• West Lancashire League Champions: 1986/87
• Lancashire FA Amateur Shield Winners: 1988/89, 1990/91
Chairman Maurice Watkin
Vice-Chairman David Smith
Treasurer Paul Muspratt
Club Secretary John Squire
Matchday Secretary Gary Fawcett
Manager Kevin Watkin
Manager Dave Round
Safeguarding Officer Steve Thomas
Head of Digital Glen Ritchie
Groundskeepers Alan Wilson & Ian Littlehales
Bar Manager Sam Trewin
Good afternoon and welcome to Rakesmoor Lane for today’s FA Vase fixture against Wythenshawe FC.
The lads have been really good over the past few weeks, coming through some tough fixtures and picking up some important points along the way. It hasn’t always been the level of performance we want in terms of our play on the ball, but the effort, organisation, and desire have been spot on.
Wednesday was a bit of a setback – we didn’t get enough of the basics right, especially in difficult conditions. That’s something we’ve spoken about, and we know we have to tidy up and raise the level again, especially in possession.
That part of our game will be really important today against a strong Wythenshawe side. They’re well-organised, carry a real threat, and we’ll need to be brave and better on the ball if we want to create opportunities and control the tempo.
A lot of the outside focus will be on this fixture because of what happened in the original game, but for us, it’s just about doing what we did that day – being right at it from the start, competing for everything, and playing with intensity. That performance was one of our best this season, and if we can match those levels again, we’ll give ourselves every chance.
We also want to make sure we use our home advantage. We’ve got great support behind us, and when the fans are with us, this place can be really tough to come to – especially when the pressure is all on them.
KEVIN WATKIN
This is a massive fixture for the club and the lads. Wythenshawe are the best side we’ve faced this season and it’ll be another very tough test.
In the original tie, I thought we gave them too much respect early on – we couldn’t keep the ball and looked nervy. But credit to the lads for a brilliant second-half response, and to go on and win on penalties was a great moment.
It’s frustrating to have to replay it, especially given the circumstances, but we have to accept it and move on.
We’re missing a few key players today in Cal Fawcett, Cal Baynes and Tommy, but I’ve full belief in the lads coming in to rise to the challenge again.
DAVE ROUND
It’s a big game for the club, and all the lads are well aware of that. The FA Vase is a special competition for teams at our level, and it can be a huge help not just on the pitch, but financially as well. These are the types of games you want to be involved in, and we’re all looking forward to it.
It was a tough game down at their place last time out. We had to dig in and work hard for each other, and I thought we did that right until the final whistle. It showed the spirit we’ve got in the group and the willingness to do the ugly side of the game when needed.
We obviously feel a little bit aggrieved with how things have played out since, but that’s out of our hands now. What matters is how we respond. We need to show up with the same fight, energy and discipline across the full 90 minutes and give ourselves the best possible chance.
The support from the sidelines always gives us a lift, and hopefully we can repay that with the right performance and result to keep this run going.
We know what’s at stake today. The FA Vase is a proper competition to be part of, and these are the games you want to be involved in. We were proud of how we stuck together down at their place, and now it’s about doing it again, this time at home.
There’s been a lot said since the first game, but we’re not focused on any of that. We’re focused on putting in a performance and doing what we need to do to get through.
We’ve got players who can make a difference, but we’ll need everyone to stand up and do their job.
The original tie down at Wythenshawe was one of the tougher games we’ve had this season. They’re a good side and we had to work hard for everything. As a keeper, you expect to be busy in games like that, and it was just about staying switched on and doing what I could to keep us in it.
We showed a lot of heart to stay in the game and take it all the way, and that says a lot about this group. There’s a real togetherness and we stuck at it when it mattered.
Now we’ve got them at home, and we know it’ll be another big test. The Vase is massive for clubs at our level, and we want to go as far as we can.
And if we could wrap it up before penalties this time - that’d be ideal...
Wythenshawe Football Club, founded in 1946 as Wythenshawe Lads’ Club, is based at Hollyhedge Park in Manchester and play in royal‑blue shirts with white detailing. Nicknamed “The Ammies,” the club has progressed from local youth leagues into the non‑league pyramid, earning promotion to Step 4 level and establishing a strong youth structure along the way.
• Founded in 1946 – Began as a boys’ club under Reg Gauntlet and expanded into adult football as Wythenshawe Amateurs.
• Nickname “The Ammies” – Adopted when the club rebranded to Wythenshawe Amateurs in 1949 and switched to royal blue & white striped kit.
• Early Successes – Won the South Manchester & Wythenshawe League First Division in 1953 after rapid progression through lower divisions.
• Senior League Stability (1972 onward) – Joined the Manchester League in 1972‑73 and won the Premier Division several times (1990, 1993, 2003).
• Tunnel Vision for Cups – Claimed multiple Lancashire Amateur Cups, Manchester Premier Cups and record‑winning Gilgryst Cup titles across decades.
• Hollyhedge Park Home – Moved into the stadium in September 2017 after a major redevelopment, reaching Step 6 status with Step 5 ambitions.
• Youth & Women’s Growth – Launched a formal junior section in 1989; women’s team formed in 2009 and gained promotion to the North West Women’s Regional League.
• National Cup Exposure – Re‑entered the FA Vase and FA Cup, including a play‑off drive in 2021‑22 where they finished 6th and reached the NWCFL play‑offs.
• Corporate Re‑structure (2023) – Dropped “Amateurs” from the name in June 2023, changed crest and secured major sponsorship; chairman Sacha Lord joined the board.
• Promotion Milestone (2024) – First team became Premier Division champions, gained promotion to the Northern Premier League – the highest level in the club’s history.
Originally founded in 1946 as Wythenshawe Lads’ Club by Reg Gauntlet, a local window cleaner, gathering together a group of kids kicking a ball about in the street, started playing friendlies, held meetings with parents in a wooden hut in the grounds of Cringlewood House, Yew Tree Lane. They then set up home by hiring a room in an old farmhouse in Daine Avenue, Rackhouse. A couple of years later Noel Timpson, of Timpson Shoes, purchased two ex-WW2 Nissen huts and sited them within the farmhouse grounds.
Wythenshawe, their first kit being white shirts, black shorts, black socks, first manager Bob Collins, progressed through the Manchester Federation of Lads’ Clubs League 1946-49.
In 1949 as the lads grew into maturity and no longer eligible for Lads Club football Harry Dalton developed them into ‘The Ammies’, changing their name to Wythenshawe Amateurs, managed by Jim Cooper, to provide football for all ages. Dalton was a Sheffield Wednesday supporter hence the Ammies royal blue & white striped kit.
They became members of the South Manchester and Wythenshawe League 1949-53 racing through the lower divisions, top goalscorer being Bob Halliday with an incredible 72 goals in season 1951-52, before securing the First Division Championship in 1953.
They then entered the Altrincham and District League 1953-54.
In 1956 Wythenshawe played Manchester United, including Bobby Charlton, in the Altrincham District FA – Whitaker Cup Final. This was a great day for Wythenshawe because not only did they hold a very talented United team to a draw but according to press reports at the time were quite as good as their opponents. After two lots of extra time the score was 1-1, the cup was shared with each team holding it for six months.
Climbing the football pyramid they were accepted into the Lancashire and Cheshire League 1954-72 winning the double in their first season, the Third Division ‘A’ and Hellawell Shield. Between 1955-57 they achieved the distinction of promotion in three successive seasons, 1955 Third Division ‘A’ champions, 1956 Third Division runner-up, 1957 Second Division champions. Also First Division champions 1962 and three time winners of the Rhodes Cup (1958, 1961, 1972).
They established themselves in the Manchester League in 1972-73 season, winning automatic promotion to the Premier Division by becoming champions of the First Division in their first season, three time champions of the Premier Division (1990, 1993, 2003) runner-up ten times (1980, 1985, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2018) and record winners (7) of the Gilgryst Cup (1986, 1987, 1990, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2018) twice finalist (1980, 1988).
Three time winners of the Lancashire Amateur Cup (1976, 1990, 1996) finalist six times (1982, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994).
The club led a somewhat nomadic existence, playing their games at Cleveland playing fields 1946-49, Wythenshawe Park 1949-58, The Christie playing fields 1958-61, Federation of Lads’ Club Ground Chorlton, later called Harry Dalton playing fields 1961-83, then in 1983 they became tenants at Wythenshawe Cricket Club, Longley Lane, albeit when the football and cricket seasons overlapped the club had to find alternative
venues, Flixton FC 2015, St Paul’s High School 2016-17, settling at Hollyhedge Park in 2017.
From season 1967-68 the first team took part in the FA Amateur Cup, which in 1974 became the FA Vase, in 1985 they reached the 5th round narrowly losing 2-1 away to the eventual winners Halesowen Town. The previous round saw the Ammies win 6-0 at home to Rushall Olympic before its then largest attendance of 255, tenfold their average, and producing their first ever match programme.
The senior section alone have won over 50 trophies. In 1989-90 the first team, managed by Ray Mallalieu, achieved the treble by winning the Lancashire Amateur Cup, Manchester League Premier and Gilgryst Cup, while the reserves added the Second Division title and the Sunday team winning the Wythenshawe and District Sunday League Challenge Cup.
Although youth teams have sporadically existed since the Lad’s Club days, In 1989 Stephen Hall and Jim Roberts formalised a Junior Section at the club, entering one team, Under 9’s, in the Timperley and District Junior League.
The Sunday team started in the Wythenshawe & District Sunday League, winning the Challenge Cup in 1990, and winning the League Cup in 2003.
In 2009 a Women’s team was formed, managed by Paula Mercer.
In 2011 became champions of Cheshire & Manchester Women’s League Division Two East and finalist in their respective cup, then transferred to the Cheshire Women’s & Youth League.
Due to a change to the FA’s ground grading requirements in 1996 the club were no longer eligible to enter the FA Vase, on top of that, because they were not allowed to develop the cricket ground, they could not seek promotion in the National League System from the Step 7 Manchester League to the Step 6 North West Counties Football League.
Wythenshawe were not deterred by this setback and planning permission was granted by Manchester City Council in October 2007 to build a 150 seater floodlit stadium in Hollyhedge Park. Raising sufficient funds to build this facility, even to simply fence in the ground, was an ongoing challenge, being adversely affected by a recession.
In June 2011 the club changed its legal entity from an unincorporated association to that of a private limited company by guarantee, with charitable status. The company dissolved in November 2019.
The Sunday team re-formed in 2012, managed by Paul O’Keefe, immediately winning the double, Division 1 champions and cup winners, in the Altrincham Sunday League in 2013. In 2014 they joined the Stockport Sunday League, immediately becoming Division Four champions in 2015, Division Three champions in 2016 with a 100%
win record, latter two seasons scoring 359 goals.
In July 2013 Committee member John Cotton noticed an article for a Budweiser £50,000 regional grant he felt the club could win, he passed the article to then Vice-Chairman Carl Barratt who took up the mantle. Fortune struck on Halloween that year, which changed the future of the club forever, when Barratt received the news that he was successful in winning the grant, this also enabled the club to compete against seven other clubs nationwide for an additional £100,000 in a public Facebook vote during February 2014, they obtained the most votes and secured the additional funds.
The club in 2015 introduced the ‘John Walker Tournament’, an annual nationwide summer festival of football for children and youths aged 7-17, attracting over 100 teams with over 1,000 players. A further honour bestowed upon ‘Mr Wythenshawe Amateurs’ was the naming of the main stand ‘The John Walker Stand’ in 2020.
The football and cricket clubs workable relationship, in its latter years, became strained and culminated in the Ammies being rendered homeless when evicted by the cricket club in May 2015 after 32 years use. The Hollyhedge Park Project was now, more than ever, an increasingly important chapter in the clubs future. Whilst the project was coming to fruition games were played at Flixton FC and St. Paul’s High School, with hospitality at the Winston Conservative Club and Northenden Social Club.
The penning of this crucial chapter recommenced in July 2016 when the club secured funding of £812,000, which included £382,317 from the Premier League & The FA, the £150,000 from Budweiser, £146,000 from the National Lottery, building work began in earnest in February 2017 for a clubhouse, new pitch, drainage, car park and fencing after a new long term lease was finally agreed with the council.
In March 2017 the club became a Community Benefit Society, its first Board of Directors being Basil Kabbani (Chairman), Carl Barratt (Vice-Chairman), Peter Andrews, John Cotton, Stuart Furnival, Ray Gibson, Stephen Hall, Neil Owen.
The stadium was completed in September 2017, the first match was played on 30th, drawing 1-1 v. Hindsford in the Manchester League, the 32 year old attendance record was broken with 277, itself subsequently surpassed.
Further improvements brought the ground up to Step 6 standard and was officially opened on 6th May 2018 by former England & Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.
Promotion was gained in May 2018 when the FA allocated the first team to a restructured North West Counties Football League, this meant that the club was competing at semi-professional level for the first time, they finished a creditable fourth in the First Division South in their first season.
In 2018 the women’s team finished runner-up in the CW&YL and promoted to the North West Women’s Regional League, also entering the Women’s FA Cup for the first time, beating Accrington Stanley at home 5-1 in the Preliminary Round then bowing out in the 1st Qual. Rd v. Accrington Girls & Ladies at home 1-3 before the women’s then record attendance of 142.
In 2019 the youth team entered the FA Youth Cup for the first time. In 2022 the youth development squad, managed by Brad Monks, became the clubs first team to win a regional league division, champions of the North West Youth Alliance Development Division, and were also finalist in their respective cup in their first season. They also reached the FA Youth Cup, First Round Proper, losing 3-0 away at Bolton Wanderers.
In 2019 the first team returned to the national stage when they re-entered the FA Vase.
The following season 2020-21, they made their debut in the FA Cup, in the Extra Preliminary Round beat Shelley at home 4-2 in a memorable penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in 90 mins, exited in the Preliminary Round v. Trafford at home 1-4.
The first full season, 2021-22, following two coronavirus pandemic hit seasons, managed by Shane Goldrick, they reached the NWCFL Division One South play-offs, losing to FC Isle of Man in the semi-finals.
They improved on that the following season, 2022-23, arguably the clubs most successful, with a first team double, winning automatic promotion to the Premier Division by becoming champions, their first ever semi-professional title, then adding the First Division Champions Cup, reserves won the Altrincham District FA Senior Cup, Sunday team champions of the Stockport Sunday League, Division Two. Junior section a club record 13 trophies.
Sacha Lord, co-founder of the music festival Parklife and The Warehouse Project, in May 2023 joined the Board and installed as Chair in June 2023. Barratt, appointed as Chair in 2019, remained on the Board as Vice-Chair.
In June 2023, the club changed its name, dropping ‘Amateurs’, becoming Wythenshawe Football Club, with the playing name Wythenshawe, there was also an alteration to the club crest to reflect the change.
The club’s purple patch continued in 2024, with a club record 21 trophies, the first team winning back-to-back titles and promotions, as Premier Division champions, being promoted to the Northern Premier League, the club’s highest ever level. Women’s team, managed by James Mulvihill, winning the quadruple, NWWRFL Division One South champions, winners of Lancashire FA Challenge Cup, Altrincham District FA Senior Cup and Division One Champions Super Cup. Sunday team double, champions of the Manchester Amateur Sunday Football League, Division 1 and Memorial Cup winners. Veterans teams, Over 35’s & Over 45’s champions of the Cheshire Veterans Football League, Division 3 & Division 1 respectively. Junior teams winning 12 trophies.
Their stay in the Northern Premier League was shortlived, returning to the NWCFL after one season, suffering their first relegation in the clubs 80 year history. While the Women’s team went in the opposite direction, back-to-back titles, promotions, in North West regional football, to the Women’s National League.
Holker’s Digital Media Team hand-picks their favourite photo this week.
DATE 12.11.22
Yep... It’s a penalty. In the FA Vase. What could possibly go wrong?
Founded in 1936, Holker Old Boys AFC began as an under-16 side, formed by the former pupils of Holker Central Secondary School, originally located on Holker Street in Barrow-in-Furness. While the school has long been replaced by a bingo hall, the club’s legacy continues to thrive.
Founded in 1936, Holker Old Boys AFC began as an under-16 side, formed by the former pupils of Holker Central Secondary School, originally located on Holker Street in Barrowin-Furness. While the school has long been replaced by a bingo hall, the club’s legacy continues to thrive.
By 1939-40, Holker joined the North Western Open Age League, playing on local fields. Their commitment to youth football remained strong, with junior teams keeping their roots alive. The club expanded into the West Lancashire League in 1967, running teams in both leagues and later securing a permanent home at Rakesmoor Lane in 1971 - a site with a history as an isolation hospital and allotments.
The formation of the Furness Premier League in 1980 saw them enter two teams, with the Reserves progressing into the West Lancashire League Division 2. Success followed in the mid-80s, with a runner-up finish in 1985/86, before claiming the West Lancs League Division 1 title in their Golden Jubilee season (1986/87). The late 80s brought further glory, as Holker lifted the Adidas Lancashire Junior Shield twice, triumphing over Walkden Town (1988/89) and Park United (1990/91).
With ambitions to compete at a higher level, Holker faced the challenge of upgrading their Rakesmoor Lane ground. Through sheer determination and community effort, they expanded facilities, built new changing rooms, and enclosed the pitch. Their hard work paid off in 1991 when they secured a place in the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) Division Two.
Holker adapted well to the higher level, finishing third in 1993/94 and earning promotion to Division One. Their time in the top flight was mixed, peaking at 11th place in 1995/96 before a difficult spell led to relegation in 1998/99. This prompted a period of rebuilding, both financially and structurally. The club expanded its setup to include three open-age sides and a thriving junior section, covering ages six to sixteen, plus a girls’ team.
By 2002/03, Holker had regained stability, finishing fifth in Division Two. Off the pitch, significant investments followed, with £80,000 secured for stadium improvements, pitch drainage, and parking. Though the mid-2000s saw inconsistent league performances, there were standout moments: reaching the FA Cup’s Second Qualifying Round (2004/05) and hosting FC United of Manchester in 2005/06 before a record crowd of 2,303. These achievements provided vital funds for further ground improvements, including floodlight upgrades in 2006/07.
The club’s commitment to youth development was also recognised with the FA Charter Standard Development Club Award. This dedication bore fruit in 2006/07 when the U18s, featuring many future first-team players, won the LFA Furness Building Society Youth Cup. By 2008/09, the senior team had climbed to ninth in the renamed Vodkat League First Division.
Under Dave Smith and Maurice Watkin, Holker enjoyed a resurgence, finishing third in Division One in 2010/11. A managerial change in 2011/12 brought challenges, but Smith’s return helped steady the ship. The 2012/13 season was tough, with the club narrowly avoiding last place, though an FA Cup run provided a financial boost.
The 2013/14 season marked a turning point, with Gary Fawcett and Stuart Roberts leading the team to a respectable sixth-place finish and a semi-final appearance in the NWCFL Challenge Cup. Further improvements followed between 2017 and 2019, including pitch enhancements, bar refurbishments, and an extended kitchen. Chairman Maurice Watkin ensured a warm, modern club atmosphere.
Holker reached a milestone in 2018/19, playing their 1,000th NWCFL league game and receiving a commemorative trophy. Despite a challenging season, the team avoided relegation, with Kevin Watkin, Paul Southward, and Glyn Dixon taking the reins to guide the club to safety.
Through decades of highs and lows, Holker Old Boys AFC remains a club built on passion, resilience, and a deep-rooted community spirit - one that continues to shape its future with ambition and pride.
