League: BetVictor NPL Premier Division

Stourbridge

The club was founded in 1876 and was originally known as Stourbridge Standard. By the late 1880s it is known that that they had changed its name to simply Stourbridge and competed in the Birmingham and District League, where reasonable success was achieved without actually gaining the league title, although the Worcestershire Senior Cup was won on three occasions.

The 1923–24 season was one of the best in the club’s history, as they clinched the Birmingham League championship and also won the Worcestershire Senior Cup yet again.

After World War II, The Glassboys enjoyed their greatest period of success in non-league football, as they carried off the Birmingham Combination Championship in 1952 and also won the Birmingham, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Senior Cups. The club returned to the Birmingham League in 1954 on the disbanding of the Birmingham Combination and were runners-up in 1955–56. The Birmingham Senior Cup was won for a second time in 1958–59 and the 1967–68 season saw the club achieve their own “double” in lifting both the Worcestershire and Birmingham Senior Cups.

Into the Southern League

In 1971 the club was elected to the expanding Southern League and met almost instant success under manager Alan Grundy in the 1973–74 season, with the Division 1 (North) title and the Merit Cup (for the league’s highest goalscorers) coming to Amblecote. Twin strikers Ray Haywood and Chic Bates each notched 50 goals that season and were transferred to Shrewsbury Town, where Bates served 13 years as both player and manager. Another highlight in 1973–74 was a tremendous run in the Welsh Cup, in which the team disposed of both Swansea City and Wrexham on their own grounds and then faced Cardiff City in a two leg final. A record crowd of 5,726 saw the Glassboys lose the home leg 1–0 and they also lost 1–0 at Ninian Park.

Stourbridge spent ten seasons in the Premier Division of the Southern League between 1974 and 1984, two centre-forwards were also sold in the 70s, Steve Cooper to Torquay United and Tony Cunningham to Lincoln City. Finishing reularly in the top six and under the management of Tony Freely, they won the Worcestershire Senior Cup for the 9th time with a victory over close rivals Kidderminster Harriers in 1981 with the Stourbridge born Brendan Drummond getting the winning goal in the second leg away to the Harriers to win 2–1 on aggregate. Stourbridge were one of the first English semi-professional clubs to tour the South East of the USA in the early Eighties.

Subsequent Midland Division form was mediocre too, despite three good FA Cup runs, and a disastrous run of results in 1987–88 led to a relegation spot, however fortune was on the club’s side and they were re-elected to the League in the close season. Stourbridge then went on from strength to strength, culminating in winning the Midland Division championship in 1991, although Southern League officials refused promotion due to the shared use of the ground by the local cricket club.

October 1997 saw a new Chairman at the club and his early enthusiasm in refurbishing the social club continued with many signings for the 1998–99 season under the guidance of new manager, Steve Daniels. The Glassboys spent much of the early part of the season in the top 3 whilst also reaching the FA Cup 4th qualifying round for the first time in 15 years, but the success was short lived as budget cutbacks saw many of the more experienced players moving on. In 2000 a new owner came to the club, and swiftly appointed Mark Serrell as chairman, along with FA Qualified coach and ex-Birmingham City player Mark Harrison as manager. Despite an influx of new players, continued poor results meant Stourbridge’s 29-year spell at Southern League level ended with defeat in the last game of the season at Hinckley United in May 2000.

Re-grouping in the Midland Alliance

The club house end of the ground

The club began its first ever spell in the Midland Football Alliance by finishing in fifth place and claiming the League Cup by defeating Bridgnorth Town following a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the final had finished in a 1–1 draw. The 2001–02 season began well with the lifting of the Joe McGorian Cup after a 2–1 victory at league champions Stourport Swifts, however in November 2001 the club parted company with Mark Harrison, with the former Bilston Town boss Joe Jackson taking over as manager. On the final Saturday of the season, the Glassboys were crowned champions in dramatic fashion as a last gasp stoppage time goal by Brian Gray earned the point needed at Stafford Town to pip Bromsgrove Rovers to the title. Although Serrell left the club the following January, to be succeeded as chairman by Stephen Hyde, Jackson once more led the club to the Midland Football Alliance championship in 2002–03, although promotion was refused due to the ground grading regulations in place at the time.

Jackson declined to try for a hat trick of titles in 2003–04 and was replaced by well-known local duo, Jon Ford and Gary Hackett, who had enjoyed two successful seasons in charge at Bromsgrove Rovers. With many players moving on, the new management team had to rebuild the side from scratch, but an encouraging second half of the season saw the Glassboys finish a creditable 9th. The following season saw a memorable run in the FA Vase, culminating in a quarter-final defeat at A.F.C. Sudbury in the quarter-final before finally succumbing to a 4–1 defeat after extra time. In May 2005 Hackett took sole charge of the team after Ford decided to step down due to work and family commitments. With the likely re-organisation of the non-league pyramid at Step 4 level, the club looked to mount a strong push for promotion, however a mixed start to the campaign left Stourbridge lying in mid-table by December. After a poor start, a run of 14 league games unbeaten was enough to clinch a runners-up spot and with it promotion back to the Southern League. Victories over Burton Albion and Moor Green also saw the team reach the Birmingham Senior Cup Final for the first time in 30 years, although they succumbed to a 1–0 defeat to Willenhall Town.

Back in the Southern League

Stourbridge’s first season back in the Southern League Midlands Division in 2006–07 saw them finish in seventh place. The team also reached the final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup, but following a goal-less draw at Amblecote in the first leg of the final against Evesham United, they were beaten 2–1 after extra time away in the second leg to again suffer cup final disappointment.

The 2007–08 season saw Stourbridge seal a third-place finish in the Midlands Division to reach the play-offs. A narrow 1–0 win at home to Sutton Coldfield Town took Stourbridge through to the final away at second placed Leamington and in front of a crowd of 1,634, a goal from Leon Broadhurst four minutes from the end of extra-time sealed a 2–1 victory to earn Stourbridge a second promotion in three seasons and a return to the Premier Division of the Southern League after a gap of 24 years.

After a difficult start to life in the Premier Division which saw Stourbridge lie at and around the foot of the table, they eventually acclimatised to life at the higher level and secured another season in the Premier Division with a final placing of 16th. Stourbridge also reached their third senior cup final in four seasons in a Birmingham Senior Cup run which included a 4–3 home win after extra-time over Wolverhampton Wanderers and a semi-final victory on penalties at Tamworth after a goal-less 120 minutes. However Stourbridge once again suffered heartbreak in the final as Hednesford Town defeated the Glassboys 2–0 at Burton Albion‘s Pirelli Stadium.

In the 2009–10 season, Stourbridge reached the FA Cup first round for the first time in their 133-year history and were drawn at home to Walsall. The game ended in a 1–0 defeat for Stourbridge in front of 2,014 fans (the biggest gate at Amblecote for 35 years).[1]

In the 2010–11 season, Hackett guided the club to eighth in the league after a solid season, and also the final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup, where they defeated Worcester City 2–0 at Aggborough Stadium. In the 2011–12 season, the club won their way through four qualifying rounds to again reach the first round of the FA Cup.[2] They were drawn away to League Two side Plymouth Argyle where they drew 3–3 at Home Park to earn themselves a replay and a place in the second-round draw.[3] The replay at the War Memorial Ground was chosen for live coverage by ESPN, netting the club over £33,000. Two temporary stands were erected and a highest crowd for 37 years of 2,519 attended the game that saw Stourbridge win 2–0 thanks to goals from Paul McCone and Sean Evans.[4] The victory meant it was the first time the club had reached the Second Round of the competition, and the club were dealt a home tie against League One club Stevenage.[5] The game ended 3–0 to Stevenage, with the game being played in front of 3,067 following the erection of a third temporary stand.[6][7] In the 2012–13 season, Stourbridge had excellent league form throughout the season and finished 2nd behind champions Leamington, but there was heartbreak in the playoff semi-final when they lost to Gosport Borough 2–1 at home. In the 2013–14 season, Stourbridge were the lowest ranked team in the second round proper of the season’s FA Cup. They produced a strong showing in the league, and although the heights of the previous season were not reached, 5th place was achieved and Stourbridge once again had a shot at promotion in the end of season playoffs. This time, Chesham United defeated The Glassboys 2–1 in the semi-final to again dash hopes of promotion.

During the close season, Stourbridge were moved across to the Northern Premier League from the 2014–15 season.

In the 2015–16 season, Stourbridge again made their way through four qualifying rounds, to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup for the fourth time in seven seasons. Along the way they beat rivals Kidderminster Harriers 3–0 at home in the fourth qualifying round. In the first round of the FA cup they were drawn away to Dover Athletic, the game finished 2-1 in the Glassboys’ favour. The second round draw gave them a home tie against Eastleigh, which Stourbridge lost 2-0.

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Rushall Olympic

Although football had been played in the village for at least 20 years previously, the earliest known reference to Rushall Olympic Football Club is in local newspaper reports on matches from the 1893–94 season. The club joined the Cannock & District League in 1895, finishing as runners-up in their first season and later joined the Junior (where they were champions in 1903–04), Amateur, Parks and Senior sections of the Walsall & District League.

During the inter-war years the team won a number of local honours. At this time the team comprised mainly local colliery workers and played on a field behind the Miners Arms pub in Rushall and changed in the pub itself. However, some time prior to World War II the club disbanded.

Post World War II

Dales Lane, home of the Pics

In 1951, a group of local young men decided to reform the club. They approached the proprietor of a local fish and chip shop for permission to use his premises as their headquarters and secured the use of Rowley Place as a home ground. The club joined the Walsall & District Amateur League, where the team won the Second Division championship in 1952–53, and later the First Division championship in 1955–56, after which they gained promotion to the Staffordshire County League (South) where they won the Second Division title at the first attempt.

Following promotion to the First Division, the club won four championship titles between 1960 and 1965. In 1975, in a bid to gain a higher league status, the club decided to move three miles away to the Aston University Sports Ground, just off the main A34 Walsall to Birmingham road. Meanwhile, the club obtained the lease on some land in Daw End, Rushall, and the new Dales Lane ground was officially opened on Sunday 14 August 1977.

The club were accepted into the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1978, and won the First Division title in 1980. The club enjoyed fourteen seasons of moderate success in the Premier Division, with a highest finish of fifth place achieved in season 1988–89. In 1994 the Pics became founder members of the new Midland Football Alliance. Although the late 90s brought only mid-table performances in the league, the Pics did defeat the then Southern League club Rocester at the Bescot Stadium, home of Walsall in a penalty shoot-out to lift the Walsall Senior Cup in 2000.

After finishing in second place in both 2000–01 and 2002–03, the Pics finally claimed the league title in 2004–05 and with it promotion to the Southern League Division One West. They were then transferred to the Southern League Division One Midlands for the 2006–07 season where they stayed for two years, qualifying for the playoffs in their last season by finishing 5th.

Due to the restructuring of Northern Premier League Division One, they were transferred yet again to the NPL Division One South for the 2008–09 season where they again finished 5th and qualified for the playoffs. They were also unsuccessful in achieving promotion this time. Manager Paul Holleran then left the club to be replaced by Neil Kitching who started his first season brightly before tailing off to finish in mid-table and lost in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup.

Despite further budget restriction Kitching supported by a restructured support and relatively youthful support team including Nick Amos and Ian Cooper, they went on to finish 3rd in the 2010–11season and reached the playoff final, beating Brigg Town 3–0 in the semi final. A 2–0 victory over Grantham Town in the final saw Rushall Olympic to reach Northern Premier League Premier Division and Step three football for the first time.

The first season at this higher level saw Rushall Olympic finish 8th in the league. They reached the final of three cup competitions; the league cup (where they lost to North Ferriby United after extra time), the Staffordshire Senior Cup (where they lost to Kidsgrove Athletic) and the Walsall Senior Cup which they retained. Rushall also equalled their best ever performance in the FA Cup reaching the fourth qualifying round where they suffered a defeat at the hands of Stourbridge.

In 2012–13 Rushall made their debut in the first round proper of the FA Trophy having qualified with victories over Woodford United, Chasetown and Droylsden. Their reward was a trip to Wrexham where they suffered a defeat against a team that went on to win the final of the competition. In the League Rushall again were on the verge of the play offs finishing in 6th position but failed to make the end of season competition.[2]

In 2013–14 Rushall Olympic made the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup before losing out at Grimsby Town. Rushall eventually finished in 7th place in the league narrowly missing out on the play offs. However, there were two cup final appearances. The Pics lost out in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup but won the Staffordshire Senior Cup beating Port Vale at Vale Park by two goals to one.

At the end of the season the club amicably parted company with manager of five years Neil Kitching. His assistant Nick Amos also left the club on the best of terms. Rushall soon moved to appoint former West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Richard Sneekes as manager with Steve Hinks as his assistant.[3]

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Nantwich Town

Nantwich Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed The Dabbers, a reference to the town’s tanning industry.[1] The club is currently a member of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, with home matches played at the Weaver Stadium.

Nantwich Town won the FA Vase Final on 6 May 2006. Two goals from Andy Kinsey and one from Stuart Scheuber produced a 3–1 win over Hillingdon Borough at St Andrew’s.

In 1995, in an F.A. Cup preliminary round tie against Droylsden, Andy Locke scored the fastest ever F.A. Cup hat trick. Locke completed his hat trick in 2 minutes 20 seconds. This record still stands for a hat trick in any round of the F.A. Cup, including the preliminary rounds before the First Round Proper.

Nantwich followed up their FA Vase winning season of 2005–06 with another successful campaign in 2006–07 (their last at Jackson Avenue). Finishing 3rd in the North West Counties League Division One they were promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One South for the 2007–08 season and then gained a second consecutive promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Nantwich also progressed to the Semi-Final stage of the FA Trophy in their 2015-16 campaign, losing 6-4 over two legs to Halifax Town.

Marine

The club was formed in 1894 by a group of local businessmen and former college students. Marine takes its name from a hotel on the River Mersey sea front at Waterloo, seven miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, where the founders of the club met.[citation needed] Marine moved to its present ground, the Arriva Stadium (formerly known as Rossett Park), in 1903.[2]

Marine quickly made an impression on local football, winning numerous titles in the I Zingari League and the Liverpool Combination. The club’s greatest success as an amateur team in this period culminated in an F.A. Amateur Cup Final appearance in 1931–32, when they lost 7–1 to Dulwich Hamlet in front of a 22,000 crowd at Upton Park.

In 1935–36 the club moved to the all-professional Lancashire Combination and enjoyed limited success before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1969–70. In 1972 Roly Howard was appointed first team manager and completed 1,975 competitive games over a 33-year period before he retired at the end of the 2004–05 season. He was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving manager in world football as Marine enjoyed its most successful period, winning some 30 trophies.

The club relinquished its amateur status and became professional in 1974. Three Cheshire League Championships were won in five seasons, before Marine progressed to the Northern Premier League in 1979–80. They have twice been Champions (1993–94 and 1994–95) as well as twice being runners-up and have won the League Cup on four occasions (1984–85, 1991–92, 2002–03 and 2015–16).

In 2001, Marine were the subject of a six-part television series for Granada TV, titled Marine Lives. The series included footage of former player Jason McAteer returning to visit the club.

Under the new management team of Alvin McDonald and assistant Peter Carroll, Marine twice qualified for the Northern Premier Division play-offs twice in succession (2005–06 and 2006–07), losing to the eventual winners each time. In the 2007-08 season, the club finished seventh and won the Liverpool Senior Cup. McDonald left the club partway through the 2008-09 season following a poor run of form,[3] with players Kevin Lynch and Phil Brazier being appointed caretakers. At the end of the season, Lynch was appointed permanent manager with Brazier as his assistant.[4]

Lynch departed the club at the end of the 2012-13 season to become first team coach at Chesterfield FC,[5] and was replaced by Brazier. However, Brazier was sacked at the end of the following season with the club having narrowly avoided relegation.[6]

Former Vauxhall Motors boss Carl Macauley took over at the beginning of the 2014-15 season,[7] but a poor run of form saw the club in the relegation zone, 11 points from safety, and he was sacked.[8] Defender Sean Hessey was placed in temporary charge until the end of the season, and guided the club to a remarkable escape from relegation, with only one defeat in their final twelve games. The club were reprieved from relegation despite finishing in 21st place, due to having the highest average points per game of clubs in the highest relegation spots across the three equivalent divisions. This meant that the club continues to hold their record as the longest-serving members of the Northern Premier League.[9]

Hessey was confirmed as the club’s permanent manager prior to the end of the 2014-15 season.[10]

The club’s best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the 3rd Round in 1992–93 when they lost 3–1 to Crewe Alexandra. Marine have also achieved ten first and two second round appearances in the FA Cup and have beaten two Football League Clubs (Barnsley and Halifax Town) in the competition. Marine have twice reached the semi-finals of the F.A. Trophy in 1983–84 and 1991–92 and have been winners of 13 senior county cups.

The club has its own supporters association knows as the M.S.A (Marine Supporters Association).

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Halesowen Town

Halesowen Town FC was formed in 1873, making it one of the oldest clubs in the Midlands, and initially played in the Birmingham Combination. In 1946, it joined the Birmingham and District League and was champions in its very first season. The 1960s saw it consistently finish high in the league, but by contrast the 1970s saw it struggle, finishing bottom of the table twice.

In the 1980s there was a sudden reversal of the Yeltz’ fortunes, with four successive championship titles between 1983 and 1986, as well as three appearances at Wembley Stadium in the final of the FA Vase. The 1983 final saw the club lose 1–0 to VS Rugby, but in 1985 it returned to Wembley and beat Fleetwood Town 3–1 to win the Vase, before retaining it the following year with a 3–0 win over Southall.

In 1983, the club also beat Heybridge Swifts in the final of the Thorn EMI six-a-side tournament at the Alexandra Stadium and won a £20,000 set of floodlights for their ground.

In 1986, the club’s successes in the newly named West Midlands (Regional) League were rewarded with promotion to the Southern League, with promotion to the Premier Division following in 1988–89 when the club was crowned Midland Division champions.

The early 1990 were dominated by players leaving to join league clubs, including Dean Spink (Aston Villa), Stuart Cash (Nottingham Forest), Andy Pearce, Tim Clarke, Sean Flynn (all Coventry City) and Evran Wright (Walsall).

For its first eight seasons at this level Halesowen never finished outside the top 10, including being narrowly beaten to promotion by Rushden and Diamonds in 1996. Financial difficulties, however, led to a slump which culminated in relegation in 2001. Although Halesowen bounced back in style, winning the Western Division championship at a canter, the club was relegated once again in 2003. The club failed to return to tier two of the non-league pyramid the following season, finishing fourth and missing out on the new Conference North.

New manager Paul Holleran led the club to the FA Cup first round in 2005, losing out to Yeading in a closely fought contest,[1] but the club failed to make any impact in league competitions in the next eighteen months and Holleran was dismissed.

The club appointed the former Walsall and Birmingham City captain Martin O’Connor as manager in late 2006. Halesowen came close to gaining promotion in 2006–07, losing to Hitchin Town in the last game of the season, which meant missing the playoffs.

In October 2007, the club was sold to an unidentified owner who brought in former Kettering FC manager Morell Maison. On October 18, former Manchester United and Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson was appointed as a consultant to the new manager.

In autumn 2009, insolvency experts Marshman Price were appointed as the club’s administrators. The team enjoyed a successful start to the 2009–10 season after receiving a 10-point deduction for entering administration. Brendan Phillips left the club and the club rose to fifth position by the turn of the new year but overall ended up in eighth place despite only losing 4 games all season.

The 2010–11 season started with Rob Elmes and former Luton Town forward Tony Thorpe being appointed joint managers, the side impressed with a string of decent results and England Schoolboy’s Under 18’s Manager Phil Nardiello was brought in as Technical Director to work alongside the managerial partnership. However, Elmes stepped down due to work commitments and Thorpe also decided to take a lower level of responsibility at the club by becoming an occasional coach resulting in Nardiello gaining full control of first team affairs.

Unfortunately for the new manager, the side saw several important regulars leave the club in quick succession including top goalscorer Stefan Moore and winger Daryl Taylor, this led to a run of nine consecutive defeats and Nardiello soon left the club by mutual consent.

Tony Thorpe returned to the club as Manager, bringing in former West Brom player Shaun Cunnington as his number two, results improved and fan-favourite Nick Bussey returned to the side in goal, however in the face of a relegation battle, Thorpe made the decision to step aside and allow Cunnington to take the helm. Shaun Cunnington appointed Paul Tomlinson as his assistant manager and made staying up his top priority.[2]

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Grantham Town

The club was established in August 1874. Grantham’s first match was a 2–1 friendly win against Third Lincs Volunteer Rifles on 29 October 1874. In 1877–78, the club became one of the first to enter the FA Cup, playing at home to Clapham Rovers in front of a gate of 650. On 7 April 2012 the club became champions of the Northern Premier League Division One South.[citation needed]

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Buxton

Buxton Football Club are an English football club based in Buxton, Derbyshire. They were established in 1877 and joined the Combination League in 1891. They then joined the Manchester League in 1899 and won the championship in 1932. They reached the Third Round of the FA Cup in the 1951–52 season. Their patron is the Duke of Devonshire. The club supports and hosts local senior, junior and ladies football. Famous fan is Klava.

They are currently members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

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Barwell

The club was established in 1992 as a merger of Hinckley of the Midland Combination Premier Division and Barwell Athletic of the Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division;[2][3] the new club took Hinckley’s place in the Midland Combination.[4]

In 1994 Barwell were founder members of the Midland Alliance,[4] and went on to win the League Cup in 2005–06, beating Leamington 3–1 in the final. After finishing as runners-up in 2008–09, they won the league the following season, earning promotion to Division One South of the Northern Premier League.[4] Their first season in the division saw them win the title, earning promotion to step three of the National League System. Instead of playing in the Northern Premier League’s Premier Division, the club were moved to the Premier Division of the Southern League.[4] However, two seasons later, they were transferred back to the Northern Premier League.[4]

In 2015–16 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 2–0 at home to Welling United.[4]

 

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Ashton United

The club was originally founded in 1878 as Hurst Football Club and the earliest known match report dates back to a game against Hurst Red Star on 16 March 1879.[2] They originally played in black-and-white stripes and were nicknamed the Lambs.[3] The club first entered the FA Cup in 1883, beating Turton 3–1 in the first round, and then Irwell Springs 3–2 in the second. However, the result was annulled after a protest from Irwell,[4] and it was they who advanced to the third round after Hurst refused to play the replay.[5] In 1885 they won the first edition of the Manchester Senior Cup, beating Newton Heath (now Manchester United) 3–0 in the final.[3] In the same year they reached the second round of the FA Cup again.[4]However, although they defeated Halliwell 3–1, the result was annulled again. Ashton refused to play the replay and Halliwell advanced to the third round.[6]

They joined the Ashton & District League in 1891, but after finishing ninth in the league in the 1891–92 season, it was reported in June 1892 that the club had folded.[2] They were reformed in 1909, and were admitted to the Manchester League as it was expanded from 16 to 18 clubs.[7] In their first season in the league, they finished level on points at the top of the table with Salford United, resulting in a play-off for the championship, which Salford won 2–1.[7][4]

After finishing sixth in 1910–11, Hurst won the title in 1911–12 and subsequently joined Division Two of the Lancashire Combination.[7][8] Although they only finished fifth in 1912–13, they were promoted to Division One of the league for the 1913–14 season. Due to the outbreak of World War I, the club did not compete in 1915–16, but re-entered a wartime edition of the league for the 1916–17 season, winning the title.[9] However, they did not compete during the following season. They resumed in the Lancashire Combination in 1918–19,[9] but switched to the Cheshire County Leaguein 1923.[10] Players started wearing red shirts, earning the club a new nickname – the Robins.[3]

Shortly before World War II, the club signed Dixie Dean, but the outbreak of hostilities limited him to a handful of appearances for the club.[3] Following the war, the club resumed playing in the Cheshire County League for the 1945–46 season,[8] changing their name to Ashton United on 1 February 1947.[4] Despite finishing second bottom of the league in 1946–47, they applied for election to the Football League, but the four Football League clubs were re-elected without a vote being taken.[11] They subsequently rejoined the Lancashire Combination in 1948 and were placed in Division One.[10]

After finishing twelfth in 1960–61, the club resigned from the league in order to apply to rejoin the Cheshire County League; in a ballot, they defeated by Altrincham and Wigan Athletic, and so had to rejoin the Lancashire Combination. However, Division One was now full, so the club had to drop into Division Two,[12] which they won in 1961–62 to earn promotion back to Division One.[10]

In 1964 the club switched to the Midland Counties League, where they played for two seasons before moving back to Division Two of the Lancashire Combination in 1966.[10] Two seasons later, they moved across to the Cheshire County League, where they remained until it merged with the Lancashire Combination to form the North West Counties League in 1982.[10] The club were placed in Division One of the new league, but were relegated to Division Two after finishing second-from-bottom in 1983–84. After winning Division Two in 1987–88 they were promoted back to Division One.

The 1991–92 season saw the club win the Division One title, earning promotion to Division One of the Northern Premier League.[10] They remained in the division until a third-place finish in 2001–02 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs. After a 3–1 win over Spennymoor United in the semi-finals, a 2–1 win over Bamber Bridge in the final saw them promoted to the Premier Division. During the season, Ashton’s Gareth Morris scored one of the fastest goals in FA Cup history, netting after only four seconds against Skelmersdale United.[13]

With the creation of the Conference North in 2004, a 14th-place finish in 2003–04 saw the club play-off against Hyde United and Bradford Park Avenue for the right to play in the new league. Following a 2–1 win over Hyde, they lost 2–1 to Bradford Park Avenue in the final. However, after Hucknall Town were denied promotion due to ground grading issues, Ashton took their place in the Conference North.[14] The following season saw them finish second-from-bottom, resulting in relegation back to the Northern Premier League’s Premier Division.[10] In 2010 the club were ordered to pay £32,000 to Marcus Hallows after he was injured playing against Ashton for Altrincham.[15]

In 2011 the club won the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup, beating Northwich Victoria 1–0 in the final. After finishing fifth in 2013–14 the club qualified for the promotion play-offs; however, after beating FC United 2–1 after extra time, they lost the final to AFC Fylde on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[16] The 2014–15 season saw a third-place finish, again qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost on penalties to local rivals Curzon Ashton after a 1–1 draw.[17] A third consecutive play-off campaign followed a fourth-place finish in 2015–16, but saw the club lose 3–1 to Salford City in the semi-finals.[18]

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