- Marine F.C.
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Marine 
Full name Marine Football Club Nickname(s) The Mariners, The Lilywhites Founded 1894 Ground Rossett Park, Crosby
(Capacity: 3,185 (389 seated))Chairman Paul Leary Manager Kevin Lynch 2010–11 Northern Premier League Premier Division, 8th 
Home colours
Away colours
Marine (yellow shirts) playing away against Leek Town in 2006
Marine Football Club is an English football club in Crosby, Merseyside. The club, which was founded in 1894, is a member of both the Liverpool County and Lancashire County Football Associations, and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
Marine is notable for having the longest serving manager in post-war English football. Roly Howard occupied the post for 33 years, and a total of 1,975 games. His final match, in May 2005, was a 1-0 defeat against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup final.[1]
Contents
History
The club was formed in 1894 by a group of local businessmen and former college students. Marine takes its name from a hotel on the River Mersey sea front at Waterloo, seven miles to the north of Liverpool, where the founders of the club met. Marine moved to its present ground, the Arriva Stadium (formerly known as Rossett Park), in 1903.[2]
Marine quickly made an impression on local football, winning numerous titles in the I Zingari League and the Liverpool Combination. The club's greatest success as an amateur team in this period culminated in an F.A. Amateur Cup Final appearance in 1931-32, when they lost 7-1 to Dulwich Hamlet in front of a 22,000 crowd at Upton Park.
In 1935-36 the club moved to the all-professional Lancashire Combination and enjoyed limited success before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1969-70. In 1972 Roly Howard was appointed first team manager and completed 1,975 competitive games over a 33-year period before he was forced out at the end of the 2004-05 season. He was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving manager in world football as Marine enjoyed its most successful period, winning some 30 trophies.
The club relinquished its amateur status and became professional in 1974. Three Cheshire League Championships were won in five seasons, before Marine progressed to the Northern Premier League in 1979-80. They have twice been Champions (1993–94 and 1994–95) as well as twice being runners-up and have won the League Cup on three occasions (1984–85, 1991–92, and 2002–03).
The club's best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the 3rd Round in 1992-93 when they lost 3-1 to Crewe Alexandra. Marine have also achieved ten first and two second round appearances in the FA Cup and have beaten two Football League Clubs (Barnsley and Halifax Town) in the competition. Marine have twice reached the semi-finals of the F.A. Trophy in 1983-84 and 1991–92 and have been winners of 13 senior county cups.
Under the management team of Alvin McDonald and his assistant, Peter Carroll, Marine began to challenge for honours again. In the first two years of McDonald's management, the Mariners qualified for the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-offs only to lose to the eventual winners on both occasions. In the 2007-08 season Marine finished seventh and won the Liverpool Senior Cup.
In 2008-09, Marine started brilliantly, looking at first to be strong challengers for promotion. However, the team's good run came to an end around December, and eventually led to the departure of several players and, ultimately, their manager Alvin McDonald. Kevin Lynch, club captain, and Phil Brazier, both players at Marine, were given the job of joint caretaker managers. After the end of the season, Lynch was appointed as permanent manager with Brazier as his assistant. Marine finished the 2008-09 season in thirteenth place.
Stadium
The club plays at Rossett Park, known as The Arriva Stadium since 2006 for sponsorship reasons. It is located on College Road in Crosby. Marine has played at Rossett Park since 1903, when it relocated from its previous ground at Waterloo Park, Crosby. The ground's current capacity is 2,800, of which 389 are seated, but in 1949, Marine played host to Nigeria at Rossett Park, and the crowd on that day was over 4,000. Everton Ladies also play there.
On January 24, 2011, the club announced plans to develop the Arriva Stadium. Plans include replacing the current floodlighting system with a new, eco-friendly 4-corner/column system, as the current 8-column floodlighting system is now over 30 years old and is not sustainable, having had three electrical faults in the last 12 months resulting in fire and failure. Further to these plans, the club plans to build a 130-seat covered stand at the Crosender Road end of the ground. The total cost of all the improvements is estimated at £150,000.[3]
Squad
Current squad
- As of 28 July 2011.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player 
GK Ryan McMahon GK Tom Soffe DF Phil Brazier (Player/Assistant manager) DF Matty Brown DF Sam Barnes DF Ian Latham DF Paul Lundon DF Tony Davies DF John Shaw MF Joe Fowler MF Jonathan Goulding MF Paul Henry No. Position Player MF Dave Roberts MF Jack Booth MF Stephen Johnson MF Stephen Brown MF Louis Barnes MF Kevin Lynch (Player/Manager) FW Carl Gargan 
FW Neil Harvey FW Aaron Rey FW Darren Byers FW Thomas Moore FW Peter Cumiskey (Player/Coach) Backroom staff
Position Name Player-Manager Kevin LynchPlayer/Assistant Manager Phil BrazierFirst-Team Coach Peter CumiskeySports Therapist Nick McCarthyAssistant Sports Therapist Alison HoughtonReserve Team Manager Dave RadinReserve Team Assistant Manager Ronnie McGowanReserve Team Coach Robbie GibbonsYouth Team Coach John WoodwardCommittee, directors and club officials
- President - Jean-Pierre Hall
- Patron - Kenny Dalglish MBE
- Chairman & Press Officer - Paul Leary
- Vice Chairman & Hon. Solicitor - Brian Lawlor
- Hon. Club Secretary - Richard Cross
- Hon. Treasurers - Geoff Kewley & Mark Prescott
- Management Committee - Paul Eustace, Peter McCormack, Dave McMillan, Barry Godfrey, Graham Gibson & Mark Williams
Honours
- I Zingari League
- First Division champions 1902-03, 1903–04, 1909–10, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1922–23
- Second Division champions 1901-02
- League Cup winners 1919-20, 1920–21, 1922–23
- Combination Cup winners 1919-20, 1920–21, 1921–22
- Liverpool Amateur Cup
- Winners 1909-10, 1919–20, 1922–23, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1952–53, 1970–71
- Liverpool County Combination
- First Division champions 1927-28, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1943–44
- The Derby Fiveys Tournement
- Winners: 1978-79
- Liverpool County Medal Competition
- Winners: 1920-21
- Liverpool Challenge Cup
- Winners 1942-43, 1944–45, 1971–72
- Lancashire Amateur Cup
- Winners 1921-22, 1925–26, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34
- George Mahon Cup
- Winners 1930-31, 1943–44, 1944–45
- Lancashire Combination
- Cup winners 1946-47
- League Cup winners 1963-64, 1968–69
- Liverpool Senior Non-league Cup
- Winners 1968-69, 1975–76, 1976–77
- Cheshire County League
- Champions 1973-74, 1975–76, 1977–78
- League Shield winners 1974-75, 1975–76
- Lancashire Junior Cup
- Winners 1978-79
- Liverpool Senior Cup
- Winners 1978-79, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2007–08
- Lancashire Trophy
- Winners 1987-88, 1990–91, 1999–2000
- Northern Premier League
- Champions: 1993-94, 1994-95
- Challenge Cup winners 1980-81, 1984–85, 1991–92, 2002–03
References
- ^ "Longest Serving Football Club Manager.". The Guiness World Records. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/Search/Details/Longest-serving-football-club-manager/60198.htm.
- ^ "The History of Marine F.C.". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/history-of-marine-fc-8604.html.
- ^ "Marine F.C News.". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/news/marine-announce-plans-for-furt-245710.html.
- ^ "Marine F.C. Players & Coaches". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/history-of-marine-fc-8604.html.
- ^ "Marine F.C. Honours". The Official Marine F.C. Website. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/marine/a/honours-10442.html.
External links
Categories:- English football clubs
- Merseyside football clubs
- Northern Premier League clubs
- Sport in Sefton
- Association football clubs established in 1894
- Lancashire Combination
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