Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Encyclopedia
Accrington Stanley was an English
football club based in Accrington
, Lancashire
. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League
between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966. They played at Peel Park
.
, were amongst the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888, before resigning from the league after just five years. A team called Stanley Villa already existed at the time, named as such because they were based at the Stanley Arms on Stanley Street in Accrington. With the demise of Accrington, Stanley Villa took the town name to become Accrington Stanley.
The club re-formed after World War I
and entered the League in 1921 with the formation of the old Third Division North
, along with the other top northern non-League clubs.
In four decades of league football they never achieved promotion from the Third Division
. Their best-ever league position was finishing second in that division, in the 1954–55 season and again in 1957–58.
In 1960, amid persistent financial difficulties mainly relating to the speculative purchase of the new Burnley Road stand, Stanley were relegated to the recently formed Division Four
. However, they only managed to complete one full season in this division as bankruptcy followed shortly afterwards. On 12 February 1962 Edwin Slinger, the chairman, resigned and revealed that Stanley owed up to £4,000 in unpaid transfer fees and a similar sum to the Inland Revenue
. Pilkington, as life vice president, brought in Bob Lord
, who persuaded the rest of the board to resign by promising to buy shares, despite his chairmanship of nearby Burnley
. Stanley lost their last League match 4–0 away at Crewe on 2 March 1962 and, at a creditors' meeting shortly afterwards, a further £40,000 of unsecured creditors was revealed. A further amount of £458 owed for National Insurance
was enough for Lord and Pilkington to decide to draw the line. The club sent a letter of resignation to the Football League even though none of the creditors was threatening to "pull the plug". The resignation was accepted by Alan Hardaker, the League Secretary on 11 March, mid-way through the 1961-62 season.
After playing for four seasons in the Lancashire Combination
the club folded due to large debts. Two years later the club was reformed
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football club based in Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966. They played at Peel Park
Peel Park (stadium)
Peel Park was a football stadium in Accrington, Lancashire that was the home of Accrington Stanley F.C. between 1919 until their dissolution in 1963....
.
History
The original town team, AccringtonAccrington F.C.
Accrington Football Club were an English football club from Accrington, Lancashire, who were one of the founder members of The Football League. Accrington F.C. was formed following a meeting at a local public house in 1876...
, were amongst the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888, before resigning from the league after just five years. A team called Stanley Villa already existed at the time, named as such because they were based at the Stanley Arms on Stanley Street in Accrington. With the demise of Accrington, Stanley Villa took the town name to become Accrington Stanley.
The club re-formed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and entered the League in 1921 with the formation of the old Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
, along with the other top northern non-League clubs.
In four decades of league football they never achieved promotion from the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. Their best-ever league position was finishing second in that division, in the 1954–55 season and again in 1957–58.
In 1960, amid persistent financial difficulties mainly relating to the speculative purchase of the new Burnley Road stand, Stanley were relegated to the recently formed Division Four
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
. However, they only managed to complete one full season in this division as bankruptcy followed shortly afterwards. On 12 February 1962 Edwin Slinger, the chairman, resigned and revealed that Stanley owed up to £4,000 in unpaid transfer fees and a similar sum to the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
. Pilkington, as life vice president, brought in Bob Lord
Bob Lord (football chairman)
Bob Lord was an English businessman best known as the chairman of Burnley F.C.Born in 1908 in Burnley, Lancashire, Lord was the son of a barber. As a boy he worked for a local butcher, until at the age of 19 he started his own business...
, who persuaded the rest of the board to resign by promising to buy shares, despite his chairmanship of nearby Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. Stanley lost their last League match 4–0 away at Crewe on 2 March 1962 and, at a creditors' meeting shortly afterwards, a further £40,000 of unsecured creditors was revealed. A further amount of £458 owed for National Insurance
National Insurance
National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
was enough for Lord and Pilkington to decide to draw the line. The club sent a letter of resignation to the Football League even though none of the creditors was threatening to "pull the plug". The resignation was accepted by Alan Hardaker, the League Secretary on 11 March, mid-way through the 1961-62 season.
After playing for four seasons in the Lancashire Combination
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League...
the club folded due to large debts. Two years later the club was reformed
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
.
Season-by-season
| Season | Division | Position | Significant events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined the Lancashire Combination Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... |
|||
| 1900–1901 | Lancashire Combination | 9 | – |
| 1901–1902 | Lancashire Combination | 3 | – |
| 1902–1903 | Lancashire Combination | 1 | Champions |
| Lancashire Combination becomes Lancashire Combination Division One | |||
| 1903–1904 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 2 | Runners Up |
| 1904–1905 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 7 | – |
| 1905–1906 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 1 | Champions |
| 1906–1907 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 5 | – |
| 1907–1908 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 7 | – |
| 1908–1909 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 12 | – |
| 1909–1910 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 3 | – |
| 1910–1911 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 7 | – |
| 1911–1912 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 9 | – |
| 1912–1913 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 2 | Runners Up |
| 1913–1914 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 7 | – |
| 1914–1915 | Lancashire Combination Division One | 6 | – |
| English football is postponed due to World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... |
|||
| Lancashire Combination Division One becomes Lancashire Combination | |||
| 1919–1920 | Lancashire Combination | 7 | – |
| 1920–1921 | Lancashire Combination | 6 | – |
| Elected Elected Elected is the latest EP by Dutch Progressive metal project Ayreon. It was released on April 25, 2008 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and on April 28 in the rest of Europe... into Division Three – North Football League Third Division North The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position... upon The Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... expansion |
|||
| 1921–1922 | Division Three – North | 5 | – |
| 1922–1923 | Division Three – North | 8 | – |
| 1923–1924 | Division Three – North | 13 | – |
| 1924–1925 | Division Three – North | 17 | – |
| 1925–1926 | Division Three – North | 18 | – |
| 1926–1927 | Division Three – North | 21 | – |
| 1927–1928 | Division Three – North | 9 | – |
| 1928–1929 | Division Three – North | 18 | – |
| 1929–1930 | Division Three – North | 16 | – |
| 1930–1931 | Division Three – North | 13 | – |
| 1931–1932 | Division Three – North | 14 | – |
| 1932–1933 | Division Three – North | 13 | – |
| 1933–1934 | Division Three – North | 20 | – |
| 1934–1935 | Division Three – North | 18 | – |
| 1935–1936 | Division Three – North | 9 | – |
| 1936–1937 | Division Three – North | 13 | – |
| 1937–1938 | Division Three – North | 22 | – |
| 1938–1939 | Division Three – North | 22 | – |
| English football is postponed due to World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... |
|||
| 1946–1947 | Division Three – North | 20 | – |
| 1947–1948 | Division Three – North | 6 | – |
| 1948–1949 | Division Three – North | 20 | – |
| 1949–1950 | Division Three – North | 13 | – |
| 1950–1951 | Division Three – North | 23 | – |
| 1951–1952 | Division Three – North | 22 | – |
| 1952–1953 | Division Three – North | 24 | – |
| 1953–1954 | Division Three – North | 15 | – |
| 1954–1955 | Division Three – North | 2 | Runners Up |
| 1955–1956 | Division Three – North | 3 | – |
| 1956–1957 | Division Three – North | 3 | – |
| 1957–1958 | Division Three – North | 2 | Runners Up |
| Placed into Division Three Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two... upon The Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... re–organisation |
|||
| 1958–1959 | Division Three | 19 | – |
| 1959–1960 | Division Three | 24 | Relegated |
| 1960–1961 | Division Four Football League Fourth Division The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season... |
18 | – |
| 1961–1962 | Division Four | – | Resigned |
| Accrington Stanley resigned from The Football League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... and joined Lancashire Combination Division Two Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... |
|||
| 1962–1963 | Lancashire Combination Division Two | 8 | – |
| 1963–1964 | Lancashire Combination Division Two | 1 | Champions |
| 1964–1965 | Lancashire Combination Division One Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... |
21 | Relegated |
| 1965–1966 | Lancashire Combination Division Two | – | Resigned |
| Accrington Stanley resigned from Lancashire Combination Division Two Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League... and folded Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor.... |
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Honours
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions 1902–03, 1905–06
- Division Two champions 1963–64
Club records
- Largest league win: 8–0 vs New BrightonNew Brighton A.F.C.-Revived club:New Brighton A.F.C. were reborn in 1993, and joined the Birkenhead and Wirral League, which they won in their first season. In 1995 the club switched to the South Wirral League. After upgrading their new ground, the club were admitted to the Second Division of the West Cheshire League...
, 17 March 1934, Third Division NorthFootball League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position... - Heaviest league defeat: 1–9 vs Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, 3 March 1951, Third Division NorthFootball League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position... - Largest cup win: 7–0 vs Spennymoor UnitedSpennymoor United F.C.Spennymoor United F.C. was an English association football club based in Spennymoor, County Durham.In 1905, they joined the Northern League and won the league title six times in their history. In the 1936-37 season, they reached the third round of the FA Cup, where they lost to top-flight side West...
, 8 December 1938, FA Cup second round - Most League appearances: Jim ArmstrongJimmy Armstrong (footballer born 1899)James D Armstrong was a footballer who played in The Football League for Barnsley, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and Accrington Stanley. He also played for Chester-le-Street and Stalybridge Celtic....
: 260, 1927–1934 - Most League goals: George Stewart: 136, 1954–1958
- Best FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
performance: Fourth round, 1926–27, 1936-37, 1958–59