| Full name | Horden Colliery Welfare Association Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Colliers |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Ground | Horden Welfare Park Horden |
| Chairman | Norman Stephens |
| Manager | Brian Honour |
| League | Northern League Division Two |
| 2009–10 | Northern League Division Two, 18th |
Horden Colliery Welfare A.F.C. are a football club based in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, England. They were formed in 1908 and joined the North Eastern League in 1935. They reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup in the 1938–39 season.[1]
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Since 1975, they have been members of the Northern League, and are currently in Division Two. Horden finished second in the Northern League Division One in 1980 and 1983 and in 1984 beat Blyth Spartans in the League Cup final under former Middlesbrough coach John Coddington.
There is a great FA cup tradition at Welfare Park, a run to the second round in 1938–1939 when they lost 3–2 at home to Newport County, and five more first round appearances. All brought narrow defeats against Southport F.C. (1948, 1–2), Accrington Stanley (1952, 1–2), Wrexham F.C. (1953, 0–1), Scunthorpe United (1954, 0–1) and Blackpool F.C. (1981, 0–1). In 1985 Horden CW faced the biggest challenge of their history when the club was relegated and around the same time Horden Colliery closed. The impact of the pit closure on the community and the loss of the clubs main sponsor meant that Horden CW found life a struggle, but in the late 1990s under the management of Peter Todd and later Kevin Taylor things started to look up.
Famous players with Horden connections include Bolton Wanderers striker Bob Taylor, Stan Anderson, the only man to captain each of the North-East's big three. Colin Bell (Man City and England), Tommy Garrett (Blackpool), Ritchie Norman (Leicester City) and Mick Fento (York City).
On 21 July 2010, Martin Wilson, a 24 year old businessman, took over the club. He is believed to be the youngest Chairman in the Football Pyramid. Under the new direction of Wilson, the club aims to re-brand itself in an attempt to make the club more appealing to younger supporters.
Unfortunately in November 2010 Mr Wilson went AWOL from the club and has not been seen since,leaving Norman Stephens with no alternative but to step in and regain his rightful place as Chairman of the club once again.
The new management team of Brian Honour and Ian McGuckin have attracted an array of young talent in the build up to the 2010–11 season. This supports the new Chairman's approach in making the club a younger, more vibrant place.
See Horden Colliery Welfare A.F.C. Players