Chadderton

Chadderton FC is a non-league football club from the town that is part of Oldham, that was formed in 1946 as Burnley Lane Estate Juniors playing games on Parkway in the Middleton Youth League.

When an adult side was formed, they changed their name to Millbrow FC with home games being played on the side of the canal at Mills Hill. A move to Broadway and a change of title to North Chadderton Amateurs followed before becoming Chadderton in 1957.

‘Chaddy’ joined the Oldham Amateur League before joining the Manchester League in 1962. They remained there until 1980, when they tried their luck in the Lancashire Combination, moving as founder members into the North West Counties League in 1982.

Future internationals, David Platt and Steve Jones as well as John Pemberton started their careers with the club before Chaddy won promotion to Division One of the competition in 1988-89 but the side went back down to Division Two twelve months later.

Another promotion followed in 1991-92. This time the run at the higher tier ended in 1997-98 because Chadderton’s Andrew Street ground failed to meet the grading requirements. The team remained in Division Two for many years to follow with Paul Buckley becoming manager in 2005.

In 2007 Chadderton FC sold out to two local businessmen and their company, The HB Property Group Limited. However, in 2009 the arrangement ended and Chaddy became a member’s club, run by the people for the people.

Steve Patterson and Mark Cook were appointed as joint managers in the summer of 2013 with the playoffs being reached in 2014-15 which ended in a semifinal defeat to AFC Darwen by which time the second tier had become Division One.

Mark Howard arrived as manager in May 2016 before being succeeded by David Fish and Lee Ashworth during the 2017-18 campaign. During the second abandoned season due to Covid-19 the trio of Ben Greenidge, Carl Taylor, and Mark Cook took charge of the team. 

Cook would eventually stand down, leaving just two in charge, who took Chaddy to promotion after playoff victories over Euxton Villa and then FC St Helens in 2022-23. The club installed a new artificial surface at Andrews Street which saw the team decamp while the job was completed during the 2024-25 season.

Chadderton FC will play in the North West Counties League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Tuesday 20th July 2010

I had just visited Boundary Park, home of Oldham Athletic as part of three days of groundhopping around Greater Manchester. I set off in what I thought to be the correct direction, only to get lost in a maze of streets heavily populated by local Asians, with the strong aroma of curry in the air.

Eventually, I got back on track and was outside the gates of the Andrew Street ground. The gates were locked but I could see inside. A clubhouse and changing rooms were in a brick building at the near end.

 Apart from a path around the pitch, the vast majority of the rest of the ground was open grass. A bank at the far end offered an elevated view. The only covered accommodation was down the Broadway side which was a long low stand for seats and standing.

I walked round that side to hopefully get a shot of the Clubhouse End and found an open gate. Two youths were using the stand as protection from the elements while smoking a joint. No wonder so many non-league grounds fear vandalism.

I was soon down to the crossroads and on board a service towards Oldham Bus Station as the weather started to close in.