Wakefield FC chairman Simon Turfrey has confirmed an eventual merger with AFC Emley could be on the cards following the move to share the Welfare Ground.

Turfrey’s cash-strapped club, the original Emley, are returning to the village they left in 2000. They have dropped from the Northern Premier League to the Northern Counties East, and will play in the Premier Division, with AFC Emley in the First.

Wakefield FC’s relocation follows a hike in the rent asked by Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

Turfrey, who also explored possible moves to Nostell and Featherstone, had hoped to join forces with the city’s rugby league club to run BTec sports courses.

The former Ossett Town director – he got involved with Wakefield three years ago when they ground-shared at Ingfield before returning to Belle Vue, their original base on leaving Emley – intends to press ahead with those plans.

“It’s a way of both generating some money and some players,” he explained. “We have had a decent junior set-up in the past, but found that players often leave in their later teens.

“We are an all-amateur club, so it’s difficult to attract players, and it would be great to have some coming through the ranks.”

While manager Paul Lines’ squad is small, there appears to be plenty of loyalty.

Turfrey believes the bulk of the players will remain as Wakefield tackle life in the NCEL, from which the original Emley, founded in 1903, won promotion to the Northern Premier under Gerry Quinn 25 years ago.

Having played at Wembley in the 1988 FA Vase final, they hit the national headlines in 1997-98, when former Barnsley, Celtic and Scotland star Ronnie Glavin led them on a thrilling FA Cup run which ended with a 2-1 third-round defeat at Premier League West Ham.

Turfrey continued: “There is a huge amount of history to the club, and of course the bulk of it is from when they were at Emley.

“We have some great old photos of games up at the Welfare Ground, and we’ll be taking them back up there for display.

“It’s a good ground and we’re pleased that AFC Emley have been so amenable over sharing.

“There are some practical difficulties with the way the two clubs are set up, but a merger is an obvious avenue to go down.”

Turfrey, who is on a three-man Wakefield FC board with Pete Bevils and Dan Brownhill, added: “It’s a shame to say it, but the move to Wakefield just hasn’t worked.

“It was a great idea in theory, because Wakefield is a big city without a good-level football club. The hope was that we would become the football arm of the rugby league club, and gain some of their supporters, but that never happened.

“Some of those who followed the club to Wakefield back in 2000 gave up coming when AFC Emley were formed (in 2005).

“There are quite a few clubs in the Wakefield area all trying to win over a limited band of football followers. We have some very loyal fans, but unfortunately not enough, and as a result of that we’ve never had enough money to drive the club forward.

“I’ve worked hard to attract interest from local businesses but it’s been to no avail.”

For the time being at least, Wakefield will press on alone, and have fixed up friendlies away to Selby Town (July 5), Appleby Frodingham (9), Whitley Bay (19), Hemsworth (29) and Tow Law (August 2).

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