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HARROGATE RAILWAY FC
CLUB NAME: HARROGATE RAILWAY
ADDRESS: Station View, Starbeck Harrogate HG2 7JA
TELEPHONE NO: 01423 885539
FAX NO: 01423 885539
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
SECRETARY: Bob Moffat
ADDRESS: Field View, Wormald Green Harrogate HG3 3NJ
TELEPHONE NO: 01765 677747 Home
Office
07850 271483 Mobile
FAX NO:
E-MAIL ADDRESS: moffatbob@hotmail.co.uk
RESERVE TEAM:
MANAGER: Bob Moffat
TELEPHONE NO: 01765 677988 Office
01765 677747 Home
Mobile: 07850 271483
E-MAIL ADDRESS: moffatbob@hotmail.co.uk
GROUND ADDRESS:
(If not main ground)
TELEPHONE NO:
DIRECTIONS: A59 Harrogate to Knaresborough road. After approx 1.5 miles turn left immediately prior to pelican crossing just before railway level crossing. The ground is 300 yards at the end of the road.
1st CHOICE COLOURS: Red Shirts, Green Shorts, Red Socks
2nd CHOICE COLOURS: White shirts, Black shorts, White Socks
MATCH DAY: Wednesday
MATCHDAY MOBILE No: 07850 271483
EMERGENCY CONTACT: David Shepherd 07816 986799
WEBSITE www.harrogaterailway.com
History
The club was formed in 1935 by workers at the Starbeck LNER depot and played in the Harrogate League. They progressed successfully and in 1946 won the British Railways National Cup Final. This success prompted the club to borrow £1,500 from the LNER to buy the Station View site and secure a permanent home. This was agreed provided 300 rail workers paid I d a week to finance repayments - more than enough subscribed.
The 1950's saw the club join the West Yorkshire League, then the Yorkshire League and the first of two major assaults on the FA Amateur Cup in 1953 with a second-round proper tie at Harwich and Parkestone. Special trains carried fans to the game which Harwich won 3-2.
At the end of the fifties the
loco sheds were being run down and finally closed in 1959. Finances
were adversely affected as many members and players had to leave the
area to find work elsewhere.
The club soldiered on through
the 1960's under the auspices of "Chick" Farr and they
almost repeated the Amateur Cup exploits of the fifties when they
made the first round proper in 1961, only to go out 4-2 at Whitley
Bay. A special train conveyed fans to that game as well. They won
promotion to the Yorkshire League first division and an appearance in
the Yorkshire League Cup Final in 1964. Those were the highlights of
a decade when, until the advent of the Alliance Premier League, the
Yorkshire League was only two steps from the Football League itself.
However, the late sixties and
early seventies were a struggle and Railway were relegated to the
Yorkshire League third division and then returned to the Harrogate
League in 1973, a move which ironically coincided with the FA
abolishing amateur status, and which enabled them to stabilise financially.
They were able to rejoin the
Yorkshire League in 1980 and became founder-members of the new
Northern Counties (East) League (NCEL) in 1982. Freddie Cliff steered
the club to promotion from the second division (north) and the NCEL
Cup. Meanwhile a new junior structure was formed, thanks to the
efforts of John and Mary Lindsay, and quickly grew in stature
ÂRailway can now boast football from under-9 to senior level.
In the 1990-91 season Railway
reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup under Denis Metcalf
and future manager Martin Haresign actually played in the 3-1 defeat
at Chorley. Floodlights were installed in 1991 and a strong Sheffield
United side, including Vinnie Jones, provided the star-studded
opposition at the official opening.
Management changes and financial
difficulties hindered progress as the nineties wore on. However, Dave
Fell joined as boss in 1998 and won the NCEL first division, but he
departed at the end of the same season, taking most of the team with him.
Ex Harrogate Town player and
manager Paul Marshall took on the job and had to build a new team
which struggled in the first half of the next season, but the club
stood by him and a good late run ensured survival in the premier
division. The committee's faith in him culminated in two amazing FA
Cup runs. The fourth qualifying round was reached for a second time
in 200 I, that foray ended with an unlucky 3-2 defeat at home to
Morecambe, the winner coming deep into injury-time.
But the following year Railway
went two better and, after a bewildering qualifying competition, the
many who travelled to Berkshire witnessed a 2-1 win at Slough Town in
the first round proper. The lowest ranking club ever to reach the
second round proper was then drawn at home to Bristol City, the
highest ranked club in the competition at that stage. A fairy-tale tie.
Railway dumbfounded everyone by
opting to stage the game at Station View. Despite many improvements
over the years, three huge temporary stands had to be erected, and a
monster effort by the club made sure that the ground was capable of
being the focus of the football world for a couple of hours in
December 2002. Sky TV beamed the game world-wide and the day lived up
to expectations. Before a sell-out crowd of 3,500, Bristol City were
made to fight for their 3-1 win. Steve Davey netted with 17 minutes
to go to make it 2-1, but once again an injury-time goal finally
sealed Railway's fate.
Unfortunately arguments over
players' bonus payments clouded the experience and, despite winning
the NCEL President's Cup the same season, Paul Marshall was not reinstated.
Leeds duo Dave Harrison and John
Francis were appointed but, after just one win in 1I games and early
exits from the FA competitions, they stepped down and Martin Haresign
was quickly brought in. He signed new players to steady the ship and
kept the club in the premier division. The 2004-5 season started
poorly but the team recovered to finish third, just missing out on
promotion to the UniBond League, and were also pipped in the League
Cup final, losing 2-1 to Sheffield at Ossett Albion's Dimple Wells ground.
More ground improvements in
preparation for UniBond League football were implemented and this
time Martin's side, albeit after another slow start, made the top
three placing originally stipulated for promotion to the UniBond, the
vital victory at Sheffield was probably the best display of the
season. History had been made and Railway were set to play at their
highest level.
The first season in the UniBond
proved to confound critics, many of whom predicted a basement finish.
This time, however, a good start was built upon and the campaign
ended with a mid-table position. Sadly, Martin Haresign had to
relinquish managerial duties due to business reasons but Vince
Brockie and new assistant Dave Morgan carried on the good work.