Ground Capacity 4,304 (515 seated) League National League North Manager Dominic Roma | Chairman Richard Kane Arena/Stadium The Northolme Founded 1873 | |
Full name Gainsborough Trinity Football Club Nickname(s) Trinity, The Holy Blues Ground The Northolme, Gainsborough 2015–16 National League North, 16th Profiles | ||
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The club competes in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football.
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Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304 (504 seated, 3,800 standing). They are known as "Trinity" or the "Holy Blues".
History
The club was established in 1873 as Trinity Recreationists by Reverend George Langton Hodgkinson, the vicar at the Holy Trinity Church. In 1889 the club were founder members of the Midland League, which they won in 1890–91. Trinity finished as runners-up the following season and again in 1895–96. In 1896 the club applied for membership of the Football League, and were elected after finishing third in the ballot, ahead of existing members Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra.
The club's first season in Division Two of the League saw them finish seventh, but a gradual decline in form saw them finish in the bottom half of the table every season until 1904. In 1901–02 Trinity finished bottom of the division, but were re-elected. In 1904–05 the club finished sixth in Division Two, their best performance in the League.
In 1911–12 Trinity finished bottom of Division Two for a second time, and failed to be re-elected, receiving just nine votes to the 27 received by newly elected Lincoln City. The club returned to the Midland League, finishing third in 1912–13 and second in 1913–14, after which they unsuccessfully applied for readmission to the Football League.
When the Football League created a new Third Division North in 1921, Trinity applied for membership, but were again unsuccessful. The club won the Midland League title in 1927–28, and the following season defeated Football League opposition in the FA Cup for the first time since losing their League status, beating Crewe 3–1 in the first round, before losing to Chesterfield in the second round. In 1931–32 they beat Crewe again in the first round, before losing 5–2 at home to Watford. In 1937–38 Trinity beat Port Vale in the first round, before losing to fellow non-League club Yeovil & Petters United. Another Football League team was beaten the following season, when Trinity knocked out Gateshead in the first round, before losing to Doncaster Rovers.
The club won a third Midland League title in 1948–49, remaining in the league until it was disbanded in 1960. They spent a single season in Division Two of the Yorkshire League, before returning to a reformed Midland League in 1961. Trinity won their fourth Midland League title in 1966–67, before becoming founder members of the new Northern Premier League in 1968.
The club applied to join the Football League again in 1975 and 1976, but received only a single vote on each occasion. When the Northern Premier League added a second division in 1987, Trinity were placed in the Premier Division, where they remained until becoming founder members of the Conference North in 2004. In 2011–12 the club finished fourth, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Halifax Town in the semi-finals, Trinity lost the final 1–0 to Nuneaton Town. In 2012–13 the club reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy for the first time, losing to eventual winners Wrexham.
Ground
Trinity moved to the Northolme ground, then also a cricket venue, in 1884. During their time in the Football League the club also played home matches at the Bowling Green Ground in the north-west of the town and Sincil Bank in Lincoln when the Northolme was being used for cricket. The record attendance of 9,760 was set for a Midland League match against local rivals Scunthorpe United in the 1940s.
Rivals and local games
Gainsborough Trinity's location on the bank of the River Trent pits them against a host of clubs from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The most noted local derbys for Gainsborough are against Boston United and Worksop Town, as both clubs have spent numerous seasons in both the Northern Premier League and Conference North divisions with Trinity. Games with Boston or Worksop are traditionally played on Boxing Day and New Years Day.
Professional clubs in traditional Lincolnshire such as Lincoln City, Scunthorpe United and Grimsby Town have rarely played Trinity outside of pre-season tournaments such as the Lincolnshire Senior Cup. The last competitive match between Trinity and a professional Lincolnshire club was when they played Lincoln City in the first round of the FA Cup in the 1996–97 season, with Trinity eventually losing 3–2 in the replay following a 1–1 draw at Sincil Bank.
Club officials
Current squad
As of January 2016.Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.