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Glossop North End Association Football Club is a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club in
Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...
,
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, England, which competes in the . The club was founded in February 1886. Between 1899 and 1992 the club was officially known as Glossop. Their current home ground, since 1955, is at Surrey Street in Glossop; the club's colours are blue and they are nicknamed the Hillmen or the Peakites. Four years after their formation the club joined the North Cheshire League for three seasons and were champions in 1893–94. They then played two seasons each in
The Combination The Combination was a league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across Northern England and the Midlands, and was disbanded before completion. The second ...
and the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
. Between 1898 and 1915 the club were members of the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
. The club played in the First Division for one season, 1899–1900, making the
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of Glossop the smallest whose team has played in the English top-flight. During this period the club chairman and benefactor was Sir Samuel Hill-Wood who was later to become chairman of
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. In the 1914-1915 season Glossop finished bottom of Division Two and were not re-elected to the Football League. Following the resumption of football after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in 1920 and through to 2015 Glossop played at various times in several north-west England based,
non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
competitions: the
Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 i ...
, the Manchester League (in which they were 1927–28 champions), the
Cheshire County League The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales. Initially the league was dominated by the reserve teams of Fo ...
, and the latter's successor the
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
(in which they were 2014–15 champions). Following promotion in 2015 the club played in the north of England based
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
until relegation in 2023 when they dropped back to the North West Counties League. Glossop North End were beaten finalists in the
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
in both
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
and
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
.


History


Formation and early years

Glossop North End were founded in 1886, playing friendly amateur matches. They used several grounds in the town, including Pyegrove, Silk Street, Water Lane and Cemetery Road before, in 1898, settling at North Road. The club joined the North Cheshire League in 1890 and were league champions in the 1893–94 season. In 1894 they switched league to
the Combination The Combination was a league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across Northern England and the Midlands, and was disbanded before completion. The second ...
at which time they turned professional. In their first season in the Combination, 1894–95, they finished runners-up to Ashton North End by one point; the club won their last eight matches with an aggregate score of 23–3, and conceded only nineteen goals over their complete twenty match programme. The following season the team again were tight defensively, conceding thirteen goals in fourteen matches, but a relative lack of goalscoring (compared to the other leading teams) saw them finish the season third in the eight team division. After two seasons in the Combination the club moved on to the
Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...
– in which they also played for two seasons: in the first of which they were runners-up to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
in the 1896–97 season, and then ninth in the reduced twelve team division the next season. In the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
competition of 1896–97 the club won through three qualifying rounds before being defeated in the first round proper 5–2 by
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
club
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.


1898–1914: The Football League

In 1898, as a result of the expansion of the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
and the funding provided by chairman and benefactor Sir Samuel Hill-Wood (who was later to become chairman of
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
), Glossop North End were elected to the
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
for the 1898–99 season. That season they were divisional runners-up to
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
and won promotion to the Football League First Division. The club changed their name to Glossop (primarily to avoid any confusion with
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
) before spending their only season, 1899–1900, in the league's top flight. They finished in last place in the division (with a W4; D10; L20 record) and were relegated back to the Second Division; the four matches they won were all at home, against
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
(who were that season's league champions),
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
and
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
. Glossop spent the next fifteen seasons in the Second Division. During this period the club reached an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
high point reaching the quarter-finals in 1908–09 where they were beaten 1–0 in a replay by eventual finalists
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
. The club finished in the top half of the table in their first two seasons back in the Second Division, (
1901 December 13 of this year is the beginning of signed 32-bit Unix time, and is scheduled to end in January 19, 2038. Summary Political and military 1901 started with the unification of multiple British colonies in Australia on January ...
and
1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...
). However, over most of the remaining seasons (apart from two top half finishes in
1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escapes death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Janu ...
and
1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...
) the club were perennial strugglers in the division. On three occasions in
1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...
,
1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
and
1913 Events January * January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city. * January 3 &ndash ...
they only remained members of the league following re-election. During the 1913–14 season a club record home attendance of 10,736 was established on 31 January 1914 in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
second round match against Preston North End.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p93, Over the following 1914–15 season the club recorded their worst Second Division performance, (W6; D6; L26), finished bottom of the division and had to apply for re-election. The next season was delayed following the suspension of normal League football owing to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Glossop were re-formed toward the end of the war by local dignitary
Oswald Partington Oswald Partington, 2nd Baron Doverdale (4 May 1872 – 23 March 1935) was a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom. Career The second but oldest surviving son of mill-owner Edward Partington, 1st Baron Doverdale, Edwa ...
, but failed to be re-elected back into the Football League on its resumption in 1919–20.


1919–82: Lancashire Combination, Manchester League and Cheshire League

Glossop subsequently joined the
Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 i ...
(in which their reserve team had played prior to the war) for a single season, 1919–20, in which they finished thirteenth of the eighteen teams competing. Northern Nomads ground-shared with Glossop for several years during this time. The club then dropped to the Manchester League in which they played until 1957 (except for the 1951–52 season). In the 1920s and 1940s Glossop were a leading club in the league: they were Manchester League champions in 1927–28 (with a W24; D5; L3 record), runners-up on multiple occasions and regularly finished towards the top of the table. Additionally the club won the Gilgryst Cup on four occasions: 1922–1923; 1929–1930, when they defeated
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
Reserves 5–1; in 1934–1935 by defeating
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
"A" 2–1; and in a replayed final in 1949 when
Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge Celtic Football Club is an English football club based in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. They are currently members of the and play at Bower Fold. The team traditionally plays in a blue and white strip. In 1921, Stalybridge Celti ...
were defeated. In the 1935–1936 FA Cup, having started at the preliminary round, Glossop reached the fourth qualifying round where they were defeated 4–2 by Kells United – this is to date (2024) the furthest the club has progressed in the FA Cup since being members of the Football League. In August 1951, after failing to agree terms for the rental of their North Road ground with Glossop Cricket Club the club temporarily withdrew from the league. The club rejoined the Manchester League in 1952 playing at the Vol Crepe sports ground. During the 1950s the club recorded mid to lower finishes in the league tables – which included a bottom position over the 1952–53 season. During 1955 the club moved to their current ground on Surrey Street; the first match played at their new home was on 17 September 1955, a 2–1 win in a Manchester League match versus
Radcliffe Borough Radcliffe Football Club (formerly Radcliffe Borough) is an English football club based in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, where they play their home games at Stainton Park. The club was formed on 24 May 1949 and currently plays in the National L ...
. After a sixth placed finish in the Manchester League over the 1956–57 season – the club's highest position in seven playing seasons – Glossop rejoined the Lancashire Combination in 1957 as members of Division Two. They spent nine seasons, until 1966, as members of the division generally recording mid table finishes: highs of fourth in both 1959–60 and 1965–66 (their final season in the league) and a low of thirteenth from seventeen teams in 1964–65. In 1966 Glossop returned to the Manchester League as members of the newly named Premier Division. Over the next twelve seasons in the division the club recorded mostly mid-table positions in the final tables; a high of third in the 1966–67 season; and lows of tenth from thirteen teams in 1968–69 and thirteenth from eighteen teams in their final season in the league of 1977–78. During this period for three seasons commencing 1971–72 the club competed in the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
competition but did not progress beyond the first qualifying round; then from 1974–75 they played in the newly founded
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
and in that season were knocked-out 4–2 by Middlewich Athletic in the third round (last 64 teams). The club joined the
Cheshire County League The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales. Initially the league was dominated by the reserve teams of Fo ...
in 1978 as members of the newly formed Division Two finishing in 17th position (from 18 teams). During that season in January 1979 it was reported that manager Derek Partridge, who had joined the club that season, had been awarded a five year contract; under his guidance the club reached their highest point to date in the
Derbyshire Senior Cup The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883–1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2–1 in the final. 1885–1886 saw Heeley ...
in 1978–79, losing a semi-final tie 3–0 to (eventual cup winners) Heanor Town. However, league form continued to be poor during the first part of the following season (W3; D2; L6) with the club towards the foot of the table and in December 1979 he left the club. His replacement, Brian Grundy, steered the club to a seventh placed finish in the 79–80 season Under manager Grundy in 1980–81 Glossop were Division Two runners-up and thereby qualified for promotion to Division One. They were pipped to the title on goal difference by
Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...
who additionally defeated Glossop 1-0 to win the Division Two Challenge Shield. Also the club equalled its best performance to date in the FA Vase being beaten in the third round 3-0 by Norton Woodseats. During the season the club, which had purchased their Surrey Street ground reportedly for £5,000 from the local council, improved the ground and facilities to fulfil the ground grading requirements for acceptance into Division One; also the club organisation had become a limited company. In the higher division over the 1981–82 season Glossop conceded only thirty goals, the best defensive record in the division, but a relative lack of goals scored (compared to other leading teams) led to nineteen drawn results of thirty-eight matches played and a sixth placed league finish.


1982–2015: North West Counties League

The Cheshire County League merged with the Lancashire Combination in 1982 to form the North West Counties Football League and Glossop became founder members of Division One. During their first four seasons in the league the club struggled, barely keeping above the relegation positions. In their first season in the league of 1982–83 the club suffered a cash crisis during which players were not paid and departed the club: the club won three of their first ten league matches (W3; D2; L5) after which they won only three more from the remaining twenty-eight (W3; D9; L16) and finished the season eighteenth of the twenty clubs in the division. The club returned to playing in the FA Trophy from 1982–83 and recorded their best performance to date, being eliminated in the second qualifying round by
Rhyl Rhyl (; , ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire in Wales. The town lies on the coast of North Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd. To the west is Kinmel Bay and Towyn, to the east Prestatyn, and to the south-east Rhuddlan ...
. The effect of the cash crisis continued into the next season. Manager Grundy left the club in December 1983 with the club at mid table; prior to his departure the club reached the
third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...
of the FA Cup where they were beaten 3-2 by Frickley Athletic – the furthest round reached in the competition by the club since reaching the fourth qualifying round in the 1935–1936 season. He was replaced by his assistant Tony Webber, and under him the club's league ranking faded to fifteenth (from twenty clubs) at the end of the 1983–84 season; and then sixteenth and eighteenth over the following two seasons. In the latter, the 1985–86 season, during the latter 1986 calendar year part of the season the club did not win until being victorious in their last two matches of the season which enabled them to escape relegation. At the end of the season manager Webber left the club and was replaced by David Yarwood. In 1986 the club marked their centenary season with a match against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
– the two clubs being linked by the common historic ownership of Sir Samuel Hill-Wood. The club equalled their best performance in reaching the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy in 1986 before losing 2–0 to
Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It was formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around ...
. In the league in 1986–87 the club endured a run of 22 matches without a win (D7; L15) which was brought to an end in February 1987 by a team revamped by manager John Sainty who had replaced Yarwood six weeks previously. Sainty left the club in mid March 1987, replaced by Neil Wilson on a caretaker basis. That season the club finished bottom of the league, having suffered 25 defeats over their 38 match programme (W5; D8; L25), but escaped relegation as Division One was being reconstituted, advancing clubs from Division Two to replace the twelve clubs that had left to join the newly formed Division One of the
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
. There was no reprieve the following 1987–88 season when a bottom placed finish, and 25 defeats over 34 matches (W5; D4; L25) resulted in relegation to Division Two. In the clubs first two seasons in Division Two lower table finishes were recorded, the third 1990–91 was one of contrasts. Under new manager Brent Peters things were positive: in the FA Vase competition (to which the club had returned to in 1987) they reached the fourth round (last 32 teams) where they were defeated in a replay 2–1 by
Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...
; and although in November 1990 the club unsuccessfully requested to withdraw from the North West Counties Football League Division Two Cup competition (owing to fixture congestion) they eventually won the trophy beating Cheadle Town 2–1 in the final. Off the pitch things were not so positive as the club was plunged into an existential financial induced crisis: this had its beginnings in January 1990 when brewers Samuel Websters and Wilsons recalled a £17,000 loan, which the club paid off with the assistance of a loan from the local council; in December 1990 ambitious new club Chairman Peter Smith sold the club's ground (with a view of building another elsewhere) to the local council for a reported £75,000, in effect netting £55,000 after settling the council loan; but when he left shortly afterwards it was discovered the club still had debts – one of which, £3,000 owed to Lincoln City for the transfer of goalkeeper Andy Gorton], caused The Football Association, the FA to temporarily suspend the club from playing; additionally they were expelled from the North West Counties League Cup competition, and the latter organisation actively considered expelling the club from the league itself; an emergency new board of directors took over in January 1991 and negotiated the club through the immediate crisis. As a post script to the financial crisis in December 1991, to put the club on a clean financial footing, a new Limited Company was formed to run the football club which from the start of the following 1991–92 season adopted its former name Glossop North End. Prior to the name change Glossop, who had appointed Roy Soule as manager in June 1991, finished in sixth-place in Division Two in 1991–92; the club were not in the promotion places but as a consequence of the league expanding Division One the club were amongst those advanced into the higher division (in preference to other higher placed division two clubs). Over the next sixteen seasons that the club were members of Division One they mostly struggled towards the foot of the table (with highpoints of top ten finishes on four occasions 1994–95, 1997–98, 2006–07, and 2007–08) but there were some cup highlights. In their first season under the club's original name of Glossop North End (GNE), 1992–93, the club reached the semi-finals of the North West Counties League Cup, before losing to Nantwich Town 5–2 over two legs. The start of the 1993–94 season saw the appointment of Gordon Rayner as manager however, he resigned shortly afterwards in October 1993, replaced on a caretaker basis by Peter O'Brien. In December 1993, after new permanent manager Ged Coyne had been appointed, the club equalled their best FA Vase performance when they reached the fourth round (last 32) once again losing 3–2 at Southern League Midland Division club
Bridgnorth Town AFC Bridgnorth is a football club based in the town of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Crown Meadow. The club badge depicts the town hall in Bridgnorth's high town. History Bridgnorth Town A Bri ...
. The club featured in the semi-finals of the League's floodlit Cup in 1994–95 (floodlights having been installed at Surrey Street in 1992), losing to Penrith 3–1 over two legs. In September 1996 club manager Ged Coyne stepped down and was replaced by his assistant Syd White. Under White later in the 1996–97 season GNE beat
Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...
in the final of the
Manchester Premier Cup The Manchester Premier Cup (also known as the Frank Hannah Manchester Premier Cup) is an annual English football knockout tournament involving teams from Greater Manchester, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Manchester Football A ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
and the following season, 1997–98, they won the competition again, beating Radcliffe Borough in the final at
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
. Additionally in the latter season the club reached the semi-finals of the North West Counties League Cup, losing to
Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...
3–1 over two legs. In 1998–99 the club progressed to the FA Cup third qualifying round where they were defeated 3–2 by Grantham Town of the
Southern League Premier Division The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and e ...
– a performance equal to that of 1983–84 but one round fewer than 1935–36, that being the best achieved since being a Football League club. Micky Boyle was appointed manager in June 1999 having, like his predecessor Syd White, been upgraded from assistant manager. Under Boyle in January 2000, the club once again played in the fourth round (last 32) of the FA Vase, losing 1–0 to eventual losing finalists
Chippenham Town Chippenham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of and play their games at Hardenhuish Park. History The club states it was established in 1873,
of the
Western Football League The Western Football League is a association football, football league in South West England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The league's current main sponsor is Jewson, so it ...
. In 2001 Syd White returned as a caretaker manager and Glossop North End won, for the first time, the
Derbyshire Senior Cup The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883–1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2–1 in the final. 1885–1886 saw Heeley ...
defeating
Glapwell Glapwell is a rural village and civil parish on the A617 road in the Bolsover District of north-east Derbyshire, The village is at the top of a steep hill at an elevation of 176m, on the western edge of the Southern Magnesian Limestone, overloo ...
– over the two-legged final the scores were level (both drawn matches, 3–3 away and 2–2 at home) before Glossop won 4–2 on penalties. In the league the club continued struggling to avoid relegation and conceded in excess of one hundred goals in three successive seasons between 2000–01 and 2002–03. Chris Nicholson was appointed manager in July 2001, the ninth position GNE attained in the 2006–07 season was the highest attained in his six seasons at the club. He stepped down at the end of that season and his assistant Steve Young was appointed manager for the 2007–08 season in which the club achieved a seventh placed league position. For the 2008–09 season the First Division of the North West Counties League was renamed the Premier Division and the club, under Young, again made progress to finish the season in fifth position in the table; however GNE's major achievement that season was in reaching the final of the 2008–09 national FA Vase competition. The club battled through nine rounds (from the first qualifying round) to reach the final; in the two legged semi-final against
Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...
club
Chalfont St Peter Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe a ...
GNE equalised in extra-time Association football#Duration and tie-breaking methods, stoppage time to take the tie to penalties in which the club triumphed 6–5. In the final itself, played at Wembley Stadium, Glossop North End were beaten 2–0 by 2008–09 Northern Football League, Northern League Division One club Whitley Bay. Prior to the final,
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, with whom the club have historic connections (the then Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood's grandfather Sir Samuel Hill-Wood owned and financed Glossop during their run in the Football League in the early 1900s) invited the club to their London Colney training ground to prepare for the FA Vase final. Over the next two seasons the club's finishing league positions dipped slightly and in May 2011 Paul Colgan was appointed as the next permanent manager – over the following two seasons the club's finishing position echoed that of the previous two. In May 2013 GNE appointed Chris Willcock as first team manager. In his first season the club finished third in the 2013–14 North West Counties Football League, 2013–14 Premier Division; between November 2013 and April 2014 the team created a run of 22 unbeaten league matches (W17; D5). Also that season the club were beaten finalists, 2–0, to
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
Premier Division club Ilkeston F.C., Ilkeston in the Derbyshire Senior Cup competition. During the next season a win over Nelson F.C., Nelson on 19 April 2015, with three matches remaining of the season, confirmed Glossop North End as champions of the 2014–15 North West Counties Football League#Premier Division, 2014–15 North West Counties League Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One North of the
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
. The club's record over the league campaign had been W33; D3; L4 and it was the first occasion in the club's history that 100 league goals were scored in a season (with only 23 conceded). The club achieved a league and cup double in beating Atherton Collieries A.F.C., Atherton Collieries 2–0 to win the North West Counties League Cup. The otherwise victorious season finished with defeat in the club's most prestigious match, the FA Vase final. GNE had reached the final after winning their semi-final 2–1 on aggregate over A.F.C. St Austell, St Austell of the South West Peninsula League – the away leg of which, won 2–0, entailed a 650 mile round trip. Similarly to their defeat in the 2009 final, Glossop North End were beaten at Wembley stadium in the 2015 FA Vase final by a Northern League club: on this occasion North Shields F.C., North Shields, 2–1 after extra time.


2015 onwards: Northern Premier League and North West Counties League

Glossop competed in the Division One North of the Northern Premier League (NPL) in the 2015–16 Northern Premier League#Division One North, 2015–16 season and also competed in the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
for the first time since 1986. The club finished fourth in the league and qualified for the playoffs, but in the resulting semi-final lost 2–1 to Northwich Victoria F.C., Northwich Victoria. Over the following 2016–17 Northern Premier League#Division One North, 2016–17 season the club finished in eight position; at the end of the season, after four seasons in charge, manager Chris Willcock resigned with a managerial record affording him the accolade of the club's winningest manager. In May 2017 Steve Halford and Paul Phillips were announced as joint team managers for the 2017–18 season and under them in November 2107 the club reached its high point to date of the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy, in which they were eliminated 5–1 in a replay by Workington A.F.C., Workington. In March 2018 Halford and Phillips left Glossop to join Buxton F.C., Buxton; goalkeeper coach Mark Canning took over (initially as caretaker manager), assisted by Andy Bishop and the club recorded a mid-table finish in the 2017–18 Northern Premier League#Division One North, 2017–18 season league table. For the next season GNE were allocated into the newly designated Division One West of the NPL; in mid October 2018 after a poor run of results Canning and Bishop were sacked and ex-Mossley duo Peter Band and Lloyd Morrison were appointed in their place and they steered the club to a seventeenth (from twenty cubs) position in the 2018–19 Northern Premier League#Division One West, 2018–19 league table. For the 2019–20 season there was further adjustment to the organisation of the NPL's Division One structure and the club were placed into Division One South-East. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid March, with the club having completed thirty of their allocated thirty-eight 2019–20 Northern Premier League#Division One South East, 2019–20 season fixtures, football activities were suspended and later that month the league was formally abandoned with all results expunged. The pandemic persisted into the 2020–21 season and only a handful of matches were played before the season was cancelled in February 2021 and declared null and void – one of those played was a club best equalling FA Trophy third qualifying round match, a loss 1–0 to Workington. Following the premature end to the season in March 2021 manager Band, who had been appointed sole manager in August 2020, resigned to join his hometown club Macclesfield F.C., Macclesfield. Stuart Mellish took charge as manager prior to the start of the 2021–22 Northern Premier League#Division One West , 2021–22 season with the club allocated to NPL Division One West; they recorded a seventeenth placed finish in the twenty club division. In the second of Mellish's two season tenure, 2022–23 Northern Premier League#Division One West, 2022–23, GNE finished eighteenth, the division's sole relegation play-off position – a match in which they were defeated 3–0 by Northern Football League club Ashington A.F.C., Ashington and thereby lost their place in the Northern Premier League. The club returned to the Premier Division of the North West Counties League for the 2023–24 North West Counties Football League, 2023–24 season (and consequently competed in the FA Vase) under newly appointed manager Michael Worthington. With a record of twelve losses and only three victories over nineteen recorded league matches Worthington was replaced in October 2023 by Richard Brodie (footballer), Richard Brodie; under him league results improved and GNE finished twenty-first of twenty-four clubs over the season and maintained their position in the Premier Division. The following season Brodie remained at the helm and the club finished sixteenth in the 2024–25 North West Counties Football League, 2024–25 table.


Honours

League *
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
(level 2) **2nd place promotion: 1898–99 Football League#Second Division, 1898–99 *North Cheshire League **Champions: 1893–94 * Manchester League **Champions: 1927–28 *
Cheshire County League The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales. Initially the league was dominated by the reserve teams of Fo ...
Division 2 **2nd place promotion: 1980–81 Cheshire County Football League#Division Two, 1980–81 *
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
Premier Division (level 9) **Champions: 2014–15 North West Counties Football League#Premier Division, 2014–15 Cup *
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
**Runners-up: 2009 FA Vase Final, 2008–09, 2014–15 FA Vase, 2014–15 *
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
League Challenge Cup **Winners: 2014–15 North West Counties Football League#League Challenge Cup, 2014–15 *
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
Division Two Cup **Winners: 1990–91 North West Counties Football League, 1990–91 *Manchester Football League, Gilgryst Cup **Winners: 1922–23, 1929–30, 1934–35, 1948–49 *Manchester Premier Cup, Manchester FA Premier Cup **Winners: 1996–97, 1997–98 *Derbyshire Senior Cup, Derbyshire County FA Senior Challenge Cup **Winners: 2000–01 **Runners-up: 2013–14


FA Competition Records

Glossop North End AFC *Best
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
performance: 1st round, 1896–97 *Best
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
performance: 3rd qualifying round, 2017–18 (replay), 2020–21 *Best
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
performance: Runners-up, 2008–09, 2014–15 Glossop FC *Best
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
performance: **(Football League club) Quarter-finals, 1908–09 (replay) **(Non-League club) 4th qualifying round, 1935–36 *Best
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
performance: 2nd qualifying round, 1982–83, 1986–87 *Best
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
performance: 4th round, 1990–91 (replay)


Historical kits


Managerial history

''Based on competitive league and cup matches''
(As at 20 April 2025) ''Italic'' - denotes Caretaker Manager * Stats correct as of 12 May 2024


Attendances

* Largest home attendance: 10,736 vs
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
,
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
31 January 1914. Average league attendances:


Home Grounds

Glossop North End played at several grounds including Pyegrove, Silk Street, Water Lane and Cemetery Road before settling at North Road in 1898. The North Road facility was a cricket ground, but also became home to Glossop when they were elected to the Second Division of the Football League. The football ground was located in the south-east corner of the site, with a seated stand constructed on the northern side of the pitch and a raised earth embankment on a triangular space in the south-east corner and eastern sides. During the football season a temporary wooden seated stand was erected behind the western goal, but removed for the cricket season. In a hurricane in November 1899 the wooden stand was overturned and damaged. The first football match played at North Road was on 3 September 1898, with Glossop defeating Blackburn Rovers 4–1 in front of 4,000 spectators. The ground was last used for a Football League match on 17 April 1915, with just 500 spectators watching a 1–1 draw with Stockport County; thereafter the club continued to play at the ground until the 1950s. In August 1951, after failing to agree terms for the rental of North Road with Glossop Cricket Club the club had to temporarily withdrew from the Manchester League for one season. The club rejoined the league in 1952 playing at the Vol Crepe sports ground. During 1955, the club relocated its home in the town to a ground located on, and therefore known as, Surrey Street; the first game played on the ground was on Saturday 17 September 1955 against Radcliffe Borough. The ground capacity is 1,301 (200 seated, 1,101 standing). In order to meet ground grading requirements during the 1980–81 season improvements were completed at the ground including building a new clubhouse, adding a new toilet block, improving the stand and enlarging the pitch. Additionally it was reported that Glossop had purchased the ground for £5,000 from the local council. In December 1990 the ground was sold back to the council for a reported £75,000. Floodlights, which had been donated by an anonymous supporter, were installed at the ground in 1992. During the off-season of 2010 the GNE Supporters' Club funded and helped replace the team benches with new dugouts. In the summer of 2011 the club upgraded the Surrey Street facilities with a new clubhouse, dressing rooms, refreshment bar and hospitality room being completed prior to the 2011–12 season. By March 2012 the ground had achieved the FA Ground Grading grade of E (required at that time for football clubs to participate at step 4 of the National League System). In the 2014 off-season, with the aid of a grant from the Football Foundation, the aged pitch perimeter fence was replaced and with other improvements the ground received an FA Ground Grade of D which was required to remain at step 4 of the National League System. In the summer of 2018 replacement floodlights were installed. Until 2019 the ground was named the Arthur Goldthorpe stadium after which, for sponsorship reasons, this was changed to the Amdec Forklifts stadium. Since 2023, for sponsorship reasons, it is named the Asgard Engineering stadium.


Notable former players

Players who have international playing experience or top division experience who have played for Glossop include: * Thomas Bartley (footballer), Thomas Bartley 1897–1899 * Thomas Clifford (footballer), Thomas Clifford 1898–1899 * John Goodall 1900–1903 * George Badenoch 1901–1903 * Bob Jack 1902–1903 * Edwin Bardsley 1903 * Fred Spiksley 1904–? * Archie Goodall 1904–1905 * Tommy Callaghan (footballer, born 1886), Thomas Callaghan 1905–1907 * David Copeland (footballer), David Copeland 1907–? * John Robertson (footballer born 1877), John Robertson 1907–1909 * Leslie Hofton 1908–1910 * Thomas Fitchie 1909–1911 * Billy Herbert 1910–1911 * Harry Bamford (footballer, born 1886), Harry Bamford 1912–1914 * Alec Campbell (footballer), Alec Campbell 1909–1914 * James Montgomery (footballer, born 1890), James Montgomery 1915 * Jack Allen (footballer, born 1891), Albert John 'Jack' Allen 1914–1915 * Billy Fitchford 1923–? * Joe Frail * Bert Maddlethwaite * Irvine Thornley * Frank Booth (English footballer), Frank Booth * Lee Martin (footballer, born February 1968), Lee Martin 1998–1999 * Ben Chapman (footballer, born 1991), Ben Chapman 2016 * Zephaniah Thomas 2017


Ladies' team

The club have a ladies team, Glossop North End Ladies, which was established in 1998. In 2014–15 the team reached the final of the Derbyshire Girls & Ladies League Challenge Cup, losing 2–1 to Mackworth St Francis. The following season saw them the Challenge Cup, defeating Castle Donnington Ladies 4–1. On 11 May they won the Derbyshire Girls & Ladies League Division One title.
They retained the league title the following season, after which they transferred to Division One of the Cheshire WFL.


Honours

Derbyshire Girls & Ladies League * Division One: 2015–16, 2016–17 Derbyshire Ladies Challenge Cup * Winners: 2015–16


Youth teams

Glossop North End AFC Juniors was established in 1989. They have teams of both boys in age groups from 6 years old right to Under-21, and girls in age groups from Under-9 to Under-16. They were accredited to the FA Charter standard Award in 2004, and in 2015 were awarded Derbyshire FA Charter Standard Community club of the year.


References


External links


Glossop North End website
* *
The Emirates FA Cup / Results Archive

Glossop results and players in the English National Football Archive

Glossop North End Juniors website
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