Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy explained

Number Of Teams:28
Region:Lancashire
Most Successful Club:Chorley (18 wins)

The Lancashire Football Association Challenge Trophy is an English football competition for senior non-league clubs who are members of the Lancashire County Football Association. The trophy was first played for in 1885, when it was known as the Lancashire Junior Cup. It is currently sponsored by Partners Foundation and is known as The Partners Foundation Challenge Trophy. Although officially the junior cup to the Lancashire Senior Cup it is still regarded as just as important as other county cup competitions.

Format

The competition is open to senior non-league clubs within the historical boundaries of Lancashire. A total of 28 clubs currently enter the competition from six different leagues. As of 2008–09 the four clubs from the Football Conference each receive byes to the second round, where they are then joined by the twelve winners from the first round.

From the 2009–10 season the semi-finals have been played at the County Ground, Thurston Road in Leyland, with the final being held at the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers. The 2011–12 final between Chorley FC and Kendal Town FC, played on 12 March 2012, attracted a crowd of 2,673.

History

The first Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy took place in the 1885–86 season, when Bells Temperance were the winners. The only times the trophy was not competed was 1915–18 during World War I, 1940–41 season during World War II, although it did continue for the rest of the war years, and 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chorley are the most successful club with eighteen wins, the first coming in 1893–94 and the last of which came in 2017–18. Former non-league clubs Morecambe, who now play in the Football League and Wigan Athletic, now in League One are next with eleven wins. Morecambe's last victory coming in 2003–04 and Wigan's was in 1977–78.

Past winners

A full list of past winners -[1]

SeasonWinners
1885–86Bells Temperance
1886–87Bells Temperance
1887–88Blackpool
1888–89Oswaldtwistle Rovers
1889–90Bury
1890–91Blackpool
1891–92Kearsley
1892–93Clitheroe[2]
1893–94Chorley
1894–95Lytham
1895–96Blackburn Park Road
1896–97Hapton
1897–98Skerton
1898–99Skerton
1899–1900Turton
1900–01Heywood
1901–02Turton
1902–03Turton
1903–04Earlestown
1904–05Turton
1905–06Colne
1906–07Earlestown
1907–08Nelson
1908–09Chorley
1909–10Rochdale
1910–11Bacup
1911–12Rossendale United
1912–13Fleetwood
1913–14Heywood United
1914–15Skelmersdale United
1915–18(no competition)
1918–19Runcorn
1919–20Southport
1920–21Accrington Stanley
1921–22New Brighton
1922–23Croston
1923–24Chorley
1924–25Horwich RMI
1925–26Morecambe
1926–27Morecambe
1927–28Lancaster Town
1928–29Lancaster Town
1929–30Horwich RMI
1930–31Lancaster Town
1931–32Dick, Kerr's
1932–33Darwen
1933–34Lancaster Town
1934–35Fleetwood
1935–36Wigan Athletic
1936–37South Liverpool
1937–38South Liverpool
1938–39South Liverpool
1939–40Chorley
1940–41(no competition)
1941–42Blackpool Services
1942–43Blackpool Services
1943–44Blackpool Services
1944–45Howard & Bulloughs
1945–46Chorley
1946–47Rochdale Reserves
1947–48Burscough
1948–49Barrow Reserves
1949–50Burscough
1950–51Rochdale Reserves
1951–52Lancaster City
1952–53Wigan Athletic
1953–54Wigan Athletic
1954–55Nelson
1955–56Wigan Athletic
1956–57New Brighton
1957–58Chorley
1958–59Chorley
1959–60Wigan Athletic
1960–61Chorley
1961–62Morecambe
1962–63Morecambe
1963–64Chorley
1964–65Chorley
1965–66Wigan Athletic
1966–67Burscough
1967–68Wigan Athletic
1968–69Morecambe
1969–70Skelmersdale United
1970–71Skelmersdale United
1971–72Wigan Athletic
1972–73Rossendale United
1973–74Wigan Athletic
1974–75Lancaster City
1975–76Chorley
1976–77Wigan Athletic
1977–78Wigan Athletic
1978–79Marine
1979–80Chorley
1980–81Barrow
1981–82Chorley
1982–83Chorley
1983–84South Liverpool
1984–85Clitheroe[3]
1985–86Morecambe
1986–87Morecambe
1987–88Marine
1988–89Colne Dynamoes
1989–90Colne Dynamoes
1990–91Marine
1991–92Great Harwood Town
1992–93Southport
1993–94Morecambe
1994–95Bamber Bridge
1995–96Morecambe
1996–97Southport
1997–98Southport
1998–99Morecambe
1999–2000Marine
2000–01Southport
2001–02Accrington Stanley
2002–03Leigh RMI
2003–04Morecambe
2004–05Accrington Stanley
2005–06Southport
2006–07Burscough
2007–08Southport
2008–09Skelmersdale United
2009–10Southport
2010–11AFC Fylde
2011–12Chorley
2012–13AFC Fylde
2013–14AFC Fylde
2014–15Chorley
2015-16Chorley
2016–17Ashton Athletic
2017-18Chorley
2018-19Southport
2019-20 Lancaster City
2020-21Competition not held
2021-22Southport
2022-23Southport
2023-24Colne

Winners by club

ClubNumber of WinsMost Recent Win
1Chorley182017-18
2Morecambe112003–04
Wigan Athletic111977–78
Southport112022-23
5Lancaster City (inc. Lancaster Town)72019-20
6Burscough42006–07
Marine41999–2000
South Liverpool41983–84
Turton41904–05
Skelmersdale United42008–09
11Accrington Stanley32004–05
AFC Fylde32013–14
Blackpool Services31943–44
Leigh RMI (inc. Horwich RMI)32002–03
Rochdale (inc. Rochdale Reserves)31950–51
16Barrow (inc. Barrow Reserves)21980–81
Bells Temperance21886–87
Blackpool21890–91
Colne Dynamoes21989–90
Earlestown21906–07
Fleetwood21934–35
Nelson21989–90
New Brighton21906–07
Rossendale United21972–73
Skerton21898–99
26Bacup Borough (as Bacup)11910–11
Bamber Bridge11994–95
Blackburn Park Road11895–96
Bury11889–90
Clitheroe (1887)11892–93
Clitheroe (1925)11984–85
Colne (1903)11905–06
Colne (1996)12023–24
Croston11922–23
Darwen11932–33
Dick, Kerr's11931–32
Great Harwood Town11991–92
Hapton11896–97
Heywood11900–01
Heywood United11913–14
Howard & Bulloughs11944–45
Kearsley11891–92
Lytham11894–95
Oswaldtwistle Rovers11888–89
Runcorn11918–19
Ashton Athletic12016–17

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lancashire Football Association Directory of Members Handbook 2007–08 . . 2007 . .
  2. Founded in 1887, as a successor to the 1879 club, and wound up in 1897.
  3. Later Clitheroe club founded in 1925.