Leek Town F.C.

Leek Town

Full name	Leek Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Blues
Founded	1946 [1] (as Leek Lowe Hamil)
Ground	Harrison Park, Leek
Capacity	3,600 (625 seated) [2]
Chairman	Jon Eeles
Manager	Josh Brehaut
League	Northern Premier League Premier Division
2023–24	Northern Premier League Division One West, 1st of 20 (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

Leek Town Football Club is an English football club based in Leek, Staffordshire, playing in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. The team, nicknamed "The Blues", play their home games at Harrison Park.

The club was founded in 1946 and played in a variety of local leagues including the Staffordshire County League, Manchester League, Mid-Cheshire League and Cheshire County League, before becoming a founder member of the North West Counties League in 1982 and from there progressing to the Northern Premier League in 1987. In 1997 they were Northern Premier League champions and gained promotion to the Football Conference, the highest level of English non-league football, spending two seasons at that level before being relegated.

Leek Town reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1990, having progressed all the way from the first qualifying round, but lost in the final at Wembley Stadium 3–0 to Barrow.

History

Football was played in Leek from at least 1876, with an earlier side called simply Leek F.C. having been part of The Combination in the 1890s, ^[3] but the current Leek Town club traces its lineage to the formation of a team called Leek Lowe Hamil in 1946 (although the club's official history does not mention it, some sources state that the club was initially known as Abbey Green Rovers before adopting the Lowe Hamil name). ^{[4] [5]}

The club began life playing in the local Leek and Moorlands League, playing on a field adjoining a pub, before joining the Staffordshire County League in 1947. In 1949–50 Lowe Hamil were champions of this league, becoming the first (and to date only) team to win the title without losing a single match ^[1] (some sources state this title win occurred in 1950–51). ^[4] In 1951 the team switched to the Manchester League, adopting the name Leek Town at the same time, ^[1] and won the championship at the first attempt, ^[4] after which the team relocated once more to the Mid-Cheshire League, where again they played for just one season. ^[3] In 1954 the team joined the Birmingham & District League but resigned in the middle of the 1956–57 season due to financial difficulties, after which they had another brief spell in the Manchester League, which was also curtailed due to monetary problems, ^[4] before eventually returning to the Staffordshire County League. ^[1]

In 1968 a new committee was formed, under which the club emerged from the doldrums. Manager Paul Ogden took over in 1969 and led the club to two Staffordshire County League championships, followed in quick succession by two Manchester League titles. ^[4] After the second Manchester League win, Leek joined the Cheshire County League, where they were league champions at the second attempt in the 1974–75 season, but after Ogden left in 1975 to take over as manager of Northwich Victoria a series of managers came and went in quick succession without being able to maintain this level of success. ^[6]

In 1982 the Cheshire County League merged with the Lancashire Combination to form the new North West Counties League, where Leek spent five relatively unsuccessful seasons. ^[3] During their spell in this league former England player Mike Pejic took over as manager, Leek's most high-profile appointment to date, but he had only a short reign before moving to Northwich Victoria. ^[6] Following Kevin Lewis' brief reign Neil Baker took over in 1986 and was to lead the club to some of its greatest successes to date.

Leek were chosen to be among the founder members of the new Northern Premier League Division One in 1987 and in 1989–90 won the Division One title to gain promotion to the Premier Division, the highest level at which they had ever played. In the same season they progressed through eight rounds of the FA Trophy, including a quarter-final win over Darlington, that season's Conference champions, to reach the final at Wembley Stadium but were defeated 3–0 by Barrow. ^[3]

In 1993–94 Leek finished second in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, which should have been sufficient for promotion to the Football Conference. However, they were refused promotion due to financial irregularities. To compound their problems, they were shifted from the Northern Premier League to the Southern League; the resulting travel costs proved a severe drain on the club. After one season the club was allowed to return to the Northern Premier League. ^[4]

Leek Town (blue shirts) in action against Marine in 2006

In 1996–97 Leek claimed the Northern Premier League title by ten points and were this time granted promotion to the Conference. In their first season at this level they narrowly managed to avoid relegation but could not repeat the feat the following year and were relegated back to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. In 2000–01 the Blues were relegated to Division One, but regained their place in the Premier Division when the league was restructured due to the formation of Conference North in 2004. ^[3] The club achieved several mid-table finishes in the league but struggled off the pitch. On 21 June 2006 it was announced that the club was in such severe financial peril that it was facing a winding-up order, ^[7] but on 11 June the following year it was confirmed that a new consortium had taken over the club and secured its future. ^[8] In the 2007–08 season Leek finished in the bottom four, resulting in relegation to Division One South. ^[9] Between the 2011–12 and 2014–15 seasons the club qualified for the play-offs for promotion back to the Premier Division three times, but missed out each time. In 2011–12 Leek lost in the final to Ilkeston. ^[10] Two seasons later the team lost at the semi-final stage to Belper Town, and in 2015–16 Leek lost in the final to Sutton Coldfield Town. ^[9]

Due to league re-organisations, since 2015 Leek have played in Division One South, Division One West, and Division One South East. ^[9] In the 2018–19 season Leek again made the play-offs and defeated Colne in the semi-finals but lost in the final to Radcliffe. Both the subsequent two seasons were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[9] The 2023–24 season saw Leek promoted from the Division One West as champions. ^[11]

Colours and crest

Leek's home colours have traditionally been all blue, and their away colours all yellow, ^{[12] [13]} both colours which reflect the town's coat of arms, which is predominantly blue and gold. ^[14] More recently the club has used a blue and white kit similar to that of Blackburn Rovers, and away kits in other colours such lime green, ^[15] or bright orange. The team's shirts are sponsored by local adhesive manufacturer F Ball and Co. Ltd.

The club's crest features a garb and a Staffordshire knot, both of which are elements of the town's arms, ^[14] as well as a caduceus, a symbol which appears on token coins issued in Leek in the 18th century. ^[16]

Stadium and supporters

53°6′35″N2°2′23″W / 53.10972°N 2.03972°W / 53.10972; -2.03972

Harrison Park, Leek Town's home ground

Harrison Park lies on the outskirts of Leek and has been the team's home since 1948, when the club purchased what was then called Hamil Park for £1,250. Changing rooms were constructed in the 1950s (previously the players had been obliged to change in a nearby pub), along with the first covered accommodation for spectators, and floodlights (which had previously belonged to the defunct Rugby Town) were erected in 1972, soon after which the stadium was renamed Harrison Park after former club chairman Geoff Harrison. ^[17] In 1998 the ground was flooded when a nearby reservoir overflowed and the river which runs alongside the ground burst its banks. ^[18] The ground was renamed to the F Ball Community Stadium, following the change of surface from grass to ATP in 2021.

The ground has a capacity of 3,600 spectators, with 625 seats. There is a clubhouse for the use of supporters as well as a club shop. ^[19] The highest attendance figure recorded at Harrison Park came when the club played near-neighbours Macclesfield Town in an FA Cup 2nd qualifying round match in the 1973–74 season in front of a crowd of 3,512. ^[19] When Leek played in the Conference National, the average home attendance was around 600. ^[20] Since the club dropped from that level, attendances have been more modest; in the 2018–19 season Leek's average attendance was 351. ^[21]

Statistics and records

Leek's highest ever finish in the English football league system was a 19th-place finish in Conference National (level 5) in 1997–98, the first of two seasons the team played at that level. The Blues have only twice progressed beyond the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup, reaching the first round in 1993–94 and the second round in 1990–91, when they held Chester City to a draw at home but lost 4–0 in the replay. ^[3] Leek reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1989–90 but lost 3–0 to Barrow at Wembley Stadium. ^[22]

Managers

Despite their relatively short history, over 30 men have managed The Blues. Paul Ogden has had six separate spells in charge. ^{[6] [23] [24]}

From To Manager 1946 1949 Selection committee 1949 1954 Billy Bonsall 1955 1957 Eric Sweeny 1958 1961 George Parr 1961 1963 Jack Lally 1964 1967 Dennis Chorlton 1968 1969 Reg Halton 1969 1975 Paul Ogden 1975 1976 Cliff Hodgkinson 1976 1977 Peter Wragg 1977 1978 Paul Ogden 1978 1979 Ken Hancock 1980 1981 Alan Vickers 1982 1984 Jimmy Wallace 1984 1985 Mike Pejic 1985 1986 Kevin Lewis 1986 1994 Neil Baker 1994 1995 Steve Norris 1995 1996 Phil Wilson 1996 1998 Peter Ward 1998 1998 Ray Walker (caretaker) 1998 1998 Mike Pejic (caretaker)

From To Manager 1998 1999 Ernie Moss 1999 1999 Tony Agana (caretaker) 1999 2000 Andy Holmes 2000 2001 Mark Gardiner (caretaker) 2001 2002 Karl Wilcox & Mark Bromley 2002 2002 Paul Ogden (caretaker) 2002 2003 John Ramshaw 2003 2005 Paul Ogden 2005 2006 Nigel Deeley 2006 2006 Mark Cartwright 2006 2007 Paul Moore 2007 2007 Paul Ogden 2007 2007 Neil Brown (caretaker) [25] 2007 2007 Paul Ogden (caretaker) [24] 2007 2007 Paul Moore [26] 2007 2010 Wayne Johnson [26] [27] 2010 2011 Neil Cox [28] 2011 2011 Stuart Heeps (caretaker) [29] 2011 2011 Neil Baker [30] 2011 2016 Lee Casswell [31] 2016 2017 Anthony Danylyk [32] 2017 2023 Neil Baker 2023 Present Josh Brehaut

Current staff

As of August 2024 ^{[33] [34]}

Role	Name
Manager	Josh Brehaut
Assistant Manager	Wayne Goodison
Coach	Dom Kurasik
Physio	Gilly Parkin
Chairman	Jon Eeles
Vice Chairman	Paul Bateman
Director	Gav Bateman
Director	Georgina Chandler
Director	Simon Knight
Director	Tracy Reynolds
Director	Ian Smith
Club Secretary	Tom Eeles
Photographer	Jim Booth

Honours

Leek reached the FA Trophy final in 1990.

Honour	Season(s)
Northern Premier League Premier Division champions	1996–97
Northern Premier League Division One champions	1989–90
Northern Premier League Division One West champions	2023–24
FA Trophy Finalists	1989–90
Cheshire County League Champions	1974–75 [3]
Manchester League Champions	1951–52, [35] 1971–72, [36] 1972–73 [37]
Staffordshire County League Champions	1950–51, 1969–70, 1970–71 [35]

Rivalries

Leek's main local rivals are Buxton, ^[38] the two sides having been historic Northern Premier League rivals throughout the 1990s. Matlock Town ^[39] and Kidsgrove Athletic ^[40] are also considered local rivals to the Blues.

References

1. "History". Leek Town F.C. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
2. "Harrison Park – Leek Town". FC United of Manchester . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
3. "Leek". The Football Club History Database. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
4. "Leek Town F.C." Mossley F.C. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
5. "Leek Town F.C." nonleaguefooty.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
6. "Past managers of Leek Town F.C." Leek Town F.C. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
7. "Leek face winding-up order". nonleaguedaily.com. 22 June 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
8. "Leek Town Saved – Press Statement". Northern Premier League. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
9. "Leek Town". The Football Club History Database. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
10. "Ilkeston FC promoted". Ilkeston Advertiser. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
11. "Leek Town Clinch West Division Title With Four Games To Spare". www.thenpl.co.uk. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
12. Williams, Tony (1978). The FA Non-League Football Annual 1978–79. MacDonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. p. 137.
13. Williams, Tony; Mike Williams (2007). Non-League Club Directory 2007. Tony Williams Publications Ltd. p. 292. ISBN   978-1-869833-55-8.
14. Burnett, Tom (24 June 2020). "Tom Burnett: What would a flag for Leek look like?". Stoke Sentinel . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
15. "Club shop". Leek Town F.C. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
16. "Token". The British Museum . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
17. "Leek Town FC". Pyramid Passion. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
18. "20 years ago: Do you remember when Leek Town flooded?". Stoke Sentinel . 28 October 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
19. Williams, Tony; Wright, James (2011). Non-League Club Directory 2011. TW Publications. p. 429. ISBN   978-1-86983-368-8.
20. "stats for confguide.com". ConfGuide.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
21. "Attendances by Season". Leek Town F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
22. "FA Trophy Statistics". The FA. Archived from the original on 26 April 2005. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
23. "Leek Town Appointment for Ogden". Northern Premier League. 13 June 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
24. "Ogden Returns to Take Charge at Leek- But Only One Game". Northern Premier League. 30 September 2007. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
25. "Ogden makes brief return to Leek hot-seat". NonLeagueDaily.com. 1 October 2007. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
26. "Leek Town Shocked by Moores Exit". Northern Premier League. 29 November 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
27. "Johnson leaves Leek". Leek Town F.C. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
28. White, Andy (6 October 2010). "Leek appoint former Watford captain Cox". The Non-League Paper . Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
29. "Cox drops resignation bombshell". Leek Town F.C. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
30. Perkin, Alex (28 March 2011). "YLP: "Management team all but in place"" . Retrieved 28 March 2011.
31. Snee, Tom. "Flurry of transfers at Leek". Northern Premier League. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
32. Hannah, Jim (1 April 2016). "Leek Town: Ant Danylyk – I love the place now it's my job to lift the players". The Sentinel. Retrieved 17 April 2016.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
33. "Contact". Leek Town F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
34. "First squad". Leek Town F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
35. "League Record". Leek Town F.C. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
36. "Non League Tables for 1971–1972". UK Soccer – Non League Archive. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
37. "Non League Tables for 1972–1973". UK Soccer – Non League Archive. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
38. Louise Bellicoso (20 June 2007). "Old rivalry is to be reignited". Buxton Advertiser. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
39. "Leek Town Weekly News". Northern Premier League. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2007.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
40. "Leek Town Weekly News". Northern Premier League. 25 March 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

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