Easington Colliery A.F.C.

Infobox Football club
clubname = Easington Colliery


fullname = Easington Colliery Association Football Club
nickname =
founded = 1913 (as Easington Colliery Welfare}
1973 (reformed)
1980 (as Easington Colliery A.F.C.)
ground = Easington Welfare Park
Easington Colliery
capacity =
chairman =
manager = Brian Maitland
league = Wearside Football League
season = 2007–08
position = Wearside Football League, 7th
shirtsupplier = Nike
shirtsponsors =
pattern_la1 =
pattern_b1 = _darkgreenhalf
pattern_ra1 =
leftarm1 = FFFFFF
body1 =
rightarm1 = 0C6629
shorts1 = 0C6629
socks1 = FFFFFF

Easington Colliery Association Football Club are an English amateur football club based in Easington Colliery, County Durham, England, and currently play in the Wearside Football League (which is the 11th level of English football).Easington Colliery A.F.C. were founded as Easington Colliery Welfare in 1913.cite web|url=http://www.webteams.co.uk/Home.aspx?team=easingtoncollieryafc#club_details|title="Easington Colliery A.F.C. history"|accessdate=2007-12-10|date= 2006-05-22|year= 2006|month=05 |publisher="webteams"] Easington Colliery reached the first round of the FA Cup in 1955 for the first and only time in their history, which they lost 2–0 to Tranmere, to a record crowd of 4,500.

History

Easington Colliery A.F.C. were formed in 1913 as Easington Colliery Welfare, Easington Colliery Welfare did not come to win any honours until the 1930s when they won five league championships and five cups.

But in 1955 the biggest game in Easington Colliery Welfare's history came when they played Tranmere at the Welfare Ground in front of a crowd of 4,500, but Easington Colliery eventually lost the game a credible 2–0, and that is also the first time that Easington Colliery have ever made it past the FA Cup qualifying rounds and into the first round of the FA Cup proper.

In 1964 Easington Colliery Welfare were disbanded but nine years later were reformed, and they quickly won three league championships, a new era in Easington Colliery Welfare's history was made when they merged with fellow Easington football club Easington Rangers who then were successful playing in the Houghton and District League.

They reached the fourth round of the FA Vase in the 1982–83 season after forcing Percy Main Amateurs into a replay after a 1–1 draw at home, but Easington Colliery were knocked out of the competition after the subsequent replay being beaten 2–0 at Percy Main Amateurs. [cite web|url=http://www.fchd.info/cups/favase1982-83.htm|title="F.A. Vase 1982–83"|accessdate=2007-01-05|publisher="Football Club History Database"]

At an attempt to play football at a higher level of quality Easington Colliery asked to join the Northern League but were not admitted because their main stand was not finished, in 1985 Easington Colliery were eventually admitted to the Northern League Division Two and took promotion in their first season, scoring more than 100 goals and winning all of their last 9 games to claim the runners–up spot behind Newcastle Blue Star, being promoted to the Northern League Division One.

Easington Collierie's most recent FA Cup success came in the 1987‐88 season in the third qualifying round beating Newcastle Blue Star 3–0 to progress to the fourth qualifying round, Easington Colliery were then knocked out by now Conference National side Northwich Victoria, with the match ending 3–0. [cite web|url=http://www.fchd.info/cups/facup1987-88.htm|title="F.A. Cup 1987–88"|accessdate=2007-01-05|publisher="Football Club History Database"] This was only one round away from the first round of the FA Cup proper, which Easington Colliery have only ever reached once.

The following season Easington Colliery stayed in the Northern League Division One and made their way to the league cup final but were beaten by Spennymoor.In 1988 Easington Colliery got to the final of the County Cup but were again beaten, by Bishop Auckland at Roker Park.

In the 2006–07 season Easington Colliery finished eighth in the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division, with Tom Orchard their leading goalscorer with 16 goals and also with 18 assists. [cite web|url=http://www.webteams.co.uk/_2007/Home.asp?team=easingtoncollieryafc|title="Easington Colliery A.F.C. 2006–07 season"|accessdate=2007-12-10|publisher="webteams"]

They switched from the Northern Football Alliance to the Wearside Football League before the 2007–08 season.

The FA Vase campaign was a disapointing one for Easington Colliery, going out in the second qualifying round to Thackley, beaten 4–1 on the 22 September, 2007 with a former Middlesbrough youth player scoring the goal for Easington Colliery. [cite web|url=http://www.webteams.co.uk/MatchReport.aspx?team=easingtoncollieryafc&mid=match14.xml|title="FA Vase match report for Easington Colliery vs Thackley"|accessdate=2007-01-05|date=2007-09-22|year=2007|month=09|publisher="webteams"] [cite web|url=http://www.fchd.info/cups/favase2007-08.htm|title="F.A. Vase 2007–08"|accessdate=2007-01-05|publisher="Football Club History Database"]

Easington Colliery beat South Shields 4–2 in the first round of the Newton Moor Durham County Challenge Cup with a brace from James Huntley, on the 17 October, 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/Easington-excellence-sends-Mariners-crashing.3384909.jp|title="Easington excellence sends Mariners crashing out"|accessdate=2007-01-05|date= 2007-10-17|year= 2007|month=10 |publisher="Sunderland Echo]

Stadium

The home of Easington Colliery Association Football Club is the Welfare Park, there is one stand and it is all–standing, there is home and away changing rooms and white concrete dugouts for the management staff and substitutes.

Current squad

:"As of 11 December 2007." [cite web|url=http://www.webteams.co.uk/Squad.aspx?team=easingtoncollieryafc|title="Squad lists and profile"|accessdate=2007-12-11|publisher= "webteams"]

Club staff

:"As of 11 December 2007." [cite web|url=http://www.webteams.co.uk/Home.aspx?team=easingtoncollieryafc|title="Club Staff"|accessdate=2007-12-11|publisher= "webteams"]
*Manager: Brian Maitland
*Assistant Manager: Paul Adamson
*Coach: Ray Morton
*Secretary: Alan Purvis
*Gateman: Tommy Foster
*Mascot: Kane Maitland

References

External links

* [http://www.webteams.co.uk/Home.aspx?team=easingtoncollieryafc Easington Colliery A.F.C. website] on webteams
* [http://www.wearside-football-league.org.uk/ Official League Website]