Where Are They Now? Part Two
Fri 23rd December 2022 | Statistics | By Kevin Lawton
The North West Counties League’s inaugural season was 1982/83, with the merger of two leagues, The Cheshire League and the Lancashire Combination. That first season saw twenty team First and Second Divisions and an eighteen team Third Division.
What has happened to those First Division teams in the following forty seasons? Continuing our series, League Statistician Kevin Lawton looks where our inaugural clubs from 1982 are now.
Moving into the bottom half of the table, we look at those teams finishing 11th to 20th in the original First Division.
Eleventh spot was taken by Leek Town. Leek finished the 86/87 season in 16th place and were one of the teams to gain from the creation of the new NPL First Division. They gained promotion to the Prem in 1990 and even spent a season in the Southern League Prem in 94/95 before moving back to the NPL. Promotion to the Conference for 97/98 gave them two seasons at the ‘top table’ but relegation back to the NPL followed and last season they finished third in the NPL First Division West.
In twelfth position were Curzon Ashton, another team to move to the NPL for the 87/88 season. Ten seasons in the NPL was eventually halted with relegation at the end of the 96/97 season, with the team being placed in the Northern Counties East League, for one season, before transfer back to the NWCFL. They finally got back into the NPL in 2007 and then won promotion to the National League North in 2015, where they finished 14th last season.
Thirteenth were Ashton United. Ten seasons in the NWCFL then saw promotion to the NPL and one season in the Conference North in 2004/05. Further seasons back in the NPL saw them spend one more season in the National League North in 2018/19. Last season they were 15th in the NPL Prem.
Fourteenth was Bootle. Twenty seasons in the NWCFL ended in 2002/03 when they moved to the Liverpool League for four seasons. They were back in the NWCFL in 2006 and gained promotion to the NPL through the Pandemic combined tables of 2019 and 2020. They finished a creditable 7th in the NPL West last season.
In Fifteenth were Prescot Cables, who played for 16 seasons in the NWCFL, taking the title in 2002/03. They have remained in the NPL ever since, with a best stint of five seasons in the Prem. They finished 18th in the West Division last season.
Sixteenth was Formby. They remained in the NWCFL for twenty seasons before dropping to the Liverpool League for the 2002/03 season. They were back in the NWC the season after, where they remained until the club folded at the end of the 2013/14 season. There are rumours that a new club is being formed.
Seventeenth were another club who have since folded, Leyland Motors, with arguably the best playing surface in the league. They played for nine seasons in the NWCFL, with a name change for their final season to Leyland DAF-SGL. The club dropped to the West Lancashire League for the 92/93 season, where, with another name change to Leyland Motors Athletic, they remained until 2001, before folding.
Eighteenth were Glossop, who were to spend 33 seasons in the NWCFL, with a name change back to Glossop North End for the 92/93 season. They finally took the title in the 2014/15 season and moved to the NPL. They finished last season 17th in the NPL West First Division.
Nineteenth sees one of only five teams to have played in every season of the NWCFL to date, St Helens Town. They spent 33 seasons in the top flight, finishing third on three occasions. They were relegated to the First division for the 2018/19 season and sadly finished bottom last season and will be playing in the Liverpool County Premier League for the coming season. They superbly won the FA Vase at Wembley in 1987, with victory against fellow NWCFL side Warrington Town.
The team in the final position was Nantwich Town. The next six seasons saw them play in the second and third divisions before getting back to the first division in 1989, where they remained until gaining promotion to the NPL in 2006/07. It took them just one season to get into the NPL Prem, where they have remained, with a 13th place finish last season.
Part three, the Second Division, will follow next week.
Where Are They Now? Part Two
Fri 23rd December 2022 | Statistics
By Kevin Lawton
The North West Counties League’s inaugural season was 1982/83, with the merger of two leagues, The Cheshire League and the Lancashire Combination. That first season saw twenty team First and Second Divisions and an eighteen team Third Division.
What has happened to those First Division teams in the following forty seasons? Continuing our series, League Statistician Kevin Lawton looks where our inaugural clubs from 1982 are now.
Moving into the bottom half of the table, we look at those teams finishing 11th to 20th in the original First Division.
Eleventh spot was taken by Leek Town. Leek finished the 86/87 season in 16th place and were one of the teams to gain from the creation of the new NPL First Division. They gained promotion to the Prem in 1990 and even spent a season in the Southern League Prem in 94/95 before moving back to the NPL. Promotion to the Conference for 97/98 gave them two seasons at the ‘top table’ but relegation back to the NPL followed and last season they finished third in the NPL First Division West.
In twelfth position were Curzon Ashton, another team to move to the NPL for the 87/88 season. Ten seasons in the NPL was eventually halted with relegation at the end of the 96/97 season, with the team being placed in the Northern Counties East League, for one season, before transfer back to the NWCFL. They finally got back into the NPL in 2007 and then won promotion to the National League North in 2015, where they finished 14th last season.
Thirteenth were Ashton United. Ten seasons in the NWCFL then saw promotion to the NPL and one season in the Conference North in 2004/05. Further seasons back in the NPL saw them spend one more season in the National League North in 2018/19. Last season they were 15th in the NPL Prem.
Fourteenth was Bootle. Twenty seasons in the NWCFL ended in 2002/03 when they moved to the Liverpool League for four seasons. They were back in the NWCFL in 2006 and gained promotion to the NPL through the Pandemic combined tables of 2019 and 2020. They finished a creditable 7th in the NPL West last season.
In Fifteenth were Prescot Cables, who played for 16 seasons in the NWCFL, taking the title in 2002/03. They have remained in the NPL ever since, with a best stint of five seasons in the Prem. They finished 18th in the West Division last season.
Sixteenth was Formby. They remained in the NWCFL for twenty seasons before dropping to the Liverpool League for the 2002/03 season. They were back in the NWC the season after, where they remained until the club folded at the end of the 2013/14 season. There are rumours that a new club is being formed.
Seventeenth were another club who have since folded, Leyland Motors, with arguably the best playing surface in the league. They played for nine seasons in the NWCFL, with a name change for their final season to Leyland DAF-SGL. The club dropped to the West Lancashire League for the 92/93 season, where, with another name change to Leyland Motors Athletic, they remained until 2001, before folding.
Eighteenth were Glossop, who were to spend 33 seasons in the NWCFL, with a name change back to Glossop North End for the 92/93 season. They finally took the title in the 2014/15 season and moved to the NPL. They finished last season 17th in the NPL West First Division.
Nineteenth sees one of only five teams to have played in every season of the NWCFL to date, St Helens Town. They spent 33 seasons in the top flight, finishing third on three occasions. They were relegated to the First division for the 2018/19 season and sadly finished bottom last season and will be playing in the Liverpool County Premier League for the coming season. They superbly won the FA Vase at Wembley in 1987, with victory against fellow NWCFL side Warrington Town.
The team in the final position was Nantwich Town. The next six seasons saw them play in the second and third divisions before getting back to the first division in 1989, where they remained until gaining promotion to the NPL in 2006/07. It took them just one season to get into the NPL Prem, where they have remained, with a 13th place finish last season.
Part three, the Second Division, will follow next week.
