Nickname(s) The Colliery Manager Paul Frame League Wearside Football League | Chairman Paul Adamson Founded 1913 | |
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2015–16 Northern League Division Two, 6th | ||
Easington Colliery Association Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in Easington Colliery, County Durham, England, and currently play in the Northern League Division Two (which is the 10th level of English football). Easington Colliery A.F.C. were founded as Easington Colliery Welfare in 1913. They 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 Rovers, to a record crowd of 4,500.
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History
Formed in 1913 the club had to wait until the 1930s for their first honours which came with five league championships and five cups. In 1955 the club made it to the First Round proper of the FA Cup for the only time, when they played Tranmere Rovers at the Welfare Ground in front of a crowd of 4,500, going down a credible 2–0, In 1964 the club was disbanded but nine years later were reformed, and quickly won three league championships. A new era in began with a merger with fellow Easington football club Easington Rangers who then were successful playing in the Houghton and District League.
The club 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, before going down 2–0 in the replay. The club applied to join the Northern League shortly after but were initially rejected because their main stand was not finished. With the situation rectified the club was elected to that league's Second Division where they won 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.
The most recent FA Cup success came in the 1987–88 season in the third qualifying round where the club defeated Newcastle Blue Star 3–0 to progress to the fourth qualifying round, before being knocked out by now Conference National side Northwich Victoria, with the match ending 3–0. The following season Colliery stayed in the Northern League Division One and made their way to the league cup final where they were beaten by Spennymoor United. In 1988 the club reached the final of the Durham FA Challenge Cup but were beaten by Bishop Auckland at Roker Park.
In the 2006–07 season the club finished eighth in the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division, with Tom Orchard their leading goalscorer with 16 goals and also with 18 assists. They switched from the Northern Football Alliance to the Wearside Football League before the 2007–08 season. The FA Vase campaign was a disappointing one for Colliery, going out in the second qualifying round to Thackley, beaten 4–1 on 22 September 2007 with a former Middlesbrough youth player scoring the goal for Easington Colliery. Following a second-place finish in 2014–15, Easington Colliery's application for promotion to the Northern League was accepted.
Stadium
The home of Easington Colliery Association Football Club is the Welfare Park, there is one stand, The Alan Purvis Stand named after the former Club Secretary which seats over 100 and has covered standing. There is home and away changing rooms and white concrete dugouts for the management staff and substitutes.
