Ossett United, a non-league football club from West Yorkshire, are planning to sell their ground and say that their entire future is “in jeopardy” after they lost a landmark legal case taken by an opponent who broke his ankle.

Ossett say that their insurance, which includes a liability policy offered by the Northern Premier League, did not protect them from costs or legal fees should they lose a claim and they have now been left with a court order for almost £135,000 for damages, costs and legal fees.

The match against Radcliffe Borough in April 2015 was abandoned when Rees Welsh broke his ankle following what his manager, Danny Johnson, called a “poor challenge and a horrible incident”. Phil Smith, the Ossett United chairman, said that it was a “solid tackle” but that the damage was inadvertently caused when Sam Akeroyd’s trailing leg caught Welsh’s ankle.

Welsh was forced out of football for more than a year with the injury and took his case against both Ossett Town, who were merged with Ossett Albion in July 2018 to become Ossett United, and Akeroyd. He was awarded damages of just over £19,000, with the remaining £115,000 relating to costs and legal fees.