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CLUBS L – R
FOR CHESHIRE COUNTY LEAGUE, LANCASHIRE COMBINATION AND NORTH WEST COUNTIES LEAGUE, PLEASE USE THE NORTH WEST BUTTON. FOR MIDLAND LEAGUE, NORTH EASTERN LEAGUE, NORTHERN LEAGUE, NORTHERN COUNTIES (EAST) LEAGUE AND YORKSHIRE LEAGUE, PLEASE USE THE NORTH EAST BUTTON. FOR NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE (UNIBOND), PLEASE USE THE NORTH BUTTON. FOR ALLIANCE PREMIER LEAGUE/CONFERENCE (NATIONAL) AND CONFERENCE NORTH, PLEASE USE THE CONFER. BUTTON.
LANCASTER CITY
Lancaster were early members of the Lancashire Combination and were members of this competition under the name Lancaster Town 1911-1937, during which time the title was won 4 times. In 1937 the club became Lancaster City and it was as this that they joined the Northern Premier League in 1971. City were founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982 before re-joining the NPL in 1987. The Conference North was joined in 2004, but financial problems forced a return to the NPL in 2007.
LEEK TOWN
Leek FC were early members of the Midland League 1889-1890, but disappeared from view after that. The modern senior club in the Staffordshire town, Leek Town played in the Mid-Cheshire and Birmingham & District Leagues in the early 1950s before joining the Cheshire County League in 1973 and becoming founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982. The club was an upwardly mobile one in these years and joined the Northern Premier League in 1987. Returning to the NPL after spending the 1994-1995 campaign in the Southern League, Leek won promotion to the Conference in 1998. It was a case of back to the NPL in 2000, however, and the club is currently in Division 1 South.
LEEK CSOB
Another Leek side, CSOB, are in the North West Counties League, which they joined in 1996 from a competition called ‘The Midland League’, which has no connection with the association of that name which appears on this website.
LEIGH GENESIS
Under the name Horwich RMI the club joined the wartime Lancashire Combination in 1917, re-joining the competition in 1946 having opted out of the first post-war season. Horwich won the title in 1958 and were runners-up in both 1956 and 1967. The decision was taken to switch to the Cheshire County League in 1968 when the setting up of the Northern Premier League created vacancies. RMI were founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982, but joined the Northern Premier League in 1983, changing their name to Leigh RMI 12 years later. As champions of the NPL, RMI moved up to the Conference in 2000, punching above their weight initially before slipping down to Conference North in 2005. Another name change has been the club become Leigh Genesis, who are now playing in the NPL Division 1 North. The club’s reserve side played in the Lancashire Combination Division 2 1957-1968.
LONG EATON UNITED
Back in 1889, a club named ‘Long Eaton Rangers’ were founder members of a competition called the Football Alliance, which formed the bulk of the Football League Division 2 in 1892. By this time Rangers had moved to the Midland League, leaving this association in 1899. Long Eaton United were founder members of the newly-formed Midland League in 1961 and also of the Northern Counties (East) League in 1982. The club moved to the Central Midlands League in 1989, only to re-join the NCEL in 2002. United are members of the NCEL Premier Division currently. Another Long Eaton club, ‘Grange’, were in the Midland League 1975-1982 and the Northern Counties (East) League 1982-1983.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN
Under the name ‘Macclesfield’, the club joined the Lancashire Combination in 1911 from The Combination. In 1915, the Great War began and most competitions were closed down. When peace returned, Macclesfield joined the new Cheshire County League in 1919, missing only the 1945-1946 season before moving on to the Northern Premier League in 1968 after taking their 6th Cheshire League title, under the name adopted in 1966 of ‘Macclesfield Town’. Two NPL championships and the first-ever F.A. Trophy were won in the next 2 years, after which there was relatively little to shout about for some years. Town joined the Conference in 1987 after a 3rd NPL title success and hoped to be promoted to the Football League when taking the Conference crown in 1995, only to be rejected on ground grading rules. Another F.A. Trophy triumph in 1996 was followed by a second Conference title in 1997 and this time ... promotion to the Football League.
MANSFIELD TOWN
A club named ‘Mansfield Town’ joined the Midland League in 1892, absorbing neighbours Mansfield Greenhalghs two years later. This team then ‘sank below the horizon’ and Mansfield Town was not seen again until the Midland League was joined in 1921. The club won the title twice (1924 and 1925), left the competition in 1926, re-joined in 1927 and became champions for a third time in 1928. After several attempts, Mansfield Town joined the Football League in 1931, leaving their reserve side to carry the club’s flag in non-league circles. It was not until relegation from League 2 that the club’s first team was back in non-league soccer, joining the Conference National in 2008.
MARINE
Marine joined the Lancashire Combination in 1935, re-joining in 1946 after World War Two. The club switched to the Cheshire County League in 1969 and won the title 3 times in the 1970s. Marine moved to the Northern Premier League in 1979 and, despite coming close to further promotion twice in recent years, have remained there since. MATLOCK TOWN
Matlock FC played two seasons in the Midland League 1894-1896, leaving after a remarkably bad campaign in 1896. Re-formed as Matlock Town in 1946, the club became members of the new Midland League in 1961, winning the title at the first attempt. After a second title seven years later, Town joined the Northern Premier League in 1969 and won the F.A. Trophy, despite being outplayed for three-quarters of the game, in 1975. The Derbyshire club still play in the NPL.
MORECAMBE
Morecambe became members of the Lancashire Combination in 1920. Winners of the title in 1924, the club had to wait 38 years for its next league championship in 1962, after which three more were added by 1968. Morecambe were founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968 and won the F.A. Trophy in 1974. The next move came with elevation to the Conference in 1995. By 2003, Morecambe were a major force in non-league’s top division and, at the third attempt, the club emerged triumphant from the play-offs to earn promotion to League 2 in 2007.
MOSSLEY
Founder members of the Cheshire County League in 1919, Mossley joined the Northern Premier League in 1972 before embarking on the best spell in the club’s history. Champions of the NPL in 1979 and 1980, Mossley were runners-up in each of the next 3 seasons. A Wembley appearance in the F.A. Trophy in 1980 added to the club’s excellent reputation at this time. Those days seemed a long way off by 1995 when Mossley joined the North West Counties League. The club returned to the NPL in 2004 and had a season in the Premier Division 2006-2007.
NELSON
Nelson played in the Lancashire League 1889-1898 and 1900-1901. The club joined the Lancashire Combination in 1901 but became a member of the Central League after World War One, before joining the Football League in 1921. After failing to gain re-election, Nelson joined the Lancashire Combination in 1931, but left in 1936. Re-joining in 1946, the club won the title in 1950 and 1952, but, after finishing runners-up in 1961, slipped down the rankings. Founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982, Nelson slipped ‘out of sight’ 1988-1992 when members of the West Lancashire League, but re-joined the North West Counties League in 1992.
NEW BRIGHTON
New Brighton played in the Lancashire Combination from 1921. In 1924 the club was elected to the Football League, but lost its place in 1951 and re-joined the Lancashire Combination, winning the title in 1959. A switch was made to the Cheshire League in 1965, but the club left this competition in 1981 and seems to have folded. In 1993 a new club was formed and plays in the West Cheshire League, despite having had some difficulties surviving.. NORTH SHIELDS
The club began life as North Shields Athletic and joined the North Eastern League in 1908, playing there until the Great War. The new name of Preston Colliery was adopted in 1918 and the club re-joined the North Eastern League in 1921, becoming ‘North Shields’ in 1928. When the league folded in 1958, Shields joined the Midland League, which folded two years later. The Northern Counties League (which became the North Eastern League 2 years later) was joined in 1960 and, when this competition folded, North Shields switched to the Northern League in 1964. The club won both the title and the F.A. Amateur Cup in 1969 and took the bold step of moving to Northern Counties (East) League in 1989. Title success was celebrated in this competition in 1992, but things went ‘pear-shaped’ and the club was forced to re-form and enter the Wearside League in 1992. Two name changes later, North Shields did well in the Wearside League and moved up to the Northern League in 2004.
NORTHWICH VICTORIA
Founder members of The Combination in 1890 and Football League Division 2 in 1892, Northwich Victoria had a high-class start to league competition. Back in non-league circles and The Combination in 1894, the Vics joined the Lancashire Combination in 1912 and became founder members of the Cheshire County League in 1919, winning the title in 1957. As one of the North’s better non-league clubs, Northwich were founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968 and the Alliance Premier League (Conference) in 1979. The club won the F.A. Trophy in 1984 and were finalists for a third time in 1996, by which time things were starting to decline a little, mainly due to high costs involved in staying at the forefront of the non-league game. Vics went down to Conference North in 2005, bounced straight back to the National division in 2006, but were relegated to Conference North in 2009.
NORTON & STOCKTON ANCIENTS first appeared when joining the Northern League in 1982 and are still in that association today. There may be links with the old STOCKTON club which folded in 1975 after playing in the Northern League 1889-1939, the North Eastern League 1939-1958 and 1960-1964, the Midland League 1958-1960 and 1972-1973, and the North Regional League 1967-1968. There are gaps in Stockton’s history, which may mean membership at some point of the Wearside League, but the records to establish this one way or the other don’t seem to be available. Another link with the old Stockton club stems from 1980 when Stockton Cricket Club FC adopted the name and joined the Wearside League, becoming Thornaby-on-Tees in 1999 and Thornaby after that. There is also now a Stockton Town, who play in the Teesside League, tables for which appear on the Wearside League 2009-2010 page.
OSSETT ALBION
Albion joined the Yorkshire League in 1957 and remained members until 1982 when the competition closed with the foundation of the Northern Counties (East) League. The club joined the Northern Premier League in 2001, returned to the NCEL in 2002 and have since moved back to the NPL in 2004.
OSSETT TOWN
Albion joined the Yorkshire League in 1945 and remained members until 1982 when the competition closed with the foundation of the Northern Counties (East) League. The club joined the Northern Premier League in 1999.
PADIHAM
Padiham were members of the Lancashire Combination1894-1898, 1900-1906, 1910-1915, 1949-1968 and 1977-1982. North West Counties League since 1982, these being 1982-1990 and 2000-the present.
PENRITH
The club joined the North Eastern League in 1907, entered the Northern League in 1948, moved to the North West Counties League in 1982 and were members of the Northern Premier League 1987-1990. After that there was a return to the North West Counties League 1990-1997 and a further move back to the Northern League in 1997. In recent years the club was briefly called Penrith Town.
PRESCOT CABLES
The club had one season in the Lancashire Combination 1897-1898, returning for a longer spell in 1927 when taking over the fixtures of Fleetwood. Cables moved to the Cheshire County League in 1933, but re-joined the Lancashire Combination in 1938. A change of name to ‘Prescot Town’ was made c.1960 and the club dropped out of the mainstream in 1975 to join the Mid-Cheshire League. Prescot reappeared in the Cheshire League in 1978 and moved into the new North West Counties League in 1982, having become Prescot Cables again a couple of years earlier. The club changed its name again in 1990, before deciding to revert to being ‘cables’ once again in 1995. Prescot Cables joined the Northern Premier League in 2003.
RADCLIFFE BOROUGH
Radcliffe Borough joined the Lancashire Combination in 1963, switched to the Cheshire County League in 1971, were founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982 and stepped up to the Northern Premier League in 1987.
RETFORD UNITED
Retford United were champions of the Notts Alliance Division 1 in 2001 and moved to the Central Midlands League, which was won in 2004. United’s next move was to the Northern Counties (East) League in 2004, with a further step up the non-league ladder following when the club joined the Northern Premier League in 2007.
Followers of non-league football had been familiar with the name ‘Retford’ for many years because of Retford Town, who had been members of the Yorkshire League from 1949 and of the Midland League 1961-1980. After some years in the non-league wilderness, Town reappeared as members of the Northern Counties (East) League 1983-1985, only to disappear once again, possibly folding and re-forming. Town’s reserve side played in the Yorkshire League 1964-1969 and had a season in the Midland League 1975-1976.
ROSSENDALE UNITED
Probably connected with the club which played in the Lancashire League in the years before, Rossendale United joined the Lancashire Combination in 1898, but left a year later, only to re-join in 1901 for a longer stay. Champions in 1927, Rossendale continued in the same competition until joining the Cheshire County League in 1970, winning this at the first attempt and twice finishing runners-up in the next 3 seasons. United joined the North West Counties League in 1982. In 1989 the step up to the Northern Premier League was made, but there was a return to the North West Counties League in 1993. Having become champions in 2001 Rossendale returned to the NPL.
RUNCORN
Founder members of the Cheshire County League in 1919, the club took the title 5 times, the last of these successes coming in 1963. Runcorn joined the Northern Premier League in 1968, winning this competition twice. After the second success, the Linnets were promoted to the Alliance Premier League (Conference) in 1981 and won the championship in their first season. Three F.A. Trophy Finals were reached before decline saw the club back in the Northern Premier League in 1996, 5 years after which the new name of Runcorn FC Halton was taken. Runcorn joined Conference North in 2004, but were back in the NPL in 2005 and folded in 2006.
RUNCORN LINNETS Set up after the demise of Runcorn FC Halton, Runcorn Linnets were accepted into the North West Counties League in 2006. | |||||||||