History
The club was officially founded in 1938 but it has history dating back many years before their official formation. The team's origins come from the Pilkington glass factory in St Helens, which had numerous workers teams that have been around for almost as long as the company has been making glass in the 19th century.
The early teams that played are thought to have been representatives of their individual works, like the 1907 Sheet Glass Makers team. Works teams in St Helens were amalgamated to form a Pilkington Amateurs AFC in 1933, however, because of the 5 years lost during the war it is officially registered as being 1938 when the club was formed.
Little is known of the characters involved in the early years other than the club played at Crossley Road and had teams in the Liverpool Business Houses League and the local St Helens Combination League as well as 2 junior teams in the St Helens Juvenile Organisation League. Records show the 1st team being drawn against ‘Liverpool ‘A’ at Anfield in the Liverpool Challenge Cup and that the game was played before a crowd of 2,000. The club played its first games at Crossley Road and moved to Ruskin Drive at the start of 1948/49 season under the management of Mr W.Fish.
Club tours were a feature of the 50’s and on Easter Monday in 1951 the club entertained a team from Pontypool and beat them 9-2 before all the players and officials moved onto the Sefton Arms for lunch and drinks. In 1957, an Irish XI played the first team at City Road, St Helens and this became the backdrop of several end-of-season tours to Ireland in the late 1950s.
Throughout the 60's the club achieved mid table finishes in the very competitive Liverpool Combination League. In 1965, the club took a trip to Germany to play in an international tournament that included playing against professional club, FC Langenburg. Under the guidance of Sammy Cottington, Ernie Swift and Ted Forshaw, the club became known in the mid-60's for it's very successful youth set up. In 1966, Pilkington Junior won the Forster Cup, Woodward Cup and the League Championship Shield.
The Club were again playing in Europe in 1970, this time in Portugal. Posters advertising the game named them as Recs Pilkington de Liverpool and consequently thousands of Portuguese spectators flocked to the ground, despite admission charges, hoping to see the Anfield team. In 1972, ex-Crewe player, Brian May, took over the reigns at the club. It was his gruelling training sessions and the regular goal exploits of centre forward Ian Lancaster that helped the 1st team hold its own in the very competitive Liverpool Combination. John Delves followed Brian as 1st Team manager before Jack Potter took over around 1975. At this time the club was running three teams with the 1st team in the Liverpool County Combination and the other two teams competing in the St. Helens Combination.
In 1980, Sunday football came to Ruskin Drive. However the team, which was the youngest in the Warrington Sunday League was too inexperienced to make an impact. In 1983, older and wiser, the Sunday team won the club's first title. On a Saturday, the club continued to compete in the Liverpool County Combination until in 1983/84, the club was the first local side to successfully join the Mid-Cheshire League and finish in 14th place in their first season. Under the stewardship of Geoff Barlow, the 80's saw the first team struggle with the competitiveness of the Mid-Cheshire and were regularly finishing in the bottom half of the table. 1989/90 saw the arrival of Brian Yates as manager of the 1st Team but again he struggled to make an impact in what was a very competitive league.
The club decided that it would be in the best interests of the club if the Reserves also joined the Mid-Cheshire League. They entered Division Two in 1990/91 and although finishing 8th, the 1st Team finished at the bottom of Division One and were relegated meaning the Reserves consequently lost their place. It was at this time that Lol Stanton and Jon Dawson arrived at the club and in the 1991/92 season they narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing fourth in their first season in charge of the 1st Team.
The start of the 1992/93 season saw the club elect a new Chairman, John Potter Jnr., the club's youngest ever Chairman who was still playing 1st Team football. A concerted effort saw them almost gain promotion but they had to settle for third. The club had always had a tradition of running under 16's-18's football but it is at this time that the committee decided they must look to the future of the club, to maintain its continuing improvement. So at the start of the 1992/93 season, under the guidance of Dave Burrows, a well respected figure in the ranks of local junior football, the club took on board Junior teams from Under 9's to Under 16's for the first time.
Season 1993/94 saw a change at the top with players, John Wright and Paul Pinder, forming a new management team. The next few years were a period of frustration as the club tried to get back to the top tier of Cheshire League football. Thrown in between this were 2 League Cup Final appearances that also ended in defeat. At the end of 1996/97, John Wright left the club and Paul Pinder ran the 1st Team with Andy Hockenhull. Season 1997/98 was the best year in that decade for the club as the 1st Team finally gained promotion back into the First Division. The club also won the Bill Gray Trophy - Club of the Year Award.
The season after saw the 1st Team finding life in Division One tough and they finished bottom of the league. However, due to AFC Zeneca leaving the league, they managed to keep their Division One status, whilst the reserve side were re-elected into the Second Division. Season 2000/01 saw Dave Burrows and Andy Hockenhull take over the reigns of the 1st Team with Chris Douglas taking over the Reserve team. Dave and his team brought a new, youthful look to Pilkington FC. Their first season was a huge success with the 1st team winning the Liverpool Junior Cup and finishing 3rd in the league, with club Captain, Lee Webber winning the Bill Gray Trophy - Player of the Season Award for the Mid-Cheshire league. The reserves also reached the Division Two League Cup Final, only to lose 1-0, to Styal FC but only managed to finish 11th in the league. While the clubs 3rd Team also gained promotion into the St Helens Combination Premier Division, as well as reaching a cup final.
The next two seasons saw both teams finishing mid-table and in 2003/04, the Mid-Cheshire League restructured its divisions, with the creation of the Reserve Division. This led to the 2nd team dropping into this division, under the guidance of a new management team - Don O'Leary and Charlie Clayton. Again a mid-table finish was achieved by both teams. The following two seasons saw the 1st Team achieve mid-table finishes with the reserve team, under the guidance of Alex Wright, finishing 4th & 5th respectively. The end of the 2005/06 season saw Dave Burrows step down as manager of the 1st team. In the 9 years he was manager he stabilised the 1st team in the Mid-Cheshire league and won the Liverpool Junior Cup twice. Reserve Team Manager Alex Wright took over as 1st Team Manager, but only 6 weeks into the season, Alex announced he would be leaving for the 1st team manager's job at St Helens Town.
Paul Rees took over the mantle and the team only lost 2 games for the rest of the season finishing 5th in the league. They also reached the League Cup final, but were beaten 3-0 by a very strong Middlewich Town side that went on to win the double. The reserves were taken over by Ste Palfrey and Dave Murphy. The start to the season was indifferent but from early November the team lost only 1 more game in the league for the rest of the season. Sadly, this run was not enough to win the league but they finished runners-up missing out by 1 point. The team also did well in the Presidents Cup, beating sides from the leagues above to reach the semi-final but were narrowly beaten by Division One outfit Woodley.
The Club also reintroduced the St. Helens Combination side with Nick Robinson and Jimmy Woodyer building a team from scratch. This team started very well and remained unbeaten until Christmas, leading the way at the top of Division One and reaching the semi-finals of the Hospital and Northern Cups. Injuries and poor form saw their challenge for the honours hindered but managed to finish runners-up and gained promotion to the Premier Division. In 2007/08, Paul Rees continued to push the 1st Team forward and they were only beaten at home twice and finished 3rd in the league. They also reached the semi-final of the President's Cup but unfortunately went out on a penalty shootout against local rivals Warrington Town Reserves.
The reserves began the season with huge promise after losing out on the league by one point the previous season. 7 wins out of the first 10 games put them in a good position to mount a challenge but a mix of injuries and in-experience led to a poor run from Christmas onwards which saw them drop off the pace and finished 3rd in the league. Jimmy Woodyer took over the running of the 3rd team. After winning promotion from the First Division of the St Helens Combination the previous season, the team was looking to establish themselves in the Premier Division. Injuries to key players hindered progress and they did well with limited resources to ensure the team stayed in the top flight of local football.
Looking to build on the previous season's impressive top 3 finish, Paul Rees started the 2008/09 campaign with vigour but the inability to put a run of successive wins together meant that they were only able to finish 7th in the league. Reserve Team Manager, Ste Palfrey, along with assistant Dave Webber, built on the previous season's squad and that paid dividends with the reserve team only conceding 4 goals at home all season, keeping an impressive 13 clean sheets and remaining unbeaten at home all season. They were crowned Reserve Division Champions with 3 games to spare - the club's first-ever league title.
Brian Cross joined the club at the beginning of the season as player/manager of the 3rd team. Injuries to key players hindered his progress with the team and unfortunately he resigned with only a few games remaining and Nick Robinson stepped into the fold. The 2009/10 season saw Ste Palfrey take over the 1st team manager's job from Paul Rees. It was a season of huge disappointment that started with promise. By mid-season they were 6th in the league but a run in poor form resulted in only one win in the last ten games and they finished 12th, only two points away from relegation. It was always going to be hard for the reserve team to repeat the previous season's success of winning the league as the team was broken up by retirements. New manager, Dave Webster, and his assistant Dave Bierne did well to rebuild the team so quickly and finish a credible fourth. The 3rd team unfortunately struggled to attract new players and with the same limited resources of the previous season it only managed one win and was relegated from the St Helens Combination Premier Division.
The 2010/11 season was all about instilling a more professional and ambitious culture within the club. The ground was renovated and certain standards were asked of the players to ensure that we were competitive on the pitch at all levels. The 1st Team drastically turned around last season's disappointing 12th place and led the league from early October right up to the final day of the season. The team, managed by Ste Palfrey and his assistant, Lee Webber, had to suffer a crushing blow as they missed out on being crowned Cheshire First Division champions by goal difference. The reserve team had also benefited and completed the clubs first-ever double winning season. They were crowned Reserve League champions for the second time in 3 seasons, which was capped off with a memorable night in March, when they won the Reserve Division Cup at Trafford FC. Following relegation the previous season, the 3rd team, were to play this season in the St Helens Combination Division One. It proved hard to field regular sides and at the end of the season the club decided to disband the 3rd team completely and concentrate on Cheshire League football only.
The disappointment of losing the league on goal difference mixed with the ambition of some players to move up to the next level, the 2011/12 season was one of frustration for Ste Palfrey and Lee Webber as they struggled to replace the quality that was lost and they ended up finishing 9th. The reserve team did continue from where they left off but were pipped at the post, finishing runners-up to a very strong Billinge side. They did however exact some revenge over them, when they retained the Reserve Division League Cup by beating Billinge in the final 3-0.
The 2012/13 season saw a change of management teams within the club. Club-captain and Pilkington stalwart, Kenny Dixon took over the reigns of the 1st Team whilst Lee Webber took over the reserve team with Dave Bierne and Ste Palfrey as his assistants. Pre-season started full of vigour but unfortunately it didn't work out for Kenny and ex-reserve team manager Dave Webster and Dave Bierne took over as interim managers after 12 games. The focus was for the club to return to the ethos of building strong squads with young players in the reserve team, but unfortunately, their inexperience showed throughout the season but they still managed to finish a credible 13th.
The 2013/14 started with yet another new manager at the helm of the 1st Team as the Club looked at ex-Warrington Town FC Assistant Manager, John Evans to continue the development of the young players at the club. This appointment was again short-lived and Reserves Manager Lee Webber stepped into the fold halfway through the season and the 1st Team narrowly escaped relegation due to Cuddington FC pulling out of the league. The Reserves, under the guidance of Ste Palfrey, continued to develop but without any real consistency they finished the league in 11th position.
In 2014/15 another new management team took over with Antony Dean hoping to make a success of a job that had become a hot seat in recent seasons. Anthony brought in a new squad of players who were experienced at a higher level. The season started very strongly and after the first 10 games they sat at the top of the league. However, after losing a few players to injury and suspensions, cracks started to appear and Anthony found it hard to keep together what was a very strong squad of players. On the back of some pretty heavy defeats, Anthony decided to leave the position just after Christmas. The club then looked to Matt Potter to galvanise a new squad halfway through the season, this proved a very difficult task and the 1st Team were relegated to Division One for the first time since 1990. The Reserves, under the guidance of Ste Palfrey and player/coach Danny Hughes, continued to develop and finished 3rd in the Reserve Division 2.
Ste Palfrey and Nick Robinson took over the reigns of the 1st Team at the start of the 2015/16 season with the club at rock bottom. After the 1st Team was relegated the committee took the decision to disband the Reserves meaning the Club would only operate with one team. The first team competed in the Cheshire League Division One finishing mid table. Whilst a credible position the season was a struggle as the relatively young squad suffered some pretty heavy defeats. At the start of the 2016/17 there was a fresh focus as the Committee recruited a new Chairman in ex-Bury Footballer and local businessman Jimmy Woodyer. An ex-player and manager at the club he came in with the vision to make it one of the best local clubs around and take advantage of the new facilities that were being developed by St Helens Council at Ruskin Drive. Almost instantly there was an impact as the Club reinstated the Reserves and also recruited a Youth Team for the first time since 1992.
The 1st Team started the season strongly with Ste Palfrey and Nick Robinson in charge and despite losing Nick to local rivals St Helens Town early on, the campaign was successful. With a young squad and the return of some old favourites the team grew into the season and thanks to a fantastic 51 goals from forward Matty Taylor, finished third. Whilst still way behind the leaders Billinge and runners-up Altrincham Reserves this shown that they were moving in the right direction. They also topped off a positive season when they lifted the Cheshire League Presidents Cup for the first time. The Reserves were managed by Tommy Kilgannon and Paul ‘Reggie’ Healy and whilst they struggled to make an impact with a very young side it was a great sign that the club was gradually rebuilding.
The summer of 2017 was the springboard for the transformation of the club into the one you see today. A new junior section was set up with ex-players instrumental in bringing their own children to start their playing days at the club. Also a 5-year plan was developed with a new vision and one of its main objectives being the promotion of the 1st Team into the North West Counties League. The 2017/18 season started with Ste Palfrey in charge of the 1st Team with Reggie and Danny Hughes helping out. Junior Chairman Jamie Dickson and Youth Team Manager Andy Vaughton took over running the reserves. Despite a poor start the 1st Team were only beaten twice in their last 16 games to finish runners-up and gain promotion back to the Cheshire League Premier Division after an absence of three seasons. The Reserves again finished a credible seventh as the club continued to use this team to blood new players coming through the youth system.
During the season the club was also continuing to grow as we added more junior teams as well as introducing a ladies team for the first time. Towards the end of the campaign, Nick Matthews, an experienced North West Counties manager was brought in by Ste Palfrey to help him on the sidelines. After gaining promotion, Ste Palfrey informed the club that he felt it would be best for him to step down to allow Nick Matthews to take the 1st Team into the Premier Division. By the start of the 2018/19 season we had also added a Sunday team for the first time since the 80s. Nick Matthews started the campaign with some new faces in the 1st Team squad. Unfortunately it was a stuttering start and after eight games Nick left the club. The first team was taken over by Dave Murphy, Peter Edwards and Ste Palfrey – all club stalwarts and best mates. They simply took the team to the next level in terms of organisation and commitment to win.
They lost only 2 of the 21 league games they took charge of and with 8 straight wins at the end of the season they narrowly beat Altrincham Reserves to the title on goal difference. Danny Hughes was joined mid season by Jack Hook and the reserves finished a credible mid table position with a very young squad. The Youth team capped off a fantastic season also as they won the double and saw 75% of their squad play in the Reserve team. Over 85% of the title winning 1st Team squad were under 25 and 65% under 20. A fantastic statistic that illustrates the change in focus as we went back to our roots and focused on developing the best young players in the area.
The 2019/20 season was historic for the club as our men's first team started life in the non-League pyramid and competed in the North West Counties First Division North for the first time. After a slow start, we finished a creditable 9th before the campaign was declared null and void due to the coronavirus pandemic. With our reserves in the Cheshire League Division Two, our women's first team in the Liverpool County FA Women's League, plus our Sunday men's social team and thriving juniors section with 14 teams, we are looking forward to the resumption of football in the 2020/21 season with great optimism. Exciting times.
