Atherton Collieries F.C.
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| Atherton Collieries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Atherton Collieries Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Colls, The Miners | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1916 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Alder Street Atherton |
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| Capacity | 2,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Paul Gregory |
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| Manager | Phil Brown |
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| League | North West Counties | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | North West Counties Division One, 19th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Atherton Collieries F.C. are a football club based in Atherton in Greater Manchester, England.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] General
Atherton Collieries Football Club was established in 1916 by miners from the six pits which were then operative within the old urban district of Atherton. Between 1919 and 1965 they were winners of the Bolton Combination League ten times. They established a noted reputation in Lancashire and by 1964-65 had won the Lancashire Junior Shield six times, a record which is still unsurpassed.
They are affectionately nicknamed 'The Welfare', 'The Miners' or 'Sooty'. They play at Alder Street and the much maligned, but recently demolished, main stand was described in David Bauckham's book Dugouts as "leaning forward as if in prayer for its continued survival". [1]
They joined the Lancashire Combination Division Two in 1950 before leaving in 1952 to play again in the Bolton Combination. They rejoined the Lancashire Combination in 1971 before becoming founder members of the Cheshire County League Division Two in 1978-79. They joined the North West Counties League as founder members in 1982-83, winning the third division in 1986-87.
Steady progress off the pitch, with floodlights being erected in 1994, was matched by progress on the pitch as Colls’ final league position improved season on season. This culminated in promotion to the first division after finishing the 1995-96 season as runners-up to Vauxhall GM.
Colls have suffered mixed fortunes during their tenure in Division One. Their best season came in 1999-2000 when they finished in thirteenth place. In other seasons Colls have only avoided relegation due to events elsewhere in the league. In 2005-06 an impressive run of results towards the end of the season took Colls well clear of any relegation worries.
[edit] Cup exploits
Atherton Collieries have been successful in a number of cup competitions over the years.
They were Lancashire FA Amateur Shield winners on a record-breaking six occasions. Firstly in 1920, they beat Dumers Lane 3-2 after extra time. Then in 1923 they defeated Barnoldswick Town 4-1. In 1942 they beat Royal Engineers 3-2 and in 1946 Moss Rovers were dispatched 5-2. The 1957 final saw Colls come out on top in a second replay against Burnley Albion, winning 3-2 after extra time and their last victory in the final came in 1965 when they defeated Breightmet United 6-1.
Perhaps Colls’ biggest final came in 2001-02 when they reached the last hurdle of the League Cup for the first time. And although they lost out to Prescot Cables in a close game, Colls could consider themselves unlucky not to have got their hands on the trophy.
In that same season, Colls enjoyed another cup final when they came up against Charnock Richard at the Reebok Stadium in the Bolton Wanderers sponsored Goldline Trophy. Colls ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Nicky Fisher. The following season Colls once again made it to the final of the Goldline Trophy but this time had to settle for runners-up.
Colls have also enjoyed success in numerous local cup competitions but have failed to make an impact in the national cup competitions. Their best run in the FA Vase came in 1992-93 when they reached the third round and in the FA Cup they got as far as the second qualifying round in 2002-03.
[edit] Current season
Following the resignation of experienced manager Alan Lord, Atherton Collieries appointed Phil Brown as manager at the end of the 2005-06 season. A reserve team was also entered in the Lancashire League (West) Reserve Division, competing against strong opposition from the reserve teams of Conference and Northern Premier League clubs.
After a good pre-season, Colls started the 2006-07 season with optimism and have been rewarded with their best ever start to a league campaign in Division One. Despite an early exit from the FA Cup, they managed a couple of good results in the FA Vase before exiting the competition in the second round in an unlucky encounter with Glasshoughton Welfare.
Phil Brown’s young side have shown a positive attitude and, even amongst some inconsistent results, have played some neat and attractive football. Their finest performance came against league leaders FC United of Manchester in November 2006 when they inflicted a 3-0 defeat on The Red Rebels, their biggest defeat in first class football. The star of that match, Colls striker and hat-trick hero Anthony Pilkington, has since moved into the professional game with Stockport County.
[edit] Partnership with Myerscough College
Atherton Collieries’ upturn in fortunes during the 2006-07 season owes a lot to a Football Development Centre near Preston in Lancashire – Myerscough College. Colls manager Phil Brown is the college’s FDC manager and his assistant Dave McCann is an FDC coach. The fruitful link-up has seen an influx of young, talented players from the college’s under-19 side, giving them a chance to develop their footballing talent at non-league level with Atherton Collieries.
In addition to the progression pathway for players, Colls have benefited from the college’s wealth of coaching experience. As well as having Phil Brown and ex-manager Alan Lord helping out in a coaching capacity, UEFA-qualified coaches Dave McCann (player/assistant manager), ex-Preston North End midfielder Graham Atkinson (reserve team manager) and Peter Glynn (assistant reserve team manager) have bolstered the coaching set-up.
[edit] Current Squad
| Player | Position | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Bates | GK | Dave Rogerson | GK |
| Jermaine Peters | DF | James Parkinson | DF |
| Chris Smalley | DF | Dave McCann | DF |
| David Rhodes | DF | Andy Walker | MF |
| Alex Lord | MF | Andy Harvie | MF |
| Seydou Bamba | MF | Nick Dyson | MF |
| Stuart Cliffe | MF | Neil Davies | FW |
| Craig Hobson | FW | Barry Massay | FW |
| Andrew Barker | FW | Danny Pilkington | FW |
[edit] Current Staff
[edit] Management
Manager: Phil Brown
Assistant Manager: Dave McCann
Physio: Paul Chapman
[edit] Officials
Chairman: Paul Gregory
Football Secretary: Emil Anderson
[edit] Honours
- Bolton Combination: Champions - 1919-20; 1936-37; 1937-38; 1938-1939; 1940-41; 1944-45; 1956-57; 1958-59; 1960-61; 1964-65
- Lancashire County FA Shield: Winners - 1919-20; 1922-23; 1941-42; 1945-46; 1956-57; 1964-65
- North West Counties Division Three: Champions - 1986-87
- Bridge Shield: Winners - 1985-86
- North West Counties Division Two: Runners-Up - 1995-96
- Goldline Trophy: Winners - 2001-02
[edit] References
- ^ Bauckham, David (2006). Dugouts. New Holland. ISBN 1-8453-7478-9.
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- FC United of Manchester match programme vs Atherton Collieries, Season 2006-07, Volume 2, Issue 13
- Atherton Laburnum Rovers match programme vs Atherton Collieries 26/12/06
- Atherton Collieries match programme vs FC United of Manchester 6/1/07
| North West Counties Football League Division One 2006/07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abbey Hey | Atherton Collieries | Atherton Laburnum Rovers | Bacup Borough | Colne | Congleton Town | Curzon Ashton | FC United of Manchester | Flixton | Formby | Glossop North End | Maine Road | Nantwich Town | Nelson | Newcastle Town | Ramsbottom United | Salford City | Silsden | Squires Gate | St Helens Town | Stone Dominoes | Trafford edit |
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