Flixton

Flixton FC was a non-league club from the western outskirts of Manchester. The 'Lions' were formed in 1960, continuing until 2012 when the club was dissolved. Many players came from St Johns, a team from the South Manchester & Wythenshawe League.

While records are unclear, Flixton could have played under the St Johns name before becoming Flixton Villa in 1964. Villa was quickly dropped from their title as Flixton FC joined the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur League.

Home games were played at Urmston Meadows. The team progressed from Division Three of the competition, reaching Division One for the 1970-71 campaign. A fifth-place finish saw the club join the Manchester League at the start of the 1973-74 campaign.

By 1977-78 the Lions had reached the Premier Division where they ended as runners-up in 1978-79, 1981-82 and again in 1985-86 which was enough to be promoted to the North West Counties League, finishing as runners-up in Division Three in their debut season. 

That tier was absorbed into Division Two, with Flixton ending the 1987-88 season as runners-up to go up to Division One. They dropped back down in 1993-94 but won Division Two twelve months later to regain their higher status.

The 1995-96 season was the club's most successful as they won promotion into the Northern Premier League as NWCL champions and reached the semi-final of the FA Vase before going down to Brigg Town after earlier defeating Canvey Island. 

Flixton consolidated for three seasons in Division One of the Northern Premier League and made improvements to their Valley Road home before being relegated in 1999-00. The Lions went down again in 2002-03 after a couple of seasons of struggle. Promotion by being Division Two runners-up was achieved in 2005-06.

Division One was renamed the Premier Division in 2008-09 which is where Flixton remained, ending the 2011-12 season in tenth place under manager Lloyd Morrison. Chairman, Phil Greenhalgh, and his board decided to call it a day because of low crowd figures.

However, Northwich Flixton Villa, renamed from Northwich Villa, and said to be the reserve side of Northwich Victoria signed a deal to use Valley Road to play their home NWCL games.

Victoria's Chairman Jim Rushe appealed to the FA to allow them also to use the ground in the Northern Premier League instead of their original agreed share at Marston Road, Stafford. This was rejected before Victoria were transferred to Division One North and Valley Road was upgraded.

They remained there until the end of the 2014-15 season. After that Valley Road was used by local league clubs before being purchased in January 2022 by Manchester-based property developer Atif Malik who had plans to use it for housing and sports facilities

My visit

Tuesday 20th July 2010

I was in the Greater Manchester region for three days groundhopping and enjoying the sights and I was nearing the end of day two. I arrived at Flixton station in damp weather off the train from Irlam.

Now I’m quite a hardy chap when it comes to fulfilling my plans, with stubborn and plain daft being other descriptions that have been used before now, but the weather really was testing me by now. I carried on walking under trees to try and get protection. My A to Z was taking a battering as were my clothes. My cagoule was not giving me the protection I’d hoped for.

In the end, I got into a bus shelter and watched as the rain bounced off the pavements and a storm passed overhead. I looked at the bus timetables but there was nothing going anywhere near my hotel. I was basically stuck. My intention was to go to the friendly about an hour later at nearby Trafford. I really didn’t give out much hope of that game going ahead.

Eventually, the rain died down to a small sprinkle, or at least compared to what had fallen and the skies seemed brighter. That was all I needed to continue. I’m so glad I did as the Valley Road ground was only a couple of minute's walk away.