Charnock Richard F.C.

Charnock Richard F.C. is a football club based in the small village of Charnock Richard, near Chorley, in Lancashire, England. They currently play in the West Lancashire League Premier Division. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association, and have teams playing in the West Lancashire League, the Central Lancashire League, the Preston & District League and the Lancashire Evening Post Sunday League. In the 2008-09 season the club's senior team play in the West Lancashire League Premier Division, which is at the 11th level of the English football league system. They normally produce a programme for supporters at their home games.

Charnock Richard play their home games at Mossie Close in Charnock Richard. From the 2006-07 season they moved and now play their home games on a new pitch on the opposite side of Charter Lane to their old ground. The old ground is still used to host 'A' team and junior fixtures. The club's colours are green shirts and black shorts.

Club history

Early years

In 1933 the Chorley Sunday League became the Chorley Alliance League and a Charnock Richard village team was entered, but at the outbreak of World War II, the league was temporarily suspended. At the end of the war, in 1945, the Chorley Alliance League was reformed and Charnock Richard re-joined. The club won the league title in the 1947-48 season, losing only two games, and scoring 107 goals with only 38 against. This success prompted them to try and run two teams, but they ran into difficulties and the club closed at the end of the 1948-49 season.

In 1955, under the leadership of Ron Wilcox, the present club was formed. And once again they played in the Chorley Alliance League. The club moved to Mossie Close in 1968, after playing elsewhere in the village.

In 1957 they moved to the Preston & District League, where they spent most of their time until 1993 apart from a brief stint in the Bolton Combination. In the Preston & District League they were soon amongst the honours beating English Electric in1957-58 to take the Guildhall. Success also came in this competition in seasons 1963-64, 1968-69 and 1992-93. They also won the Premier League championship in the 1989-90 season. The 1967-68 season saw the club win the Lancashire Amateur Shield, beating Vickers Sports Club from Barrow after a replay, the trophy was lifted by the legend Ken Howard. This feat was almost repeated in the 1994-95 season, when they lost in the final to Feniscowles in a penalty shoot-out, following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

West Lancashire League

In 1993 the club moved to the West Lancashire League and since then both the first and reserve teams have gained promotion to the top division of their respective sections. In their first season, 1993-94 they finished in fourth place in the Second Division and the following season finished as runners-up to Fleetwood Hesketh F.C. gaining promotion to the First Division in only their second season in the league. Only two seasons later, in 1996-97 they were runners-up to league champions, Wyre Villa F.C. and the following season won the First Division championship. The West Lancashire League was then re-structured, the First Division was re-named the Premier Division for the 1998-99 season.cite web
title = Charnock Richard
publisher = Football cClub history Database
url = http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/CHARNOCR.HTM
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ]

The club won the Goldline Trophy in the 2000-01 season beating Tempset United F.C. in the final.cite news
title = Chance for Magpies to boost away record
publisher = Lancashire Evening Post
date = 2006-03-17
url = http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/Chance-for-Magpies-to-boost.1390343.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ]

In the 2001-2 season they won the Lancashire Amateur Shield for a second time beating Kirkham & Wesham F.C.. That season they were runners up in the league to Kirkham & Wesham F.C. and also won the Richardson Cup. And in the 2002-03 season the club were again champions of the West Lancashire League, and were runners-up to North West Counties League Division One side, Atherton Collieries F.C. in the Goldline Trophy.

They again won the Richardson Cup in the 2003-04 season, beating fellow Premier Division Freckleton F.C. 4-2 after extra time at the Lancashire FA County Ground in Leyland.cite news
title = Charnock triumph in extra time
publisher = Lancashire Evening Post
date = 2004-04-22
url = http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/Charnock-triumph-in-extra-time.778304.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ] In February 2005, the Charnock Richard youth team were voted Lancashire most sporting football team, after they won the county FA's Fair Play Award for the 2003-04 season in the Lancashire Evening Post Sunday Youth League. There were over 4,000 nominations from throughout Lancashire.cite news
title = The fairest team of them all...
publisher = Lancashire Evening Post
date = 2005-02-01
url = http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/The-fairest-of-them-all.933634.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ]

In the 2005-06 season they were again runners-up in the league to Kirkham & Wesham F.C. and won the Goldline Trophy, beating Manchester Football League side, Prestwich Heys A.F.C. at the Reebok Stadium in Horwich,cite news
title = So close for Charnock Richard
publisher = Chorley Citizen
date = 2007-03-13
url = http://www.chorleycitizen.co.uk/search/display.var.1255358.0.so_close_for_charnock_richard.php
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ] in front of a crowd of 1,826 in March 2006.cite news
title = Charnock cup glory in drama at Reebok
publisher = Lancashire Evening Post
date = 2006-03-21
url = http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/Charnock-cup-glory-in-drama.1392637.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ] Charnock Richard again won the Lancashire Amateur Shield in the 2005-06 season,cite news
title = Kirkham's goal is a trophy clean sweep
publisher = Blackpool Gazette
date = 2006-04-13
url = http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Kirkham39s-goal-is-a-trophy.1442055.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-08 ] beating local rivals Coppull United F.C. 3-1. The following season, 2006-07, they lost in the final of the Lancashire Amateur Shield to fellow West Lancashire League Kirkham & Wesham F.C. 2-0 at the Lancashire FA county ground in Leyland in April.

On 12 March 2007 again met Prestwich Heys in the final of the Goldline Trophy, again held at the Reebok stadium in Horwich. After a goaless 90 minutes, extra time ended at 1-1 and Prestwich won the penalty shootout.

Ground re-development

In June 2007 work began on re-developing the clubs Mossie Close home to bring it up to the standard required for not only the North West Counties League but also eventually to the standard required for the Northern Premier League. The first phase included a new pitch, largely enclosed with a spectators stand, at a cost of about £60,000, on one side. The second phase which will include new changing rooms is planned for the 2008-09 season also at a cost of £60,000. The ground will then have a capacity of between 400 and 500.cite news
title = Charnocks £120,000 grounds revamp starts
publisher = Lancashire Evening Post
date = 2007-06-14
url = http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/Charnocks-120000-grounds-revamp-starts.2953780.jp
accessdate = 2007-09-07 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.charnockrichardfc.co.uk Charnock Richard FC website]