams from the area and the Edge Hill Sunday side also use the pitches and facilities, with the Sunday team based at the club for the last quarter century.

Crowds of around 30 or 40 people pay between £5 and £2.50 to watch the level ten club each week, and the ground boasts two stands with both standing and seated facilities.

Ian Gough insists he still cannot believe the current lofty position of the club.

The club house has a wall of pictures remembering teams from the past
The club house has a wall of pictures remembering teams from the past

He said: "We are standing on our own two feet, everything is improving. My priority is not to get top class football out there, we need to get everything else right first.

"We are improving our facilities and going in the right direction. We are without a doubt a club on the up, I'm not saying on the field, but as a club, we are getting the foundations right first.

"And then if someone else wants to come in, put some money in and get some better players, but I don't see that as my priority.

"The club is stabilized and moving in the right direction."

The perfect way to celebrate

The club will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in style, with around 100 guests heading to the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday, November 18 for a special dinner.

The evening will help to raise funds for the club, and guests will be treated to a three-course meal and a disco.

Ian Gough, the chairman of the club has explained his excitement for the evening that will be a fitting way to celebrate.

He said: "We are looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends and I hope that anyone with a connection to the club will want to come along and help us mark the occasion. It’s also never easy running a football club like ours so it will be a great way of putting some funds into the club.

"We have a link with Burton Albion with the football education programme youngsters playing on our pitch and we are grateful to Ben Robinson for letting us use the facilities at the Pirelli Stadium for this special occasion.

"We are looking forward to what we hope will be a very special and enjoyable evening and hope to see as many people there as possible."

The celebration will kick off at around 7pm.