Fleetwood Town F.C.

1908–1997: early years and struggles

The current club was officially established in 1997 but football in Fleetwood dates back to 1883. The original club, Fleetwood Rangers, played in the Lancashire Football League in the 1890s. After its demise, a new club, Fleetwood Amateur, was formed, and it dropped the Amateur aspect in 1908; its greatest honour was winning the Lancashire Combination in 1923–24. This club resigned from the Lancashire Combination in February 1928 because of financial difficulties. In the 1928–29 season Fleetwood Windsor Villa F.C. were members of the Fylde and District Football League. At the end of that season they were elected to the West Lancashire Football League and were members for two seasons. They were then elected to the Lancashire Combination for season 1931–32, changing their name to Fleetwood F.C. They registered a hat-trick of Lancashire Combination Cup wins in 1932, 1933 and 1934. The side's goalkeeper in the first of those victories was Frank Swift, then only eighteen years old. After almost sixty years as a Lancashire Combination club, they became founder members of the newly created Northern Premier League in 1968. Great players of that era include Jack Ainscough and the late Percy Ronson, after whom one stand is named. The club finished in 10th place in its first season. As the NPL was one of several leagues immediately below Division Four of the Football League, this was effectively the fifth tier of English football, and the…

Source: League

League Two (level 4) Play-off winners: 2014 Conference (level 5) Champions: 2011–12 Conference North (level 6) Play-off winners: 2010 Northern Premier League Premier Division Champions: 2007–08 Northern Premier League First Division Champions: 1987–88 North West Counties Football League Premier Division Champions: 2004–05 North West Counties Football League First Division Champions: 1983–84, 1998–99 Lancashire Combination Champions: 1923–24 Lancashire League West Division Reserve League Champions: 2008–09 Cup

FA Vase Runners-up: 1984–85 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup Winners: 1971, 2007 Northern Premier League President's Cup Winners: 1990 North West Counties Football League First Division Trophy Winners: 1999 Lancashire Combination Cup Winners: 1926, 1932, 1933, 1934 Peter Swales Memorial Shield Winners: 2008