History


Hollinwood Football Club have been based at Hollinwood Cricket Club, Who's history dates back to 1877.

There had been a football club in existence at the time and the cricket club took over land on School Road buying the football clubs fixtures and fittings. At the time these included a tent, pay box and other ground accessories. The present Lime Lane ground was bought by the cricket club just before the first World War, in 1914 for £750. A deal was set up that so that should the football club fall upon hard times and fold, the ground would be held in trust so that it would always be held for recreational purposes. The present football team started in the 1950's playing as a Sunday League side.

However the club as it is known today was formed in 1962 when it transfered to a Saturday team in the Rochdale Alliance League. In the mid 1960's the club transfered to the now defunct South East Lancashire League were the club remained until it took a step up to the Manchester League in the early 1970's. The club stil operates in that league today.

The 1980's and and early 1990's were a boom time for Hollinwood Football Club. At this time the club had the most teams it had ever had. The junior section had two teams that played in the first and second division of the South East Lancashire League. During this time the jnunior section under the control of Peter Bird and Ken Evans won the First and Second Division as well as the Frank Reynolds Trophy.

By the mid nineties the club like most of its counterparts in the Oldham Area was in decline and went down to 2 teams due to a lack of young players coming through, this resulted in the two South East Lancs League teams folding. This move was recipricated by many similar clubs in Manchester which eventually resulted in the South East Lancashire League also ceasing to exist.

After many years on hard times Hollinwood once again started to bloom with the introduction of a new managment team shortly after the turn of the century. At this time Wood were down to one team and playing its fixtures on a council pitch as the League deamed Lime Lane to be unfit, and the clubs future was bleak. However under the guidance of current manager Mark Howard (aka Tank) and former long serving player Basil Warner the club obtained an FA Grant. The pitch was overhauled and the club moved back home the very next season. The club also re-established a second team. The first team was for the next two season consistently pushing for promotion finishing 5th and 3rd.

In 2004 the club not only took on a junior section but also took on for the first time in the clubs history a girls team, both under the guidance of another Hollinwood Old boy Fred Hardacre. Both teams were a huge success, with the Boys Under 16's winning the Bury and Radcliffe League, and the girls winning league and cup doubles for the next 3 years.

In 2005/2006 season Hollinwood reached the holy grail and for the first time in the clubs history gained promotion to the Manchester League Premier Division. This was followed in 2006/2007 by not only consolidating its position in the top flight, but also again for the first time in the clubs history becoming the Manchester County FA Challenge Trophy winners. A trophy over 100 years old that is a copy of the original FA Cup.

The 2007/08 season also sees another first, with the establishment of a third team in the Manchester League, which will hopefully see the emergence of the future first team players. In order to accommodate 3 teams, it has been necessary to take on additional playing facilities, in partnership with Oldham Community Leisure, both the first and second teams will be playing their home fixtures at Chapel Road, on the brand new 3rd generation playing surface, but Lime Lane will remain as our real home.