St Helens Town A.F.C.

Coordinates: 53°27′38.0″N 2°45′28.2″W / 53.460556°N 2.757833°W / 53.460556; -2.757833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Edwardian era football club, see St Helens Town A.F.C. (1901).

St Helens Town
Cheshire Football League
2023–2024League Two, 7th of 15

St Helens Town Association Football Club is an English Football club based in St. Helens, England. The club are members of the Cheshire Football League, and as from season 2016–17 play their home matches at Ruskin Drive Sports Ground, which they share with local rivals Pilkington.

History

The original St Helens Town was formed in 1901[1] and played at Park Road, behind the Primrose Vaults public house. Although it was known as the Primrose Ground, the players changed further down Park Road at the Black Horse pub. Playing in the Lancashire League and Lancashire Combination, the team enjoyed some early success, but struggled leading up to the Great War and folded before its end;[2] a second St Helens Town existed from 1925 to 1928.[3]

The club was re-formed by George Fryer and a group of local businessmen in 1946. They took out a lease on the former cricket ground at Hoghton Road, Sutton, adjacent to the St Helens Junction railway station and, although the club entered the

Runcorn at Prescot on 7 May 1949. Crowds averaged over 2,000 that season, peaking with a league record attendance of 3,102 against Burscough
in October 1948.

The following season, 1949–50, Town entered the

Football League status and, in order to further their ambitions, the club moved to the former St Helens Recreation
ground at City Road. Initial crowds were encouraging at their new home, but, despite success, Town decided to move back to Hoghton Road in October 1953, where they remained until April 2000.

Following a second relegation in 1956, St Helens Town continued to play in the Lancashire Combination, winning the Championship in 1971–72, by nine points ahead of

Silsden
in the final game of the season in which, if they won, they would have stayed up.

Town enjoyed a golden era in the late 1980s, just missing out on an appearance in the first round proper of the FA Cup in 1985–86, losing to Morecambe in a fourth qualifying round replay. But they obtained ample compensation by winning the FA Vase in 1987, beating near neighbours Warrington Town in the final 3–2 with a Phil Layhe brace and a goal from Brian Rigby.[4] They were regular promotion candidates for many years, largely due to the goalscoring exploits of Steve "Pellet" Pennington, who grabbed 216 goals, his season's best hauls of 45 in 1993–94 and 46 in 1997–98 just fell short of the club record of 47 scored by Phil Stainton in 1963–64.

Soon enough, the facilities at Hoghton Road had fallen into disrepair and the site was sold for housing in 2002. Town, having gone into partnership with

Ashton Town
's ground.

Lee Jenkinson took charge at the beginning of the 2017–18 season and was replaced by David Platt Jr in October 2019 for the ill-fated season that saw the North West Counties League (NWCFL) campaign ultimately declared null and void due to the COVID-19 crisis. Looking to build on its secured stability the club appointed NWCFL Director Gary Langley as chairman for the start of the 2020–21 season.

2022 saw the first team relegated to the Liverpool County Premier League after a disastrous campaign left them bottom of the league by some way. Following this, a consortium, led by local musicians and fans bought the club back from St Helens R.F.C. and appointed Paul "Peo" Piert as first team manager.

Colours and crest

St Helens Town's final colours were red and white. When the club reformed in 1946, the club adopted blue and white striped shirts, with white shorts and socks. Since then, St Helens Town have switched from red and blue being their primary colour on a number of occasions.

Like most of the early English football clubs, the original crest adopted by St Helens Town was that of the borough's coat of arms.

Former players

St Helens Town have produced a number of players who have gone on to join Football League clubs: these include

1966 World Cup
winning squad.

Town also saw the beginning of

1956 FA Cup and be inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
in 2005.

More recently Dave Bamber scored goals in all four divisions of the Football League with a host of different clubs, starting and ending his league career with Blackpool and Karl Ledsham is now playing his football at National League level, initially with Southport, before moving on to play for Lincoln City.

Acroframe Park

Honours

Records

  • Record Win: 10–2 vs Abbey Hey, North West Counties League Division One, 3 January 2001
  • Heaviest defeat: 0–9 vs New Mills, North West Counties League Premier Division, 12 March 2011
  • Best FA Cup performance: Fourth qualifying round replay (1985–86)[7]
  • Best FA Trophy performance: Third qualifying round (1977–78); Third qualifying round replay (1969–70, 1979–80)[7]
  • Best FA Vase performance: Champions (1986–87)[4][7]
  • Most appearances: Alan Wellens
  • Record goalscorer: Steve Pennington
  • Highest league position: Third in the North West Counties League Division 1, 1988–89, 1994–95
  • Youngest captain: Andrew Mawdsley (aged 19)

References

  1. ^ "New association football club for St Helens". Liverpool Mercury: 8. 8 June 1901.
  2. ^ "report". Burnley News: 2. 23 May 1914.
  3. ^ "Football 54th English Football Association (FA) Cup 1928-1929 Qualification". todor 66. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Football Club History Database - F.A. Vase 1986-87". fchd.info. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  5. ^ Conn, David (1 August 2007). "Saints show little charity for Town's plight". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  6. ^ Rowlands, Trautmann: The Biography, p. 85.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Football Club History Database - St Helens Town". fchd.info. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

53°27′38.0″N 2°45′28.2″W / 53.460556°N 2.757833°W / 53.460556; -2.757833

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