I am due to visit Wales soon and maybe will find Porthmadog FC ( Clwb Pel Droed Porthmadog) and its charming ground on the new town by-pass. In a previous visit, my friends and I were immediately made to feel comfortable by the accomodating locals. The bar didn't sell cask ale but the Basra stockist did make up for this oversight by having a selection of Snowdonia Beer from the local Purple Moose brewery and the usual extras, Walkers' crisps, peanuts and close by a cafe selling chips and various hot foods. There was a queue.
Porthmadog FC was founded in 1884 and is one of the oldest clubs in Wales. History says that they play on the same pitch as they have always done, though the version we saw at the Traeth, was modern and despite the floods, in good nick. The lad who ran the club shop said they had been under water twice this winter. Shirts, badges and even a weird selection of old football programmes were up for grabs at the right price. I came across a Spurs' proggy from the 1980s and one from Ampthill Town as well as some Welsh league clubs. Tantalising. But my money stayed in my pocket.
Playing in the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance, they lie around half way in the division and have had much success in the past. The 1950s saw them win the Welsh Amateur Cup and in the 1960s when they turned professional, the club was graced by Mel Charles and even his very famous brother John had strong links with the club. Tony Waddington has also had his four penny worth as did Micky Thomas, leading to considerable success in the league during the 1970s. If these names mean nothing to you, then shame on you!
I shall now tell you about another extraordinary link with the club. I had played an odd game with Steve Woodin, an Englishmen, born in Birkenhead, who was a Port player in the 1980s. Woodin was a New Zealand 1982 World Cup player, whom I met when I spent a year in NZ in 1984 and played a bit for his team Christchurch United. Woodin is famed for appearing in Spain against Scotland (2-5 loss but he did score), The Soviet Union and Brazil.
He appeared 24 times for his country and scored 11 goals.
In the 1990s Porthmadog had a prolific striker called Dave Taylor who scored 62 goals in 66 games and therefore won the European Golden Boot as the continent's top goal scorer. In 1992-3 the club's floodlights were installed and they gave out many lumens today as the winter's sun set.
On the 16th January 2007, the club was fined £13500 and docked 3 points for failing to control their supporters who racially abused a referee called Gary Ismial. Judging from what we saw this afternoon I find that hard to believe, so genial were they all. The ref, bless him, was wearing a black kit in the first half, which clashed with the oppos' strip, until somebody mentioned it (probably his assessor) so he changed to luminous orange, that clashed with the Llanfair goalie! Dooh.
Around this time, ex-Manchester United star, Clayton Blackmore made a short appearance as Port's manager, though his reign did not last long.
We had a great afternoon with the Port and would recommend them for future visits.
The club claims it was originally founded in 1861, which would make it the fourth oldest association football club in the world, however, "firm fact is not available. As of 2023, the earliest record of a game of association football being played in the town comes from December 1875, when the Sheffield Daily Telegraph reported that a Worksop team had won its opening match against Harthill. The earliest record of the club using the "Town" suffix comes from 1882, when Worksop played Eckington on 18 February.
The Town club joined the Sheffield and District Football League in 1892 and also played in the Sheffield Association League during the late 1890s after an unsuccessful one-year spell in the Midland League. Worksop re-joined the Midland League in 1900 and became a prominent member of the competition before the First World War. It finished third in the league in 1903 and, in 1908, reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 1–9 at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea in front of 18,995 spectators.
After the First World War put a halt to football activity in the town, the game returned in 1919 when Worksop Town and Manton Athletic merged to become Worksop and Manton Athletic, although the Worksop Town name remained in popular usage. The club joined the Midland League and in 1921 won the competition for the first time.
The 1920s provided the club with its best spell in the FA Cup, reaching the first round in four out of six seasons from 1921. In 1923, it drew Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane – the Tigers pulled off a shock, holding Spurs to a goal-less draw. The Worksop board decided against hosting the replay at Central Avenue and it was beaten 0–9 in the replay two days after the original tie, again at White Hart Lane. In 1926, it reached the second round for the first time after beating Coventry City at Central Avenue in the first round – eventually losing by one goal to three to Chesterfield in the next round.
In 1930, the club withdrew from the Midland League and disbanded, with a new Worksop Town club being formed shortly after. The new outfit initially played in the Sheffield Association League and Central Combination, before joining the Yorkshire League in 1935. This latest incarnation lasted less than a decade, being wound up during the Second World War.
After the end of the Second World War, another new club was formed by the name of Worksop Town Athletic, although the Athletic suffix would soon fall out of use. They initially competed in the Sheffield Association League, but later joining the Midland League. In 1956, it progressed to the third round of the FA Cup for the only time in its history, beating Skegness Town and Bradford City before losing to Swindon Town at their County Ground. Worksop won up its second Midland League title in 1966 before becoming a founder member of the Northern Premier League (NPL) two years later. It returned to the Midland League after just one year, however, as the Tigers finished bottom in the NPL's inaugural season.
Worksop won its third and last Midland League title in 1973 and, a year later, re-joined the NPL, eventually finding its feet at this higher level. In 1978, it once more reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing 1–5 at Barnsley. In 1989, it was relegated to Division 1 of the NPL, and had to move to play in Gainsborough, when it was evicted from its Central Avenue home. It spent three years in Gainsborough before returning to the newly built Sandy Lane ground in Worksop in 1992.
The Tigers regained NPL Premier Division status in 1998, by which time Chris Waddle was playing for Worksop, and, in 1999, it finished as runner-up in the NPL, only just missing promotion to the Football Conference. In 2004, it was a founder member of the Conference North, but it only lasted three years in the division before being relegated back to the Northern Premier League. It was around this time that the club fell into financial difficulties and lost ownership of its home ground at Sandy Lane, being forced to rent the local grounds, such as Retford Town FC for three years.
Worksop Town celebrate winning the 2021-22 Sheffield and Hallam shire Senior Cup
In 2011, the club finally returned to Sandy Lane, but this time as tenants of Worksop Parramore, which had bought the ground and allowed the Tigers to play there. The 2013–14 season almost saw Worksop promoted back to the Conference North but it was beaten in the league play-off semi-finals. At the end of the season, the club's owner, Jason Clark, revealed that he would no longer be funding the club, plunging it into a financial crisis, and shortly afterwards the decision was taken to resign from the Northern Premier League and to join the Northern Counties East (NCEL), entering the Premier Division.
The drop to the ninth level of the EFL also meant a first foray into the FAC Vase, having previously competed in the FA Trophy. Worksop were crowned Northern Counties East champions at the end of the 2018–19 season, winning promotion back to the Northern Premier League.
On 18 March 2023, the club won the Division One East title in the Northern Premier League with seven games of the season remaining, the first team in English football to secure promotion in the 2022-3 season.
On this day in 1923,Worksop Town played at First Division Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane ground; it was an exciting visit to London for an FA Cup First Round tie. Almost exactly 15 years earlier (11th January 1908) they had played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge…and lost 9-0.
This time though things were different for The Tigers. The Midland League champions put on a great display against Spurs, at White Hart Lane, with many home fans in the 23,928 crowd cheering on the non-leaguers, with Worksop recording a memorable 0-0 draw. Worksop didn’t consider their Central Avenue ground as being suitable for the replay and Spurs immediately accepted a request to stage the replay at White Hart Lane.
Worksop stayed over in London and the clubs re-assembled in north London two days later on the Monday afternoon. This time the 23,122 crowd saw a very different match. Spurs were 6-0 up at half time and finished 9-0 winners. Such is life! The team now plays in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League. The Tigers play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop.
Tamworth Football Clubis based in Staffordshire, England. The club competes in the National League North, the fifth level in the EFL system.
The club was formed in 1933 after the previous club, Tamworth Castle, ceased to exist. After playing in the local and Regional League, the team reached the Southern League in 1972. Following a spell in the Northern Premier League between 1979 and 1983 and a single season back in the Southern League, Tamworth, nicknamed, The Lambs, subsequently fell on hard times and returned to lower-level football.
In 1988, Tamworth returned to the Southern League and a year later won the FA Vase. Tamworth reached the Final of the FA Trophy in 2003. In the same season, they played Burscough but were denied a double, losing 2–1 at Villa Parkbut in the same season won promotion to the Football Conference, going on to spend four seasons at the highest level of non-League football before being relegated to the Conference North. In 2009 the club gained promotion back to the Conference Premier, and spent five seasons at that level before being relegated. Further relegation in 2018 took the club back to the Southern League.
The team originally played at The Jolly Sailor Ground but after a year moved into The Lamb Ground, named after a pub which formerly stood nearby. The stadium currently has a capacity of just under 5,000 and a 3G artificial pitch which was laid in 2016. Local rivals include Burton Albion and Numeaton Borough.
The town of Tamworth had been represented at football by Tamworth Castle F.C. until the club folded in 1933. This void was filled thanks to a campaign started by a letter from a local businessman in the local newspaper setting in motion the formation of Tamworth F.C. Originally playing next to the Jolly Sailor Pub, the club moved to their present ground, The Lamb Ground, in 1934. Tamworth began life competing in the Birmingham Corporation, before joining the Birmingham and District League, subsequently renamed the West Midlands Regional League, in 1954.
In the 1960s Tamworth won the league in 1963–64 and 1965–66 and finished runners-up on two other occasions, as well as lifting the West Midlands League Cup, Birmingham Senior Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup in that decade.
In 1972 Tamworth gained promotion to the Southern League, following a third West Midlands League title, but a period of falling attendances and financial difficulties followed. The club returned to the West Midlands League in 1984, and was taken over by a consortium of local businessmen. In 1987–88 Tamworth won the League and were promoted back to the Southern League.
FA Vase win and promotion to the Conference: In 1989 Tamworth, managed by Graham Smith, reached the final of the FA Vase for the first time, one year after gaining promotion back to the Southern League. The final was against Sudbury Town at Wembley and finished in a 1–1 draw, meaning a replay, that was played at Peterborough Utd. Tamworth won 3–0 with two goals from Mark Stanton and one from Ian Moore, lifting the FA Vase for the first time. In 1997 The Lambs won the championship of the Southern League Midland Division and gained promotion to the Premier Division.
In the 2001–02 season, Tamworth narrowly missed out on promotion to the Football Conference, the highest level of non-League football. The following season, however, Tamworth won the championship of the Southern League to gain promotion. In the same season Tamworth also reached the final of the FA Trophy, versus Burscough but were denied a double, losing 2–1 at Villa Park. The club finished the 2005–06 season in 21st position (the last relegation position) in the Conference Premier, the club were spared the drop after Canvey Ireland resigned from the league. They also reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time that season.
Relegation and return to the Conference Premier: Despite a fairly poor 2006–07 league campaign, Tamworth once again found themselves at the 3rd round stage of the FA Cup. Norwich City beat The Lambs and despite a change in leadership, Tamworth were relegated to the Conference North after finishing in 22nd position.
Nick Wright scored the goal which clinched the Conference North championship in 2009. The club won promotion back to the Conference Premier at the second attempt,
Tamworth were defeated by Everton in the 3rd round of the FA Cup 2011-12, 2–0 on 6 January 2012. Around 5,000 Lambs supporters made the trip to Goodison Park.
Conference North and Southern League
The 2013–14 season was ultimately one to forget for the Lambs. In a season that included a few highlights such as progress to the 2nd round of the 2013-14 FA Cup where they were beaten 2–1 at home to Bristol City, Tamworth could not survive in the league and finished 23rd, dropping down into the Conference North after five seasons in the English fifth tier.
On the back of the success of the previous season Tamworth subsequently recorded a second successive promotion the following year, winning the 2023-24 National League North title with two games remaining. In the 2024-5 season, Tamworth defeated League One side Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup first round. They then reached the FA Cup third round for only the fourth time in their history after defeating Burton Albion on penalties after securing a 1–1 draw. The draw for the third round proper saw them drawn at home to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, a match that they lost 0-3 following a valiant effort.
The FA Challenge Vase, commonly known as the FA Vase, is a knockout cup competition in English football, organised by and named after The Football Association (the FA). It was staged for the first time in the 1974–75 season, effectively replacing the FA Amateur Cup, which was discontinued after the abolition of official amateur status by the FA. While the leading teams from the Amateur Cup switched to the existing FA Trophy, the lower-level teams entered the new FA Vase. The Vase is open to all clubs in levels five to seven of the National League System, equivalent to levels nine to eleven of the overall English football league system, although clubs from other leagues may apply to enter if their stadiums meet certain requirements. Today the FOURTH ROUND is being played.
The record for the most wins is held byWhitley Bay with four victories.Whitley Bay have also won in three consecutive seasons. Winners from the first Final:
1974-75: Hoddesdon Town 2-1 Epsom & Ewell 1976-77: Billericay Town 2-1 Sheffield (Replay) 1975-76: Billericay Town 1-0 Stamford 1977-78: Blue Star 2-1 Barton Rovers 1978-79: Billericay Town 4-1 Almondsbury Greenway1979-80: Stamford 2-0 Guisborough Town1980-81: Whickham 3-2 Willenhall Town 1981-82: Forest Green Rovers 3-0 Rainworth Miners Welfare 1982-83: VS Rugby 1-0 Halesowen Town 1983-84: Stansted 2-0 Stamford 1984-85: Halesowen Town 3-1 Fleetwood Town 1985-86: Halesowen Town 3-0 Southall 1986-87: St Helens Town 3-2 Warrington Town 1987-88: Colne Dynamoes 1-0 Emley 1988-89: Tamworth 3-0 Sudbury Town (Replay): 1989-90: Yeading 1-0 Bridlington Town (Replay) 1990-91: Guiseley 3-1 Gresley Rovers (Replay) 1991-92: Wimborne Town 5-3 Guiseley 1992-93: Bridlington Town 1-0 Tiverton Town 1993-94: Diss Town 2-1 Taunton Town:1994-95: Arlesey Town 2-1 Oxford City 1995-96: Brigg Town 3-0 Clitheroe 1996-97: Whitby Town 3-0 North Ferriby United 1997-98: Tiverton Town 1-0 Tow Law Town 1998-99: Tiverton Town 1-0 Bedlington Terriers 1999-00: Deal Town 1-0 Chippenham Town 2000-01: Taunton Town 2-1 Berkhamsted Town 2001-02: Whitley Bay 1-0 Tiptree United 2002-03:Brigg Town 2-1 AFC Sudbury 2003-04: Winchester City 2-0 AFC Sudbury 2004-05: Didcot Town 3-2 AFC Sudbury 2005-06: Nantwich Town 3-1 Hillingdon Borough 2006-07: Truro City 3-1 AFC Totton 2007-08: Kirkham & Wesham 2-1 Lowestoft Town 2008-09: Whitley Bay 2-0 Glossop North End 2009-10: Whitley Bay 6-1 Wroxham 2010-11: Whitley Bay 3-2 Coalville Town 2011-12: Dunston UTS 2-0 West Auckland Town 2012-13 Spennymoor Town 2-1 Tunbridge Wells 2013-14: Sholing 1-0 West Auckland Town 2014-15: North Shields 2-1 Glossop North End 2015-16: Hereford 1-4 Morpeth Town 2016-17: Cleethorpes 0-4 South Shields 2017-18: Stockton 0-1 Thatcham Town 2018-19: Chertsey Town 3-1 Cray Valley (PM) 2019-20: Hebburn Town 3-0 Consett 2020-21: Warrington Rylands 3-2 Binfield 2021-22: Newport Pagnell Town 3-0 Littlehampton Town 2022-23: Ascot 1-0 Newport Pagnell Town 2023-24: Romford 3-0 Great Wakering Rovers.
Brigg Town FC is a member of the Northern Counties East League Division One and play at the Hawthorns. Established in 1864, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the world and TWO time Vase winners. Brigg Town FC, known as the Zebras (I think for obvious reasons), is the oldest surviving club in Lincolnshire, and one of the oldest clubs in England, having been formed in 1864. In the non-league world only Sheffield (1857), Harefield Utd (1858), Hallam (1860) and Cray Wanderers (1860) are older. Today, weather permitting, here are some of the more "Romantic" ties: Roman Glass St George v Andover New Street: Walsham Le Willows v Whitstable Town: Crawley Down Gatwick v Fleet Town: Egham Town v London Lions: White Ensign v Erith and Belvedere. HAVE A LOOK FOR THEIR SCORES....
Walsham le Willowsis a villagein the Mid Suffolk, located around 3 miles (4 km) south-east of Stanton. Walsham le Willows FC is the local football club, currently playing in the Eastern Counties League who play at Sumner Road. The club is affiliated to the Suffolk County FA.
Queen Elizabeth Igranted Walsham le Willows parish, of around 1200 population, to Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, in 1559. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1213.
The Great Seal of the Realm is used to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. To make it, sealing wax is melted into a metal mould, impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord to documents that the monarch wishes to seal officially. The formal, Keeper of the Seal, is the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
The village is documented fully in surviving records of the time and, so the Cambridgehistorian, John Hatcher, chose to use it as the setting for his semi-fictionalised account of the effects of the mid-14th Century plaguein England,The Black Death: A Personal History(2008).
The Sacrifice Pole, dating from ancient time, is a wooden beam that has been stored in buildings around the village. Each year, at the start of February, around the time of Imbolc*, the wood is moved to a new building, on Saint Brigid's Day, a Gaelic traditional festival, which marks the beginning of Spring and for Christians, the feastday of Saint Brigid, Ireland's patroness saint. Its traditional date is 1st February, about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring Equinox. *The etymology of Imbolc is unclear. A common explanation is that it comes from the Old Irish, i mbolc (Modern Irish: i mbolg), meaning 'in the belly', and refers to the pregnancy of ewes at this time of year.
Walsham-le-Willows F.C. was founded around 1890, and played at the Summer Road sports ground where there was a pavilion with a thatched roof. During World War II,, the ground was ploughed up to grow food and was not returned to sports use until 1951.
The club was a founder member of the St. EdmundsburyFootball League, in 1907 and won the Suffolk Junior Cup in 1988, 1989 and 1990. After winning several league titles, the club switched to the Suffolk and Ipswich F.L. in 1989. The club won the Senior Division in 2001–02 and again in 2002–03. In the following season, the club finished second, but earned promotion to Division One of the Eastern Counties League..
The club finished fourth in their first season in the division, narrowly missing out on promotion. They also reached the final of the Suffolk Senior Cup, losing 2–1 to Needham Market The following season, they reached the final again, this time beating Capel Plough 4–3 after extra time. In 2006–07 the club won Division One, and were promoted to the Premier Division.
The Isuzu FA Trophy fourth round tie at home to Stockton Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Work will commence this week to ‘Dryject’ the Crown Oil Arena pitch, as confirmed in the Co-Chair’s Christmas message. This is a process which aims to remove water from the playing surface. The club is extremely hopeful that this work will ensure the pitch is in a playable condition by the time we are next in action at home, when we welcome York City in Vanarama National League action on Wednesday 15thJanuary (7.45pm kick-off). Our FA Trophy tie will now be played at Stockton’s MAP Group UK Stadium this coming Wednesday (8thJanuary), with kick-off at 7.45pm. Ticket details will be confirmed on Monday. Any tickets purchased for the original tie will be refunded from Monday 6th January. Supporters who purchased online or with card in-person do not need to contact the club. However, fans who paid cash in-person must visit the club in order to collect their refund.
Founded in 1907, Rochdale entered the Lancashire Combination and after securing promotion out of Division Two in 1909–10 they won the Division One title in 1910–11 and 1911–12. They then switched to the Central League, before being invited into the Football League when the Third Division North was created in 1921. The club remained in the division for 47 years but were relegated out of the new nationwide Third Division in 1959. They reached the League Cup final in 1962 and secured promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1968–69. Relegated in 1974, Rochdale remained in the fourth tier for 36 consecutive seasons after unsuccessful play-off campaigns in 2002, 2008 and 2009. The club finally secured promotion in 2009–10 and following relegation in 2012 the club was promoted to the third tier for a third time in 2013–14, but were relegated back to League Two in 2020–21. After 102 years as a Football League club, they were relegated to the National League at the end of the 2022–23 season.
Rochdale played 36 consecutive seasons in the Football League''s bottom division from 1974 to 2010, the longest time any team has been in the bottom division of the League, with some even derisively calling it "the Rochdale Division".The club has the lowest average position of all the clubs which have existed continuously in the Football League since its expansion to four divisions in 1921-22 (76th) and since its expansion to 92 clubs in 1950 (79th). Additionally, the club holds the distinction of having played the most seasons in the EFL without reaching the top two tiers (95 seasons as of 2022–23, when they were relegated to the Natioan League).
The club reached the League Cup Final in 1962. This was the first time a club from the bottom league division had reached the final of a major competition – where they lost to Norwich City.
During its history, the club has had three promotions and four relegations, with promotion coming in 1969 and 2010 and 2014 and relegation in 1959, 1974, 2012 and 2021. The 1959 relegation followed the 1958 restructuring which saw the combination of the two Third Division sections into the Third Division and Fourth Division. In the restructuring, Rochdale managed to secure a spot in the Third Division but was relegated at the end of the season to the now lowest Fourth Division.
From1907–1999: Rochdale A.F.C. was formed in 1907. After World War One, the Football League was expanded and the club unsuccessfully applied to join. In 1921 Rochdale was recommended to be included in the new Third Division North and played their first League game at home against Accrington Stanley on 27 August 1921, winning 6–3. However, this first season ended with the club at the bottom of the League, having to reapply for membership.
The club reached the Football League Cup Final in 1962. This was the first time a club from the bottom league division had reached the final of a major competition, where they lost to Norwich City 4–0 on aggregate. Rochdale had beaten Southampton BristolRovers, Charlton Athletic, York City, and Blackburn Rovers on their route to the final.
The club's first promotion came in 1969, earned by a team largely assembled by manager Bob Stokoe, though it was Stokoe's assistant, Len Richley, who steered Rochdale to promotion after Stokoe moved to Carlisle United. In the early stages of the 1969–70 season, Rochdale topped the Third Division table, sparking hopes of a second successive promotion. The team's form significantly declined around Christmas 1969, however, and a failure to halt the team's decline led to the dismissal of Richley. He was succeeded by Dick Conner, who stabilised the club's form and steered them to a 9th-place finish. The following three seasons saw the club finish in the lower reaches of the Third Division table, narrowly avoiding relegation each time. The board viewed merely surviving in the Third Division as unacceptable and replaced Conner with Walter Joyce for the 1973–74 season. This move failed to pay off, and Rochdale was relegated after a campaign in which they won only 2 of 46 league games.
On January 4th, Rochdale AFC was due to host Stockton Town in the FA Trophy 4th Round tie. On the Stockton Town Club crest, "Fortitudo et Spes” is the Latin phrase that means "Strength and Hope". They may need it eventually, although the tie was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Work will commence this week to ‘Dryject’ the Crown Oil Arena pitch, as confirmed in the Co-Chair’s Christmas message. This is a process which aims to remove water from the playing surface.
We are extremely hopeful that this work will ensure the pitch is in a playable condition by the time we are next in action at home, when we welcome York City in Vanarama National League action on Wednesday 15January (7.45pm kick-off).
The FA Trophy tie will now be played at Stockton’s MAP Group UK Stadium this Wednesday (8th January),with kick-off at 7.45pm. Ticket details will be confirmed on Monday.
