History
Wigan Robin Park Football Club was founded in 2005 and started playing in the Bridgewater Office Supplies Manchester Football League, which is a feeder for the North West Counties.
During the first season in 2005/06 a steady start was made and soon mid-table was found. All the players were local lads and soon gelled together resulting in a good start to the Lancashire Shield and Wigan Cup. By Christmas the team had just been knocked out of the Lancashire Shield at the Quarter Final stage by BAE Systems Barrow on penalties and was sitting 7th in the table. At the end of the season the team was unlucky to lose in the semi-final of the Wigan Cup but an appearance in the final of the Murray Shield was a big achievement. The lads just fell short when they were beaten on penalties by Walshaw Sports but the benchmark had been set.
The signs were good at the start of the 2006/07 season with a number of new players joining the club. Another solid start in the league saw the team move into fourth in the table a position they never went below throughout the season. In the Wigan Cup the team progressed to the quarter-final stage but went out in the first round of the Lancashire Shield to Crookland Casuals. The team then went on a remarkable league run which saw them lose on the 14th October then go all the way to the end of the season undefeated. For the second year running the semi- final was the end of the Wigan Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Winstanley St Aidans. But the aim at the beginning of the season was achieved with promotion to the Manchester Premier Division finishing in second place behind Walshaw Sports.
Due to our success in the 06/07 season we now needed a reserve team for 2007/08 to compete in the Manchester Premier League. Two first team players Paul Vermiglio and Craig Barton applied for The Manager and Assistant Manager role respectively and were appointed. After holding an Open day for new players the team was formed and will compete in the Manchester 4th Division. Another influx of new players to the first team again stood us in good stead for the season ahead. A poor start to the campaign saw the team lose four, draw one and win one in the opening six games and also get knocked out of the Wigan Cup in first round. The team then turned the corner and went on an excellent run which saw them lose just once in 24 games in all competitions resulting in final appearances in the Gilgryst Cup and the Lancashire Shield. The team played Euxton Villa in the Lancashire Shield Final at the County Ground Leyland. After 90 minutes the score was 0-0, then with one minute left Ben Kay scored a free kick, but with 10 seconds left Euxton equalized and then went on to lift the cup on penalties. With the season coming to an end a big push was needed to catch leaders Gregorians. Another good run saw the team lose just once in 13 games and it all came down to the last game of the season. A win for the Robins and Gregorians to draw or lose would hand Wigan the title. Wigan saw off Breightmet 4-1 and Gregorians lost 3-2 at Atherton Town handing Wigan Robin Park the title at the first attempt. The reserves also did well in their first season together finishing just outside the promotion places in fourth. After a visit from the North West Counties ground grading committee we were promoted to the North West Counties First Division.
In our inaugural season in the NWCFL we made a decent start winning 7 drawing 3 and losing 2 in our opening 12 fixtures. The highlight of this was being the first team to defeat title contenders AFC Liverpool in front of what would be the highest home crowd of 603 at Valerie Park. The Vodkat Challenge Cup paired us against Premier division outfit Bacup Borough at home. After leading twice in the game Bacup scored with the last kick of the game to take it into extra time. The game finished 3-3 after extra time forcing a replay which Bacup would eventually win. The league cup saw us bow out at the first hurdle at the hands of Norton Utd. The team then lost some consistency but stayed in the top 5 most of the season including top but eventually finishing in fifth position.
During the first season in 2005/06 a steady start was made and soon mid-table was found. All the players were local lads and soon gelled together resulting in a good start to the Lancashire Shield and Wigan Cup. By Christmas the team had just been knocked out of the Lancashire Shield at the Quarter Final stage by BAE Systems Barrow on penalties and was sitting 7th in the table. At the end of the season the team was unlucky to lose in the semi-final of the Wigan Cup but an appearance in the final of the Murray Shield was a big achievement. The lads just fell short when they were beaten on penalties by Walshaw Sports but the benchmark had been set.
The signs were good at the start of the 2006/07 season with a number of new players joining the club. Another solid start in the league saw the team move into fourth in the table a position they never went below throughout the season. In the Wigan Cup the team progressed to the quarter-final stage but went out in the first round of the Lancashire Shield to Crookland Casuals. The team then went on a remarkable league run which saw them lose on the 14th October then go all the way to the end of the season undefeated. For the second year running the semi- final was the end of the Wigan Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Winstanley St Aidans. But the aim at the beginning of the season was achieved with promotion to the Manchester Premier Division finishing in second place behind Walshaw Sports.
Due to our success in the 06/07 season we now needed a reserve team for 2007/08 to compete in the Manchester Premier League. Two first team players Paul Vermiglio and Craig Barton applied for The Manager and Assistant Manager role respectively and were appointed. After holding an Open day for new players the team was formed and will compete in the Manchester 4th Division. Another influx of new players to the first team again stood us in good stead for the season ahead. A poor start to the campaign saw the team lose four, draw one and win one in the opening six games and also get knocked out of the Wigan Cup in first round. The team then turned the corner and went on an excellent run which saw them lose just once in 24 games in all competitions resulting in final appearances in the Gilgryst Cup and the Lancashire Shield. The team played Euxton Villa in the Lancashire Shield Final at the County Ground Leyland. After 90 minutes the score was 0-0, then with one minute left Ben Kay scored a free kick, but with 10 seconds left Euxton equalized and then went on to lift the cup on penalties. With the season coming to an end a big push was needed to catch leaders Gregorians. Another good run saw the team lose just once in 13 games and it all came down to the last game of the season. A win for the Robins and Gregorians to draw or lose would hand Wigan the title. Wigan saw off Breightmet 4-1 and Gregorians lost 3-2 at Atherton Town handing Wigan Robin Park the title at the first attempt. The reserves also did well in their first season together finishing just outside the promotion places in fourth. After a visit from the North West Counties ground grading committee we were promoted to the North West Counties First Division.
In our inaugural season in the NWCFL we made a decent start winning 7 drawing 3 and losing 2 in our opening 12 fixtures. The highlight of this was being the first team to defeat title contenders AFC Liverpool in front of what would be the highest home crowd of 603 at Valerie Park. The Vodkat Challenge Cup paired us against Premier division outfit Bacup Borough at home. After leading twice in the game Bacup scored with the last kick of the game to take it into extra time. The game finished 3-3 after extra time forcing a replay which Bacup would eventually win. The league cup saw us bow out at the first hurdle at the hands of Norton Utd. The team then lost some consistency but stayed in the top 5 most of the season including top but eventually finishing in fifth position.
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