A 97-YEAR-OLD member of a small football club was guest of honour when the club held a team reunion.

Jack Macdonald is Kildale Football Club’s oldest surviving member and was given a warm welcome when the club held a team reunion at the Great Ayton football ground on Easby Lane.

Kildale is a small village on the western edge of the North York Moors and the team has enjoyed a noble history.

Mr Macdonald began playing for the club when it was first formed in 1933, before he left to join the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in 1938. While in the RAF he played in a team that included the legendary England player, Stanley Matthews.

After returning to North Yorkshire and his local Kildale team, he helped the side secure one of its greatest ever victories – against a Broughton team which included another legendary footballer, Brian Clough, then a young, unsigned player. The match was played at what is now Stokesley Cricket Ground in front of a large crowd.

The reunion night involved players from eight decades and memorabilia from the club’s history which included photographs and trophies, as well as entertainment and refreshments.

The evening was organised by Jim Miller, who played for the team in 1986.