Crook Town A.F.C.

Crook Town

Full name

Crook Town Association Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Black and Ambers

Founded

1889

Ground

The Sir Tom Cowie Millfield Ground, Crook

Capacity

1,500

Chairman

Vince Kirkup

Manager

Tony Boakes

League

Northern Football League
Division Two

2014–15

Northern Football League
Division One, 22nd (relegated)

Home colours

Crook Town Association Football Club is an English football club based in Crook, County Durham. The club are currently members of Division One of the Northern League and play at the Sir Tom Cowie Millfield. The club won the FA Amateur Cup five times.

History

Crook Town Football Club was formed in 1889 by a merger of Crook and Crook Excelsior. They played only friendly and cup matches until joining the Bishop Auckland and District League. In 1896 they joined the Northern League.^[1] In 1900–01 they reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup, defeating King's Lynn 3–0 in a replay at Ipswich after a 1–1 draw at Dovercourt in Essex.

In 1913, Crook made the first of three tours to Spain where games were played against Barcelona. Subsequent tours were undertaken in 1921 and 1922. In all Crook played Barcelona ten times, winning two, drawing four and losing four.^[2] Jack Greenwell, a native of Crook who played on the first tour, stayed on to play for Barcelona. Jack went on to manage Barcelona and the Spanish national team before coaching all over the world during the 1930s.

In 1914–15 the club won the Northern League title. They were champions again in 1926–27, but after an investigation into illegal payments to amateur players the following season, the club was suspended by the Durham County Football Association on 7 January,^[1] and their league record was expunged. The club were re-constituted in the summer of 1928 and spent the 1928–29 season in the Durham Central League. They were accepted back into the Northern League in 1929,^[1] but a year later decided to turn professional and joined the North Eastern League under the name Crook.

The Sir Tom Cowie Millfield – Home of Crook Town AFC

However, with the club virtually bankrupt after finishing bottom of the North Eastern League in 1935–36 a special meeting was called and the decision to revert to amateur status and rejoin the Northern League as Crook Town was made. The club struggled on until World War II and the Northern League closed down in 1940.

In 1943 Hole in the Wall Colliery and Peases West Welfare merged to form Crook Colliery Welfare. When the Northern League resumed in 1945, the new club took the place of Crook Town,^[1] whose name they adopted in 1949.^[3] In 1952–53 they won the Northern League, and the following season they won the FA Amateur Cup again, defeating Bishop Auckland in a second replay in the final.^[1]

In 1958–59 they won the league and reached the FA Amateur Cup for the third time, winning 3–2 against Barnet.^[1] They won the Cup again in 1961–62 with a 4–0 win over Hounslow Town in a replay, and the following season won the Northern League title. A fifth Amateur Cup was won in 1963–64 when they defeated Enfield 2–1,^[1] but thereafter the club declined. After thirteen seasons of finishing in the top six in the league during the 1950s and early 1960s, the early 1970s saw the club finishing towards the bottom of the league.^[1] In 1976 they became the first English club side to tour India, when they played six matches there, including a 1–0 defeat to the Indian national side, a match was watched by a crowd of 100,000.^[4]

In 1988–89 they finished bottom of Division One of the Northern League and were relegated to Division Two.^[1] They returned to Division One after finishing as runners-up in 1994–95, but were relegated back to Division Two after finishing bottom in 2000–01.^[1] In 2012–13 the club won Division Two, earning promotion back to Division One.^[5]

Former players

Former players of the club that played professionally include:

Most Influential Player

The most influential former player of Crook Town, going on to influence football on the world stage, was Jack Greenwell (John Richard Greenwell) an ex-coal miner who played non-league football for the club from 1901 to 1912 went to Spain and played 88 games for Barcelona before becoming their manager in 1917. Mr Greenwell was so highly regarded by the Barcelona Club that they incorporated the English Flag into their club badge in his honour, thereby recognising Mr Greenwell’s achievements of winning 5 Catalonian championships and two Copa del Reys. He also managed Espanyol, Mallorca and Valencia. On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Mr Greenwell moved to South America to manage the Peruvian and Columbian National teams, he died in 1942 in Bogota.^[6]

Honours

FA Amateur Cup
- Winners 1900–01, 1953–54, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64
Northern League
- Champions 1914–15, 1926–27, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1962–63
- Division Two Champions 2012–13
- League Cup winners 1937, 1946, 1961
Durham Challenge Cup
- Winners 1927, 1932, 1955, 1960
Durham Benevolent Bowl
- Winners 1914, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1955
Captain G. Wright Trophy
- Winners 1964, 1965

Records

Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 1931–32
Best FA Trophy performance: Third round, 1976–77
Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 2005–06
Attendance: 17,500 vs Walton & Hersham, FA Amateur Cup, 1952

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Crook Town at the Football Club History Database
↑ FC Barcelona - Complete International Record RSSSF
↑ Crook Colliery Welfare at the Football Club History Database
↑ A brief history Crook Town AFC
↑ Congratulations! Northern League, 27 April 2013
↑ Leatherdale, Duncan (5 October 2013). "Barcelona Jack's granddaughter returns to her roots in Crook". Northern Echo. Retrieved 8 October 2013.

External links

Official website

Northern League

Division One	Ashington Bedlington Terriers Bishop Auckland Consett Dunston UTS Durham City Guisborough Town Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association Marske United Morpeth Town Newcastle Benfield Newton Aycliffe North Shields Norton & Stockton Ancients Penrith Seaham Red Star Shildon Sunderland Ryhope Community Association Washington West Allotment Celtic West Auckland Town Whitley Bay

Division Two	Alnwick Town Billingham Synthonia Billingham Town Birtley Town Brandon United Chester-le-Street Town Crook Town Darlington Railway Athletic Easington Colliery Esh Winning Heaton Stannington Hebburn Town Northallerton Town Ryhope Colliery Welfare Ryton & Crawcrook Albion South Shields Stokesley Sports Club Team Northumbria Thornaby Tow Law Town Whickham Willington

Seasons	1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015-16

Coordinates: 54°42′52.52″N 1°45′04.15″W / 54.7145889°N 1.7511528°W / 54.7145889; -1.7511528

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