 | |||
| Full name | Bacup Borough Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Borough | ||
| Founded | 1879 | ||
| Ground | West View,Bacup | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 (500 seated)[1] | ||
| President | Edwin Crook | ||
| Manager | Brent Peters | ||
| League | North West Counties League Division One North | ||
| 2024–25 | North West Counties League Division One North, 12th of 18 | ||
| Website | bacupboroughfc.com | ||
Bacup Borough Football Club is afootball club based inBacup,Lancashire,England. The club are currently members of theNorth West Counties League Division One North and play at West View. They are full members of theLancashire County Football Association.
The club was founded by brothers and formerVale of Leven players John and Robert Rankine in 1879 as Irwell Springs Football Club, aworks team for the Irwell Springs Dyeing Works.[2] In1883–84 they reached the third round of theFA Cup, losing 8–1 atBolton Wanderers.[3] The club was renamed Bacup in 1892,[2] and joined theLancashire League during the 1893–94 season, taking over the fixtures ofBarrow, who had resigned on 20 November 1893.[4] After finishing bottom of the league in their first season, the following season saw the club achieve a top-half place in the table.[4] However, the club withdrew from the league during the 1897–98 season without completing their fixtures.[4]
In 1901 Bacup rejoined the Lancashire League, where they remained for two seasons before becoming founder members of the new Division Two of theLancashire Combination in 1903.[4] They remained in the division until the end of the 1910–11 season, when despite only finishing sixth, they were promoted to Division One; that season also saw them win theLancashire Junior Cup. However, they were relegated back to Division Two the following season after finishing bottom.[4] After three more years struggling at the bottom of Division Two they left the league in 1915.[4] FollowingWorld War I, the club rejoined the league in 1920, by which time they had been renamedBacup Borough.[5] They remained members of the now single-division Lancashire Combination untilWorld War II, finishing in the bottom half of the table in most seasons, one of the exceptions being a third-place finish in 1929–30.[6]
Bacup returned to the Lancashire Combination afterWorld War II, and won the league in 1946–47. When it was expanded to a second division in 1947, they were placed in Division One, but were relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1948–49 season, which saw them finish bottom of the table. Despite only finishing sixth in 1954–55, the club was promoted back to Division One, where they remained until the league reverted to a single division in 1968.[6] They were runners-up in 1972–73.[6] In 1982 the Lancashire Combination merged with theCheshire County League to form the North West Counties League, with Bacup placed in Division Three. When the division was abolished in 1987, they were moved into Division Two.[6] The1989–90 saw the club claim the runners-up position, earning promotion to Division One, where they remained until being relegated at the end of the1994–95 season.[6]
After winning Division Two in2002–03, Bacup were promoted back to Division One, which was renamed the Premier Division in 2008.[6] The 2003–04 season saw the club win the League Challenge Cup, beatingNewcastle Town 3–0 in the final held atHaig Avenue inSouthport.[7] In 2011–12 they won the League Challenge Cup again with a 5–0 victory overMaine Road.[8] In 2013 the club was renamedBacup & Rossendale Borough after nearbyRossendale United folded,[7][9] They went on to finish second-from-bottom of the table inNorth West Counties League, but were reprieved from relegation afterKidsgrove Athletic were reprieved from relegation in the division above.[10] However, thefollowing season they finished in the same position, and were relegated. At the end of the season the club were renamed Bacup Borough again.[9]
The2015–16 season saw Bacup finish fifth in Division One, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beatingStockport Town 2–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 2–0 toBarnton in the final. When the division was split in 2018, the club were placed in Division One North. In2022–23 they won the Division One Challenge Cup, defeatingEllesmere Rangers 2–0 in the final.[11] The club retained the cup thefollowing season, beatingWythenshawe Town 2–1 in the final.[12]
| Season | League | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD | Pos | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 63 | 75 | 57 | −12 | 12/22 | |
| 2010–11 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 56 | 61 | +13 | 11/22 | |
| 2011–12 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 59 | 77 | 49 | −18 | 17/22 | |
| 2012–13 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 51 | 71 | 47 | −20 | 17/22 | |
| 2013–14 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 38 | 68 | 39 | −30 | 21/22 | |
| 2014–15 | North West Counties League Premier Division | 40 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 42 | 98 | 24 | −56 | 21/22 | Relegated |
| 2015–16 | North West Counties League Division One | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 81 | 54 | 57 | −27 | 5/18 | |
| 2016–17 | North West Counties League Division One | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 45 | 78 | 40 | −33 | 18/22 | |
| 2017–18 | North West Counties League Division One | 42 | 14 | 4 | 24 | 65 | 95 | 46 | −30 | 17/22 | |
| 2018–19 | North West Counties League Division One North | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 84 | 71 | 59 | +13 | 8/20 | |
| 2019–20 | North West Counties League Division One North | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 50 | 58 | 27 | −8 | 18/20 | Seasons abandoned due toCOVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | North West Counties League Division One North | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9 | +7 | 10/19 | |
| 2021–22 | North West Counties League Division One North | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 78 | 54 | 54 | +24 | 7/19 | |
| 2022–23 | North West Counties League Division One North | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 58 | 63 | 41 | −5 | 12/18 | |
| 2023–24 | North West Counties League Division One North | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 66 | 60 | 45 | +6 | 10/18 |
Irwell Springs played at Wracker Height nearWeir, before moving to a field on Weir Lane near the Dyeing Works in 1882.[2][13] Home matches were also played at a field behind the Weir Hotel, another field behind Northern Primary School and one inBroadclough.[13] The club moved to West View in Bacup in 1889, with the first match played againstAccrington attracting over 1,000 spectators.[7] It currently has a capacity of 3,000, of which 1,000 is covered and 500 seated.[1]
53°42′30″N2°11′59″W / 53.708231°N 2.1998271°W /53.708231; -2.1998271
