Wikipedia

Widnes F.C.

This article is about the association football club. For the rugby league club founded as Widnes F.C., see Widnes Vikings.

Widnes Football Club are an English association football club, based in Widnes, Cheshire. They are currently members of the Northern Premier League Division One West, playing their home matches at the DCBL Stadium, Widnes. They are affiliated to the Liverpool County FA.

Full nameWidnes Football Club
Nickname(s)The Black & Whites
Founded2003 (as The Dragons A.F.C.)
GroundHalton Stadium, Widnes, Cheshire
Capacity13,350
ChairmanIan Ross [1]
ManagerMichael Ellison
LeagueNorthern Premier League Division One West
2023–24Northern Premier League Division One West, 9th of 20
Websitehttp://www.widnesfootballclub.co.uk/

History

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Early years: 2003 to 2012

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The club was founded in February 2003 as The Dragons A.F.C. by former secretary Bill Morley as a local junior football club. In 2008, the club was awarded the FA Charter Standard Development award for its continuous development of grassroots football.

2012 to 2018 - Back to Back Promotions

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In March 2012, Widnes Dragons began a consultation process with Widnes Vikings RLFC to become part of the Vikings Sports Brand, a partnership that was agreed to enhance the club's community status.

On 10 July 2012, at the club's AGM, the club's members unanimously agreed to become a part of the Widnes Sports Group and agreed on a 12-month transitional period up to the end of that current season (2012–13). The next step in the club's progression was made in season 2013–14 when Widnes Vikings FC was admitted into the football pyramid and placed within North West Counties Football League Division One.

In March 2014, the club's committee called an EGM for its members to decide on the future of the club. A unanimous vote was made that the club was to move away from the Vikings brand and to restructure the club to secure its own identity and long-term future. Subsequently, the club parted ways with the Vikings brand and became known as Widnes Football Club, which was symbolic in representing where the team and its fans came from whilst recognising that a new club needed to be built to establish confidence in the local community and support young local talent in Widnes.

In 2016, a change in board structure lead to the appointment of Ian Ross as chairman with a board of directors being established.[2] Danny Meadowcroft and Brian Pritchard were appointed joint managers, replacing previous manager Steve Hill who left the Club following the end of the 2015–16 season.[3] However, following an indifferent start to the season, Meadowcroft and Pritchard left the club and were replaced by Joey Dunn, who was subsequently appointed manager.[4]

The season ended on a highly successful note as under Dunn's management, Widnes were crowned North West Counties Football League Division One Champions with a game to spare after a 5–1 win at AFC Blackpool.[5]

In summer 2017, the club began to re-establish a youth section with the introduction of a development squad[6] and two junior teams at Under 7 and Under 9 age groups.[7]

Despite Dunn's resignation early in the 2017–18 season,[8] the club enjoyed yet another highly successful season. Senior players Steve Akrigg and Kevin Towey were appointed joint player managers,[9] leading the club to promotion to the Northern Premier League and victory in the final of the North West Counties Challenge Cup against Burscough.

2018 to Present - Northern Premier League

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Widnes' first season at Step 4 brought mixed success. Early exits in the FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup meant The Whites only had the league to focus on. Joint managers Towey and Akrigg guided Widnes to a solid mid table finish, despite ending the season as one of the leagues form sides.

The next two seasons were affected by the turmoil caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Widnes finished the abandoned 2019–20 season in 12th, as well as the curtailed 2020–21 season in the same position.

As football returned to normal in the 2021–22 season, Widnes endured a poor start to the season, resulting in the club parting company with Managers Kevin Towey and Steve Akrigg. Former Ashton Town manager David Dempsey was hired, and not only guided Widnes to safety, but turned the side into one of the form teams in the second half of the season, boasting an impressive unbeaten run at home. Dempsey also led his side to the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy, where they were beaten on penalties by Bootle, this being the clubs best run to date. Success under Dempsey was short lived as Widnes began the 2022–23 season in very poor form, failing to win any of their first five league games and seeing their FA Cup run ended by North West Counties side Bury. Subsequently, Widnes and Dempsey went their separate ways. Widnes moved quickly to hire Michael Ellison,[10] who began the season with City of Liverpool. Performances under 'Ello' quickly improved, and Widnes were able to pick up their first league win of the season away to newly promoted Hanley. Despite spending a lot of the season rooted to the bottom of the table, Ellison and Widnes picked up a number of crucial wins towards the tail-end of the season, ultimately finishing in 17th place. Due to Skelmersdale not meeting Northern Premier League ground grading requirements, Widnes received a reprieve in the step 4/5 inter step playoff, thus securing their Northern Premier League Status for the 2023/24 season due to their superior points per game ratio compared to other teams around the country.

Season-by-season record

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Crest and colours

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Since its foundation, the club has always worn a white home strip. They currently play in black shorts and white socks. The club's away kit is all yellow.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

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Year Kit Manufacturer Main Shirt Sponsor Back of Shirt Sponsor
2013–14 O'Neills Stobart Polyblend
2014–2016 Investec Tax Architects
2016–18 Macron PolyParts.co.uk None
2018–20 Northern Premier League Football Academy None
2020- Hallmark Security None
2024- SLL Properties LTD Sam's Diamonds Cancer Support

Stadium

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Main article: Halton Stadium

Widnes moved into the Halton Stadium in 2012, ahead of their debut and so far only season in the West Cheshire League. They played their first home game at the stadium against Chester Nomads Reserves on 1 September 2012. The club's highest attendance at the stadium is 603 set on 2 January 2023 against Macclesfield.

Current squad

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As of 23 August 2024[11]

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
— GK   ENG Mark Halstead
— GK   ENG Josh McGreavy (on dual registration at Ashton Town)
— GK   ENG Cameron Terry
— GK   SVN Gregor Zabret
— DF   ENG Niall Battersby
— DF   ENG Owen Beamon (on dual registration at Litherland REMYCA)
— DF   ENG Sam Bhatti (on dual registration at Litherland REMYCA)
— DF   ENG Louis Isherwood
— DF   ENG Matty Rain
— DF   ENG Jack Walls
— MF   ENG Adam Bott (on loan from Chester)
— MF   ENG Nathan Caine
— MF   KOS Fisnik Hajdari
— MF   ENG George Hassall
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF   ENG Steven Irwin
— MF   ENG Paul Kyffin
— MF   ENG Sean Miller
— MF   ENG Brendan O'Brien
— MF   ENG Harvey Roberts (on dual registration at Longridge Town)
— MF   ENG Ben Rydel
— MF   ENG James Steele
— MF   ENG Kingsley Williams
— FW   ENG Nathan Corness
— FW   ENG Ethan Danku
— FW   DEN Sharif Deans
— FW   ENG Joshua High
— FW   ENG Jack McGowan
— FW   ENG Liam Paton (on loan from Marine)

Club officials

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Boardroom

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Role Name
Chairman Ian Ross
Director David Day
Director Gareth Hartley
Director John McKeown
Club Secretary Adrian Bevan
Club Development Officer Bill Morley

Coaching staff

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Role Name
Manager Michael Ellison
First Team Coach Chris Lawton
First Team Coach Lee Bignall
Goalkeeper Coach Ryan Brookfield
Kit Man Craig Patterson
Physio Darren Berrill

Managerial history

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As of 23 August 2024
Manager Nationality Period Total
G W D L Win %
Paul Pennington   England 2012 7 2 1 4 28.57
Steve Hill   England 2012–2016 143 46 21 76 32.17
Danny Meadowcroft and Brian Pritchard   England 2016 9 5 1 3 55.55
Danny Salt (interim)   England 2016 3 1 0 2 33.33
Joey Dunn   England 2016–2017 53 36 6 11 67.92
Steve Akrigg and Nick Matthews (interim)   England 2017 1 0 0 1 00.00
Steve Akrigg and Kevin Towey   England 2017–2021 147 66 26 55 44.90
Michael Burke (interim)   England 2021 1 0 1 0 00.00
Dave Dempsey   England 2021–2022 42 15 11 16 35.71
Michael Ellison   England 2022- 85 35 16 34 41.18

Records

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Team records

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Honours

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  • North West Counties League
    • Premier Division runners-up 2017–18
    • Division One champions 2016–17
    • League Cup winners 2017-18

References

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  1. ^ All change at Widnes FC "All change at Widnes FC". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  2. ^ All change at Widnes FC "All change at Widnes FC". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  3. ^ New Management Team at Widnes FC "New Management Team at Widnes FC". Hallmark Security League. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. ^ Announcement "Announcement: Dunn Deal!". Widnes Football Club. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. ^ Champions! "Champions!". Widnes Football Club. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  6. ^ Development squad launched "Development squad launched". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  7. ^ Junior Setup Launched "Junior Setup Launched". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  8. ^ Club Statement: Joey Dunn departs "Club Statement: Joey Dunn departs". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  9. ^ Steve Akrigg and Kevin Towey appointed joint managers "Steve Akrigg and Kevin Towey appointed joint managers". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  10. ^ MICHAEL ELLISON APPOINTED AS NEW WIDNES MANAGER "Michael Ellison appointed as new Widnes manager". Widnes Football Club. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. ^ "First Team squad". Widnes FC. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  12. ^ "LCFA Mens Senior Cup". www.liverpoolfa.com. Liverpool County FA. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
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