Steve Hossack on Doncaster Athletic Club, Doncaster Knights and Doncaster Belles legend Gillian Coultard

With the likes of former Stainforth Athletic Club secretary Barry Barnes supplying much of the ammunition, I was able to fire a number of bullets in the direction of former elected mayor Martin Winter in an earlier version of this column.

Both Stainforth, where I remember running the two sprint races in its first ever Open meeting in the early 70s, and Doncaster Plant Works Athletic Club, where I was briefly a member, were operating from rundown cinder tracks many years past their sell-by date and not safe in places.

The two clubs joined forces and adopted a new name in the late 90s to try and put pressure on Doncaster Council in the hope of getting a new track.

Several potential sites were explored including Parklands, which was roughly halfway between the two clubs, and either would probably been acceptable. But once the option of a track at the new Lakeside complex was muted it was always the front-runner.

The track opened in 2007 and has proved a magnet for local runners, many of whom would previously have looked to join clubs outside of the borough in the past in search of better facilities.

Membership, which ranges from five years to 75 years, has grown more than 50 per cent over the years and caters for both track and field athletes as well as road and cross-country runners.

The club boast 12 coaches the oldest boasting a 40-year involvement in Doncaster athletics. Between them they specialise in all aspects of the sport including the popular Couch to 5K courses.

In a move which has played a huge part in the club’s success, they were handed a 25-year lease on the complex – a decision which has enabled them to have a much bigger say in their operation than would otherwise have been the case.

In chairman Kev Lincoln, a former high-ranking police officer in the town and an experienced road runner, the club have a man at the helm, backed up by a hard-working board of directors, who has proved a real driving force.

“I am confident that our lease will be renewed as we have proven our ability to manage the site for the benefit of local, regional and national communities,” Kev told me. “Succession planning will be key to bringing in younger director, coaches and officials and we have already started that process.”

As well as staging such as Northern League, Upper/Lower Youth Development League and South Yorkshire League and Doncaster schools’ championships, the club also stage several Open Track & Field meetings.

The first one this year is being held on May 28 and is expected to exceed over 200 entries. Speaking from personal experience a good afternoon of athletics is assured. Admission is free and food will be on sale.

Such meetings help raise funds for the club, which has to meet all maintenance costs at the stadium, and they hope a new venture – a mobile cinema showing hit movie Mama Mia on June 24 – will also help to boost the coffers.

The club will also stage the popular Sandall Beat 10k on June 8 and the Town Centre 5k meeting on July 13, which already had 300 entries accrued during the lockdown period. But the Cusworth 10k joins the likes of the Brodsworth 5 mile and Askern 10k runs which have been cancelled due to increased regulation and costs.

“Doncaster Council were insisting on additional signage and lollipop stop and go signs at the start of the races in the interest of safety,” said Kev.

“But, speaking as someone who has ten years’ experience as a road race director, to me and my colleagues at Askern Running Club, these proposals would add to the safety risk, are not cost effective and would involve additional staff.”

*How disappointing for everyone connected with Doncaster Knights that they ended one of their best ever seasons with nothing to show for their efforts.

Having narrowly being pipped for the Championship title by big-spending Ealing Trailfinders, they were strongly fancied to at least make final of the Championship Cup which was played after the end of the league season for the first time with a new format.

Sadly, a below par performance in their quarter-final first leg at home to Coventry proved their undoing

A lot of supporters will have been sad at the time to have lost virtually the whole of the 2019/20 squad as it contained many stalwarts who had served the club well for many years. I know I was as I got to know a lot of them well during my time covering the club.

But the results of the last two seasons have more than justified Steve Boden’s decision to ring the changes and the club look to be in good hands going forward.

*I was pleased to see that former Doncaster Belles and England star Gillian Coultard was recently honoured when receiving an MBE for her services to women’s football.

I was fortunate to see Gill, the first woman to win 100 England caps, play on a number of occasions during the years when Belles ruled the roost in women’s football, including several WFA Cup finals.

I remember her scoring a spectacular long-range effort in the 1987/88 final where they beat Leasowe Pacific 3-1 at Crewe’s Gresty Road.

She also scored the only goal in the 1989-90 win over Friends of Fulham at the old Baseball Ground. The pint-sized midfielder also opened Belles’ account in the 4-0 win over Red Star Southampton at Prenton Park two years later.

Although the strength in depth was nowhere what it is today in the women’s game, Gill would still have been one of the brightest lights in the sport and arguably an even better player than she was had she been a full-time professional.

She was also tremendously loyal to the Belles, reportedly turning down several offers to play in mainland Europe where the top players were well paid.