Wythenshawe Town – A History

Early Days
The club was founded in 1946 as the North Withington Amateur Football Club and was the idea of some young men who attended St. Crispin’s Church on Hart Road in Fallowfield. The club first played in the South Manchester & Wythenshawe League (1946 - 1958) and were subsequently transferred to the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur league (1958 - 1972).

Manchester League & Timpson Road
It was in 1972 the club applied and were accepted into the Manchester League, when up until 1974 all games of football were played at Hough End Field, Princess Road, Withington.
In June 1974, under the helm of Chairman Billy Moore, the club’s headquarters were moved from the Princess Hotel in Withington to the newly acquired ground at Timpson Road, Baguley, M23 9LL where three pre-fabricated houses were purchased and turned into a clubhouse with a bar, kitchen and changing facilities. After numerous discussions, it was decided to name the ground after the residing Chairman (Stan Hahn) and the Club Secretary (Eric Renard) out of respect, honouring them as founding members, hence the name Ericstan Park. And it was at this point, the club decided to design a new badge incorporating a cockerel and a fox; the cockerel related to founding member Stanley Hahn (the German for cockerel is Hähnchen) and the fox to founding member Eric Renard (the French for fox is Renard), to forever recognise the club’s founding members.

Cheshire League & The Invincibles
In 2014 and under new Chairman Kenny Hope, the club transferred to the Cheshire League Division 2 and went on to become history-makers, making national headlines as they won every single league and Cup game, 39 games in total, earning the side the title, ‘The Invincibles.’ Back to back promotions on their debut in the Cheshire League, and with a working partnership in place with professional football club Fleetwood Town, the club set their sights firmly on bringing semi-professional football to the club for the first time in history.

The North-West Counties Football League & Semi-Pro Football
That ambition came to realisation at the end of the 2017/18 season after two seasons in the Cheshire Premier League when the club secured promotion to Step 6 and the Hallmark Security North West Counties League South Division, heralding a new era at the club. There were further changes at the beginning of 2019 when Chris Eaton took over as Chairman with a promise to put the club on a sound business footing. Promotion was narrowly missed at the end of the season but with Manager James Kinsey and his coaching team in charge, the club looked forward to the new campaign with optimism. The optimism proved well-founded as the club showed its confidence in the players and management team was justified with some remarkable highlights and a run in the league that left them in third place and looking forward to a future in the next level. Their greatest run of success was in the FA Vase where a series of victories against Goole Town, Nostell Miners Welfare, Skelmersdale United, and Northwich Victoria saw them matched against competition favourites big-spending Consett Town. A draw at home saw Wythenshawe visit the North-East for the replay but the FA’s experimental rule-change for the competition saw the team short of six players while their opponents had a full squad to choose from. Even so it was a narrow one-nil defeat that saw their visions of Wembley come to an end. The highlight of the season was a remarkable two-one away victory over high flying National League North stars Curzon Ashton in the Frank Hannah Manchester Senior Cup and their last game before the season was ended by COVID-19 was in the semi-final of the Division One Cup against Sandbach United. The decision to declare the season null and void robbed the club of what looked to be a certain promotion.

Seven out of Seven and then COVID
Season 2020/2021 saw a remarkable start to the campaign with seven straight wins and 29 goals scored against just 3 in return. Once again, the season was ended by COVID, and it looked as if once again frustration was the order of the day. However, the club got the news it so richly deserved when the FA made the decision to base promotion on the records of the two curtailed seasons and Wythenshawe Town found themselves starting the new campaign in the Premier Division. There was progress off the field as well at the beginning of 2021, when Chairman Chris Eaton, with the unanimous backing of the members, turned the club into a limited company with a promise of great things to come.

Success and Reward
The 2021-2022 season proved to be an outstanding campaign with a run in the FA Vase and a close finish in the League. Victories against Litherland REMYCA, Bacup Borough, Seaham Red Star, Holker OB, Billingham Synthonia, red-hot favourites Consett AFC and Anstey Nomads saw them reach the dizzy heights of an FA Vase Quarter Final at Loughborough Students. However, it proved one hurdle too far and the visions of Wembley were dashed. After the first few weeks Town were never out of the top three places in the league and it went right up to the final day when they were pipped by just a single point. Wythenshawe Town’s achievements didn’t go unrecognised, and they received two great honours at the League Presentation Evening. Manager James Kinsey was rewarded for three years of hard work and dedication when he received the Manager of The Year Award for the Premier Division and the club’s attitude to discipline on the field saw them receive the Fair Play Award.

A New Season and New Ambition
The 2022-2023 season promised to be a continuation of the club’s success with important signings and even more investment from the club’s Board of Directors. The aim was to be nothing less than promotion to the next level.
There was a fine start to the season, with the club going through seventeen league matches undefeated, placing them top of the table for several weeks. However, a stutter in results in December saw them fall a little, but they recovered in style, returning to the top three places. Victory in their last two matches would have taken them into the runner-up spot and play-off for promotion, but it was not to be, and they fell just four points short.
Wythenshawe Town have also had a great run in the Manchester Frank Hannah Premier Cup with victories over Bury AFC (3-0), FC United (3-1) and Ashton United (2-0) taking them to the final against Radcliffe FC. Unfortunately, a 3-0 deficit at the break proved too much to overcome but it was still a proud day for the club. However, the season ended in disappointment with the chance of promotion being missed by just three points.

2023-2024 and It's All Change
The Summer of 2023 saw Manager James Kinsey depart for Stalybridge Celtic, and a new regime at Ericstan Park was announced with the appointment of Rory Fallon and his management team, along with a completely new squad of players. The campaign turned out to be the most successful in the club's history. In the league, they were rarely out of the top three places and indeed spent many weeks in the number one spot. In the end they only missed out on the championship and automatic promotion by goal difference. However, play-off wins against Padiham and Bury in the final saw they receive their richly deserved promotion, and they looked forward to a new campaign in the Northern Premier League.

2024-2025 Up Another Level
Rory and his management team agreed to continue, and the new season at Level Four began in fine style, with success in the league and a run in the FA Cup that took them past Chadderton, Runcorn Linnets, and Whitchurch Alport before they fell at the hands of Newcastle Benfield. Problems off the field provided an unwelcome diversion, as did the challenge of bringing the ground up to the necessary grading.
However, the club found a Knight in Shining Armour in Tom Knight, and thanks to his business skills, these problems were put behind them. After securing a mid-table place for most of the season, the results began to go against them, and they soon found themselves battling to stay out of the relegation places. The issue was in doubt right up to the final game of the season, and a loss at Newcastle Town sealed their fate.
However, their place at Level Four was confirmed when, finishing with the best goals-per-game at that level, they were one of two clubs to be reprieved. The financial burdens of the season meant that the same budget was not viable going forward, and Rory, who felt the budget could not do the club justice at that level, departed by mutual consent.
A new management team was soon put in place, and the club sought Chris Willcock's vast experience, particularly at Level Four and above. Willcock was happy to take on the challenge of giving his club a season of consolidation, thereby providing a platform to build for the future.