At the end of the 2012/13 season Hanley Town won the Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division title and made an application to enter the North West Counties Football League First Division, which was not regionalised at the time, with journey's up to Cumbria. After passing the ground grading requirements the club entered the semi-professional system for the very first time.

All the action came in the second half when on 50 minutes Joel Stair glanced an header into the roof of the net from a corner whipped in by cousin Theo Stair. But the lead only lasted 3 minutes when a Cheetham 22 yard shot took a wicked deflection that wrong footed Town keeper Jackson before finding the net.

Hanley Town regained the lead on 75 minutes when a Machin through ball sent Danny Tainton clear whose first effort while under pressure by Chadderton defender Pauley was saved by Chadderton keeper Beckett but the ball looped up off the Chadderton keeper leaving Tainton to head Hanley Town in front from close range.

But Hanley Town let the lead slip for a second time on 85 minutes when a short free-kick by Chadderton's Russell found Cheetham whose 25 yard shot was saved by Town keeper Jackson but Sultan reacted quickest to tap the ball into the net. Chadderton nearly won it in injury time when a quick breakaway allowed Sultan to whip in a cross only for Russell to blaze over from 6yards.

Saturday 3rd August 2013: Kick-Off 3pm:
North West Counties Football League:
Division One:
HANLEY TOWN 2: CHADDERTON 2:

HANLEY TOWN: Line-Up:
Dane Jackson:
Josh Goodall: Josh Thorpe: Joel Stair: Tom Hall:
Mick Machin: Phil Parkes: Ben Blowers: Sean Mallin:
Danny Tainton: Theo Stair:
Substitutes:
Neil Edwards: Nathan Grice: Ben Sambrook: Phil Mannion: Tom Cawley (gk):

CHADDERTON: Line-Up:
N.Beckett:
B.Fletcher: C.Pauley: K.Melvin: B.Greenage:
S.Sherwood: M.Cheetham: M.Harewood: J.Jacobs:
N.Sultan: M.Russell:
Substitutes:
C.Best: S.Nolan: J.Fawcett: M.O'Keefe:

Referee:
D.Critchlow:
Assistants:
G.Wild: S.Winley: