Silsden football club are on a mission to bring top class soccer to Keighley -- for the first time in the town's history.

The club has teamed up with officials at Keighley Cougars to use the Cougar Park ground and plan to move up through soccer's league structure to the very edge of the football league itself.

"It is time Keighley had a football team playing at a high level. We are ambitious and we want to go as far as we can," said club chairman Sean McNulty.

The team has seen a meteoric rise through the local leagues after starting in the second division of the Craven League. They spend two seasons marking time, and then launched their assault gaining promotion through the first division and the premier division in successive seasons.

They then moved to the West Riding County Amateur League and continued their progress to the Premier Division, winning the West Riding County Cup last season, and are still in the running to retain their title this year.

They are currently five points behind Brighouse Town with two games in hand, and are to play their final home games at Cougar Park to prepare for next season, including a game against Bay Athletic tomorrow (Saturday) at 2.30pm and the game against Lower Hopton on March 29.

Next season they will continue in the County Amateur League, and after that hope to step up into the North East Counties league. That will set them on the first rung of the ladder which could see them move into the Unibond and Conference leagues -- just one step below the Football League.

In recent years the club has been preparing the foundations for the leap into the 'big time' by developing a club which has teams all the way through from the youngest players at 5-6 years of age, through to the first team. The Under-14s are in the County Junior Cup Final and the Under-12s are also in the running for a place in the Keighley FA Junior final.

Silsden's move has the backing of Keighley Football Association president, Jack Holmes. "We started holding our meetings at Cougar Park, and introduced Silsden to rugby club directors, Neil Spencer and Colin Farrar, and they have moved things forward from there.

"We would love to see a club playing top class football in the area," he said.

For the rugby club the move will mean the Cougar Park ground is used throughout the year, bringing extra money to the club. Links with soccer should also allow further development of the ground if a long term agreement can be reached with the Co-op.

"We wish the football club well and want to do everything we can to promote local sport. It should be a move which is a great benefit to us both," Mr Spencer said.

The partnership kicked off on Wednesday night with a historic first game for Silsden at Cougar Park, a friendly game against Lancashire semi-pro side Great Harwood Town, who play in the NW Counties League.

Silsden dominated the opening period and went on to secure a 5-2 victory with goals from Jimmy Spencer (2), Andy Holden, Mick Ward and Lee Riley. Both Gt Harwood's goals were scored by an ex-Blackburn Rovers striker who turned out for The Robins.