Nickname(s) The Boro Manager Paul Stansfield | Chairman Terry Hewlett Founded 1900 | |
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Full name Knaresborough Town Football Club Ground Manse Lane,
Knaresborough
North Yorkshire Ground Capacity 1,000 Seats 64 cover 50 League Northern Counties East Football League Division One | ||
Knaresborough Town Football Club are an English football club from the North Yorkshire town of Knaresborough, their exact foundation date is unknown but records show that they were an active club prior to 1902.
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Most notably the club featured in the Northern League for two seasons, during the early 1900s. They are currently playing in the Northern Counties East League Division One.
History
The club were very successful in the York Football League during their early days under the name Knaresborough Football Club, winning the championship in 1902–03, 1903–04 and 1904–05, the latter of which was achieved with a 100% record.
Due to their good form, they were invited into the Northern League, where they competed against teams such as York City and Scarborough. They finished 9th in their first season in the league, one place behind Scarborough, and above York City. The following season they were relegated and re-joined the York Football League in the 1911–12. Not long after the club fell into more problems and were suspended for the 1913–14 season.
Post-World War I
After World War I Knaresborough returned to the York League and won it by 1924–25, repeating the success the following season. For the rest of the 1920s, the club battled out for the championship with Selby Olympia and Northumberland Fusiliers; Knaresborough were able to win the league one more time before the end of the decade.
The club resigned in 1930, but were back two seasons later under the name Knaresborough Town Football Club, this is the name they use today. Their return was emphatic only a season after returning; they had undefeated season and won a clean sweep of everything they entered, including; the York League, the Faber Cup, the Whitworth Cup and the Harrogate Charity Cup. The following season they won the championship again, beating out York Railway Institute.
Reformation
The club was folded at the start of World War II, but reformed under their original name, the name of Knaresborough Football Club due to financial problems. Soon after the Town part of the club's name was restored. They did not return to the York League however, in the following 25 years they played in the West Yorkshire League and the Harrogate and District League. They also moved to their current ground Manse Lane by the end of the 1950s.
For a long period from 1972 onwards, they were a part of the Harrogate League. Only to be accepted back into the West Yorkshire League as recently as 1993–94. They marked their return to the league in style, winning the Premier Division League Cup final against Sherburn White Rose 3–1 at Queen's Terrace; Ossett Albion's stadium.
The Whitworth Cup was won in 1995 and the Hulme Cup in 1999 & 2004. The Reserves had success with League and Cup wins in the West Yorkshire League, doing the double in Division Four in 1994–95 and followed that by winning the Division Three title the following year to gain promotion into division two. It was after this season that the Premier Alliance Division (now called Alliance Division One) was formed for the reserve sides of the Premier Division teams. The Reserves have won the Premier Alliance Division League Cup in 1998–99 and again in 2003–04. Under the management of Rob Pearson and Colin Lacey the Club won the Whitworth Cup in 2005–06. Brian Davey brought it back to Knaresborough in 2007–08 and finished a creditable third in the West Yorkshire League Premier Division. In Brian’s words his objective was to improve on that position the following season and he certainly stood by those words, winning the West Yorkshire League Premier Division Title in 2008–09.
It was during the season 2008–09 that the club moved out of the old clubhouse building which had served as changing rooms before it was turned into a clubhouse in 1992 and into the new one.
The following year in 2009–10 the club won the coveted West Riding County FA 'County Challenge Cup'.
Knaresborough Town football club has regularly issued programmes for first team matches since 1993. It is also thought that the club may have produced occasional issues prior to that time though no copies remain in the hands of the club.