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All materials used on this website © Northallerton
Town Football Club.
All rights reserved.
Site design and
photography:
pk4 images
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CLUB HISTORY |
The exact date of the formation of
Northallerton Town Football Club is uncertain, but The Elliott Bowl,
a trophy donated by local MP Sir George Elliott, and contested for
the first time in 1895 carries the clubs name as it’s first winner.
Known variously as Northallerton, Northallerton Alliance and
Northallerton Town, the club played for many years on the Bluestone
Ground behind County Hall and contested many leagues including The
Allertonshire, Vale of Mowbray, Ripon and District, Teesside, North
Yorkshire, Darlington and District and Harrogate and District. Many
honours were won during this period including The Harrogate and
District League Championship, The Richmond Cup, Bedale Cup,
Milbank Cup, Orde-Powlett Cup, Dales Cup, Harrogate Invitation Cup
and The Alverton Trophy.
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Northallerton
Recreation FC - 1923-24 |
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Northallerton Alliance FC - 1954 |
The club was forced to leave the
Bluestone Ground in 1974 when the North Yorkshire County Council
placed a compulsory purchase order on the ground in order to extend
County Hall (the extensions never took place and the Bluestone
Ground still remains a football ground). NYCC re-housed the club on
it’s present site at Ainderby Road (re-named the Calvert Stadium in
1997) where two pitches, clubhouse, changing rooms and car park was
officially opened on 21 August 1976.
Northallerton continued to play in the Harrogate and District League
until the end of the 1981-82 season when, with Chairman Stan
Kirkbride and manager Neil Milestone at the helm, they successfully
applied to join the Northern League Second Division on it’s
formation in 1982. Sadly Mr. Kirkbride passed away during that first
season of Northern League football and was replaced by Vice-Chairman
Ron Longstaff.
Joining the Northern League was a big step for the club as nearly
£150,000 had to be raised to upgrade the Ainderby Road Ground to
Northern League standards. The club’s first game in the Northern
League was on 28 August 1982 when they were defeated 4-1 at Ryhope.
A week later, Town gained revenge with a 2-0 home victory, when
Ryhope were the first Northern League visitors to Ainderby Road.
Early years in the Northern League were difficult with the club
finishing in the lower half of the league, their only success coming
in 1983-84 when they reached the final of the North Riding County
Cup, unfortunately they lost 2-1 to York Railway Institute.
The appointment of former Burnley, Leeds United and Middlesbrough
forward Ray Hankin as Manager in March 1989 saw an upturn in the
club’s fortunes. Hankin used the remaining games of the 1988-89
season to assess and take stock of the squad and the following
season (1989-90) he guided them to promotion to the First Division,
after they finished runners-up in the Second Division behind
champions Murton. The 1990-91 season saw the club consolidate it's
position in Division One, but at the end of that season Ray Hankin
resigned and his number two Geoff Cane was appointed Manager. Under
Cane the Club enjoyed great success in both the FA Trophy and the FA
Cup, reaching the last sixteen in the FA Trophy in 1992-93 before
going out to Farnborough of the Vauxhall Conference, and in the same
season they reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup before
narrowly losing away to Accrington Stanley.
Major ground development was carried out while Cane was in charge, a
new grandstand with seating for 150 spectators was erected together
with covered terracing for a further 400 spectators. The open ends
behind both goals were also terraced making the Ainderby Road ground
the envy of many. The club will always be most grateful to Geoff,
for without him most of this work would not have been completed.
Unfortunately off the field disagreements took place which resulted
in Geoff Cane leaving the club at the end of the 1992-93 season.
Sadly Geoff passed away in 1995 aged 46.
Town were now a force to be reckoned with in the Northern League and
they won the League Challenge Cup in 1993-94 when they beat Blyth
Spartans 2-0 in the final at Brandon, but this was to be the last
game that the Northallerton Town Football Club were to play.
Disaster struck the club during the summer of 1994 when they were
declared financially insolvent in the High Court and they were
ordered to close down. Had this happened during the playing season
there is little doubt that the club would have folded. Fortunately
there was still time before the new season for a local businessman
to come forward and rescue the club, this despite vandals breaking
into the ground, daubing slogans on the stand walls and breaking all
the windows in the clubhouse. A new committee was formed and the
club was able to kick off the 1994-95 season under the new name of
Northallerton FC 1994.
Still in the First Division of the Northern League, the opening game
was Northallerton, League Cup winners, against Durham City, League
Champions in the annual Cleator Cup, after playing a 1-1 draw after
extra time, Durham won the cup on penalties. With no money available
to reimburse players there was a mass exodus, and many players from
local football leagues were brought in. Although these players gave
their all, they were no match for the other sides in the league so
it was no surprise when they were relegated at the end of season
1994-95.
During season 1995-96 the club gradually got back on it’s feet and,
after a poor start, the Committee decided that players could once
again be reimbursed and many of the club’s former players returned,
resulting in the club finishing in a respectable 5th place in the
league. During the summer of 1996 the club was allowed to reinstate
the name 'Town' to once again become Northallerton Town Football
Club (1994), and under the joint guidance of the management duo of
Mickey Sell and John Woods they won promotion back to the First
Division when they won the Second Division Championship. For
personal reasons both Sell and Woods resigned as joint managers at
the end of 1996-97, although both remained at the club, Woods as
assistant manager and Sell as an occasional player.
After making a disastrous start to life back in the First Division
(only winning three points in the first twelve games) the Club
appointed former Bristol Rovers, Middlesbrough, Carlisle United and
Darlington star Archie Stephens as their manager, but they faired no
better, and, after finishing second bottom, they were relegated back
to the Second Division. Stephens and assistant manager John Woods,
left the club by mutual consent at the end of the season.
Peter Mulcaster was appointed manager at the start of the 1998-99
season and in his first season he guided the club to a commendable
fourth place in the league, but in the February of his second season
(1999-00) and with the club lying in third place and one of the
favourites for promotion, he surprised the club with his shock
resignation in order to take the vacant manager’s job at Spennymoor
United. He was replaced as Manager by the experienced ex-Guisborough
Town boss Micky Hodgson but, after failing to win promotion at the
first attempt, Hodgson and his assistant Peter Bell left the club at
the end of season 2000-2001. Peter Mulcaster returned to the club to
take over for his second spell as team manager at the start of
season 2001-2002, but, after two seasons in charge and failing to
get the team promoted, it was mutually agreed that he should leave
the club at the end of season 2002-03.
The experienced former Whitby Town captain Paul Burton was appointed
Team Manager. Paul had spent the last five seasons as manager of
Teesside League Club Nunthorpe Athletic who, under his charge, had
never finished outside the top two in the league and won numerous
cups and trophies. He brought with him several players from the
successful Nunthorpe team.
The club has had many loyal servants over the years but special
mention should go to present Vice-Chairman Les Hood who has been at
the club since before the start of their Northern League days. He
has served as Chairman, Vice-chairman, Treasurer and has served on
the management committee for over 20 years. His labours of love were
honoured at the end of 2000-2001 season when he was awarded the
Northern League Un-Sung Hero’s Award, an award he richly deserved
and was proud to accept. Other long serving officials include
present Secretary/Treasurer Ken Lomer with 17 years service, Press
Officer Ian Bolland with 21 years service and ex-secretary Peter
Coulson, who although not now on the Management Committee, is still
actively involved as the club groundsman. Ralph Alderson, a former
player with the club in the 50’s and 60’s, is now in his sixth year
as Chairman.
Old photographs wanted!!!
Anyone with old club/team photographs or memorabilia who would like
to contribute to this site should contact
website@northallertontownfc.net |
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