Northern Premier League Challenge Cup

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
Founded 1969
Region  England
Number of teams 66
Current champions Ashton United (1st time)
Most successful club Marine (4 wins)
Website Evo-Stik League Website
2011–12

The Northern Premier League Challenge Cup (also known as the Doodson Sport Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a knock-out cup competition organised by the Northern Premier League.

Teams from all three Northern Premier League divisions take part in the tournament, with Premier Division sides receiving a bye to the round of 32.

Contents

History

The Challenge Cup's first season was in 1968–69. At this point the Northern Premier League consisted of just one division. As the league was expanded, the competition accepted teams from the new divisions. Marine are the most successful club with 4 titles. Lancaster City are the only club which has successfully defended the title, doing so in 2001. Only one Welsh team has ever won the Challenge Cup: Bangor City in the competition's inaugural season.

From 1973 to 2007, the winners of the Challenge Cup qualified for the Peter Swales Shield where they would play the champions of the Premier Division. This practice ended upon the splitting of Division One into two divisions: Division One North and Division One South.

From 1994–95 to 2009–10 it was also known as the Unibond Challenge Cup. For the 2011-2012 season and the 2012-2013 season, the Challenge Cup will be known as the 'Doodson Sport Cup'.

Finals

Year Winners Score Runners-up Notes Venue
1969 Bangor City 5–2 Runcorn Played over two legs Home & away
1970 Altrincham 4–3 Macclesfield Town Played over two legs Home & away
1971 Fleetwood Town 1–1 Macclesfield Town Played over two legs
1–0 replay at Wigan Athletic		 Home & away
1972 Wigan Athletic 4–2 Gainsborough Trinity Played over two legs Home & away
1973 Northwich Victoria 3–2 Wigan Athletic Played over two legs Home & away
1974 Boston United 3–2 Altrincham Played over two legs Home & away
1975 Runcorn 2–1 Stafford Rangers Played over two legs Home & away
1976 Boston United 5–2 Mossley Played over two legs Home & away
1977 Scarborough 1–0 Runcorn Maine Road
1978 Matlock Town 3–0 Boston United Maine Road[1]
1979 Mossley 3–0 Northwich Victoria Maine Road
1980 Runcorn 2–0 Lancaster City Maine Road
1981 Marine 4–3 Runcorn Maine Road
1982 Gainsborough Trinity 1–0 Mossley Maine Road
1983 Burton Albion 2–1 Macclesfield Town Maine Road
1984 South Liverpool 1–1 Hyde United 7–6 on penalties Maine Road
1985 Marine[2] Goole Town
1986 Hyde United Marine
1987 Macclesfield Town Burton Albion
1988 Goole Town Barrow
1989 Mossley 2–1 Fleetwood Town
1990 Hyde United Gateshead
1991 Southport Buxton
1992 Marine[2] 1–0 Frickley Athletic Maine Road[3]
1993 Winsford United Warrington Town
1994 Spennymoor United Hyde United
1995 Bamber Bridge Bishop Auckland
1996 Hyde United Leek Town
1997 Gainsborough Trinity Boston United
1998 Altrincham Gainsborough Trinity at Chesterfield
1999 Stalybridge Celtic Guiseley
2000 Lancaster City Worksop Town
2001 Lancaster City Bishop Auckland
2002 Accrington Stanley Bradford Park Avenue Played over two legs. Won on Penalties.
2003 Marine 4–0[4] Gateshead Played over two legs. Home & away
2004 Droylsden[5] Hucknall Town
2005 Matlock Town[6] 5–3 Whitby Town Played over two legs, 2–2 first leg, 3–1 second (after extra time). Home & away
2006 Farsley Celtic 1–0 Stocksbridge Park Steels
2007 Fleetwood Town 1–0 Matlock Town[7] at Witton Albion
2008 Eastwood Town 3–0 Skelmersdale United at Curzon Ashton[8]
2009 Guiseley 3–2 Ilkeston Town AET at Curzon Ashton[9]
2010 Boston United 2–0 Retford United at Lincoln United[10]
2011 Ashton United 1–0 Northwich Victoria at Witton Albion[11]

[12]

Results by team

Teams that have won the cup at least once.

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years
Marine
4
1
 1981, 1985, 1992, 2003
Boston United
3
2
 1974, 1976, 2010
Hyde United
3
2
 1986, 1996, 1996
Runcorn
2
3
 1975, 1980
Gainsborough Trinity
2
2
 1982, 1997
Altrincham
2
1
 1970, 1998
Fleetwood Town
2
1
 1971, 2007
Lancaster City
2
1
 2000, 2001
Matlock Town
2
1
 1978, 2005
Mossley
2
1
 1979, 1989
Macclesfield Town
1
3
 1987
Northwich Victoria
1
2
 1973
Burton Albion
1
1
 1983
Goole Town
1
1
 1988
Guiseley
1
1
 2009
Wigan Athletic
1
1
 1972
Ashton United
1
0
 2011
Bamber Bridge
1
0
 1995
Bangor City
1
0
 1969
Droylsden
1
0
 2004
Eastwood Town
1
0
 2008
Farsley Celtic
1
0
 2006
Scarborough
1
0
 1977
South Liverpool
1
0
 1984
Southport
1
0
 1991
Spennymoor United
1
0
 1994
Stalybridge Celtic
1
0
 1999
Winsford United
1
0
 1993

See also

References

  1. ^ Matlock Town FC. Matlock Town FC. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  2. ^ a b History of Marine FC – Marine Football Club. Pitchero.com (2010-10-28). Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  3. ^ Frickley Athletic Official Site - History Section
  4. ^ Gateshead F.C. 2002/03. Unofficial Gateshead Football Club Statistics Database. Retrieved on 2011-04-14.
  5. ^ Droylsden F.C.-The bloods on the net!. Droylsdenfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  6. ^ Matlock Town FC. Matlock Town FC (2010-08-01). Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  7. ^ Matlock Town FC. Matlock Town FC (2010-08-01). Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  8. ^ League Cup glory for Badgers – Sport. Eastwood Advertiser. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  9. ^ Muller's the Guiseley hero – Non-League Football. Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  10. ^ BBC Sport – Football – Boston United win Unibond League Challenge Cup final. BBC News (2010-04-22). Retrieved on 2011-03-13.
  11. ^ Robins Win League Cup. EvoStik League Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
  12. ^ Tony's Non-League Forum: All Other Football Interests: History: Northern Premier League (Evo-stik) cup histories. Nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-13.

External links

Premier Division
Division One North
Division One South
Seasons
National teams
National Football Centre
League system
Domestic cups
Others
Lists