Our story begins in 1946. Dunkirk football undoubtedly has a longer pedigree than this, but the Second World War had caused its footballers to hang up their boots. With the war over, local man Ron Steel was eager to see Dunkirk back on the footballing map and was largely responsible for the re-establishment of Dunkirk F.C. He was to be its driving force for the next thirty-seven years until his death in 1983

The Club used to play home matches in the Notts Amateur League on one or other of the Corporation pitches at Highfields. Over the years they enjoyed a fair degree of success. These successes fostered the desire within the Club to 'go places', but there seemed no way this could happen while they continued to play on hired pitches.

"The Boatmens" The first league they joined was the Notts Amateur League, of which they were members until 1975. They won the Premier Division in that season, the club’s first major honour. Accepted into the Notts Alliance League, they got off to a good start, eventually finishing runners-up. Five years later, they were champions.

In 1981/82, Dunkirk reached the semi-final of the Notts F.A Intermediate Cup, a feat they repeated the following season. In the league, they led Division One for much of the season. In 1986/87, the club finished 9th and reached the semi-final of the league, losing 2-0 to John Player.

The following season saw the club improve on that semi-final by winning the League Cup, with leading scorer Mark Frettingham hitting all three goals in the final. At the end of the 1988/89 season, followers of the club might have been forgiven for thinking their team might never win the Notts Alliance Senior Division Title. After reaching the top spot on 25th October, they led the table for 25 weeks, then dropped six points in as many games to finish second behind Hucknall Town by four points. The next season saw them as runners-up again, this time behind John Player by two points. In the Notts Senior Cup, they reached the quarter-finals before going out to Eastwood Town in a penalty shootout. Dunkirk again ended as bridesmaids in 1990/91, seven points adrift of Rainworth MW, who took the title in a late burst. In the League Cup, they reached the final against Pelican. Dunkirk lost 2-0 after a replay, drawing 2-2 in the first game.

In 1991/92, they slipped to 9th in the league but improved to 4th the following season. They also entered the FA Vase for the first time but made a quick exit by losing at home 5-1 to Lincoln United. Twelve months later, they beat Nettleham 5-3 to win their match in the competition, but the best was yet to come. In 1993/94, they had a magnificent run in the FA Vase, reaching the last 16 before bowing out to Tiverton Town. 1995/96 saw the Boatmen make their debut in the Central Midlands League, scoring 130 goals as they finished runners-up to Killamarsh Juniors and so gained promotion to the Supreme Division.

In the 1997/98 season, they finished in 4th place and won the League Cup, beating Clipstone Welfare 2-0 in the final at Hucknall Town. In the 1998/99 season, Dunkirk secured the runners-up spot again, snatching it from Goole on the last day of the season with a 2-0 win over South Normanton. The high expectations for the 1999/2000 season never materialised, with the club finishing in 6th position in the league. The 2000/01 season saw the Boatmen’s worst season in the Supreme Division, finishing 10th. In 2002/03, the Boatmen beat Sutton Town on penalties to win the Floodlit Cup and also reached the league cup final, losing 2-0 to Dinnington Town at Alfreton Town’s ground.

Dave Harbottle took over the reins as player/manager and quickly drafted former Dunkirk player Wayne Manners as his assistant. They guided the club to 6th in the league table.

The 2004/05 season may be the greatest in history for the Boatmen, as they won the Central Midlands Supreme Division for the first time and also reached the finals of both the Floodlit Cup and the League Cup. They lifted the Floodlit Cup for the second time in three years with a 2-0 win against Clipstone Welfare. Unfortunately, the Boatmen lost in the League Cup final, falling 1-0 in a tight game against Sandiacre Town at Alfreton Town’s ground.

After Dunkirk’s memorable championship season, promotion was denied due to the ground not meeting the required standards for the league above. This disappointment led to many players moving on to higher-placed clubs in the football pyramid, necessitating a period of rebuilding. This rebuilding phase gave Dunkirk the opportunity to integrate many of the club's under-19 players into the 1st team. Despite a difficult season, they managed to finish in 8th position.

In the 2007/08 season, Dunkirk entered the campaign with optimism that silverware might be returning to the club. However, after a poor start, their league title dreams seemed to have slipped away. Dunkirk then turned to the cup competitions, and after a good run in the FA Vase, where they narrowly lost to Oldbury United in the 2nd round after a replay, a bit of confidence returned to the side. The second half of the season saw this confidence flourish, with the "Boatmen" storming up the table to achieve what looked to be an impossible 4th place league finish. They also reached the league cup final at Alfreton Town’s ground, where they defeated Blidworth Welfare 1-0 after extra time.

The 2008/09 season brought fresh optimism for Dunkirk as they were accepted to become founder members of the East Midlands Counties Football League, which was a step up in league terms for the club. This promotion also gave Dunkirk the opportunity to enter the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

Our first game in the 2008/09 season started with the FA Cup as we faced Alvechurch from the Midland Football Alliance (step 5). Alvechurch, though, proved to be a little too strong for us as they raced into a 4-goal half-time lead. Although we put in a spirited second-half performance, the game ended 4-1.

In our first-ever step 6 league campaign, we started extremely well and remained unbeaten until the end of October when we crashed to a 3-0 defeat against eventual league winners Kirby Muxloe. For most of the season, we found ourselves just behind the front two, but with only 12 games remaining, we did top the table. This, though, was to be the highlight of the season, and after this spell at the top, we dwindled away and had to settle for a 5th place finish.

This was to be the club's last game in the Central Midlands League, and after a 13-year successful period in which they claimed 1 League Title, 2 League Cups, and 2 Floodlit Cup trophies, also claiming 3 League runners-up positions and losing in 2 league cup finals, they leave the Central Midlands League with many happy memories.

The 2008/09 season gave Dunkirk a taste of what life was like in step 6 football, and they went into the 2009/10 campaign with huge expectations that silverware would again be returning to Lenton Lane. The campaign, though, started with 3 defeats in their opening 6 matches, but they then went on a 30-game unbeaten run, pushing them into second place in the table. With leaders Bardon Hill Sports playing 8 games more than "the Boatmen" and with an 18-point lead with 16 games remaining, a huge effort from Dunkirk was needed.

The expectations that the club set themselves were met when they saw the season out with 9 straight league wins to take the East Midland Counties title by 6 points over nearest contenders and runners-up Gresley FC. This gave the club the opportunity to gain promotion, and they were accepted into the Midland Alliance Football League, a step 5 league in the football pyramid, marking the club's first time at this level of football.

As well as league success, the club also had good cup runs, reaching the third round of the FA Vase, where they narrowly lost out in a dramatic penalty shootout against Pickering Town after a replay. They also reached the semi-finals of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup, crashing out against Unibond League high-flyers Retford United 4-0. In the East Midland Counties League Cup, the "Boatmen," known for their League Cup success, reached the final again, facing Gedling Town but unfortunately returned home with runners-up medals as Gedling snatched the tie with an extra-time 2-1 victory.

The 2010/11 season saw Dunkirk ply their trade in step 5 football for the first time in their history, and after a very enjoyable season, they claimed a creditable 8th place finish, although they were only 4 points behind third position in the table. The club also enjoyed cup success as they claimed their first-ever win in the FA Cup with an exciting 4-3 Extra Preliminary Round win over NCEL side Dinnington Town. They also showed their pedigree as they saw off step 4 side Grantham Town 3-2 in extra time after a replay before bowing out of the competition in the 1st Qualifying Round against local rivals Carlton Town again after a replay, going down to a 2-1 home defeat that again went to extra time.

This campaign also saw "the Boatmen" reach the third round proper of the FA Vase as Northern League side Ashington made the long trip to our ground. Still, we just fell short as Ashington came from behind to claim a 2-1 win and reached the fourth round of the competition. Again, we reached the semi-final of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup, and the draw couldn’t have been any tougher as we were paired against Conference North high-flyers Eastwood Town. Although we put in a tremendous performance, a last-minute Eastwood strike gave them a 1-0 win as they went on to claim the trophy.

During the 2010/11 season, the club was left in total shock as they dealt with the sudden death of their long-standing Chairman, Jack Riley. Jack had been an instrumental part of the club for many years, and everybody at the club had to pull together, which they did as they again looked to push the club forward. They also appointed a new Chairman as former Nottingham Forest favourite David Johnson took on the role.

After an excellent first season in step 5 football, Dunkirk had fresh optimism that they could challenge at the top of the table. The 2011/12 season, however, saw them find themselves in an unfamiliar position as they struggled near the lower reaches of the division, only just avoiding relegation during the last few weeks of the season, finally finishing in 18th position. The reserves claimed the Central Midlands League Reserve League Cup with a 2-1 win against Radford Reserves, played at Long Eaton United’s ground.

The club rebuilt again during the 2012/13 season, but inconsistency was their main problem throughout the season. They did, however, finish in a creditable 10th position, winning 18 of their 42 matches, losing 16, and drawing 8. The reserve side, under the guidance of Mark Harbottle, claimed silverware for the second season in succession as they won the Central Midlands League Reserve Supreme Division with a very young side.

Dunkirk, however, are once again on the lookout for a new chairman as David Johnson has had to resign from his position due to work commitments. Craig Smith has taken on this role temporarily, but any interested parties who feel they can push the club to the next level should contact any of the club officials.

The 2013/14 season was a struggle throughout, and in January 2014, long-term managers David Harbottle and Ian Upton decided to step away from their position, and in came Leigh Grant and Kuki Morley as joint managers. Although the club continued to struggle, they did manage to avoid relegation on the final day of the season, claiming a point at home against AFC Wulfrunians.

After a tough start to the 2014/15 season, managers Leigh Grant and Kuki Morley resigned from their positions as joint managers. The club acted quickly and appointed former captain Nick Hawkins as manager. The club's form continued to be poor as they languished in the bottom three at Christmas, with only 12 points on the table. However, a miraculous change in fortunes and team morale occurred as, for the second season running, the club somehow escaped relegation on the final day of the season, beating Shepshed Dynamo 1-0 to retain their step 5 status.

The reserve team disbanded at the end of the 2014/15 season, but a new team named AFC Dunkirk was created in its place, playing in the Nottinghamshire Senior League Premier Division. The 2015/16 season was a disaster for the first team, as throughout the season, they had four managers in charge in a very miserable campaign. The fourth manager, former player Paul Rawden, knew he had a big job on his hands to try and save the club from the drop, but after a late flourish of wins, it wasn’t enough, and the club were ultimately relegated to the East Midland Counties League after finishing third from bottom. Although the first team struggled, the newly formed AFC team had a splendid season as this side, made up mainly of youngsters, remained competitive throughout the campaign and managed to claim wins over some of the more established sides in the Nottinghamshire Senior League along the way.

Main image courtesy - The Lenton Times

Dunkirk FC