 | ||||
| Full name | Barrow Association Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Bluebirds | |||
| Founded | 1901; 124 years ago (1901) | |||
| Ground | Holker Street | |||
| Capacity | 6,500 (2,249 seated) | |||
| Chairman | Paul Hornby | |||
| Head coach | Andy Whing | |||
| League | EFL League Two | |||
| 2024–25 | EFL League Two, 16th of 24 | |||
| Website | barrowafc.com | |||
 Current season | ||||
Barrow Association Football Club is a professionalfootball club based inBarrow-in-Furness,Cumbria, England. The club competes inEFL League Two, the fourth level of theEnglish football league system.
Having initially played in theLancashire Combination, Barrow joinedthe Football League in 1921. They remained in the bottom level of the competition until 1967, when they achieved promotion to theThird Division by finishing third in theFourth Division. The club's highest league placing was in 1967–68, when they finished eighth in the Third Division. They declined quickly, however, and at the end of the 1971–72 season Barrow were voted out of the Football League in there-election process. They then spent 48 seasons in the top two levels ofnon-League football, with five relegations from—and promotions to—the Alliance Premier League (later the Football Conference and the National League), of which they were afounding member in 1979. Barrow won theFA Trophy (non-League football's most prestigious cup competition) in 1990 and 2010. They returned to the Football League as National League champions in 2020. Barrow's promotion return to the Football League made them the first, and to date only, club to have been automatically promoted to the Football League having previously lost their league place via the re-election process, although a number of clubs had previously lost and regained their league status via re-election.
The club colours are blue and white and their nickname is The Bluebirds. Since 1909, Barrow have played their home games atHolker Street near the town centre, 0.7 miles (1.1 km) fromBarrow-in-Furness railway station. The record attendance at Holker Street is 16,874, for aFA Cup third round fixture againstSwansea Town in 1954.
Barrow were founded on 16 July 1901 at the old Drill Hall (later the Palais) in the Strand, and played initially at the Strawberry Ground before moving to Ainslie Street[1] andLittle Park inRoose.[2] The club was elected to Division Two of theLancashire Combination[citation needed] in 1903, and in 1908 it was promoted to the first division.[2] Barrow moved toHolker Street the following year, where they still play. The club remained in the Lancashire Combination until (and after) the First World War, winning the league championship in 1920–21. The victory preceded the formation of theFootball League Third Division North in the1921–22 season, and Barrow became one of the league's founding members.[1]
In their early years as a league club, Barrow were notable for their lack of success.[1][3] Their highest finish before theSecond World War was fifth in the1931–32 season. In the 1933–34 season, Barrow finished eighth. The club remained in the lowest tier ofthe Football League when football resumed after the war, and were founding members ofFootball League Division Four in1958–59.[4] The 1950s saw greater success inFA Cup competition, however; the club's record crowd of 16,874 watched Barrow draw 2–2 withSwansea Town in the1953–54 FA Cup.[citation needed] A few years later, it was followed by a third-round tie in the1958–59 competition againstFootball League championsWolverhampton Wanderers at Holker Street. The Wolves, captained byBilly Wright, won 4–2.
The late 1960s finally saw Barrow win promotion, after a third-place finish managed byDon McEvoy in the1966–67 Fourth Division.[5] McEvoy's successor,Colin Appleton, led Barrow to their highest final league position (eighth place) in theFootball League Third Division the following season. The club topped the Third Division league table for one day during the 1968–69 season, the highest position they have ever held. During this period, defenderBrian Arrowsmith made the most Football League appearances for Barrow.[5] Barrow remained in the third flight of English football for three seasons, before returning to the basement in 1970. Financial difficulties and poor performances saw Barrow twice up forre-election in 1971 and 1972. On the second occasion, at the end of the1971–72 season, they were voted out of the Football League and replaced byHereford United.[5] The initial vote produced saw a tie between Barrow and Hereford for the last place in the league, with each receiving 26 votes. However a second vote saw Hereford win with 29 votes to Barrow's 20.[6] Three factors were highlighted: Barrow's geographic isolation, Hereford United'sFA Cup victory againstNewcastle United, and the decision of the Barrow board to introduce aspeedway track around the Holker Street pitch to offset financial difficulties.[7] Barrow joined theNorthern Premier League for the start of the 1972–73 season,[8] and the club spent 51 years in the Football League, 44 playing seasons due to the wartime closedown.[5]
To gain access to theNorthern Premier League, the club had to promise to remove the speedway track from Holker Street[9] (although it remained until 1974). Barrow struggled in the league, with limited financial resources.[10] The club were invited to join the newAlliance Premier League in 1979, the first national division innon-League football. Barrow won theLancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1981 (their first success as a non-League club since winning the Lancashire Combination in 1921), but were relegated two years later.[11] They won the Northern Premier League title the following season under managerVic Halom, but were relegated again by 1986. The club hired Ray Wilkie as a manager just before relegation, and Wilkie led Barrow to their most successful period to date in non-League football.[12]
After a number of near-misses, the club did promote to the renamedFootball Conference in1988–89 after theirNorthern Premier League championship.[12] Driven byColin Cowperthwaite, holder of club records for appearances and goals,[13] Barrow had two respectable finishes in the Conference: 10th in 1989–90 and 14th the following season. In addition to league success, Wilkie had a number of successful cup runs. Barrow reached the 1988 FA Trophy semi-final, losing toEnfield after two replays: the first at Aggborough, Kidderminster and the second at Marston Road, Stafford. The first leg, at Holker Street, attracted 6,002 supporters (a club non-League record). Enfield won the first leg 2–1, and Barrow won the second 1–0. Enfield went on to win the trophy againstTelford United in a replay at the Hawthorns in West Bromwich after a goalless draw in the final at Wembley. Barrow reached the first round of the FA Cup the following season, losing 3–1 toRotherham United.
They won the 1990FA Trophy, their first major trophy as anon-League club, defeatingLeek Town in the final atWembley. Kenny Gordon, not ordinarily a goal-scorer, scored the first and third goals in his final game for his hometown club before emigrating to Australia.[14] Other notable members of the squad includedKenny Lowe, who was sold toBarnet for £40,000 (a club record at the time) after the final.[15] The following season (benefiting from direct entry to the first round), Barrow made the third round of the FA Cup for the first time as a non-League club before losing 1–0 away to Third Division high-fliersBolton Wanderers.[citation needed]
Wilkie was forced to step down during the 1991–92 season due to health problems. Barrow were returned through relegation to the Northern Premier League and Cowperthwaite retired after fifteen seasons with the club, 704 appearances and 282 goals.[13] Wilkie died in December 1992 at age 56,[16] and the road outside the Holker Street ground was later named Wilkie Road in his honour.[citation needed]
After Wilkie's departure and Barrow's relegation, the club had three mediocre seasons in the Northern Premier League. In February 1995, Barrow were purchased by boxing promoter and businessmanStephen Vaughan.[17] Vaughan invested in the club, building anall-seater grandstand and signing Conference-standard players.[18] The Bluebirds were promoted to the Conference in 1997–98 under manager Owen Brown.[17][18]
Vaughan (who had connections with Liverpool drug-dealerCurtis Warren)[17] was investigated formoney laundering,[17][18][19][20] although no charges were brought.[19][21] He left the club at the end of 1998, withdrawing the financial support which had kept it afloat.[17] It was learned that the Holker Street ground (Barrow's main asset) had been sold for £410,000 to Northern Improvements, a company in which Vaughan had a financial interest.[18][22] In January 1999, the club were the subject of a compulsory winding-up order and a liquidator was appointed to run it while efforts were made to establish the ground's legal owner.[17][18][22] A members' company was formed to provide financial support for the club, with the long-term intention of taking it over.
Although Barrow avoided relegation in the summer of 1999, they were expelled from the Football Conference for improper administration.[22] With support fromthe Football Association after a long dispute, the club were admitted to the Northern Premier League for the1999–2000 season almost a month after the season had begun.[18] Barrow survived in the league under managerKenny Lowe, despite an almost-entirely-new squad. The team improved over the next few years, remaining in administration. They narrowly missed promotion to the Conference twice, finishing second and third in 2003–04 and 2004–05. The legal disputes over the ownership of Holker Street were resolved in August 2002, and the members' company bought the stadium from the liquidator. In 2003, the Football Association allowed Barrow's "football membership" to be transferred to the new company.[23]
The club defeated local rivalsWorkington in a two-legged April 2004 final in the UniBond Presidents (League) Cup. The game finished 6–6 on aggregate, with Barrow winning on away goals. After their failure to gain promotion to the Conference in2004–05, Barrow became founding members of another division: theConference North, which replaced the Northern Premier League one level below the Conference National.
The club had poor form over the following two seasons, narrowly escaping relegation at the end of 2006–07. ManagerLee Turnbull, who succeeded Lowe when Lowe had work commitments, was sacked in 2005 and replaced by Phil Wilson. DefenderJames Cotterill was jailed for an assault committed on the pitch. In a first round FA Cup game, Cotterill punchedBristol Rovers strikerSean Rigg. The incident was missed by thereferee but was caught by theMatch of the Day cameras, and Cotterill was the only English player in recent history to be jailed for an offence on the pitch.[24]
After two years as manager, Wilson was dismissed on 12 November 2007. Although the sacking came two days after a good 1–1 draw in the FA Cup first round againstAFC Bournemouth, the club's continued poor form was the cause. Barrow's team affairs were shifted to playersPaul Jones,David Bayliss andDarren Sheridan. Following a decent run of results, Bayliss and Sheridan were appointed player-managers, and Jones became club captain. Bayliss and Sheridan led Barrow from 20th place in the league in December to fifth, ensuring a place in the playoffs for promotion to theConference National. They won the semi-final againstAFC Telford United 4–0 on aggregate before defeatingStalybridge Celtic in the playoff final atPirelli Stadium inBurton upon Trent.[25]
Barrow topped the Conference National table during the first few weeks of the following season before the club began to struggle, finding themselves just above the relegation zone by January 2009. They defeatedBrentford 2–1 with goals fromDavid Brown and Matt Henney inround two of the FA Cup, their first victory overFootball League opposition since their 1972 elimination from the league. Barrow drew an away match againstMiddlesbrough (aPremier League team) in the third round, losing 2–1.[26] More than 7,000 Barrow fans travelled toRiverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, the highest away attendance in Riverside's 14-year history to date.[26] The cup run earned Barrow about £250,000, allowing investment in playing resources.[27] The club retained their place in the Conference, finishing twentieth.
Following alterations to the squad during the summer, Barrow began its second season in the Conference National in August 2009. The club had a good run after a poor start, losing once in 16 games and reaching the FA Cup third round. They were defeated 3–0 by Premier League sideSunderland at the Stadium of Light on 2 January 2010, watched by 7,500 travelling supporters.[28][29] On 13 March 2010, aGregg Blundell goal gave Barrow a 1–0 win at Salisbury City in the first Leg of the FA Trophy semi-final. One week later, aJason Walker double secured a 2–1 victory in the second Leg to send the Bluebirds to Wembley. After securing their position in theConference National in the last home match of the season, Barrow won the2010 FA Trophy Final againstStevenage Borough 2–1 at Wembley Stadium with an extra-time goal by Walker; this made Barrow the only club to win theFA Trophy at the old and new Wembley Stadiums.
The 2010–11 season was less successful, although the club finished in 18th place and remained in the Conference National with a 2–0 victory againstHayes & Yeading on the last day of the season.[30] Barrow failed to retain the FA Trophy, however, losing 2–3 to Conference North sideGuiseley.[31] The side was more successful the following season, finishing 13th. Darren Sheridan left the club by mutual consent in February 2012,[32] and Dave Bayliss remained as manager.
The following season, Barrow were relegated from theConference National after losing 2–1 atCambridge United on 13 April 2013. Bayliss left the club by mutual consent on 5 November 2013, and Barrow reappointed former caretaker managerDarren Edmondson on 10 December of that year. That season, the club failed to win promotion to the Conference Premier and finished 11th in the Conference North.
On 1 May 2014, it was announced that club members voted to allowDallas businessman Paul Casson to complete a takeover.[33] Barrow were 2014–15 Conference North champions, with a 2–3 win away atLowestoft Town on the final day of the season. Casson aimed for promotion in the club's first season return in the top flight of non-League football.[34] In November 2015, Barrow parted company with managerDarren Edmondson after a poor run left them mid-table and a 1–0 loss toAFC Fylde knocked them out of the2015–16 FA Cup.[35] The club appointed formerMansfield andTorquay bossPaul Cox manager the following day.[36]
On 20 September 2017, Barrow appointed Micky Moore as first-team manager.[37] Moore was sacked after the club'sFA Cup defeat in the fourth qualifying round away atShaw Lane on 15 October of that year. FormerForest Green Rovers boss Ady Pennock was appointed manager on 27 October, accompanied by assistant managerJamie Day and player-coachGrant Holt. Barrow narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in 20th place, and Pennock and the club parted company on 18 May 2018.[38]
FormerBlackpool andChesterfield defenderIan Evatt became the club's manager on 15 June.[39] On 24 October 2018, Casson announced he was stepping down as chairman and selling the club; director Paul Hornby led a management buyout of the club.[40] The2018–19 season was much more successful under Evatt, finishing in 10th place.[41] The following2019–20 season was even more successful. The Bluebirds were top of the league for most of the season before the disruption caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic. The final league table was decided on apoints per game basis, meaning Barrow returned to theEFL as champions for the first time since 1972.[42]
During preseason, managerIan Evatt departed for newly relegatedBolton Wanderers and was replaced byDavid Dunn.[43][44] Barrow's firstFootball League game in 48 years resulted in a 1–1 draw withStevenage atHolker Street.[45] The Bluebirds finally won at their ninth attempt in the league, with a 4–2 win atMansfield Town.[46] After 22 matches, the last nine without a win, and with the team 21st in the table, Dunn was sacked on 13 December 2020.[47] Following Dunn's dismissal, assistant managerRob Kelly was appointed as caretaker manager.[48]Michael Jolley was named as the new manager on 23 December 2020.[49] However, on 21 February 2021, after seven games in charge, Barrow parted with Jolley.[50] Following the departure of Jolley, assistant boss Kelly was once again named as Barrow's caretaker manager, this time until the end of the season.[50] Kelly saw an upturn of form and on 27 April 2021, with two matches remaining, Barrow secured their Football League status for the following season with a 2–0 win atForest Green Rovers.[51] At the end of the season, Kelly chose not to remain as manager on a permanent basis and left the club.[52] On 28 May 2021,Mark Cooper was appointed as manager.[53] On 24 August 2021, Barrow hosted Premier League sideAston Villa in anEFL Cup second round tie, losing 6–0.[54] In2021–22, Barrow finished in 22nd place.[55] In May 2022,Pete Wild was appointed as the new manager.[56] Under Wild, Barrow's league performance improved, finishing ninth in the2022–23 season.[57]
At the end of the2023–24 season, Wild departed the club after Barrow had finished one point outside of the play-off positions.[58] On 31 May 2024,Stephen Clemence was announced as Wild's successor on a two-year deal,[59] but, with the club 17th in League Two, was sacked eight months later in January 2025[60] and replaced byAndy Whing.[61]
Akit with blue shirts and white shorts was in use by 1912,[23] although Barrow's original colours were black-and-white stripes. From 1939 to 1959, a blue shirt with a white "V" was the design.[1] Barrow's kit has varied from predominantly-blue to predominantly-white, with occasional stripes or hoops.[1] For the 2001–02 season, Barrow played in black-and-white stripes to celebrate the club's centennial.[62] Although Barrow's away colours have varied, the team wore a yellow kit with blue trim for the 2010 FA Trophy final. Barrow's second kit from 2011 to 2013 was sky blue; for the 2013–14 season, however, they opted for a yellow away kit and a blue-and-white-hooped home kit. After a year, the club reverted to a white home kit with blue sleeves for the 2014–15 season. The kits were manufactured by Puma, who had a four-year deal due to expire at the end of the 2015–16 season. The deal was reduced by a year, since the club announced on 30 December 2014 that its kit would be manufactured by PlayerLayer for 2015–16.[63] In 2024, it was announced that the Government ofNewfoundland and Labrador would be the club's new Front of Shirt sponsor.[64]
The club badge has a bee and arrow (B-arrow) as on theBarrow-in-Furnesscoat of arms.[1] It features anAstute-class submarine (representingthe town's shipbuilding industry), aTudor rose, and afootball.
Holker Street (known as theSO Legal Stadium for sponsorship purposes[65]) has been Barrow's home ground since 1910.[2] It had previously hosted Hindpool Athletic Football Club, and had been a rubbish dump.[66] The first game at the stadium was a 5–2 win for Barrow against Eccles Borough. The ground was gradually developed, so by the resumption of football after World War Two it had four fully-covered,terraced stands.[67] Its record attendance was in 1954, when 16,784 fans watched an FA Cup third-round tie againstSwansea Town. Floodlights were installed in 1963,[5] and the ground hostedspeedway meetings during the 1970s which necessitated the demolition of the "Steelworks End" (previously damaged by fire), the re-positioning of the pitch and the removal of the front rows of terracing.[66] After the speedway track was removed, the pitch was returned to its original orientation and a new leisure centre withsquash courts were built.[66]
Under Stephen Vaughan's ownership, an all-seater main stand (named the Brian Arrowsmith Stand in 2017) with a capacity of about 1,000 was built on the Wilkie Road side;[18] the only significant change since then was the removal of an unsafe roof over the Holker Street-end terraces. Described as having "a traditional, old fashioned feel",[66] the ground has three sides of terracing. The Brian Arrowsmith Stand is raised above the centre of the pitch, with flat standing on either side.[67] The Popular Side, opposite the Brian Arrowsmith Stand, consists of an area of covered terracing.[68][69]In the summer of 2020, a roof was added to the Holker Street End of the ground after the club had won through promotion return to the Football League.[70]
In July 2022, SO Legal Ltd secured the sponsorship naming rights for Holker Street,[71] which saw the stadium known as theSO Legal Stadium[72] until the end of the 2023–24 season.
Although the team plays its home games in Barrow, during the week the team shares the training ground ofF.C. United of Manchester,Broadhurst Park, in Moston, Manchester (since summer 2023), having previously trained in Salford, Rochdale and Lancaster; amongst other places.[73][74]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Sporting Director |  Iain Wood |
| Head Coach | Andy Whing |
| Assistant Head Coach | Craig Pead |
| Head of Football Operations | Joseph Harvey |
| 1st Team / Set-Piece Coach | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Luke Daniels |
| Head Physiotherapist | Joe Kennedy |
| Physio | Richard Eaves |
| Strength & Conditioning Coach | Chace Homer |
| Performance Analyst | Robbie Barrow |
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Win % | ||||
| Jacob Fletcher | | July 1901 | April 1904 | 78 | 33 | 15 | 30 | 146 | 135 | 42.31% |
| E. Freeland | | April 1904 | ???? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| W. Smith | | ???? | ???? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Alec Craig | | ???? | May 1907 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Roger Charnley | | May 1907 | ???? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Jacob Fletcher | | ???? | September 1909 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Jas P. Phillips | | September 1909 | July 1913 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| John Parker | | July 1913 | July 1920 | 114 | 55 | 16 | 43 | 232 | 197 | 48.25% |
| William Dickinson | | July 1920 | May 1922 | 72 | 37 | 11 | 24 | 121 | 82 | 51.39% |
| Jimmy Atkinson | | August 1922 | March 1923 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 44 | 43 | 36.67% |
| J.E. Moralee | | April 1923 | January 1926 | 112 | 29 | 18 | 65 | 121 | 217 | 25.89% |
| Robert Greenhalgh | | January 1926 | February 1926 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0% |
| William Dickinson | | February 1926 | October 1927 | 67 | 12 | 12 | 43 | 61 | 182 | 17.91% |
| John S. Maconnachie |  | October 1927 | December 1928 | 52 | 12 | 15 | 25 | 70 | 116 | 23.08% |
| Andy Walker | | January 1929 | June 1930 | 62 | 16 | 7 | 39 | 74 | 142 | 25.81% |
| Thomas Miller | | June 1930 | November 1930 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 39 | 18.75% |
| John Commins | | November 1930 | May 1932 | 65 | 36 | 5 | 24 | 137 | 96 | 55.38% |
| Tommy Lowes | | May 1932 | April 1937 | 204 | 73 | 47 | 84 | 351 | 378 | 35.78% |
| James Y. Bissett | | April 1937 | December 1937 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 14 | 36 | 21.05% |
| Fred Pentland | | January 1938 | June 1940 | 84 | 29 | 23 | 32 | 146 | 149 | 34.52% |
| John Commins | | August 1945 | March 1947 | 54 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 71 | 104 | 31.48% |
| Andy Beattie | | March 1947 | April 1949 | 95 | 36 | 26 | 33 | 106 | 95 | 37.89% |
| Jack Hacking | | May 1949 | May 1955 | 272 | 96 | 57 | 119 | 363 | 421 | 35.29% |
| Joe Harvey | | July 1955 | June 1957 | 92 | 33 | 18 | 41 | 137 | 145 | 35.87% |
| Norman Dodgin | | July 1957 | May 1958 | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 66 | 74 | 28.26% |
| Willie Brown | | July 1958 | August 1959 | 46 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 51 | 104 | 19.57% |
| Bill Rogers | | August 1959 | October 1959 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 37 | 20% |
| Ron Staniforth | | October 1959 | July 1964 | 213 | 67 | 61 | 85 | 312 | 360 | 31.46% |
| Don McEvoy | | July 1964 | July 1967 | 138 | 52 | 32 | 54 | 207 | 235 | 37.68% |
| Colin Appleton | | August 1967 | January 1969 | 70 | 32 | 13 | 25 | 103 | 90 | 45.71% |
| Fred Else | | January 1969 | February 1969 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 0% |
| Norman Bodell | | March 1969 | February 1970 | 46 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 82 | 19.57% |
| Don McEvoy | | February 1970 | November 1971 | 78 | 15 | 18 | 45 | 88 | 142 | 19.23% |
| Bill Rogers | | November 1971 | November 1971 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0% |
| Jack Crompton | | December 1971 | June 1972 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 40 | 35.71% |
| Peter Kane | | July 1972 | June 1974 | 92 | 25 | 13 | 54 | 98 | 195 | 27.17% |
| Brian Arrowsmith | | July 1974 | November 1975 | 67 | 12 | 18 | 37 | 61 | 115 | 17.91% |
| Ron Yeats | | December 1975 | February 1977 | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 61 | 90 | 32.61% |
| Alan Coglan andBilly McAdams |  | February 1977 | July 1977 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 38 | 23.81% |
| David Hughes | | July 1977 | July 1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Brian McManus | | July 1977 | November 1979 | 103 | 31 | 23 | 49 | 115 | 161 | 30.10% |
| Micky Taylor | | November 1979 | May 1983 | 147 | 52 | 35 | 60 | 192 | 206 | 35.37% |
| Vic Halom | | July 1983 | May 1984 | 42 | 29 | 10 | 3 | 92 | 38 | 69.05% |
| Peter McDonnell | | July 1984 | November 1984 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 27 | 21 | 29.41% |
| Joe Wojciechowicz | | November 1984 | December 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0% |
| Brian Kidd | | December 1984 | April 1985 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 26.32% |
| John Cooke | | April 1985 | April 1985 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 33.33% |
| Bob Murphy | | April 1985 | May 1985 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0% |
| Maurice Whittle | | May 1985 | October 1985 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 29 | 0% |
| David Johnson | | October 1985 | March 1986 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 28 | 31.25% |
| Glenn Skivington and Neil McDonald | | March 1986 | March 1986 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 0% |
| Ray Wilkie | | March 1986 | November 1991 | 236 | 93 | 62 | 81 | 325 | 311 | 39.41% |
| Neil McDonald | | November 1991 | December 1991 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 25% |
| John King | | December 1991 | May 1992 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 | 36 | 22.73% |
| Graham Heathcote | | May 1992 | December 1992 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 40 | 31 | 43.48% |
| Richard Dinnis | | December 1992 | October 1993 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 45 | 40 | 40% |
| Mick Cloudsdale | | October 1993 | June 1994 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 35 | 45.16% |
| Tony Hesketh | | June 1994 | March 1996 | 74 | 32 | 16 | 26 | 121 | 101 | 43.24% |
| Neil McDonald and Franny Ventre | | March 1996 | March 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0% |
| Mike Walsh | | March 1996 | October 1996 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 20 | 55% |
| Owen Brown | | October 1996 | January 1999 | 100 | 49 | 22 | 29 | 127 | 95 | 49% |
| Shane Westley | | January 1999 | July 1999 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 22 | 25% |
| Greg Challender | | July 1999 | August 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Kenny Lowe | | August 1999 | May 2003 | 176 | 78 | 46 | 52 | 307 | 233 | 44.32% |
| Lee Turnbull | | May 2003 | November 2005 | 102 | 41 | 28 | 33 | 164 | 146 | 40.20% |
| Darren Edmondson | | November 2005 | December 2005 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 33.33% |
| Phil Wilson | | December 2005 | November 2007 | 78 | 20 | 24 | 34 | 85 | 100 | 25.64% |
| Darren Sheridan andDavid Bayliss | | November 2007 | February 2012 | 168 | 59 | 50 | 59 | 215 | 220 | 35.11% |
| February 2012 | November 2013 | 91 | 15 | 16 | 30 | 59 | 110 | 16.48%[77] | |
| November 2013 | December 2013 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 0% | |
| Darren Edmondson | | December 2013 | November 2015 | 96 | 46 | 21 | 29 | 47.92% | ||
| Paul Cox | | November 2015 | August 2017 | 86 | 37 | 30 | 19 | 43.02% | ||
| Micky Moore | | August 2017 | October 2017 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 9.09% |
| Neill Hornby | | October 2017 | October 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0% |
| Ady Pennock | | October 2017 | May 2018 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 35.29% | ||
| Ian Evatt | | June 2018 | July 2020 | 83 | 38 | 20 | 25 | 120 | 90 | 45.78% |
| David Dunn | | July 2020 | December 2020 | 22 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 28 | 9.09% |
| Rob Kelly | | December 2020 | December 2020 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 66.67% |
| Michael Jolley | | December 2020 | February 2021 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14.28% |
| Rob Kelly | | February 2021 | May 2021 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 20 | 42.11% |
| Mark Cooper | | May 2021 | March 2022 | 37 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 33 | 43 | 21.62% |
| Phil Brown | | March 2022 | May 2022 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 22.22% |
| Pete Wild | | May 2022 | May 2024 | 78 | 33 | 14 | 31 | 98 | 94 | 42.31% |
| Stephen Clemence | | May 2024 | January 2025 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 23 | 28 | 28% |
| Andy Whing | | January 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |
| From | To | League | Level | Total Seasons[57] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901–02 | 1902–03 | Lancashire League | N/A | 2 |
| 1903–04 | 1904–05 | Lancashire Combination Division Two | N/A | 2 |
| 1905–06 | 1907–08 | Lancashire Combination Division One | N/A | 3 |
| 1908–09 | 1910–11 | Lancashire Combination Division Two | N/A | 5 |
| 1911–12 | 1920–21 | Lancashire Combination Division One | N/A | 6 |
| 1921–22 | 1957–58 | Football League Division Three North | 3 | 31 |
| 1958–59 | 1966–67 | Football League Division Four | 4 | 9 |
| 1967–68 | 1969–70 | Football League Division Three | 3 | 3 |
| 1970–71 | 1971–72 | Football League Division Four | 4 | 2 |
| 1972–73 | 1978–79 | Northern Premier League | 5 | 7 |
| 1979–80 | 1982–83 | Alliance Premier League | 5 | 4 |
| 1983–84 | 1983–84 | Northern Premier League | 6 | 1 |
| 1984–85 | 1985–86 | Alliance Premier League | 5 | 2 |
| 1986–87 | 1988–89 | Northern Premier League | 6 | 3 |
| 1989–90 | 1991–92 | Football Conference | 5 | 3 |
| 1992–93 | 1997–98 | Northern Premier League | 6 | 6 |
| 1998–99 | 1998–99 | Football Conference | 5 | 1 |
| 1999–00 | 2003–04 | Northern Premier League | 6 | 5 |
| 2004–05 | 2007–08 | Conference North | 6 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | 2012–13 | Conference National | 5 | 5 |
| 2013–14 | 2014–15 | Conference North | 6 | 2 |
| 2015–16 | 2019–20 | National League | 5 | 5 |
| 2020–21 | Present | EFL League Two | 4 | 4 |
Source:[57]
League
Cup
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
