Radcliffe Borough
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| Full name | Radcliffe Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Borough |
| Founded | 24 May 1949 |
| Ground | NeuVen Stadium, Radcliffe |
| Capacity | 4,000 (350 seated) |
| Chairman | Paul Hilton |
| Manager | Joe Gibbons |
| League | Northern Premier League Division One North |
| 2016–17 | Northern Premier League Division One North, 20th of 22 |
Radcliffe Borough Football Club is an English football club based in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester where they play their games at Stainton Park. The club was formed on 24 May 1949 and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North. Radcliffe Borough won the division in 1996–97, won the playoffs on 2002–03 and reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in its history in 2000. The club will change its name to Radcliffe Football Club for the 2018–19 season.
The club was formed on 24 May 1949 at the Owd Tower Inn in Radcliffe by Jack Pickford & a committee of 17 and became a member of the South East Lancashire Football League. After a short period in that league, the club joined the Manchester League before gaining access to the Lancashire Football Combination in 1963. In 1972, Radcliffe won the League Cup and finished third in the league. Two years later it was accepted into the Cheshire League, which subsequently became the North West Counties League.
The first season again brought success when Radcliffe secured the Second Division championship in front of a record Stainton Park crowd of 1,468. After one season in the First Division, Radcliffe lifted the First Division championship in 1985 and made the step up into the newly formed Northern Premier League First Division in 1987. After many years of consolidation in the league, and at times, fighting against relegation, the 1995–96 season saw an upturn in the club's fortunes, both on and off the pitch. The club, for the first time in its history, reached the last 16 of the FA Trophy, narrowly losing to Football Conference side, Gateshead 2–1.
Under previous manager Kevin Glendon who has been at the club since 1990, the playing side has gone from strength to strength. Kevin is renowned for producing young players and selling them on, in total he has made £80,000 in selling players. Radcliffe achieved its highest honour in the 1996–97 season, winning the Northern Premier League First Division title by 2 points ahead of local rivals Leigh RMI. Unfortunately, the club's stay in the 'top flight' lasted only one season. Having sacrificed all its revenue on ground development, to allow it to be promoted, it found itself without the resources to invest in quality players to stay in the division. Each year since then, however, it has competed for promotion, finishing regularly in the top six.
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