Gainsborough Trinity

Gainsborough Trinity FC is a non-league football club from the one-time port town in Lincolnshire. The club were formed as a church side known as Trinity Recreationals FC in 1873. One of their nicknames, 'The Holy Blues' refers to this background. The club's ground from their first day has been The Northolme.

Trinity became founder members of the Midland League in 1888-89 and won the league title in its second year. In 1886 the club were elected to the second division of the Football League where they struggled throughout. 

Trinity were the first competitive opponents of Manchester United after they had changed their name from Newton Heath on the 6th September 1902. Trinity were also the first and last opponents of Middlesbrough Ironopolis FC.

In 1912 the club were voted out of the Football League to be replaced by local rivals Lincoln City, so they returned to the Midland League. Another league title was collected in 1927-28 and in the 1940's a record crowd of 9,760 crammed into The Northolme to watch a Midland League clash with Scunthorpe United. A third league title was lifted in 1948-49.

The Midland League disbanded in 1960, so Trinity spent a couple of seasons in the Yorkshire League until it was re-established. A fourth championship was sealed in 1966-67 under manager Russell Green before the club became founder members of the Northern Premier League the following year. 

They remained there until the beginning of the 2003-04 campaign when Gainsborough became founder members of the Conference North. Their best position during the NPL years was fourth in 1984-85 a few seasons after Neil Warnock managed the team. The Northolme had a new Main Stand built as an exact replica barring the materials as the old structure.

Peter Swann took over as club Chairman and attempted to move the club forward. Former England player and Premier League manager Brian Little was employed to take charge, but things didn't really work out, so he was dismissed early in the 2011-12 season.

Plans were unveiled to move the club to a new 4,000 capacity stadium to try and build greater links with the local community in November 2009. Two years later a deal had been agreed in principle to buy land at the former Castle Hills School site, just half a mile away from The Northolme.

Steve Housham's team were defeated by Nuneaton Town in the 2011-12 Play Off Final, and the following season they reached the last four of the FA Trophy, where they went out to winners Wrexham. Swann departed the club in May 2013, partly because the Blues Club social club who owned the Northolme refused to sell it to him.

The team continued in the retitled National League North. Dom Roma had a spell as player-manager before the side dropped back down to the Northern Premier League at the end of the 2017-18 season under Dave Frecklington. Lee Sinnott was the new choice as manager, as appointments came and went regularly.

Curtis Woodhouse and then Neal Bishop were among those trying their best for the club, as the latter took the side to the play-offs in 2022-23 which ended in semi-final defeat to Bamber Bridge. Russ Wilcox took over team affairs in September 2023, taking his side to eighth place a few months later.

Gainsborough Trinity FC will play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Gainsborough Trinity 2 Scarborough 1 (Saturday 12th February 1980) FA Trophy Round One (att: 1,100)

I had been playing for the Raincliffe School team in the morning and my Mum met me at the station with instructions to make sure the driver stopped for my dad near The Byways as he'd been working overtime on the Saturday morning at Plaxtons. I'm sure I was with my brothers. I'd be surprised if Nick wasn't there.

I was under the impression that the driver knew to stop, so I was extremely perturbed when he didn't slow down and went past my dad! He soon stopped luckily for us.

We were hoping for a better showing from Boro in this FA Trophy encounter after the previous season's capitulation at Kettering. We were firm favourites as a topflight non-league club, with our hosts in the division below.

The Northolme was a decent enough venue. The Main Stand was on the halfway line with a barrel roof and a seating deck above a terrace. There was a bit of open terrace to the left of it up to the goal line. The North Street End was a medium sized covered terrace as was The Enclosure on the far side of the pitch, only a little smaller. The other goal had open terracing.

The match was played to a backdrop of trouble as around fifty fans from each side were involved in scuffling behind the covered goal during the first half. The Boro youths were all sporting newly shaved heads. Boro went ahead through Bob Gauden bu that's where the joy ended.

One Scarborough youth decided to bear his backside to the home fans on the halfway line as some kind of half-time entertainment. Sadly, Boro matched this in the second half and went behind. 

The visiting fans were extremely irate, wanting boss Colin Appleton to make a substitution up front, but when he did, he introduced on loan Canadian Ivan Belfoire whose natural position was as a full back.

We left the game most upset with the result, while the police did their best to usher the more unruly fans onto the unofficial bus. I went home to listen to the new single I'd bought from Studio One that morning - I've Got Your Number by The Undertones.

The pictures of The Northolme have been taken from the internet as I didn't even have a camera, let alone have the nous to take any pictures on my visit.