Issue #25 - v Nelson FC (19/08/2023)

SATURDAY 19 AUGUST 2023 NWCFL First Division North vs NELSON FC KO 3:00PM FREE ISSUE #25 THE STAG OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

WHAT’S INSIDE? 4 6 8 12 16 18 20 KEVIN WATKIN PARTNER FOCUS EYES ON THE OPPONENT CLUB NEWSROOM PLAYER SPONSORS LEAGUE TABLE SQUADS Produced and Edited by GR.VISUALS Official Club Photography by Ian Allington and Steve Miller and GR.VISUALS To advertisie in this programme please email commercial@hobafc.co.uk All editorial content within this programme is the copyright of Holker Old Boys AFC and can only be used with the club’s permission. The views in this programme don’t necessarily reflect those of Holker Old Boys AFC. 4 8 3

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“WE NEED TO WORK HARD TO PUT POINTS ON THE BOARD”

THOUGHTS FROM THE DUGOUT

Good afternoon and welcome back to Rakesmoor Lane for today’s North West Counties Football League fixture against Nelson FC.

It’s been a frustrating start to the season. We knew the games were going to come thick and fast, and it may take its toll, and unfortunately, that has been the case with an injury list I wouldn’t wish on any team.

Some performances haven’t been good enough and lacked a bit of fight to get through a challenging period. Still, Monday was better from that perspective until the last 10mins, which just summed up our luck at the minute.

We welcome Sam back into the squad today, who is a significant presence and has a lot of experience to offer with some of the younger lads. Frankie is back from holiday, so hopefully, he can pick up where he left off in a good run of form. Tommy has two games under his belt after a lengthy spell out, so he is getting closer to match fit. Will McGladdery and Joe Amison are also getting closer to returning, so hopefully, the injury list is starting to ease.

Even at this early stage of the season, today becomes a big game, and we need to work hard to put points on the board, especially in our home fixtures.

KEV WATKIN

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GOLD PARTNERS

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SILVER PARTNERS

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EYES ON OPPONENT

Blue NICKNAME The Admirals GROUND NAME Victoria Park CAPACITY 1,500 RECORD ATTENDANCE 14,143 (vs Bradford Park Avenue - 10th April 1926)

POSITION 15th

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COLOURS

LEAGUE

FACTSHEET

ON THE OPPONENT

THEIR HISTORY

Think of a club that was the first English side to beat Real Madrid away from home. A side that also won away at Old Trafford in the same season. A side which has obtained favourable results against six current Barclays Premiership clubs in league games (Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Hull City, Fulham, Southampton and Stoke City). A side that played in the Football League for ten seasons and has played competitive games against 34 current sides in the top four divisions. A side that has played many FA Cup ties in the competition proper with a record home attendance of over 14,000. All this, and more, has been achieved by ‘The History Boys’ of Nelson FC, also known as ‘The Admirals’.

The origins of Nelson FC can be reputedly traced to a group of townspeople who, in 1881, on witnessing a local football match between Burnley and Blackburn, were inspired to form their own team. However, it wasn’t until 1889-90 that they competed in a senior competition, joining the Lancashire League upon its formation. The Blues started well, with a series of top six finishes, and claimed the title in grand style in 1895/96, winning 22 of their 30 games and scoring 105 goals. However, in 1898-99, the original club was disbanded.

Just a few months after their demise, Nelson were reformed and accepted into the North East Lancashire League, later joining the Central League. When football resumed after the First World War, Nelson embarked upon the most remarkable adventure of their history. In 1921 the thirteen non-reserve teams of the Central League were voted into the Football League’s newly formed Third Division North. On 27th August 1921, the first league match brought a record attendance at Seedhill of 9,000.

The following season, 1922-23, saw the Blues lead a close race for much of the season, and five wins in a row during April saw them romp away to the title. One team was promoted from the Third Division North and South of the Football League then, which meant Nelson entered a nationwide league for the first time. On the back of their title triumph, and in preparation for life in Division Two, Nelson took the unusual step of an overseas tour to Spain in May 1923.

They performed with some success, winning two of their four games - a 2-1 success against Real Oviedo and a 4-2 victory at Real Madrid.

Unfortunately, Nelson’s time in Division Two was shortlived, lasting just the one season in which they finished second-bottom of the table. They struggled early on and off the pitch but achieved some remarkable feats. They had a home victory over champions-elect Leeds United, one of only nine league defeats for the Yorkshire side. And their first away victory came at Manchester United. Few nonleague clubs can claim to have won away at Real Madrid and Manchester United!

A return to Division Three North brought a drop in attendances, though big games saw new records established, such as 13,500 for the visit of table-topping Darlington. That first season back in the third tier of the Football League saw a second-place finish to the NorthEastern side, hence no promotion, and was the last time the Blues seriously threatened a return to the national stage.

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‘The side that beat Real Madrid’

The following season brought a new and never beaten record attendance at Seedhill of 14,143 for the visit of leaders Bradford Park Avenue. The home team went two goals down but came back to draw 2-2. Two seasons later, Nelson became serious strugglers, finding themselves £6,500 in debt. A rock-bottom finish meant a re-election application. They had conceded 136 goals during the season, and all the problems seemed to be down to insufficient gate receipts during difficult times for the area. Re-election was granted in 1928, but three seasons later, Nelson were back in the same situation, and 1930-31 was to be their final season as a League club. Nelson struggled in the Lancashire Combination without winning any honours, and things became much bleaker in 1936. A significant loss was incurred that season and the club disbanded on 7th August.

Following the war, Nelson returned to action and the Lancashire Combination. They were involved in some terrific tussles for the title with Wigan Athletic over the next few seasons, winning it twice in 1949/50 and 1951/52. In those three seasons of 42 league games, Nelson scored 125, 120 and 139 goals, respectively. The first title season also saw Nelson clinch the Lancashire Combination Cup to seal a historic Double in one of the premier leagues in the country outside of the Football League.

The men at the forefront of this period of success were two young player-managers. Centre-half Bob Johnson moved from Burnley for the start of the 1949/50 season, and, when his contract expired, the Blues landed a young man from Manchester City, 30-year-old Joe Fagan. The team built by ‘Uncle Joe’ romped to the title in his first season in 1951/52. Joe left to join Liverpool’s boot room team in 1958, and 25 years later, he was the manager who took the Reds to a European Cup, League Championship and League Cup treble.

As Fagan was beginning his long association with the Merseysiders, Nelson’s fortunes were to move, quite markedly, in the opposite direction. A third Combination Cup arrived in 1959/60, but a second-place finish in 1960/61 was the nearest they came to winning the Combination title again. A third place was collected in the final season of that league in 1981/82 - which by this time had lost much of its former quality and status - before the restructuring of the non-league pyramid.

EYES ON OPPONENT

Nelson joined the Third Division of the newly created North West Counties League - an amalgamation of the Lancashire Combination and Cheshire County League - in 1982. During that era, Nelson also moved out of their old Seedhill ground, sadly demolishing it to make way for the M65 motorway. However, the route was subsequently tweaked, and most of the original site is still intact, minus the stands and buildings. The club were transferred into the Second Division of the North West Counties League when the Third Division was dropped six seasons later.

However, after one more season, the club’s new ground was deemed not up to league standard, and the team was forced to play in the Second Division of the West Lancashire League for four seasons. It was challenging for the Blues, and they finished no higher than 15th. After much hard work, the new ground at Victoria Park - known by the locals as ‘Little Wembley’ - was brought up to scratch, and the club were re-admitted to the North West Counties League. Nelson usually finished in the top half of the lower Division in the following years.

A cruel end to the 2000/2001 season saw Nelson finish above Atherton LR in the third and final promotion place on the last day of the season, only to see the latter granted a replay of their final game as their opponents had fielded an ineligible player. Atherton won the replayed game to snatch away the third spot from the Blues.

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Seedhill, home of Nelson FC (Pictured in the 1960s)

ON THE OPPONENT

Former Blackburn Rovers coach David Hall took over the manager’s role at the start of the 2004/05 season and set about rebuilding a new young team. Hall was to leave after a poor start to the following season, but his assistant Graham Howarth took over and oversaw an incredible late run which propelled the Blues to a third-place finish, bringing with it a first promotion for the club in 83 years.

The club fought off relegation threats and maintained a place in the Premier Division for four seasons before administrative troubles forced the club to resign from the NWCFL in the summer of 2010. After a year out to regroup, Nelson rejoined the First Division under new ownership. With a composite board containing English and Asian board members that reflect the diversity within the town in the modern era, the club now aims to build a robust multicultural community club. One acts as a bridge between diverse community sections, uniting everyone under the common banner of football and providing a pathway into senior non-league football for any local players good enough, regardless of their race, religion or background. In the long term, the club wants to re-establish itself as the leading non-league club in the region and eventually regain the Football League place they lost in 1931.

The first season back was a transitional one as the new owners learnt about life running a senior football team, and a 15th place finish was achieved. The 2012/13 season started with a new young management team of Robert Grimes and Michael Morrison, and things started well with The Admirals racing to the top of the table. However, cracks soon began to appear, and a couple of months in, the management team departed along with most of the squad. Nelson limped along for a few weeks, taking some heavy defeats due to fielding what was effectively the clubs’ reserve team before manager Mark Fell arrived. He immediately brought stability to the club, an upturn in fortunes, and a host of new signings. Through his contacts, he also established a permanent training ground and base for the club at Accrington & Rossendale College, meaning the club now boasts the same training facilities as League Two neighbours Accrington Stanley. On the pitch, the side recovered to a mid-table 10th position.

Fell’s first entire season brought long-awaited success back to the town, a first league title in 62 years. Fell’s Nelson were outstanding, scoring a remarkable 157 goals in 45 games and winning the NWCFL Division 1 by five clear points. Nelson’s Peter Wright became the league’s top scorer with 38 goals.

2014/15 saw the Admirals return to the NWCFL Premier Division, with The Blues finishing a respectable 11th place, the club’s highest position in over 30 years. Last season, despite a bright start, a run of seven defeats in nine games saw Mark Fell decide to step down as manager and be replaced by ex-Nelson Striker Paul Fildes who guided Nelson to 16th by the end of the season. Just before preseason Fildes was offered the Manager position at Ramsbottom Utd and left Nelson looking for a new manager. Ahead of the 2016/17 season, ex-Burnley player Phil Eastwood was appointed manager; however, after only one win in the first ten league games, Eastwood stood down in October. The Admirals decided to promote Youth Team manager Alex Norwood to First Team Manager as the club look to avoid relegation from the Premier Division. Unfortunately, relegation was confirmed, and now the club are looking to bounce back and fight at the top end of Division One.

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‘Little Wembley’ - Main Stand

CLUB NEWSROOM

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

Priced at just £99, the Holker Old Boys AFC 2023/24 Season Ticket offers incredible value for the upcoming football season. In addition to access to all 19 home league games and all home cup fixtures, this year’s Season Ticket package contains an array of exciting benefits.

Holker Old Boys Bobble Hat: As a token of our appreciation, each season ticket holder will receive an official Holker Old Boys bobble hat. Proudly display your support for the club and keep yourself warm during those chilly Tuesday nights!

Free Hot Drink on Night Matches: All season ticket holders will be treated to a complimentary hot drink of their choice for those fixtures under the floodlights.

We thank our loyal fans who have supported us through thick and thin. Renew your season ticket and continue to be part of the Holker Old Boys family. We also warmly welcome those new to the club or who have yet to experience the joy of grassroots football.

Get in touch to secure your Season Ticket for 2023/24.

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2023/24 PLAYER SPONSORS

JOE AMISON JAY BARKER FRANKIE ELLIS CALLUM BAYNES CALLUM FAWCETT BRANDON COLLINS FARRYL FOSTER LUKE DAVEY JAMIE HODGSON TOM DAWSON SAM JOEL

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DYLAN ELLIS