The unassuming market town of Ossett, nestled between Wakefield and Dewsbury in Yorkshire’s West Riding, is not known for its football prowess or reputation. Located around eight miles from Premier League Leeds United’s Elland Road, and twelve from Huddersfield Town’s John Smith Stadium, its inhabitants have a decent choice of competitive league sides.
However, and rather bizarrely, for many years Ossett had an unusual component within its football context. Indeed, a dynamic that separated it from its sizeable cousins in the north and west: two local football clubs.
This town was big enough for the both of us
Ossett Albion hailed from the south side of the town, playing home matches at Queens Terrace (or Dimple Wells to those of a local persuasion) and generally plying their trade in the lower reaches of England’s footballing pyramid. Similarly, Ossett Town, whose Ingfield stadium flirted with the periphery of a bustling town centre, had operated at broadly the same level to their cross-town foes, becoming an equally recognisable presence in semi-professional circles. The anomaly of Ossett harnessing two clubs in such a modest-sized-area was further accentuated by their proximity to Leeds; perhaps the most famous ‘one-club city’ in the country.