Irlam F.C.
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| Full name | Irlam Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Mitchells or Shack |
| Founded | 1969 (as Mitchell Shackleton) |
| Ground | Silver Street |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Chairman | Ron Parker |
| Manager | Steve Nixon |
| League | North West Counties League Premier Division |
| 2015–16 | North West Counties League Division One, 2nd (promoted) |
Irlam Football Club is a semi-professional association football club situated in Irlam, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the North West Counties League Premier Division.
Irlam Football Club was formed as Mitchell Shackleton Football Club in October 1969 by a group of employees working for Mitchell, Shackleton and Company Limited, an engineering company based in Patricroft, Eccles. The founding members were Bob Cowlishaw (chairman), Bill Russell (secretary) and Charlie Flynn (treasurer). Mitchell Shackleton FC entered the Eccles and District Amateur Football League in 1970.
Initially the club was financially supported by Mitchell Shackleton's active sports and social club, but the recession of the late 1970s led to the company restructuring its business interests and resulted in a reduction in the workforce. That in turn led to the closure of the sports and social club, and since then the football club has been self-financing.
The club was initially headquartered at the Oddfellows Arms, Patricroft, before moving to St Michael's Community Centre, Peel Green in 1973. The club now plays its home games at its Silver Street ground in Irlam.
It was in the Manchester Amateur League that the club's reputation began to grow, winning the Third Division (1973–74) and Second Division (1974–75) Championships in successive seasons, and in 1975 a reserve team was formed.
Between 1976 and 1978, the club went through a transitional phase with younger players being introduced into the first team, and the formation of a new management team of George Walker, Billy Hall and Jimmy Preston.
During this period, a re-structuring of the league saw Irlam competing in the Industrial 'B' Division, in which the club was runner-up in 1979–80.
In season 1983–84 Irlam finished Industrial 'A' Division runners-up, but ended the season on a high by winning the Gosling Cup.
Industrial 'A' Division runners-up once again in season 1985–86, and defeated finalists in the Gosling Cup of 1988–89 signalled the end of the club's 17-year association with the Manchester Amateur League.
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