STEETON are set to dedicate their match-day programme for this weekend's County Cup tie with Salts to late committee member Archie Airdrie.

The club's Facebook page was swamped with hundreds of condolence messages and tributes to the popular club stalwart, who passed away just before Christmas aged 70 following a short illness.

His funeral takes place at Oakworth Crematorium tomorrow (11.30am), with mourners invited to Steeton Hall afterwards.

A minute's applause will also be held in his honour before Saturday's fourth-round West Riding County FA Challenge Cup clash at home to league rivals Salts (2pm kick-off).

First-team manager Roy Mason said: "Archie was a real genuine guy and we had over 23,000 views (by the middle of last week) when we posted the news of his death.

"I think the word everyone has used to describe Archie is a 'gentleman'. He always had a smile on his face and never had a bad word to say about anyone.

"He was not just popular within our club but everyone in Steeton as he was a porter at Airedale Hospital and was very popular there as well."

As well as working on the committee, Archie – who had been at Steeton since the early 1980s after moving down from Scotland – used to play for the club and had a spell as reserve-team manager.

Mason was full of praise for his work as a volunteer, along with his wife, behind the scenes at the West Riding County Amateur League club.

He said: "He was one of our unsung heroes on the committee. He and his wife Janet did a lot of things people might take for granted.

"Every Sunday they used to go down to the changing rooms and mop them all out. He did things that people don't see are done behind the scenes.

"He was always the one who put the goalposts up before games on a Saturday morning.

"He used to do things to help me on a Tuesday night. He'd come down to the ground and fill all the water bottles, so when I came down it was all done for me."

Archie's death comes just over a month after the passing of long-serving club president David Baxter.

Several Steeton players, past and present, were among those to post tributes on Facebook.

Damien Whiteoak wrote: "Very sad news, true gentleman that will be sorely missed. Lost for words x", while Jamie Longley posted: "Awful news. Absolute gent of a man. RIP".