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Altrincham Football Club
Club Information


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Contact Details

To contact the Club please choose from the following options...
  • E MAIL: To the appropriate email address below which, to minimize automated spam, are deliberately not provided as hyperlinks. Therefore, please transcribe the address into your e-mail's recipient field.
  • To the FOOTBALL CLUB
  • To the ALTY FILES UNOFFICIAL WEBSITE
  • TELEPHONE: (0161) 928-1045
  • POST: Altrincham FC, J. Davidson Stadium, Moss Lane, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 8AP

    Altrincham F.C.: Governance

  • The legal name of the Club is : Altrincham Association Football Club Limited
  • The club's company number is: 176333
  • Significant interests in the Club (i.e. holders of >10% shares): None

    Altrincham F.C.: Club Officials

    For details of the Club's officers, please visit the Club Officials page.

    Altrincham F.C.: League Membership

    Recent History:

    In 2021-22 Altrincham FC play in the Vanarama National League, following promotion from the National League North, via the play-offs, at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. Before that Altrincham FC had spent a total of 28 seasons at the national level (Step One) of non-League football in four spells at that level. But in 2016 they had suffered their latest relegatiuon from Step One and this was followed by an immediate relegation to Step Three the following season. However, the appointment of manager Phil Parkinson and his assistant Neil Sorvel had secured the NPL title in 2018 and an unsuccessful play-off place in 2019 before promotion in 2020.

    The Club continued to operate as a part-time team until it was announced on 3 May 2022 that the club was going full-time from 2022-23 seaason and that a new post of Chief Executive Office was being created.

    Historically, Altrincham had been founder members of the Alliance (forerunner of the Football Conference) from its inception in 1979 till relegated in 1997. In fact they won the Alliance in its first two seasons, only being denied elevation to the Football League by the vagaries of the re-election system in place at that time (1980 and 1981).

    Prior to their 2018 promotion, Altrincham's other three promotions had come in differing ways. In 1999 they were promoted as champions of the Northern Premier League and in 2005 they won the one and only Conference North v Conference South play-off against Eastbourne Borough. The second spell at national level lasted just one season (1999-2000) when they were relegated on the last day of the season despite having had a 14-game unbeaten run in mid-season and finishing the campaign with just 14 defeats, one fewer than fifth-placed Kingstonian! In 2014 they were promoted by winning the play-offs in National League North, a feat repeated in 2020.

    After narrowly qualifying for the nascent Conference North in 2004, Altrincham's third spell at national level comprised a highly eventful six seasons (2005/6-2010/11) in which Altrincham finished in the relegation places four times but were only demoted once. Despite being one of only a handful of part-time clubs, Altrincham finished a very creditable 18th in the Conference National in 2005-06, only to be deprived of any satisfaction at their achievement when they were deducted 18 points for playing James Robinson, who had joined Alty from Accrington Stanley but had not got international clearance from a previous spell in Iceland. The deduction meant Altrincham were placed bottom of the league and set to be relegated.

    But the demise of Canvey Island and then the demotion of Scarborough gave Altrincham a late reprieve at the Conference AGM in June 2006 and they played again in the national division in 2006-07. This time, despite amassing 51 points, they finished fourth-bottom and again looked to be set for relegation. But, once more, financial shortcomings at another club saved them when Boston United were forcibly demoted to Conference North from League Two. In 2007-08 Altrincham finished 21st so faced relegation for a third season in succession before, yet again, they were reprieved, as Halifax Town's financial problems saw the Shaymen slide into liquidation.

    Under Lee Sinnott, Altrincham regained their top-flight status for 2014/15 season but at the end of the following season they suffered their fourth relegation from national to northern level since 1997. They then dropped to the Northern Premier League for the following season (2017/18) before an immediate promotion back to the National North.

    Nicknamed "The Robins", the Club holds the FA Cup giantkilling record, being the current non-League club with most Football League "scalps" (seventeen) in the competition. (For details see below). The Club has also been a founder member of several leagues, including the Cheshire County League, Northern Premier League and the Alliance/Football Conference leagues as well as the Football Conference (Nationwide) North division.

    Current Management of the Club:

    The first-team manager is Phil Parkinson, who joined the club from Nantwich Town with his assistant Neil Sorvel in May 2017. For further details see the management page of this website.

    Recent Management of the Club:

    After Bernard Taylor had guided Altrincham back into the Conference national division in 1999, he was replaced in October 2002 by Graham Heathcote. Graham kept the club in the top flight on minimal resources for six seasons. The high points were 2008-09 when they finished 15th in the division and then improved on this by one place in 2009-10, both of which were excellent performances given the club's part-time status and limited budget. But a poor start to 2010-11, saw manager Graham Heathcote agree to the ending of his contract after eight winless games in September 2010. His departure came just 24 hours after chairman Geoff Goodwin had announced his own departure. Both men had spent eight years in their positions and had overseen the club's achievement of financial stability whilst also regaining its place in the top flight of non-League football.

    Assistant manager Ken McKenna, with his assistant Stuart Bimson, almost pulled off a remarkable escape from relegation in 2010-11 but Alty's home defeat by already relegated Eastbourne Borough on the final day of the season sent them into the Conference North for 2011-12. The duo left the club that summer and were replaced by Lee Sinnott and Neil Tolson who, having successively secured eight, fourth and third-place finishes won promotion to the National League top flight by the play-offs in 2014.

    In their second season the squad was badly affected by injury with four senior professionals all misssing most of the campaign with serious injuries. As the season drew towards its end, manager Lee Sinnott left the Club and was replaced by his assistant Neil Tolson, as caretaker manager, for the final eleven fixtures. Sadly he was unable to keep the club out of the relegation spots.

    Over the summer of 2016, Neil Young, the former Chester FC and Stockport County manager was apppointed as the new boss of Altrincham FC, with Gary Jones as his assistant and Simon Garner was also added to the backroom team. However, after failing to secure a win, he resigned and was replaced by the experienced Jim Harvey. He too suffered a run of poor results and was replaced, initially as a caretaker, by his deputy Matt Doughty. Matt and fellow ex-player Robbie Lawton were subsequently appointed to the end of 2016-17 but, despite a relative upturn in results, they were unable to avoid relegation. Phil Parkinson was appointed as the new manager in the close season of 2017.

    Off the field, during his chairmanship Geoff Goodwin and his board steered Altrincham FC from the brink of financial ruin, through hard work and keeping to strict budgetary limits, to economic stability. During his eight-year tenure, not a single player cost a transfer fee. His successor as chairman, Grahame Rowley, and his Board continued to operate a similarily prudent financial policy, before he retired from the role in 2020. Joint chairmen, Bill Waterson and Laurence Looney then took over the leadership of the club.

    The Club has keenly built its community links and in addition to running boys and girls' teams at every level of its Junior ranks, it also operates a successful under-18s' youth team and open-age Ladies' team. Off the field, a new Community Sports Hall has been built at the club's Moss Lane ground, which is now known as the J. Davidson Stadium, after a local firm of scrap metal merchants, who have been excellent sponsors of the Club.


    Altrincham F.C. Honours & History

    For Terry Rowley's brief history of Altrincham F.C., please click here; see also the Archive.

    Altrincham Football Club was so named in 1903, as a continuation of Broadheath FC, which was founded around 1891. (Broadheath is a southern area of Altrincham). The club has played in the following leagues:

    • 1903-11 Manchester League
    • 1911-19 Lancashire Combination
    • 1919-68 Cheshire County League (founder members)
    • 1968-79 Northern Premier League (founder members)
    • 1979-97 Alliance Premier/Football Conference (founder members)
    • 1997-99 Unibond Northern Premier League
    • 1999-2000 Football Conference
    • 2000-04 Unibond Northern Premier League
    • 2004-05 Football Conference North (founder members)
    • 2005-11 Football Conference National
    • 2011-14 Football Conference North
    • 2014-16 Football Conference National
    • 2016-17 National League North (Football Conference North)
    • 2017-18 Evo-Stik Premier North (Northern Premier League)
    • 2018-20 National League North (Football Conference North)
    • 2020- Football Conference National (Football Conference National)

    For Alty's historical league record, click the links below:

  • Pre-War
  • Post-War

    Honours

    For Altrincham's full historical league and cup records, click as follows
    • Alliance Premier League (now Conference) Champions 1979/80, 1980/81
    • Bob Lord Trophy Winners 1980/81
    • Cheshire Amateur Cup Winners 1903/04
    • Cheshire League Champions 1965/66, 1966/67
    • Cheshire League Cup Winners 1932/33, 1950/51, 1963/64
    • Cheshire Senior Cup Winners 1904/05, 1933/34, 1966/67, 1981/82, 1998/99, 2004/05, 2008/09
    • FA Cup First Round 1933/34, 1963/64, 1968/69, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1981/82, 1987/88, 1990/91, 1995/96, 1996/97 2007/08, 2008/09, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2016/17
    • FA Cup Second Round 1967/68, 1973/74, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1992/93, 2001/02, 2015/16
    • FA Cup Third Round 1965/66, 1974/75, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1994/95
    • FA Cup Fourth Round 1985/86
    • FA Trophy Winners 1978, 1986
    • FA Trophy Finalists 1982
    • Manchester League Winners 1904/05, 1906/07
    • Football Conference North Play-Off Winners 2004/05, 2013/14
    • Northern Premier League Cup Winners 1969/70
    • Northern Premier League Challenge Shield Winners 1979/80
    • Unibond League Challenge Cup Winners 1997/98
    • Unibond League Challenge Shield Winners 1998/99
    • Northern Premier League Champions 1998/99, 2017/18

    Altrincham were founders of the Alliance Premier League (later the Football Conference) in 1979/80 and were its winners in the first two seasons of the competition, at a time when automatic promotion to the Football League was not in place. They failed to gain election to the League by one vote in 1980- see here. In 1997 the Club suffered its first ever relegation and for two seasons were in the Unibond Premier League (Northern Premier League). These years are chronicled in detail in Grahame and Terry Rowley's Altrincham Football Club: the Unibond Years, published in 1999. The turbulent mid-1990s are covered in Mark Harris's informative Altrincham FC: Kingdom come, published in 1995. See the full Alty league record, 1907- here.


    FA Cup

    Seventeen FA Cup victories against Football League clubs have been recorded by Altrincham, as follows:
    • 1921/22 Tranmere Rovers
    • 1965/66 Rochdale
    • 1973/74 Hartlepool
    • 1974/75 Scunthorpe United
    • 1979/80 Crewe Alexandra and Rotherham United
    • 1980/81 Scunthorpe United
    • 1981/82 Sheffield United and York City
    • 1982/83 Rochdale
    • 1984/85 Blackpool
    • 1985/86 Blackpool and Birmingham City
    • 1988/89 Lincoln City
    • 1992/93 Chester
    • 1994/95 Wigan Athletic
    • 2015/16 Barnsley

    See this site's FA Cup page for Alty's full record.

    Tranmere Rovers were the first League victims of Alty, beaten 4-2 in 1921/22 in a FA Cup Qualifier.

    Honourable F.A. Cup results:

    Apart from the above victories, the club's most famous FA Cup results include:

  • 1986: Birmingham City 1 Altrincham 2 (FAC3R)

    For 27 years, until Luton Town's 1-0 win against a second-string Norwich City at Carrow Road in January 2013, Alty's win at St Andrew's was the last 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.

  • 1975: Everton 1 Altrincham 1 (3rd Round) - the replay was lost 0-2 at Old Trafford.

  • 1979: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Altrincham 1 (3rd Round) - the replay, at Maine Road, Manchester, was lost 0-3 on 16 January. The Spurs side in these matches included Osvaldo Ardiles and Peter Taylor.

  • 1981: Liverpool 4 Altrincham 1 (FAC3R). Graham Heathcote, scored the Altrincham goal from the penalty spot at Anfield.


    Best Gate

  • 10,275 for Altrincham Boys v Sunderland Boys, 28 February 1925. For average annual attendances at Moss Lane since 1987, please click here.

    Best Results

    Altrincham beat Sale Holmfield 14-2 in the 3rd Round of the Cheshire Amateur Cup on the 5th December 1903. They also 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.

    Worst Results

  • 1-13 at home to Stretford, 4.11.1893
  • 2-13 away v Chester, 30.11.1929
  • 5-10 away v Ashton National, 23.3.1929
  • 1-9 away v Crewe, 5.2.1921 and away v Whitchurch 15.12.1928
  • 0-8 away v Rhyl, 13.9.1947, away v Runcorn 24.3.1928 and away v Crewe A. 29.9.1926.

    The highest away score at Moss Lane was in the 3-7 defeat by Slough Town in October 1991. Away from home, Alty have conceded seven on 27 occasions, the last being at Morecambe on 17.2.1996. The worst home defeats in the Alliance/Conference were 0-5 by Dagenham & Redbridge in 2005/06 and 2006/07.

    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. After the 2000 relegation, Alty did not return to the Conference till 2005, when they lost their first two games to extend their run to 13 games without a win.


    Transfers

    Biggest Disclosed Fee Paid
  • £15,000 to Blackpool for Keith Russell (1998).

    More recent fees, such as for Daniel Mooney, have not been declared.
    Biggest Fees Received

  • £50,000 for Kevin Ellison, sold to Leicester City (Feb. 2001).
  • Undisclosed sum for Duncan Watmore, to Sunderland (May 2013).
    Biggest Sell-on Fee
  • £75,000, being half of Ian Craney's £150,000 move from Accrington Stanley to Swansea City (2006/7)

    The fee received from Duncan Watmore's move to Sunderland has not been disclosed.

    Players Moving to the League

  • Click here for a list of Alty players who subsequently moved on to League football.