Match Preview proudly sponsored by Northumbria Print
Date: Saturday 4th January 2020
Venue: Giant Axe, West Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 5PE
Kick Off: 3pm
Competition: Northern Premier League Premier Division
Highlights: Highwaymen TV
The Highwaymen will look to start their 2020 with a win when they travel to Lancashire to face Lancaster City on Saturday.
History
The club was founded in the spring of 1911 as Lancaster Town F.C. and were admitted to Division Two of the Lancashire Combination for the start of the 1911–12 season after proving to the league and the Lancashire FA that they had no connection with the previous two clubs.
After World War I the Combination was reduced to a single division. The club finished as runners-up in 1919–20, and the following season the club made an unsuccessful bid to join the Third Division North of the Football League. However, they won the Combination for the first time in 1921–22 and in 1928–29 reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time losing 3–1 at home to Lincoln City. The following year they won the Combination for a second time and reached the FA Cup first round again this time losing 4–1 at New Brighton. The first round was reached again in 1930–31, 1931–32 and 1933–34, but the club lost on each occasion. Back-to-back league titles were won in 1934–35 and 1935–36, and in 1937 the club adopted its current name, Lancaster City F.C., after the town was given city status as part of King George VI’s coronation celebrations.
The club continued in the Combination until 1970 with varying degrees of success including an FA Cup second round appearance, losing to Gateshead, in 1947-48 and an Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy final victory in 1951-52, but by the end of the 1960s it was decided that a change was needed so for the 1970–71 season the club left the Combination to join the Northern Premier League, a league that had been established two years earlier. City again reached the second round of the FA Cup in 1972-73, losing 2-1 at Notts County and won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy for a sixth time in 1974-75, but after finishing seventeenth in 1981–82 the club resigned from the Northern Premier League and dropped into the North West Counties League when financial difficulties took hold and forced them to fold and reform. Three years later they were relegated to the second tier after finishing second from bottom of the league. Despite having only finished thirteenth in 1986-87, the club were accepted into the newly formed Division One of the Northern Premier League thanks to in no small part to ground standard and support.
In 1994-95, after several seasons of consolidation and now managed by former PNE and Bury player Alan Tinsley, Lancaster won the Northern Premier League Presidents Cup, their first trophy in twenty years, and the following season, as champions of Division One, were promoted to the Premier Division whilst also winning the Division One League Challenge Cup to complete a League and cup double. Two consecutive Northern Premier League Challenge Cup victories followed in 1999-2000 and 2000-02 under Tony Hesketh and after finishing eighth in 2003–04 the club were placed in the newly established Conference North. This proved to be a hugely successful period for Lancaster with the club enjoying healthy league positions and several cup successes as well as reaching the FA Cup first round proper on four occasions. However, following a club takeover, financial problems led to the club folding at the end of the 2006–07 season, in which they suffered a 10-point deduction for going into administration, and finished bottom of the league with one point. During the summer, the club reformed and were accepted back into Division One of the Northern Premier League.
2008–09 was the final season for ex-player Barrie Stimpson who was replaced as manager by the returning Hesketh. Lancaster lost the 2009–10 play-off final 1–0 at home to Colwyn Bay and unfortunately, despite another Presidents Cup Final triumph in 2011, Hesketh couldn’t guide the club to a much desired promotion, finishing 7th in 2010–11 and 6th in 2011–12, eventually leaving early into the following season to be replaced by ex-Sunderland and Darlington player Neil Wainwright. Wainwright left in February 2013 due to budget cuts and was in turn replaced by former Newcastle United and QPR defender Darren Peacock who brought in former teammate and ex QPR , West Ham, Manchester City and England winger Trevor Sinclair as his assistant. Both Peacock and Sinclair left the club in September 2015 after a disappointing start to the season and City appointed former player Phil Brown as manager who, after leading the team to a top six finish and a narrow defeat on penalties in the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy final to Chorley, then took City to the 2016–17 Northern Premier League Division One league title. However, after a bright start to the 2017-18 season the team then struggled, finishing in eighteenth position, and Brown left City after a torrid start to the 2018-19 season. Former Nelson and Ramsbottom United manager Mark Fell was brought as his replacement in October 2018 who, along with assistant manager Graham Lancashire, guided Lancaster to safety and a respectable 12th position in the table.
Last Match
The Dolly Blues started 2020 with defeat as they crashed to a 2 – 1 defeat at Atherton Collieries. David Norris put Lancaster ahead in the first half but Atherton levelled through Gary Peet before Tom Bentham grabbed the winner.
Morpeth suffered defeat on Boxing Day when they lost 1 – 0 at Scarborough Athletic. The hosts took the lead just before the hour and despite Carl Finnigan hitting the crossbar, there was to be no equaliser.
Manager
Graham Lancashire: In temporary control following the decision of Mark Fell to take a break on health grounds.
