Worksop Town F.C.

Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who currently play in the Conference North. The club have been based at their current ground, Sandy Lane, since 1992.

Early history

Although the first recorded items referring to its existence date from 1873, the club itself proclaims that its founding year was 1861. The team originally played on a pitch in the Netherton Road area of Worksop before moving to Central Avenue in 1891, the club's home for almost the next 100 years.

For much of their early existence Worksop Town played in the Midland League. Two notable FA Cup runs occurred during this period. In the 1907/08 season, the club reached the First Round Proper (the equivalent of the modern day competition's Third Round), and were drawn away against Chelsea. Although losing 9-1, the game drew an attendance of 70,184, a club record which still stands today. Another cup run occurred during the 1920/21 season, with Worksop becoming one of the famous FA Cup minnows by holding Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw at the Division One side’s White Hart Lane ground. The replay was controversially held at White Hart Lane for financial reasons, and saw Worksop lose 9-0. Supporters who had expected the replay to take place at Central Avenue showed their disappointment by staying away from subsequent home matches, an action that for a time saw the club’s debts mount.

In the mid 1960’s Worksop won the Midland League and became founder members of the Northern Premier League. After one season the club were relegated back to the Midland League. By the late 1970’s they had gained re-entry into the Northern Premier League. Around this time, Worksop had another relatively successful FA Cup run, reaching the First Round during the 1978/79 season, losing 5-1 away to Barnsley.

Recent history

The 1988/89 season saw Worksop once again relegated, this time to the newly formed Northern League Division One. In the same season the club also lost their Central Avenue ground, and were forced to ground-share 20 miles away at local rivals Gainsborough Trinity. The club returned to Worksop three seasons later, moving into their current home at Sandy Lane in 1992. The 1990's proved to be a better decade for the club - after winning promotion to the Northern Premier Division at the end of the 1997/98 season, Worksop were runners-up in that division the following season. To date, this has been the club's best-ever finish within the National League System.

For the start of the 2004/05 season, Worksop became founder members of the Conference North, created as part of Phase One of the restructuring of non-league English football. The latter half of the season saw the club hit financial difficulties. As a result, they were deducted 10 points, transforming the team's season from a credible promotion challenge to a relegation battle. The club eventually finished 17th in their first season of Conference North football. The following season saw the team further struggle in the division, despite an impressive FA Trophy run which saw them beat Conference National sides Burton Albion and Accrington Stanley. Their place in the Conference North for the 2006/07 season was only assured after victory in the penultimate game of the season, with the team finishing 19th at the season's end.

The current manager of Worksop Town is Ronnie Glavin, formerly a player with extensive league experience with Barnsley FC.

Honours

National

National League System: Step 2 (Northern Premier League), 2nd
- 1998/99
FA Cup: Last 64
- 1907/08, 1921/22, 1922/23, 1955/56
FA Trophy: Last 8
- 2000/01, 2005/06

Regional

Midland League Champions: 3
- 1922, 1966, 1973
Northern Premier League President's Cup: 2
- 1986, 1996
Northern Premier League Chairman's Cup: 1
- 2002
Sheffield Senior Cup: 11
- 1924, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1970, 1973, 1982, 1985, 1995, 1997, 2003

External links