Radcliffe F.C.

Did You Know?

• The club was formed with just two players (Tommy Entwistle and Bert Nutter) and £1.2s.6d (£1.12½p) in the bank.
• In 1956–57, Boro beat the Busby Babes 1-0 at The Cliff – their only home defeat in two seasons.
• Jody Banim set an English record by scoring in 14 consecutive games for Radcliffe in 2003.
• The club changed its name from Radcliffe Borough to Radcliffe Football Club for the 2018–19 season.
• Radcliffe won the 2023–24 Northern Premier League Premier Division title, earning promotion to the National League North after a 20-year absence.

History

The club was formed on 24 May 1949 at the Owd Tower Inn in Radcliffe by Jack Pickford and a committee of 17, joining the South East Lancashire Football League. With two players and £1.2s.6d in the bank, the club leased a field off Ashworth Street for two years. In 1951–52 it moved to a pitch on Betley Street, and the following year the pitch was turned 180 degrees parallel with Bright Street, which became the ground's name. After a short period in the South East Lancashire League, the club joined the Manchester League, playing against 'A' teams of Manchester United, Manchester City, Stockport County and Bury.

In 1955–56 the club finished second, its best finish, and third the following season. In 1958–59 it reached the Manchester Junior Cup Final at Old Trafford, losing to Cheadle Rovers, and later shared the William Gilgryst Cup with the same opponents. In 1961–62 it lost the Gilgryst Cup Final to Buxton Reserves. In 1963–64 the club joined the Lancashire Combination Division 2.

In August 1966 the club was told to leave Bright Street after the Earl of Wilton sold the land. After being refused a site on Bury Road, the club moved in 1968–69 to the White House sports ground on Middleton Road, owned by Manchester Corporation Transport Dept. A new ground was found at Stainton Park, where old wooden stands from Bright Street were erected and a pitch laid in June 1969. In 1970 Radcliffe won the League Cup and finished third in the league.

It was accepted into the Cheshire County League, but struggled through the 1970s and was relegated to Division 2 in 1979–80. The Cheshire County League later became the North West Counties League, which brought an upturn in fortunes.

Women's team

The first Radcliffe Borough Ladies team formed in 1994–95 when Bury Girls & Ladies moved to Stainton Park and rebranded. They spent three seasons in the North West Women's Regional League before returning to Bury's name in 1997. Years later, in 2023–24, Bury Foundation Women linked up with Radcliffe FC, relocated to Stainton Park, and became Radcliffe Women. The team now plays in the North West Women's Regional League under manager Steve Jones, with a reserve side in the Lancashire Women's County League and an under-18s squad in the Greater Manchester Women's Football League. During the gap between these two spells, Blackburn Rovers W.F.C. used Stainton Park for several seasons.

Notable players

Players who played for Radcliffe/Boro and later signed for clubs in the Football League, Scottish Football League, MLS, A-League, I-League, or played internationally while at the club include Gary Curtis, Craig Dawson, Steve Fleet, Kole Hall, Raheem Hanley, Niell Hardy, Brian Hart, Jimmy Hayman, Kevin Hulme, Bob Hutchinson, Lamin Jagne, Lois Maynard, Jack McIntyre, Paul Mullin, Billy Myerscough, Tunde Owolabi, Andy Parry, Rory Patterson, Gary Pierce, Dennis Jones, Edward Rayner, Mark Redshaw, Domaine Rouse, Darren Sheridan, Jordan Slew, Sean Tse, Isaac Lee, and Abimbola Obasoto.

Players who played at the highest level of English football or internationally and later turned out for the Boro include Gordon Armstrong, Arthur Barnard, Peter Barnes, Ian Bishop, Frankie Bunn, Len Cantello, Gordon Clayton, Nick Culkin, Neil Danns, Mike Flynn, John Foster, Tommy Heron, Gordon Hill, Fred Hill, Paul Gascoigne, David Goodwillie, Jem Karacan, Alan Kennedy, Dave Lennard, Chris Makin, Trevor Ross, Lee Sharpe, Darren Sheridan, Neil Whitworth, and Frank Worthington.

Statistics and records

Simon Kelly holds the record for most appearances, with 502 starts. Ian Lunt is the top scorer with 147 goals. The record for most goals in a season is 46, set by Jody Banim. The club's biggest wins are 11-0 against New Mills on 21 April 1982 and 11-0 against Witton Albion on 28 October 1978. The highest transfer fee received was £20,000 from Shrewsbury Town for Jody Banim, though the club received more in add-on fees from the sale of Craig Dawson to Rochdale AFC, the total sum undisclosed. The highest transfer fee paid was £5,000 to Buxton for Gary Walker. Best FA Cup performance: first round, 2000–01. Best FA Trophy performance: fourth round, 2023–24 and 2024–25. Best FA Vase performance: fourth round, 1993–94 (replay).