1874 Northwich F.C.

Association football club in England

Football club
1874 Northwich
Full name1874 Northwich Football Club
Nickname(s)The '74, The Greens
Founded2012
GroundTownfield, Barnton[1]
ChairmanRichard Stockton (acting)
ManagerChris Herbert
LeagueNorthern Premier League Division One West
2022–23Northern Premier League Division One West, 14th of 20
WebsiteClub website
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

1874 Northwich Football Club is a football club based in Northwich, Cheshire, England.

Established in 2012 by supporters of Northwich Victoria, they are currently members of the Northern Premier League Division One West. Home matches are played at Barnton's Townfield ground.

The club is fully owned by its supporters, and is run by a democratically elected board.[2][3]

History

The club was established on 15 November 2012 at a meeting at Lostock Social Club in Lostock Gralam, near Northwich, when members of the Northwich Victoria Supporters' Trust were given the opportunity to decide on creating a new football club due to growing disenfranchisement with how Northwich Victoria has been run over many years. The vote ended with a 141–4 vote in favour of a new club. It had emerged on the day of the vote that the owner of Northwich Victoria had been declared bankrupt (later annulled) and therefore failed the FA Fit and Proper Persons test.[4]

On 29 November 2012 fans attended an open meeting in Northwich, where they chose the name 1874 Northwich for the club.[5] In order to avoid legal issues over the new club's name, none of the proposed options included the words Vics or Victoria.[6] The date 1874 was chosen because it was the year in which the original club named Northwich Victoria was founded, or at least, when they played their first formal match.[7] The original club became defunct and disbanded in 1890, when a new club, which elected to use the name Northwich Victoria was founded from an amalgamation of the original club bearing the same name and Hartford and Davenham United.[8][9] Alongside the naming of the club, fans were also given the chance to vote on a motto; the phrase 'Ever Glorious', which was used by the Cheshire Regiment[10] was chosen due to their links with the town of Northwich. One of the other options included the Latin translation, 'Semper Gloriosa'. Ever Glorious has also become established as the name of the club's match-day programme.[11]

On 3 January 2013 it was confirmed that the club had been officially registered with the Cheshire County Football Association and had applied to join the North West Counties League in time for the 2013–14 season,[12] and were accepted into Division One of the league on 23 May.[13] The appointment of the club's first manager, former Winsford United and Ashton Athletic boss Ian Street was announced on 25 April 2013, with his assistant Lee Duckworth being announced three days later.[14][15] The club played their first match on 10 July 2013 against local team Lostock Gralam, winning 3–1.[16] Their first honours came three days later in the Supporters Direct Shield, when they defeated AFC Rushden & Diamonds 3–0 in Widnes at the Halton Stadium.[17]

Their first league game was played on 3 August 2013 against Oldham Boro, where 490 fans attended the game which finished 1–1.[18] In their first season, the club finished third in Division One, initially missing out on promotion to the Premier Division on goal difference. However, following the resignation of Formby in May, Northwich were promoted in their place.[19] In their second season, the club finished third in the Premier Division and entered the FA Cup for the first time. They finished fourth in the Premier Division in 2015–16, and also won the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup, beating Witton Albion in the final.[20]

Ian Street resigned as first-team manager on 12 March 2017, with assistant Paul Bowyer and first-team coach Wayne Goodison becoming caretaker joint managers before being appointed on a permanent basis. The club went on to win the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup with a 1–0 win over Northwich Victoria in the final.[21] In 2017–18 they reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase, losing 4–2 on aggregate to Thatcham Town.[22] The following season saw the club win the North West Counties Football League Cup, beating league champions City of Liverpool 1–0 in the final at Moss Lane.[23] In July 2021 the club won the much-delayed 2019–20 League Cup, defeating Runcorn Town 6–3 in the final.[24] After the 2020–21 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club were promoted to Division One West of the Northern Premier League having had the highest points-per-game (PPG) average in the North West Counties League Premier Division over the previous two curtailed seasons.[25][26] In their third season in the eighth tier, the club were relegated for the first time in their history.[27]

Season-by-season

Season Division P W D L F A Pts Pos FA Cup FA Trophy FA Vase Av. attendance Notes
2013–14 North West Counties League Division One 36 26 6 4 79 28 84 3/19 — — First qualifying round 320 Promoted
2014–15 North West Counties League Premier Division 40 26 8 6 90 35 86 3/22 Preliminary round — Third round 307
2015–16 North West Counties League Premier Division 42 24 6 12 89 62 78 4/22 Preliminary round — Second round 265
2016–17 North West Counties League Premier Division 42 25 7 10 81 50 82 5/22 Preliminary round — Second round 248
2017–18 North West Counties League Premier Division 44 24 7 13 85 56 79 7/23 Third qualifying round — Semi-finals 223
2018–19 North West Counties League Premier Division 38 15 11 12 63 55 56 10/20 Extra preliminary round — Second round 238
2019–20 North West Counties League Premier Division 29 22 5 2 79 27 71 1/20 Second qualifying round — First qualifying round 280 Season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 North West Counties League Premier Division 5 3 0 2 12 8 9 10/20 Extra preliminary round — Second round 213 Season curtailed, promoted
2021–22 Northern Premier League Division One West 38 13 8 17 59 58 47 12/20 First qualifying round Second qualifying round — 281
2022–23 Northern Premier League Division One West 38 12 9 17 44 50 45 14/20 Extra preliminary round First qualifying round — 347
Source: Non-League Matters[28][29][30]

Ground

The club play at the Townfield ground in Barnton, groundsharing with Barnton F.C. They previously played at Winsford United's Barton Stadium from their establishment until the end of the 2018–19 season.[31]

Managerial records

Based on win % in all matches excluding friendlies, correct as of 28 April 2023

Name From To Record
P W D L %
Ian Street 2013 2017 196 122 27 47 62.24
Paul Bowyer & Wayne Goodison 2017 2023 272 132 49 91 48.53
Damian Crossley 2023 2024 11 0 3 8 0
Chris Herbert 2024 - 0 0 0 0 0

Honours

  • North West Counties League
    • Challenge Cup winners 2018-19, 2019–21
  • Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup
    • Winners 2015–16, 2016–17
  • Supporters Direct Shield
    • Winners 2013–14

Records

See also

  • iconCheshire portal
  • 1874 Northwich F.C. players
  • 1874 Northwich F.C. managers

References

  1. ^ "About us - 1874 Northwich F.C." 1874 Northwich F.C.
  2. ^ Fans Vote in favour of new club Northwich Guardian, 16 November 2012
  3. ^ Northwich Victoria Supporters Trust vote to breakaway from club ITV News, 16 November 2012
  4. ^ Supporters Direct Media Briefing (Dec 3rd) Supporters Direct, 3 December 2012
  5. ^ Northwich Victoria fans vote for name of a new club set to play its first match next season Northwich Guardian, 1 December 2012
  6. ^ Vics fans vote to name breakaway club 1874 Northwich Cheshire Today, 30 November 2012
  7. ^ History Archived 3 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Penny, Clive (2006). CJ Hughes: First Man of International Football. Visual Marketing Solutions. p. 57.
  9. ^ "Drill Field's disputed place in the record books". The Independent. 30 December 1999. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Ever Glorious Badge". Cheshire Military Museum.
  11. ^ "1874 Northwich Programme".
  12. ^ Applications To Join The NWCFL North West Counties League, 3 January 2013
  13. ^ FA League Allocation 1874 Northwich F.C.
  14. ^ Ian Street says he has a burning ambition to succeed as 1874 Northwich's first manager Northwich Guardian, 28 April 2013
  15. ^ "Assistant Manager Appointed". 1874 Northwich F.C. 28 April 2013.
  16. ^ "1874 Northwich Club Information Page". NWCFL.
  17. ^ 1874 Northwich FC win SD Shield Archived 7 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Supporters Direct
  18. ^ 1874 Northwich seek to inflict defeat on Oldham Boro after two previously unsuccessful attempts Northwich Guardian, 15 November 2013
  19. ^ Further Announcement on League Constitution North West Counties Football League, 31 May 2014
  20. ^ 1874 Northwich win Mid-Cheshire District FA Senior Cup final after thrashing Witton Albion Northwich Guardian, 19 April 2016
  21. ^ 1874 Northwich confirm Paul Bowyer and Wayne Goodison as joint managers following derby win Northwich Guardian, 18 April 2017
  22. ^ Wembley awaits for Thatcham and Stockton in the Buildbase FA Vase final The FA, 24 March 2018
  23. ^ "1874 Northwich vs. City of Liverpool". 1874 Northwich F.C.
  24. ^ Runcorn Town 3 1874 Northwich 6, Macron Cup Final Northwich Guardian, 24 July 2021
  25. ^ 1874 Northwich will apply for promotion when invited Northwich Guardian, 13 April 2021
  26. ^ https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/19310907.fa-confirms-national-league-system-allocations/ Northwich Guardian, 18 May 2021
  27. ^ @1874Northwich (1 April 2024). "It saddens us to announce that following today's result, we have been relegated for the first time in our history. We have enjoyed two successful mid-table finishes at our highest ever level, but this season wasn't meant to be. Thank you to all the players, management staff, club officials and volunteers for their hard work this season. We will be back stronger next season. #WeAre74 💚" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ North West Counties Division One Non League Matters
  29. ^ North West Counties Premier Division Non League Matters
  30. ^ Northern Premier League Division One West Non League Matters
  31. ^ "1874 Northwich depart St Luke's Barton Stadium with Runcorn win". Northwich Guardian. 30 April 2019.
  32. ^ a b 1874 Northwich at the Football Club History Database
  33. ^ Info North West Counties League

External links

  • Official website
  • v
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  • e
2023–24
clubs
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Division One East
Division One Midlands
Division One West
Seasons

53°16′29″N 2°32′47″W / 53.2746°N 2.5465°W / 53.2746; -2.5465