 | |||
| Full name | North Ferriby United Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Villagers | ||
| Founded | 1934; 91 years ago (1934) | ||
| Dissolved | 2019 | ||
| Ground | Grange Lane | ||
| Capacity | 2,700 | ||
North Ferriby United Association Football Club was a semi-professionalfootball club inNorth Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. At the time of their demise they were members of theNorthern Premier League and played at Grange Lane.
Formed in 1934, North Ferriby reached the Northern Premier League in 2000, and were promoted to the league's Premier Division after winning Division One in the2004–05 season. The club then won the Premier Division in2012–13, thus earning promotion to theConference North. In 2015, they beatWrexham of theConference Premier to win the2014–15 FA Trophy. They were then promoted to the renamed National League after beatingAFC Fylde in the2015–16 National League North play-off final. However, two relegations in as many seasons saw them drop back into the Northern Premier League in 2018. The club was liquidated following a court order on 15 March 2019.[1] On 20 April 2019 it was announced that aphoenix club had been formed, to be known asNorth Ferriby Football Club, and approval had been granted for them to participate in theNorthern Counties East Football League commencing in the 2019–20 season.[2]
North Ferriby United formed in 1934 as a result of a meeting at which it was decided to form a local football team.[3] They first took part in the local East Riding Church League and, in 1938, they won the Division One title.[4]
The club re-formed after the Second World War and was admitted to the East Riding Amateur League. The immediate post war years proved to be very successful with the highlight being an appearance in the final qualifying round of theFA Amateur Cup during the1949–50 season.
In 1969, North Ferriby improved their status when they joined Division Two of the Yorkshire League: the following season they captured the championship and also lifted theEast Riding Senior Cup. The year 1975 saw them win the Yorkshire League Cup by defeatingLincoln United 2–0. Twelve months later they finished second toEmley in Division One.
The 1970s were a very positive period for the club and saw them win the East Riding Senior Cup three times. They reached theFA Cup third qualifying round in1980–81, where they lost away toBoston United.
In 1982 they joined the newly formedNorthern Counties East Football League, finishing as runners-up in Division One North. Promotion to the Premier Division was offered to them but had to be declined because the ground facilities were not up to the required standard.
The1985–86 season saw them take the Division One title and this time they were promoted. They also reached the fourth round of theFA Vase and the following year went out in the fifth round toFarsley Celtic after losing 2–1.
Three seasons later national recognition came their way when they advanced to the semi-final of the FA Vase, losing toTamworth, after just shading the first leg at Tamworth 2–1.
In 1991, North Ferriby won the inaugural President's Cup, defeating FA Vase championsGuiseley 8–5 on aggregate. They also lifted the East Riding Senior Cup for the first time in 12 years and in the League Cup Final they lost 1–0 to Guiseley. The1996–97 season saw them appear in the FA Vase Final atWembley Stadium. A 3–1 aggregate victory overGuisborough Town in the semi-final saw them through to the Final at Wembley Stadium on 10 May 1997, where they were defeated 3–0 byWhitby Town.
The next two seasons saw them miss promotion to theNorthern Premier League but in1999–2000 they won the Northern Counties East Football League championship and, with all the necessary work having been carried out to the ground, they finally achieved their longtime goal of promotion to the higher level of non-League football.
The first season saw the club set a new post-war record by lifting the East Riding Senior Cup for a fifth successive season. The2001–02 season was the club's second season in the Northern Premier League and the club's progression continued with a higher league placing. The campaign finished on another high as the club retained the East Riding Senior Cup for a sixth year in succession, thus equalling the all-time record held byHull City in a period which straddled the Second World War. The following season the club gained a place in the play-offs via fourth place in the table. Although the promotion push floundered on a tense evening atRadcliffe Borough, that disappointment was assuaged by the club taking the outright record from Hull with a seventh successive East Riding Senior Cup triumph.
The 70th Anniversary season,2004–05, proved to be one of the most rewarding in the club's history as the young team clinched the First Division championship on the final day of the season atMossley. The team led the division from early October and, despite a minor slump in March, never relinquished their grip on top spot. The following season saw the club at the highest level in their history as they entered the Premier Division and led the table from the off until March. Despite missing out on automatic promotion, the club secured a place in the play-offs after a fifth-place finish in the table. They defeated third placedFrickley Athletic away from home onpenalties before losing in the Final atFarsley Celtic afterextra time.[5][6]
On 4 May 2013 North Ferriby were crowned as Northern Premier League Premier Division champions after beatingAshton United 2–0 on the final day of the season.[7][8] They were promoted into theNational League North for2013–14.[9][10]
In their first everNational League North season, North Ferriby finished second, narrowly missing out on promotion. During 2014–15, the club won theFA Trophy Final atWembley Stadium, defeatingWrexham 5–4 on penalties after a 3–3 draw. GoalkeeperAdam Nicklin saved three penalties during the shoot-out. North Ferriby United were losing 2–0 in normal time, only to score twice in the last 15 minutes to force extra time. SubstituteRyan Kendall scored his second goal of the match during extra time to put North Ferriby in the lead for the first time during the final, howeverLouis Moult equalised for Wrexham to take the match to penalties leading to Nicklin's shootout heroics, winning the2014–15 FA Trophy for Billy Heath's Villagers.[11]
North Ferriby earned promotion into theNational League on 14 May 2016, beatingAFC Fylde 2–1 after extra time at Grange Lane in theNational League North play-off final.[12]
On 24 May 2016 Billy Heath left the club to joinF.C. Halifax Town.[13] Heath proceeded to raid his former Ferriby squad and recruited several first team players, most notably captainLiam King.
On 6 June 2016 The Villagers appointedSteve Housham as Manager,[14] Housham was tasked with keeping The Villagers in theNational League.
On 12 June 2016 Housham addedDarryn Stamp to his backroom team as assistant manager, having played under Housham at previous clubGainsborough Trinity.
North Ferriby failed to make a push for League football and spent much of the 2016–17 season near the bottom of theNational League and were eventually relegated having spent just a year in the 5th tier.
On 22 November 2017 the ownership of the club was transferred from the Foster family to Jamie Waltham.[15] The following day the incoming owner sacked ManagerSteve Housham and assistant managerDarryn Stamp due to the previous relegation from theNational League and the subsequent run of poor results that left The Villagers rock bottom of theNational League North.[16] Housham was replaced as Manager by former captainChris Bolder.
On 21 March 2018 a second relegation in two seasons was confirmed after a 1–1 draw at home to visiting league leadersSalford City F.C., as Bolder failed to save The Villagers from dropping out of theNational League North.
The club started the 2018–19 season playing in theNorthern Premier League following their relegation the previous season.
In the 33 games played up until the winding-up order, the Villagers managed just two wins and four draws, accumulating 10 points and putting them at the foot of the table, 19 points behind second-bottomWorkington.
North Ferriby's remaining fixtures were cancelled and the club was not permitted to finish the season.
The club was wound up on 15 March 2019 due to outstanding debts of £7,645.25.[17]
