Frickley Athletic

Frickley Athletic FC is a non-league club from South Elmsall in West Yorkshire. The club were originally known as Frickley Colliery FC and were formed in 1910. The workers at the mine paid subscriptions from their wages to support the football club and local cricket club.

After a few years competing in the Sheffield Association League, where they were crowned champions in 1920-21, 'The Blues' became members of the Yorkshire League in 1922, where they ended in the runners-up position in 1923-24. 

This led to an application to join the Midland League being accepted. The1936-37 campaign saw a first appearance in the first round of the FA Cup, which ended in defeat to Southport at Westfield Lane. They reached the same stage again in 1957-58, where they went out away from home to South Shields.

Frickley played their football until 1960 when the league was briefly disbanded. They then became the only Yorkshire club to play in the Cheshire County League, where they remained for a decade. A highlight of the period being an FA Cup first round tie against Notts County at Meadow Lane in 1963-64.

 

In 1970 the club rejoined the Midland League where they lost in the first round of the Cup to Rotherham United after a replay and later Halifax Town. Frickley became members of the Northern Premier League in 1976. Changing their name to Frickley Athletic.

After a few years of good performances, Athletic joined the Alliance Premier League in 1980. From the 1983-84 season the first round of the FA Cup was reached in four consecutive seasons. Hartlepool United became their first ever Football League opposition that they defeated in 1985-86. 

This led to a third-round tie in front of a home crowd of 5,800 who saw them go down in a local derby to Rotherham United. The team had several top players at this time including Russ Willcox and Paul Shirtliff. The side also finished as runners-up in the league under manager Sean Marshall.

However, players moved on, and the golden era ended abruptly as Athletic were relegated twelve months later. In 1993 Frickley Colliery shut down, leading to some very tough times for the local community.

 

Ian Thompson was manager at the turn of the millennium before being replaced by former Barnsley and Newcastle United player Stewart Barrowclough. His policy of blooding youth failed as he quickly replaced by Steve Richards whose side avoided relegation from the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League in 2000-01.

They also reached the first round of the FA Cup, going out to Northampton Town at Sixfields. Gary Marrow and then Phil Sharpe had spells in charge of the team before Marrow returned for a second spell.

 

His side reached the playoffs in 2005-06, where they lost on penalties to North Ferriby United, before he was replaced by Billy Heath in September 2006. Peter Rinkcavage was appointed as team boss in September 2010.

The side avoided relegation only because of the problems at Northwich Victoria, which led to the appointment of Karl Rose and James Dudgeon. Another reprieve from relegation favoured the Blues in 2013-14 before Lee Morris took over team affairs early into the 2016-17 campaign. 

Rose returned to try and salvage something from a poor season, but the team was relegated to Division One South of the competition. The side picked themselves up and reached the playoffs in 2017-18, losing in the semifinal to Stamford.

Spencer Fearn came in as manager remaining in place until October 2018 when he left to take up a position at Sheffield Wednesday. Craig Spink was named as manager for the 2019-20 season, lasting just a few games before he was replaced by Dave Frecklington. 

Wayne Benn was appointed as manager in May 2022 after the club had been relegated to the Northern Counties East League. He lasted until February 2023 when Pat McGuire came in with Frickley finishing in a very disappointing seventeenth place.

McGuire was dismissed in March 2024 with John Stancliffe leading the interim management team until the end of the season, which saw the team finish again towards the bottom of the Premier Division table.

James Baxendale was appointed as manager but only lasted a few months before being replaced by Tom Claisse in November 2024.

Frickley Athletic FC will play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division for the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Frickley Athletic 2 Scarborough Athletic 0 (Tuesday 12th July 2011) Pre Season Friendly (att: 177)

I was in Scarborough for the Yorkshire v Worcestershire cricket and it happily coincided with a pre season friendly at a ground I'd never previously visited. I was picked up outside the gates of North Marine Road by James Hunter and Geoff Osgathorpe, which gave a chance to ask for club updates and if there was any way I could assist.

We arrived outside the Westfield Lane ground in good time to go inside for a beer. As ever, there was a good turn out of Seadogs in attendance. The clubhouse was fairly basic but friendly. Many former team shots on the wall contained players who's appeared for both clubs.

Westfield Lane had been given a new title, The Tech5 Stadium in a naming rights deal. It was a traditional old venue which offered everything fans at that level required. The pitch sloped away from the large Main Stand which was raised and stood back. Open terracing ran all along that side in front and to the sides of the structure. 

The far side had a low cover with a few steps of terracing. Where the large colliery slag heap and colliery stood behind this side was now a landscaped hill with pathways. A small area of open standing was behind both goals with a fenced off area behind.

I had a walk around during the first half while trying to work out who was who in the new Boro lineup. Frickley, who were two divisions above in the pyramid were fast, physical and impressive but the Seadogs still gave as good as they got before going behind due to a worrying lack of marking from a set piece.

I enjoyed some fine old-fashioned catering as I caught up with old friends for the first time in the new season. I watched for a while from the excellent view afforded in the stand. Frickley came out with a completely different eleven for the second half in their away strip.

Boro also made plenty of changes. The home side went further ahead from another set piece, before the Seadogs who got their game together were somehow denied at the other end.

All in all it was a good, stern examination for the visitors against an able team. I quite enjoyed my visit to a traditional football ground with friendly home football fans. Even better news was that there was still a couple of days cricket to watch!