Northwich Victoria F.C.: Difference between revisions

Northwich Victoria
Full name	Northwich Victoria Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Vics, The Trickies
Founded	1874
Ground	Victoria Stadium; Wincham; Northwich
Capacity	4,500 (1200 seated)
Chairman	Jim Rushe (Owner)
Manager	Andy Preece
League	Conference North
2008–09	Conference National, 22nd; (relegated)
Home colours	Away colours

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Revision as of 20:27, 3 March 2010

Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Conference North,^[2] the sixth tier of the English football league system.

Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of the reigning monarch at the time Queen Victoria.^[3] They played at the same Drill Field ground for over 125 years, which at the time was believed to be the oldest ground in the world on which football had been continuously played,^[4] however after a ground sharing period with local rivals Witton Albion^[5] they started the new 2005-06 season in their new stadium, the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, just outside Northwich and across the Trent & Mersey Canal which separates them from their fierce local rivals Witton Albion.

History

Northwich were one of the founding members of the English Second Division in 1892, and played in the division until 1894.^[6] After relegation from the league, they played in various regional leagues until joining the newly formed Cheshire County League after World War I. They won the title just once. In 1968 they became founder members of the Northern Premier League. In 1884, Northwich reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but were knocked out by Blackburn Olympic. The club's history, 'A Team for All Seasons', was written by the Club President, Ken Edwards, father of the novelist Martin Edwards (author).^[7]

The season 1976-77 warrants a special mention in the history of the club, being their best FA Cup run in modern times. In November 1976 they beat Rochdale 2-1 in an FA Cup first round 2nd replay at Maine Road, the then home of Manchester City after drawing 1-1 at Spotland and 0-0 at home, beat Peterborough United 4-0 in the 2nd round and beat Elton John's Watford 3-2 in a pulsating cup tie at the Drill Field in the third round with Frank Corrigan securing an interview on Match of the Day for scoring the winner. All hopes of a dream draw in the 4th round were foundered when Oldham Athletic at home came out of the hat. The match was moved to Maine Road to get more fans in and 29,000 witnessed the Vics going down 3-1.

During the same season Northwich and Boston United were fighting it out for the Northern Premier League and Vics went to Scarborough on the last day of the season knowing a win won bring them the title. They drew 1-1 effectively handing the Lincolnshire side the title.

In 1979, Northwich were founder members of yet another league, when the Alliance Premier League (later the Football Conference) was formed, and were the last club to be ever-present in that league 1979-2005. They finished last in the 2003-04 season and were slated for relegation to the Conference North division as part of the National League System restructuring, but circumstances including the bankruptcy of Telford United, Hucknall Town's Watnall Road ground not being good enough and the demotion of Margate led to Northwich Victoria being allowed to remain at the Conference National level. In the 2004-05 season, the team went into administration, and thus were deducted 10 points under National League rules, which left them in relegation trouble. However, the team recovered and finished in 19th place, nine points clear of the relegation zone (had they not had a points deduction, they would have finished 14th). Unfortunately for the Vics, this turned out to be for nothing, as they were voluntarily demoted from the Conference National due to legal problems (after going into administration they renamed the club Northwich Victoria 2005 and FA deadlines over the transfer of their Conference membership to the club's new owners were not met) (the alternative would have been outright expulsion from the Conference, which would have forced them into starting again in one of the lower regional divisions).

Following an impressive FA Cup run during the 2005-2006 season, in the penultimate game, the team beat their nearest rivals, Stafford Rangers, in front of more than 3,000 supporters to guarantee an immediate return to the Conference National and see them as champions of the Conference North.^[8]

In October 2007 it was reported that the club was up for sale,^[9] and that the club could fold due to an unpaid tax bill.^[10] The club had applied to go into administration to stave off closure.^[11] In December 2007 a consortium led by Jim Rushe completed a takeover, and Rushe became the chairman of the club.^[12] The stadium is still owned by Connett's real estate company Beaconet Ltd. In January 2009 with Beaconet in receivership, Connett removed safety equipment from the stadium, causing the club to move temporarily to Altrincham's Moss Lane ground. Rushe's consortium is in the process of securing funding to buy the stadium.^[13]^[14]

On 19 May 2009 the club went into administration for the second time in five years following their relegation from the Conference National; they owe around £500,000 in unpaid bills to creditors.^[15] They were threatened with a double relegation to the Northern Premier League as a result of this, but ultimately won an appeal to be placed into the Conference North for the 2009-10 season.

In February 2010, the club played Romanian Europa League side FC Unirea Urziceni in a friendly warm-up game, which Northwich lost 1-0.^[16]

FA Cup History

In the 2005-2006 season, under the management of Steve Burr, Northwich reached the FA Cup third round, and were drawn against Premier League side Sunderland. On 8th January 2006, Over 3,000 supporters travelled to the Stadium of Light. Northwich were defeated 3-0.^[17]

On 24 October 2009, Northwich played FC United of Manchester in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round. Northwich won the game 3-0, a game which is seen by FC United as the most important in their history to date^[18]. In the First Round proper, Northwich were drawn against former Premier League side Charlton Athletic, which was televised live on ITV1, providing much needed revenue for the club. Northwich won the game 1-0, with an 81st minute winner from Wayne Riley and a Man-of-the-match performance by Mat Bailey^[19]. Northwich were then drawn against Lincoln City, managed by former Blackburn Rovers and England international Chris Sutton, which again was televised on ITV1. The game was played on 28th November, with Lincoln winning the game 3-1^[20].

Players

As of 2nd March 2010.^[21]^[22]

Current squad

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
10	FW	ENG	Aaron Burns (at Gap Connah's Quay)
19	MF	ENG	Lee Elam (at Bradford Park Avenue)

Notable former players

Bruce Grobbelaar, goalkeeper for Liverpool during the 1980s and former national goalkeeper for Zimbabwe, made a single appearance for Northwich Victoria in the 1999-00 season.^[23]
Manchester City and Manchester United winger Billy Meredith also played for the club in the early 1890s.
David Bardsley, former England defender ended his career at Northwich

Honours

FA Trophy
- Winners 1984
Conference North
- Champions 2005-06
Cheshire County League
- Champions 1956-57

References

^ Simpson, Andrew (2009-01-02). "Rushe receives ground offer". Knutsford Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
^ "Northwich Victoria FC". Retrieved 2010-02-27.
^ "Northwich Victoria Football Club".
^ "Inside football: Drill Field's disputed place in record books". The Independent. 1999-12-30. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Vics face 10-point penalty". BBC News. 2004-09-27. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
^ Conn, David (2004-11-20). "David Conn: Business bulldozer runs roughshod over Victorian values at Northwich". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Inside football: Drill Field's disputed place in record books". The Independent. 1999-12-30. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
^ "Northwich go into administration". This Is Cheshire. 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
^ Northwich owner wants to sell up BBC Sport, 4 October 2007
^ Updated: Vics plunged into new crisis This is Cheshire, 5 October 2007
^ Northwich set for administration BBC Sport, 18 October 2007
^ "Takeover secures Northwich future". BBC News. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
^ "Northwich locked out of stadium". BBC News. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
^ Simpson, Andrew (2009-01-16). "Rushe: Ground takeover nearly done". Northwich Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
^ "Northwich go into administration". BBC Sport. 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
^ "Liverpool's Europa League opponents edge friendly at Northwich Victoria". Northwich Guardian. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Sunderland 3 Northwich Victoria 0: Northwich fail to roll over but Black Cats' luck turns". The Independent. 2006-01-09. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
^ "FC United of Manchester manager Karl Marginson is confident ahead of Vics trip". Northwich Guardian. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Wayne Riley seals FA Cup shock as Northwich down Charlton". The Guardian. 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Northwich 1-3 Lincoln City". BBC News. 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
^ "Northwich Victoria - 2008/09". FootballSquads.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
^ "Ebbsfleet bring in pair on loan". BBC News. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
^ "Bruce Grobbelaar". Retrieved 2010-02-27.

External links

Template:Fb start Template:Conference North

Template:Fb end

[1] Simpson, Andrew (2009-01-02). "Rushe receives ground offer". Knutsford Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-01-14.

[2] "Northwich Victoria FC". Retrieved 2010-02-27.

[3] "Northwich Victoria Football Club".

[4] "Inside football: Drill Field's disputed place in record books". The Independent. 1999-12-30. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[5] "Vics face 10-point penalty". BBC News. 2004-09-27. Retrieved 2010-02-27.

[6] Conn, David (2004-11-20). "David Conn: Business bulldozer runs roughshod over Victorian values at Northwich". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[7] "Inside football: Drill Field's disputed place in record books". The Independent. 1999-12-30. Retrieved 2010-02-27.

[8] "Northwich go into administration". This Is Cheshire. 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2010-02-27.

[9] Northwich owner wants to sell up BBC Sport, 4 October 2007

[10] Updated: Vics plunged into new crisis This is Cheshire, 5 October 2007

[11] Northwich set for administration BBC Sport, 18 October 2007

[12] "Takeover secures Northwich future". BBC News. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

[13] "Northwich locked out of stadium". BBC News. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

[14] Simpson, Andrew (2009-01-16). "Rushe: Ground takeover nearly done". Northwich Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

[15] "Northwich go into administration". BBC Sport. 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2009-05-19.

[16] "Liverpool's Europa League opponents edge friendly at Northwich Victoria". Northwich Guardian. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[17] "Sunderland 3 Northwich Victoria 0: Northwich fail to roll over but Black Cats' luck turns". The Independent. 2006-01-09. Retrieved 2010-02-27.

[18] "FC United of Manchester manager Karl Marginson is confident ahead of Vics trip". Northwich Guardian. 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[19] "Wayne Riley seals FA Cup shock as Northwich down Charlton". The Guardian. 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[20] "Northwich 1-3 Lincoln City". BBC News. 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2010-02-25.

[fbsquads0809-21] "Northwich Victoria - 2008/09". FootballSquads.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-01-10.

[22] "Ebbsfleet bring in pair on loan". BBC News. 2009-03-13. Retrieved 2009-03-15.

[attendance-23] "Bruce Grobbelaar". Retrieved 2010-02-27.

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 {{Fs player|no=-|nat=England|name=[[Sean Taylforth]]|pos=FW}}
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-{{Fs end}}
 ===Out on loan===

v t e Former English Football League clubs
English Football League
First tier (League 1888–1992)	Accrington (1888–93)
Second tier (1892–present)	Bootle (1892–93) Burton Swifts (1892–1901) Burton United (1901–07) Burton Wanderers (1894–97) Darwen (1891–99) Gainsborough Trinity (1896–1912) Glossop North End (1898–1915) Leeds City (1905–19) Loughborough (1895–1900) Middlesbrough Ironopolis (1893–94) New Brighton Tower (1898–1901) Northwich Victoria (1892–94) Rotherham Town (1893–96) Wimbledon Became Milton Keynes Dons (1977–92, 2000–04)
Third tier (1920–present) North/South (1921–1958)	Aberdare Athletic (1921–27) Ashington (1921–29) Bury (1894–2019) Durham City (1921–28) Merthyr Town (1920–30) Nelson (1921–31) New Brighton (1923–51) Rotherham County (1919–25) South Shields (1919–30) Stalybridge Celtic (1921–23) Thames (1930–32) Wigan Borough (1921–31)
Fourth tier (by election, 1958–1987)	Accrington Stanley (1921–62) Bradford (Park Avenue) (1908–70) Gateshead (1930–60) Southport (1921–78) Workington (1951–77)
Fourth tier (relegated since 1987)	Aldershot (1932–92) Aldershot Town (2008–13) Barnet (1991–2001, 2005–13, 2015–18) Boston United (2002–07) Chester City (1931–2000, 2004–09) Dagenham & Redbridge (2007–16) Darlington (1921–89, 1990–2010) Forest Green Rovers (2017–24) Halifax Town (1921–93, 1998–2002) Hartlepool United (1921–2017, 2021–23) Hereford United (1972–97, 2006–12) Kidderminster Harriers (2000–05) Macclesfield Town (1997–2012, 2018–20) Maidstone United (1989–92) Oldham Athletic (1907–2022) Rochdale (1921–2023) Rushden & Diamonds (2001–06) Scarborough (1987–99) Scunthorpe United (1950–2022) Southend United (1920–2021) Sutton United (2021–24) Torquay United (1927–2007, 2009–14) Yeovil Town (2003–19) York City (1929–2004, 2012–16)
Listed according to division last performed in. Defunct clubs in italics