Match Preview: Bootle FC vs Emley AFC
By Brendan Doyle
For a third time this season, Bootle take on a side from West Yorkshire in the FA Trophy, but this time it’s on our home soil at the Berry Street Garage Stadium against Northern Premier League Premier Division side Emley in a battle for a place in the first round of the competition to get past the qualifying stages.
So far in the competition, Bootle have had to travel to Liversedge in the first qualifying round which resulted in a blistering 5-0 away win with a goal from Anthony Miley and four goals from Ben Hodkinson, in the following round The Bucks were once again drawn away in West Yorkshire but this time to Silsden AFC which seen Alan Morgan and side squad victorious also with a 5-1 win. Today’s opponents Emley would be deemed a step up for Bootle as they sit in the division above ourselves and are expected to come to the Berry Street Garage Stadium as a challenging obstacle for Alan Morgan’s side.
Emley managed to jump their way up to the Northern Premier League Premier Division at the end of the 2025/26 campaign after beating Bradford Park Avenue 5-4 in the play off final after a goalless one hundred and twenty minutes of play including extra time with local lad and local hero Joe Clegg scoring the winning penalty with over 1,700 fans in attendance. Life in their new division hasn’t been particularly great, but they still sit outside the danger zone of the table by three points. Today is a good chance for The Pewits to start a good cup run and would most likely be deemed as favourites in this tie as they sit in the league above Bootle.
Club Fact File:
Founded: 1903
The Ground:
The Welfare Ground
Capacity:
2,000 (305 seated)
Non League To Pro:
John Francis, Colin Acide, Graham Cooper
Club History:
Emley AFC can trace its roots back to 1903, when Emley Clarence FC was formed. The club spent its early decades competing in local Huddersfield leagues before establishing itself as one of Yorkshire’s strongest non-league sides during the 1960s and 1970s. Emley won the Yorkshire League four times and became founder members of the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) in 1982.
The club’s rise continued into the Northern Premier League, and Emley reached the FA Vase final at Wembley in 1988, narrowly losing 1–0 to Colne Dynamoes after extra time. Their greatest moment came in the 1997–98 FA Cup, when Emley reached the third round proper after defeating Morecambe and Lincoln City. They were eventually beaten 2–1 by Premier League West Ham United at Upton Park, in front of 18,629 spectators.
Following the FA Cup success, the club moved its first-team operation to Wakefield and went through several name changes, eventually becoming Wakefield FC. In 2005, supporters and members of the reserve setup established AFC Emley, ensuring football continued in the village at the Welfare Ground.
AFC Emley later reclaimed the Emley AFC name in 2019. In 2022, the club was officially reunited with the historical records and honours of the original Emley club. More recently, Emley won the NCEL Premier Division in 2023–24 and the Northern Premier League Division One East play-offs in 2025–26, continuing the club’s climb through the non-league pyramid.
Form Guide:
Emley 0 Guiseley 4, August 31st 2026
Emley 1 Bishop Auckland 1, September 6th 2026
Bishop Auckland 0 Emley 2, September 9th 2026
Bury 4 Emley 0, September 12th 2026
Emley 0 Spennymoor Town 4, September 19th 2026
Manager:
Richard Tracey began his playing career with Sheffield United before moving to Rotherham United, where he made his professional debut against Emley in the FA Cup. He subsequently played for Carlisle United, Macclesfield Town and Scarborough before moving into non-league football.
Tracey spent five years managing Ossett Albion, where he developed a reputation for working effectively with limited resources and helping players progress to clubs higher up the football pyramid. He joined Emley in 2019, initially as part of a management team alongside Mark Wilson and Steve Nicholson, before becoming the club’s principal manager.
His tenure has coincided with a particularly successful period in Emley’s history. He guided the club to the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup in 2022–23, followed by the Northern Counties East League Premier Division title in 2023–24, securing promotion to the Northern Premier League. Emley then reached the NPL play-offs in 2024–25 before going one step further in 2025–26, winning promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division after beating Bradford Park Avenue on penalties in the play-off final.
Tracey therefore has a particularly strong connection with Emley’s modern revival, having taken the club from the lower levels of the non-league pyramid to Step 3 football, achieving the club’s five-year promotion ambition in just two seasons.
Key Player:
Diego De Girolamo came through Sheffield United’s academy and made his senior debut for the Blades as a teenager. He also had loan spells with York City, Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town and Chesterfield, while representing Italy at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 level.
His most prolific spell came with Buxton, where he spent seven seasons and scored more than 120 goals according to Emley’s profile, establishing himself as a proven goalscorer at non-league level. He subsequently had spells with Macclesfield and Matlock Town before moving to Emley.
At Emley, De Girolamo provides experience and a proven goal threat in attack as the club competes in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Emley manager Richard Tracey has described him as a clever, experienced striker with a strong reputation in non-league football.
Last Five Seasons:
2021/22 Northern Counties East League Premier Division
2022/23 Northern Counties East League Premier Division
2023/24 Northern Premier League Division One East
2024/25 Northern Premier League Division One East
2025/26 Northern Premier League Division One East
