BARLA National Cup Preview: Stainland Stags - a Pennine Village Club taking its biggest step in decades

Stainland Stags will travel more than 200 miles to Essex this weekend for a National Cup tie that feels as symbolic as it is ambitious. For a club nestled between Siddal, Elland and Greetland, this is a statement of identity and pride.

Training them in the week ahead of the game is Russ Holroyd, a Stainland lifer who played more than 30 years for the club and now coaches the team on Wednesday nights around his assistant?coach duties at Siddal. His affection for the Stags is unmistakable.

“I played there for 30 years…it’s still a big part of me.”

Holroyd remembers the last time Stainland were in the National Cup - the late 1980s - and a trip to play in London against Streatham Celtic and he’s watched the club rise, fall and rebuild itself through sheer community will. Last winter, a group of mates re?formed the team in Division Three of the Pennine League. Some barely knew how to “play a ball” at the start, but under Holroyd’s guidance they won the division and rediscovered an identity.

From there, things escalated quickly. When a vacancy opened in Division One of the Summer League, Stainland didn’t hesitate.

Russ explained: “I said, are you sure? It’s a massive step you'll be playing some established teams like Sharston and Upton… They said, ‘Yeah, we’ll have a go at it!”

That willingness to embrace challenge is now taking them to Brentwood Eels in the National Cup — a long, expensive, bank?holiday weekend trip that the players are funding themselves. No coach, no frills, just a commitment to the village, the club and each other.

“They’ve all booked their hotel…they’re not bothered. They’re just going and looking forward to it.”

Stainland’s story is rooted in place. The club has always lived in the shadow of their bigger neighbours, but its strength comes from its village character and self-reliance. Their clubhouse — small-stone, built and proudly theirs, was constructed by players and volunteers hauling stone from an old mill after matches.

“We built it ourselves…aching, on a roof in winter, in snow. That’s what you did in them days.”

The current squad understand that heritage. They paint the changing rooms, maintain the clubhouse and treat it as something to pass on.

“It is yours…you look after it and then you’ll pass it on to the next lot.”

On the field, Stainland have found Division One a steep climb. They’ve led in all but one of their six opening matches with an hour gone, collecting a win and a draw in the process, while losing their other games in the last twenty minutes.

“We’ve no big lads at all… we've just been getting ground down.”

They train only once a week. Their oldest player is 26. Yet the spirit is brilliant.

Two players stand out - Lewis Crossley, the captain, tough and dependable, following in the footsteps of his talented father and Archie Williams, a fearless runner who “would run into a brick wall and keep going,” according to Holroyd, carrying on a family legacy of toughness.

Holroyd won’t be on the trip, but his message for Wednesday’s final training session is simple.

“Go and enjoy it and give it all you’ve got… They’re going down with their heads up. They think they can do a job.”

For a club built on character and village pride, this National Cup journey is already a victory.

BARLA National Cup Fixtures – Saturday 23 May 2026

Fryston Warriors v Crosfields, KO 2PM

Rochdale Mayfield v Leigh East, KO 2:30 PM

Barrow Island v Hunslet ARLFC, KO 2:30 PM

Distington v Woolston Rovers, KO 2:30 PM

Brentwood Eels v Stainland Stags, KO 2:30 PM

Hull Dockers – BYE

Skirlaugh v Bristol All Golds, KO 2:30 PM

Ince Rose Bridge v Blackbrook, KO 2:30 PM