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Club & Ground Information
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Club & Ground Information
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Altrincham Football Club has a proud history, which includes knocking more League sides out of the FA Cup than any other curent non-league side. (For details see below). They have also been founder members of the Cheshire County, Northern Premier and the Alliance/Conference leagues.
Nicknamed 'The Robins', Altrincham played 2003-04 season in the UniBond Northern Premier League (NPL) one tier below the Nationwide Conference. In 2004-05 they will play in the new Conference North feeder division, which has been created between the NPL and the Conference National division.
Altrincham were ever-present in the Conference until 1997 and regained Conference-status for 1999-2000. However, they were relegated once more to the UniBond in May 2000, albeit with the lowest number of defeats of any side ever demoted from the Conference and despite achieving the second-longest undefeated run of the season of 14 matches. They have since finished 7th (2001), 9th (2002), 14th (2003) and 12th (2004) in the UniBond Premier Division.
The Club is running three sides in 2004-05. As well as the first team (Conference North) and the youth team (N.W. Youth Alliance League), a reserve team (Lancashire League) has been re-formed for 2004-05 after two years' absence. Click on the buttons above, left, for details of each team.
On 14 October 2002, Graham Heathcote (left) replaced Bernard Taylor as manager. Graham has spent most of the last 32 years at Moss Lane as, firstly, a player and then as coach and was part of the famous Altrincham giant-killing FA Cup side which was a national force in non-league football in 1970s and 1980s. He first became Alty coach under John King but resigned, with King, in early 1998. Bernard Taylor then took over and won the UniBond Challenge Cup that season before, early in 1998-99 season, he appointed Graham as his coach. The two then took the club to the UniBond Championship in 1999 but, in December, Graham resigned following the appointment of Stan Allan as Director of Football.
Altrincham were relegated from the Conference in May 2000 at which point Bernard resigned. After Mark Ward's managership (2000-01), Graham was again appointed as coach to manager Bernard Taylor, in March 2001. In June 2002 Graham's coaching contract was not renewed by the then Board and Andy May took over as Bernard's new coach for 2002-03. Financial constraints led to a big cut in the playing budget and the side suffered a poor run of results from March 2002, winning only 7 competitive matches out of 35 until Bernard and Andy were dismissed in October 2002 and Graham took over as manager. Graham has also had brief spells in management elsewhere, notably at Barrow and Witton, as well as being John King's assistant at Runcorn.
Below, is a summary of recent management and Board changes:
| SEASON | MANAGER | ASSISTANT/COACH | CHAIRMAN/BOARD |
| 1997-98 | John King, to 5/3/98 | Graham Heathcote, to 5/3/98 | Gerry Berman |
| 1997-98 | Bernard Taylor, from 5/3/98 | Gerry Berman | |
| 1998-99 | Bernard Taylor | Nigel Gleghorn / Brian Kilcline, 8/98 to 11/9/98 | Gerry Berman |
| 1998-99 | Bernard Taylor | Graham Heathcote, from 11/9/98, resigned 12/99 | Gerry Berman |
| 1999-2000 | Bernard Taylor, resigned 11/5/00 | Stan Allan/ Owen Brown, to 5/00 | Gerry Berman |
| 2000-01 | Mark Ward, from 19/5/00 to 18/3/01 | Tony Murphy, from 19/5/00 to 18/3/01 | Gerry Berman, to 1/01; Mark Harris, from 1/01 |
| 2000-01 & 2001-02 | Bernard Taylor, caretaker from 3/01, officially from 1/5/01 | Graham Heathcote, caretaker from 3/01, officially from 1/5/01 | Mark Harris, to resignation 5/02 |
| 2001-02 | Bernard Taylor | Graham Heathcote, to 30/6/02 | Board resigned 24/5/02 |
| 2002-03 | Bernard Taylor, to 14/10/02 | Andy May, from 6/02 to 14/10/02 | New Board, from 6/02 |
| 2002-03 | Graham Heathcote, from 14/10/02 | Dalton Steele, from 23/10/02 to 29/11/03 & from mid-May 2004 | Geoff Goodwin |
A fuller list of managers is here.
George Heslop is the Club's Youth Team manager, as well as its Matchday Secretary (see below). With coach Neil Thomason he has guided the side to the NWYA league and cup double in 2000-01 and again in 2003-04. Above, George (right) and Neil (left) are seen with the 2004 trophies. For 2004-05 George and Neil are assisted by Tony Spilsbury, a former Altrincham reserves' manager.
George also acts as compere at club social events whilst George's wife, Jenny, runs the Club bar, shop and the weekly "Saturday Yankee" fundraiser, as well as washing the kit and assisting in the club office. In short, George and Jenny are both very popular and vital elements in the Club's on- and off-field activities.
Sean Riley joined as the club physio. in mid-October 2004, succeeding Gary Thompson who had moved on to Halifax Town at the start of the season. Sean was formerly the physio at Accrington Stanley. Sean has also been resident physio for the Blackburn Sunday League and for Gt Harwood Town and Bamber Bridge. He was also involved in the GB team for the World Student games in Beijing and holds an FA diploma in the treatment and management of sports injuries.
In late July, 2002, Geoff Goodwin was named as Chairman. (Geoff is seen, right, with director, Grahame Rowley, in Alan Johnson's photo). In the previous two years the Board had seen many changes. Mark Harris had become the Chairman following the resignation in early 2001 of Gerry Berman, a Manchester businessman, who had been in charge for several years. However, Mark, who was formerly the Deputy Chairman, himself resigned w.e.f. the end of the 2001-02 season. New Directors were appointed from February 2001 after the Club had been saved from a winding-up order threatened by an ex-Director. The remaining Board members resigned in May 2002, and the major shareholders, led by Gerry Berman, held an EGM on 17 June 2002. From this, a new Board emerged comprising Grahame Rowley, Geoff Goodwin and Andrew Shaw, who have brought much needed stability to the club's operations, with a small operating profit being made in 2002-03. However, they are still battling hard to pay off the club's debts which they inherited.
Former Chairman Gerry Berman remains the largest minority shareholder. Other major shareholders include Club President, Noel White, former manager John King and Graham Heathcote. The Club's Associate Directors include Angus Loughran, 'Statto' of TV sports punditry fame. Despite revenue from a good FA Cup run in 2001, the Club is still in a financialy difficult position with debts to pay off to the Inland Revenue and others. As a result, major economies now apply and a cut of 40% on the wage-bill was imposed for 2002-03 and retained in 2003-04. Despite numerous long-term injuries and player unavailability through work commitments, manager Graham Heathcote built a team for 2003-04 which was characterised by its team spirit and refusal to be beaten.
The Club's Matchday and Company Secretary is George Heslop, who is also the Youth team manager (see above).
If segregation is in force (a rare event), the home supporters' terracing is at the Golf Road end (the end nearer to Altrincham town centre); normally two of the four turnstiles are open into this end on match days. Away supporters normally use the 20/20 (Hale) End of the ground, which is uncovered. As shown on the adjacent plan, the Carole Nash (Main) Stand and the Blue Cannon (Family) Stand are both on Moss Lane. The opposite side of the ground comprises terracing known as 'The Popular Side'. There is a licensed bar inside the ground which is open on match days before, during and after the match- this is known as the Noel White Suite. It is situated under the main stand at its Golf Road end. Also, at the Golf Road end, is the Robins' Shop (between the bar and Golf Road) as well as a mobile catering unit. For details of shop merchandise, click here. Another catering unit is situated at the Hale end of the ground and toilets
are to be found adjacent to this, as well as at the Golf Road end and near the
main stand.
For Alty's league record, click the links below:
Altrincham won 10-0 away at Earlestown in the FA Cup 1Q in 1963-64. Their record league win was 9-2 at home to Merthyr Tydfil in the Conference in February, 1991. Alty's 7-4 win over Nuneaton Borough on 11 November 1985 also matched this aggregate, which remains a Conference record - albeit equalled by Burton Albion 4 Telford U. 7 in 2003. Another Conference record is Altrincham's 23 games without defeat in 1990-91. Alty's best UniBond League score was 7-1 v Emley in 1997/98.
Sixteen FA Cup victories against Football League clubs have been recorded by Altrincham. See this site's FA Cup page for Alty's full record. The club's most famous FA Cup results include:
This is still the most recent defeat of any First (Premier) Division team at their own ground by a non-League club in the FA Cup. David Seaman was City's keeper.
Tranmere Rovers were the first League victims of Alty, beaten 4-2 in 1921/22 in a FA Cup Qualifier. Many other League teams have been defeated in the FA Cup Proper including: Hartlepool (1973), Scunthorpe (1974 and 1980), Crewe Alexandra (1979), Rotherham United (1979), Sheffield United (1981), York City (1981), Rochdale (1982), Blackpool (1984 and 1985), Lincoln City (1988), Chester (1992) and Wigan Athletic (1994). Honourable F.A. Cup draws were also achieved in the following matches;
The biggest defeat at Moss Lane was 3-7 to Slough Town in October 1991. Away from home Alty have conceded seven on 27 occasions, the last being at Morecambe on 17.2.1996.
Runs without a win in recent times include 15 (1996-97) and 11 (1999-2000) in the Conference, and 12 consecutive defeats at the end of 1960-61 in the Cheshire County League
Players Moving to the League
Counter at 1/1/2002: 69,547
At 1/1/2003: 178,589
At 1/1/2004: 296,757
