Haslingden St. Mary's F.C.
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Haslingden St Mary's F.C. are a football club based in Haslingden in Lancashire.
The club was formed in 1887 and played their early games at Laund Hey,a plateau below Cribden Hill,@ 1,000 feet above sea level which entailed a walk of one mile upbrew from the town.Their first recorded success was in the Haslingden District Amateur League.They continued this until the intervention of the Great War around 1915.On the resumption of organised football in 1919 St.Mary's did the double in seasons 1919-20 & 1920-21 Paddy Toole scoring 119 league & cup goals in a season.During the depression in the late 1920's the team enjoyed its most successful period to date by winning one & sometimes two trophies up to the outbreak of World War Two. In 1932 Fr.Hunt the Parish Priest had obtained the land at Prinny Hill that was to be the home of St. Mary's F.C. for the next 47 years,and on the 2nd. of April 1932 this keen sportsman cut the first sod.The project took a further three years to complete and was a glorious example of the community working together towards a common goal.The women of the Parish raised the money to buy the land and the men spent many hours digging and levelling to make a field fit to play on.Subsequent generations, even todays, owe a great debt to Fr. Hunts foresight and his Parishioners endeavours.With a new field came a new league and in 1935-6 they joined the Blackburn Combination. Success continued the highlight being runners up in the Lancashire Junior Shield at Ewood Park 1939-40 leading 1-0 at halftime but defeated 2-1 by Hindsford.Amateur football resumed in 1947 and plans were drawn up for the building of a new pavilion. Once again the Parishioners rallied round raising the necessary cash and donating time and labour to the project.Completion was the start of the 1953-4 season and at the time it was considered state of the art with showers and sunken bath.In 1956-7 St.Mary's enjoyed there most successful post war season doing the double of Blackburn Combination second division and Eddleston Cup.George McKenzie scorig 96 cup and league goals for which the Combination struck a gold medal to recognise this tremendous fete.From 1961 they were the proud owners of two pitches the second being laid by meembers and thus remained in this position until the advent of the Haslingden By-Pass in 1980.After 1956-7 lean years followed until 1964 when the first team won the Craven Hoyle Cup in the Bacup Combination at Rossendale F.C.The clubs matches in 1980 onwards were played at Haslingden Sports Centre and the next success was the Eddleston Cup at Ewood Park in 1982 followed by reserves champions of Div 5 1983 and Hamer Cup winners 1987. First team Eddleston Cup winners 1988 reserves Div 5 champs 1988. First team Div.2 champs and Eddleston Cup runners up and reserves Double champs in the same season of 1994-5. Reserves Div three runners up and promoted to Div.2 1996. During this period from Sept.1991 the club's facilities were reinsated, located at Southshore Street,some 300yads from the town centre, again with two pitches and modern pavilion.With the current successes in the Blackburn Combination the committee took the decision to apply for membership of the West Lanc's League,and were accepted for seaon 1996-7.After several seasons of escaping relegation the first team went down to Div.2. Lloyd Green then retired as a player and took over as Manager and guided the club to back to back champions of Div 2. and Div 1.in seasons 2004-5 and 2005-6 to enter the West Lanc's Premier League to be thwarted as Champions only by Kirkham & Wesham in the next season.The most successful team at St.Mary's to date.The club publish a Programme on first team home match days,and play in green & white hoops.They continue in the West Lanc's League Premier Division which is at level seven in the Football League Pyramid. .
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West Lancashire Football League Premier Division 2007-08
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Barnoldswick Town | Blackpool Wren Rovers | Burnley United | Charnock Richard | Coppull United | Dalton United | Eagley | Euxton Villa | Fleetwood Hesketh | Freckleton | Fulwood Amateurs | Garstang | Haslingden St. Mary's | Poulton Town | Turton | Wyre Villa |
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