Leek Town FC

No doubt historians could trace the origins of Leek Town back to 9 March 1876 when Leek played Macclesfield at home and the game ended in dispute. The Leek players alleged that their opponents displayed a total lack of knowledge of the rules - apparently a case of anything goes!! However, the lines of origin are a little bit hazy since those days at the end the 19th century when Leek played such teams as Stoke City , Derby County , Newport , Walsall, West Brom , Port Vale, Crewe Alex, Wolves and Queens Park Glasgow. Their most recent history stems from the end of the Second World War, in 1946. Graduating from Abbey Green Rovers to Leek Lowe Hamil, they played in the Leek and Moorlands League and acquired Sam Goodfellow's field next to the White Lion pub. Then followed a period in the Staffordshire County League, becoming runners-up in 1947/48 and 1949/50. In 1950/51, the club established, and still holds, the all-time record for the County League - winning the championship without losing a match - a part of the club's history which began a new era.

After a successful association with the County League , they joined the Manchester League in 1951/52 and changed their name to Leek Town Football Club. The Blues won the championship at the first attempt to bring home a unique double as they also won the Staffordshire Junior Cup. Leek joined the Birmingham League in 1954/55 but the anticipated enthusiasm and support was not maintained. In December 1956 the club had to resign due to financial difficulties and were re-admitted to the Manchester League in 1957/58. Again it was necessary to curtail expense and a year later, they moved back to the Staffordshire County League. The club struggled along until 1968 when a bunch of volunteers answered secretary Harry Allen's pleas for help and they became unparalleled as a working committee. In a few short years, by sheer hard graft, they transformed the team under Manager Paul Ogden and the ground found itself with a clubhouse, a small stand and, eventually, floodlights. During this period the club went on to win the Staffs County League twice and the Manchester Premier League twice before joining the Cheshire League in the 1973/74 season.

In only the club's second season in the league, The Blues lifted the coveted Cheshire League title, the first Staffordshire club to do so. All this success was achieved under the charismatic Chairmanship of the late Geoff Harrison after whom their stadium is now named. When the Cheshire League was amalgamated into the newly formed North West Counties League in 1982, Leek Town became founder members. Success in the league was virtually non-existent however, they lifted the North West Counties League Cup in 1985 and also won the Charity Shield. The Northern Premier League First Division was formed in 1987 and again Leek were founder members. After missing out on promotion by finishing third in the first two seasons, the club was finally promoted to the Premier Division having won the 1989/90 championship. Under manager Neil Baker, they also re-wrote the record books that season by reaching the FA Trophy final at Wembley only to lose 3-0 to Vauxhall Conference side Barrow.

During their first season in the Premier Division of the NPL, the League Challenge Shield was lifted and Chester City were taken to a replay in the Second Round Proper of the FA Cup following a first round victory at Scarborough. The 1993/94 season was one of the best in the club's history but, despite finishing the season in second place in the league table, only one point behind Marine, they were denied a place in the Vauxhall Conference for financial reasons. Two appeals to the FA failed and subsequently the Joint Liaison Committee of the Football Pyramid determined that the club would play in the Southern Football League to make way for relegated Witton Albion in the 'NPL'. The club, enjoyed a fairly successful campaign in the Southern League Premier Division, finishing in 7th place and coming runners-up to Hastings Town in the League Challenge Cup Final. The Evans Halshaw Floodlit Cup was also won for the second time. However, their enforced exile in the South was financially crippling and, at the end of the season, they formally requested the Joint Liaison Committee to consider moving them back to the NPL - and that's how it worked out.

Neil Baker left the club to become Assistant Manager to Dario Gradi at Crewe Alexandra in 1995, and former player, Steve Norris managed the side in their one season in the Southern League. When he resigned he was replaced by Phil Wilson in June 1996. When he departed for Northwich Victoria in December 1996, the team were in second place and the Conference had just given Harrison Park an 'A' grading. Assistant Manager Peter Ward took over and Leek went on to win the championship by a clear 10 points and with it promotion to the Conference. Following a decent first half of the 1997-98 campaign, the Blues sank into the relegation zone after failing to win a game in the first two and a half months of 1998 and Ward became only the fourth manager in Leek's history to be given the sack. Player coach Ray Walker was put in temporary charge on 17 March but five games later ex-Stoke City and England star Mike Pejic was drafted in with a brief to keep the club in the League with just eight games to play. Those games included six matches in the final eight days of the season and Pejic's influence saw the team drag itself through the final five games in six days to achieve the objective on the last day of the campaign. Mike Pejic moved on at the end of the season and former Port Vale and Chesterfield striker, Ernie Moss, was appointed team manager in May 1998 after a successful four year spell in charge at Gainsborough Trinity in the UniBond League. However, Moss was sacked eight games before the end of the season with his side in a relegation position and caretaker manager Tony Agana was unable to halt the slide and the club was relegated for the first time in it's history.

Former Blues star Andy Holmes was appointed manager during the close season and he built a side of mainly local players which was expected to hold its own in the UniBond Premier Division. However, after only just avoiding relegation in May 2000, the club again found itself facing relegation the following season and Holmes was replaced by Mark Gardiner. Indifferent results continued until Karl Wilcox and Mark Bromley were given a mandate to stay in the Premier Division after Gardiner left the club. Unfortunately the Blues were relegated once again for only the second time in their history and found themselves back in the UniBond First Division. Wilcox and Bromley were retained for the 2001-02 season but they left in February 2002 following a cost-cutting exercise. Director of Football, Paul Ogden took over in a caretaker capacity and just missed out on the play-offs on goal difference. Ogden 'retired' back to the Boardroom in the summer of 2002 and former Hucknall Town boss, John Ramshaw, was appointed manager. Ramshaw resigned in September 2003 and Ogden found himself back in charge for a fourth time. He guided the club back to the UniBond Premier Division in 2003/04 and last season steered the Blues to 7 th place, the final of the Staffordshire Senior Cup and the 4 th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.