Statistics

Match Summary
Biggest Home Win	8-0	11/01/20 v Daisy Hill (First Division North)
Biggest Away Win	4-1	10/09/19 v Steeton (First Division North)
Biggest Home Defeat	1-6	03/08/19 v AFC Darwen (First Division North)
Biggest Away Defeat	2-8	02/11/19 v AFC Liverpool (First Division North)
Highest Drawn Game	3-3	24/08/19 v Ashton Town (H) (First Division North)
Highest Aggregate Scoreline	10	02/11/19 2-8 v AFC Liverpool (A) (First Division North)

 

Season at a Glance
	Home		Away		Total
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Played	16		18		34
Won	7	43.75%	5	27.78%	12	35.29%
Drawn	2	12.50%	2	11.11%	4	11.76%
Lost	7	43.75%	11	61.11%	18	52.94%
Scored	30	1.88	28	1.56	58	1.71
Conceded	31	1.94	45	2.50	76	2.24

 

Progression in Cup Competitions
The Buildbase FA Vase	1st Qualifying Round	1-4	Easington Colliery	(A)
The Macron Cup	1st Round	1-2	Abbey Hey	(A)
The PlayerMatch.com Cup	1st Round	0-3	AFC Blackpool	(H)
Lancashire Challenge Trophy	1st Round	1-4	Nelson	(A)

 

Home Attendance Summary
Highest Attendance	120	26/10/19 v Nelson (First Division North)
Lowest Attendance	33	11/01/20 v Daisy Hill (First Division North)
Average Attendance	16 games	68

 

Number of Games Since
Last Win	1 game
Last Defeat	0 games
Goalless Draw	26 games
Score Draw	18 games
Scored A Goal	1 game
Fail To Score	0 games
Clean Sheet	1 game

 

Scored / Conceded This Season
	Scored		Conceded
	#	%	#	%
None	5	14.71%	6	17.65%
One	13	38.24%	9	26.47%
Two	10	29.41%	5	14.71%
Three	3	8.82%	7	20.59%
Four	2	5.88%	4	11.76%
Five or more	1	2.94%	3	8.82%

 

When the Goals Went In
	For		Against		Total
	#	%	#	%	#	%
0-15	8	13.79%	7	9.21%	15	11.19%
16-30	8	13.79%	18	23.68%	26	19.40%
31-45	9	15.52%	12	15.79%	21	15.67%
46-60	9	15.52%	10	13.16%	19	14.18%
61-75	13	22.41%	13	17.11%	26	19.40%
76-90	11	18.97%	16	21.05%	27	20.15%
90-105	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
105-120	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%

 

History

Holker Old Boys AFC was founded in 1936 as an under 16 side from Old Boys of the then Holker Central Secondary School in Holker Street Barrow-in-Furness. The school itself has long since been replaced with a Kwik Save supermarket which has also closed its doors in recent years.

In season 1939-40 the club joined the local North Western Open Age League, playing all their games on local playing fields. Junior teams were soon formed thus keeping the links with their roots.

1967 saw the club enter a team in the West Lancashire League whilst retaining a side in the N.W.L.

In 1971 a site for a new ground was obtained at Rakesmoor Lane on land which had originally been an isolation hospital then allotments. The club moved from their previous home on Thorncliffe Road to their present one at Rakesmoor. On the formation of the Furness Premier League in 1980 the club entered two teams into this league and still retains two sides, the Reserves and A Team, in the League to date.

Having spent years in the shadow of local rivals Vickers Sports Club (now Hawcoat Park FC.) and Dalton United in season 1985/86 they had their best ever season to date finishing Runners-up to BAC. Preston in the West Lancs League Div 1 However in the following season, which was also the Club's Golden Jubilee season, they went one better and finished Champions ahead of Vickers SC. More success followed as the club won the Adidas Lancashire Junior Shield in 1988/89 beating Walkden Town 2-0 and again in1990/91 when they defeated Park United 1-0. The club were now thinking of progressing to a higher standard of football but much work was needed on their Rakesmoor Lane ground to bring it up to the standard required. Committee members, players, friends and their families all worked hard to extend the clubhouse, build new changing rooms and enclose the pitch. The reward for all this hard work was to be accepted into the NWCFL Second Division for the start of the 1991/92 season.

Holker Old Boys took a couple of seasons to acclimatise to the new higher standard during which time floodlights were installed but in 1993/94 they finished third in the Second Division behind Haslingden (now defunct) and North Trafford (now Trafford). Haslingden were unable to be promoted because their facilities did not meet the requirements for the First Division so Holker Old Boys filled the second promotion place. Holker gave a good account of themselves for their first three seasons in the First Division and in 1995/96 they finished in their highest ever position of 11th. However the 1997/98 season saw them struggle finishing just two points ahead of relegated Darwen and the 1998/99 season was a disaster seeing them lose all twenty away games and scoring just five goals on their travels. Not surprisingly Holker finished bottom of the Division and were relegated for the first time in their history. After relegation the club restructured its finances and undertook a period of rebuilding which is started to bring returns. The club now has three open age sides and a Junior Section ranging from Under 6's to Under 16's plus 1 Girl's Team.

In season 2002/03 the Club had its best season since 1995/96 finishing fifth in Division 2. In season 2003/04 off the field the club secured over £80,000 in grants for stadium improvements, pitch drainage and car parking. Playing wise seasons 2003/04 to 2007/08 were a disappointment with the side languishing in the lower half of the Division however there have been one or two moments to savour namely reaching the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA. Cup in season 2004/05 and the successful arrangement of the game against FC. United of Manchester in 2005/06 at Craven Park, the home of Barrow Raiders RLFC, in front of a club record attendance of 2303. Both these events raised much welcome finance for the club enabling us to embark on more ground improvements starting with the upgrading of the floodlights for season 2006/07. The club was also rewarded for its efforts at junior level with the commitment and effort of coaches, managers and the Committee helping to attain the FA. Charter Standard Development Club Award for the junior section.

Season 2006/07 did bring some success for the U18 side, which was a blend of many of the previous season's U16 and U18 sides, when they lifted the LFA Furness Building Society Youth Cup. Because of the loss of several older players, at the end of season 2005/06, to lower levels of the pyramid many of the previous season's U18 side also played in the First Team in season 2006/07 which may account for their success in the Youth Cup, having gained from the experience of playing Open Age football. The success of the Junior Section in producing quality players was beginning to show in the First Team as was the case in season, 2008/09, when they finished ninth in the renamed Vodkat League First Division our highest League placing since season 2002/03.

Having achieved steady progress under the management of Dave Smith and his assistant Maurice Watkin over a season and a half to finish 3rd in the 1st Division in season 2010/11 Dave had to step down because of a job offer in the States at the end of that season and hand the reigns over to new manager Jon Balm for season 2011/12. However things didn't go well for Jon and a run of poor results ended with him resigning in mid November 2011. Dave Smith's job in the states didn't prove to be as good as promised and he and Maurice Watkin stepped back into the fray to steady the ship and finished the season in mid table. Season 2012/13 was a disaster from a League point of view with the Club just managing to avoid the wooden spoon right at the end of the season. The FA Cup provided the only solace with progress to the 1st Qualifying Round netting the Club nearly £3000 in prize money.

The 2013/14 season saw new faces in charge with Dave Smith and Maurice Watkin moving on to the Committee and Gary Fawcett and Stuart Roberts taking charge to propel the side to a respectable 6th place and the semi final of the NWCFL 1st Division Challenge Cup with the fresh signings brought in to bolster the nucleus of the squad that they retained. 2017 to 2019 has seen the club make massive improvements from standards of the pitch to the club bar having a refurbishment and the kitchen being extended, Chairman Maurice Watkin ensuring the club maintains a modern warm welcome.

In 2018/19 season the club hung on by a thread to stay in the NWCFL after being presented with a glass trophy for playing our 1000 league game in the NWCFL. With the manager moving on and Kev Watkin, Paul Southward and Glyn Dixon taking charge the lads hung on and sat comfortably above relegation at the end of the season.