Colne

Colne FC is a non-league club from the mill town in East Lancashire, six miles northeast of Burnley. The current club was formed in 1996, but the story of football in the town has had a dramatic past.

The original Colne FC

A club also called Colne FC played in the Lancashire Combination in the early twentieth century after changing their name from Trawden Forest, which had entered the competition for the first time in the 1902-03 season.

After being relegated earlier, Colne lifted the Division Two title in 1905-06, prior to being relegated once again twelve years later and then regaining their status at the first time of asking. It is unclear when the club folded. 

Colne Dynamoes FC

Colne Dynamoes FC took over as the town's senior club from 1963 when they were formed by Graham White for former pupils of Primet High School. They progressed through local league football, and the council gave them some land previously used for cricket at Holt House so they could develop a proper ground.

Dynamoes joined the Lancashire Combination in 1975, finishing as runners-up on three occasions before becoming founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982. They won promotion from Division Three at the first attempt as White became a millionaire through his property and building business.

He began to invest heavily in the club as promotion to Division One followed in 1986-87. The following season, they won the NWCFL title as well as lifting the FA Vase at Wembley after defeating Emley 1-0 thanks to a goal from Stewart Anderson for the side skippered by Simon Westwell and including former Burnley star Billy Rodaway.

Colne Dynamoes. FA Vase winners

The following season, they won another title, earning promotion into the Northern Premier League Premier Division with former Liverpool star Alan Kennedy amongst their team. The club turned full-time professional with White paying out large wages.

Crowds averaging over 1,300 flocked to Holt House as they won the title in their first season by an astounding twenty-six points, as well as reaching the FA Trophy semifinals, where Barrow ended their run.

Dynamoes were turned down for promotion to the Football Conference as Holt House did not meet the ground grading requirements. White offered the struggling Burnley FC, whom he'd earlier tried to purchase, a huge amount to share Turf Moor, but he was turned down.

He announced plans for a new stadium on the outskirts of neighbouring Nelson, but after a preseason game against Newcastle Blue Star in 1990, White announced the club was to fold, and he was retiring from football, amongst claims that the money had run out and death threats had been made towards him.

A new Colne FC

A new incarnation of Colne FC was formed in January 1996, being placed in the North West Counties League Division Two, moving into Holt House, which was used by Colne Royal British Legion FC from 1990 until 1995, at which point that club folded. Keith Mason was appointed as manager before being replaced shortly after by Denzil Hart.

The club was bought by twenty-four-year-old player James Webster in the summer of 2002, appointing former FA Vase winner Nigel Webster as manager. In 2003-04, the ‘Reds' won promotion to the league's top tier, as well as reaching the FA Vase semifinal.

AFC Sudbury were victorious despite the home leg drawing a crowd of 1,742 to Holt House. Consistent finishes followed in the Premier Division of the NWCFL, with Steve Cunningham replacing Coates after he had managed the side for ten years.

Plans had been earlier announced for a Football Academy to be set up to benefit the club, along with Nelson and Colne College, as well as a new stadium with updated facilities on the land between Holt House and the nearby rugby club. However, they failed to materialise.

Fourth place was achieved in 2014-15, before Colne became North West Counties League champions in 2015-16 to win promotion to Division One North of the Northern Premier League. In their first season in the competition, they lost in the semifinals of the playoffs to Farsley Celtic.

Ryan Haigh became the new owner of the club in the summer of 2017, as the team narrowly missed out on a playoff place. The 2018-19 campaign saw a restructuring of the NPL, with Colne being placed in Division One West.

Nathan Rooney became manager after the Reds had reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup in 2019-20 as the worldwide pandemic abandoned two seasons. Jon Macken arrived as manager in December 2021, who would be later replaced by Phil Brown.

The club was in turmoil off the pitch as new owners were sought during the 2022-23 season, as Brown was replaced by former Burnley favourite Paul Weller. The team was relegated back to the NWCFL, where they finished in mid-table twelve months later. In June 2024, joint managers Stuart Mellish and Peter Band were appointed.

The Reds were relegated at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Colne FC will play in the North West Counties League Division One North in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Wednesday 14th September 2011

It was a windy morning in East Lancashire with warm weather being interspersed with some heavy showers. I was in the area for the day to visit a few grounds after watching the Accrington Stanley v Rotherham United game the previous evening, before heading to Manchester that night.

I arrived on the train from Nelson to yet another typical town of the area. It was hilly and dominated by many old stone buildings, which I found so much more attractive than modern architecture.

My walk took me through terraced streets to the main A6068 road, where I started the very steep climb up to Holt House. The sign at the bottom of Harrison Drive still showed directions for Colne Dynamoes as well as the adjoining Nelson and Colne Rugby Club. 

At the junction with Birstwistle Avenue, my advance planning came to the fore as I went through the snicket between the houses onto the playing fields. The ground was up a couple of levels, right up at the top.

I arrived at Holt House to find the gates locked and the ground surrounded by high fences. I was not to be beaten! I walked around the soggy field around the ground to the far side, where I could see down the far touchline through a gap in the gate, and then onto the banking behind that side, next to a cow field.

Colne really had done their best with the limited room they had, as well as contending with an incredible slope across the pitch. There are occasions when I think the Conference gets it wrong, but this time I fully understood their decision to turn down Colne Dynamoes from joining non league's elite while based at Holt House.

The main side had the changing rooms, clubhouse, a seated stand, and a covered terrace in the limited space available. The end to my left and the near touchline was flat open, standing, and a small cover. In front of me were various outbuildings and the dugouts. The right-hand end had a low cover all the way behind the goal with a roof that went up in stages to allow for the slope.

I walked back into town, which was a lot less energy-consuming than getting up to the ground, and caught a bus back to Burnley bus station from outside the grand Municipal Hall.