Hucknall Town FC is a non-league football club based in the former mining town, a few miles from Nottingham. They were formed in 1943 as Hucknall Colliery Welfare FC and played predominantly local football.
The club lifted the Notts Football Alliance crown in 1976-77 and 1977-78. The 1983-84 campaign saw a run to the fifth round of the FA Vase, which ended in defeat away to Wickham, which was repeated twelve months later when Exmouth Town ended any dreams of Wembley in the tie at Watnall Road.
The quarterfinals of the Vase were reached in 1985-86, with Warrington Town coming out victors. The Notts Alliance title was lifted again in 1987-88, when the club had changed to their current name, and once more in 1988-89, in what was a golden period.
A move to the Central Midlands League followed, being crowned as Supreme Division champions in 1989-90, with the title being retained twelve months later, before they had to settle for a runners-up spot in 1991-92. Hucknall’s performances saw them promoted to Division One of the Northern Counties East League.
In their debut 1992-93 campaign, the ‘Yellows’ were promoted to the Premier Division. The momentum halted somewhat, though a sixth place was achieved in 1996-97 after John Ramshaw had been appointed as manager in 1995.
The NCEL title was won in 1997-98, resulting in promotion to Division One of the Northern Premier League. The 1998-99 season ended in promotion to the Premier Division, where they played their football when former League star Phil Starbuck was club player-manager between 2001 and 2003.
He was succeeded by Steve Burr, who led the side to the Northern Premier League title and promotion to the Conference North, the second level of non-league football. Ernie Moss took over team affairs in June 2004, taking the team all the way to the final of the FA Trophy.
The amazing run disposed of Bracknell Town, Radcliffe Borough, Southport, Northwich Victoria, Cambridge City, Hereford United, and Bishop’s Stortford, before Grays Athletic won the final at Villa Park, 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Dean Barrick then took over team affairs as player-manager, remaining in charge until January 2006 when he was replaced by Kevin Wilson. He lasted a year before Andy Legg succeeded him, remaining in charge for nine months when David Lloyd was appointed in his place.
The 2007-08
campaign saw a narrow escape from relegation before the side went down the following
season. The partnership of Mick Galloway and Andy Miller was given the manager's
job before being replaced by Brian Chambers, who was in charge when finances
and playing budgets had been cut.
Back in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League, the side was relegated to Division One South after just one season. Des Lyttle came in as team boss in October 2011 before Retford United’s championship-winning manager Brett Marshall was installed as the new boss in the summer of 2012.
This was after his side had been denied owing to financial irregularities the previous season. He jumped out of one frying pan into another, as Hucknall, short of finances, finished bottom of the table and were demoted at the end of the 2012-13 campaign to Division Two of the Central Midlands Alliance.
Tris Whitman was appointed as manager, with the side finishing fourth in 2014-15, as work on a long-awaited new stadium on nearby Aerial Way got underway. Third places in 2015-16 and then 2017-18 ensued before Town won promotion to the East Midlands Counties League as champions in 2018-19 under manager Andy Graves.
After a
couple of abandoned seasons, owing to the worldwide pandemic, Hucknall became
members of Division One of the United Counties League. They reached the
playoffs in 2021-22 but lost the semifinal to AFC Hinckley, at which point Andy
Ingle moved up to take over as manager.
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| Aerial Way |
In January 2023, the new stadium was opened by Nigel Clough, with the team reaching the playoffs a few months later, where they defeated Bourne Town and then Birstall United on penalties to be promoted to the Premier Division of the UCL.
In September 2023, joint bosses Reece Limbert and Louis Bland were appointed before Limbert took sole charge. The team avoided relegation on goal difference several months later, with former player and boss Whitman returning to the job in November 2024.
Hucknall Town FC will play in the United Counties League Premier Division in the 2025-26 season.
