Local amateur footballer Andy Lord has been rewarded for his loyalty to Swinton football team Beechfield United FC with a long service award.
Andy, now 26, began his club career as an eight-year-old in 1998 playing 7-a-side mini-soccer and is still playing for Beechy today, 18 years later.
As a right-back for most of his career, the self-employed sports coach from Clifton has never been a prolific goalscorer but has had short spells in nearly every other outfield position.
Success followed him as he progressed through the ranks of the club’s junior teams.
With the Beechfield Under 13s Andy played regularly in the Bury and Radcliffe Junior League, the following year netting two goals for the Under 14s in a record-busting 21-2 home win.
He received the Manager’s Merit Award the following season and when the club celebrated 25 years in 2005 Andy collected a winners medal after triumphing for the Under 16s in the Challenge Cup.
As a member of the Senior A team squad in 2006 he won the Lancashire and Cheshire League’s Hellawell Shield and the Division E title, and was also in the squad that won the first seven games of the 2008 season creating a club record of 63 games unbeaten.
Andy joined the Saturday Morning Senior team in 2009 where the silverware really started to stack up.
Under the management team of Graham Rothwell and Paul Harrison his team were Second Division champions and winners of the CFFL Shield, as well as gaining promotion to the First Division.
Beechfield won the Manchester Evening News Cup in the 2011 season and as the team continued to amass more silverware Andy collected two more medals in 2012/2013 when United won the First Division title and the Steeles Shield.
Andy added two more medals to his collection when the Saturday Morning Senior team achieved an illustrious hat-trick winning the First Division Championship in season 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.
Beechfield United club Secretary Keith Long said: “Andy has been an inspiration to all our junior players having stayed with us for the past 18 years of his amateur career.
“He sets a great example for the younger players and keeps the older lads on their toes.
“We wish him all the success for the future and hope he continues to play so we can present him with 25 years long service in 2021!”
Main image: Keith Long (left) Andy Lord (right)
