Crook Town A.F.C.

Crook Town A.F.C.

Full name	Crook Town Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Black and Ambers
Founded	1889
Ground	Sir Tom Cowie Millfield, Crook (Capacity: 1,500)
Chairman	Kieron Bennett
Manager	Brian Maitland/Paul Adamson
League	Northern League Division Two
2010–11	Northern League, 12th

Crook Town Association Football Club is an English football club based in Crook, County Durham. The club are currently members of Division Two of the Northern League and play at the Sir Tom Cowie Millfield. The club won the FA Amateur Cup five times during its history.

History

Crook Town Football Club was formed in 1889 by a merger of Crook and Crook Excelsior. They played only friendly and cup matches until joining the Bishop Auckland and District League. In 1896 they joined the Northern League.^[1] In 1900–01 they reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup, defeating King's Lynn 3–0 in a replay at Ipswich after a 1–1 draw at Dovercourt in Essex.

In 1913 Crook made the first of three tours to Spain where games were played against Barcelona. Subsequent tours were undertaken in 1921 and 1922. In all Crook played Barcelona ten times, winning two, drawing four and losing four.^[2] Jack Greenwell, a native of Crook who played on the first tour stayed on to play for Barcelona. Jack went on to manage Barcelona and the Spanish national team before coaching all over the world during the 1930s.

In 1914–15 the club won the Northern League title. They were champions again in 1926–27, but after an investigation into illegal payments to amateur players the following season, the club was suspended by the Durham County Football Association on 7 January,^[1] and their league record was expunged. The club were re-constituted in the summer of 1928 and spent the 1928–29 season in the Durham Central League. They were accepted back into the Northern League in 1929, but a year later decided to turn professional and joined the North Eastern League under the name Crook.

However with the club virtually bankrupt after finishing bottom of the North Eastern League in 1935–36 a special meeting was called and the decision to revert back to amateur status and rejoin the Northern League as Crook Town was made. The club struggled on until World War II and the Northern League closed down in 1940.

In 1943 Hole in the Wall Colliery and Peases West Welfare merged to form Crook Colliery Welfare. When the Northern League resumed in 1945, the new club took the place of Crook Town,^[1] whose name they adopted in 1949.^[3] In 1952–53 they won the Northern League, and the following season they won the FA Amateur Cup again, defeating Bishop Auckland in a second replay in the final.

In 1958–59 they won the league and reached the FA Amateur Cup for the third time, winning 3–2 against Barnet. They won the Cup again in 1961–62 with a 4–0 win over Hounslow Town in a replay, and the following season won the Northern League title. A fifth Amateur Cup was won in 1963–64 when they defeated Enfield 2–1, but thereafter the club declined. After thirteen seasons of finishing in the top six in the league during the 1950s and early 1960s, the early 1970s saw the club finishing towards the bottom of the league. In 1976 they became the first English club side to tour India, when they played six matches there, including a 1–0 defeat to the Indian national side, a match was watched by a crowd of 100,000.

In 1988–89 they finished bottom of Division One of the Northern League and were relegated to Division Two. They returned to Division One after finishing as runners-up in 1994–95, but were relegated back to Division Two after finishing bottom in 2000–01.

Notable former players

• Jack Alderson
• John Anderson
• Billy Ayre
• John Charles
• Frank Clark
• Paul Dalton
• Dean Gordon
• Jack Greenwell
• Don Heath
• Joe Kasher
• Jackie Milburn
• Seamus O'Connell
• Gary Pratt
• Kevin Scott
• David Speedie

Club honours

The Crook Town team display the FA Amateur Cup after their victory in 1901

• FA Amateur Cup
  • Winners 1900–01, 1953–54, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1963–64
• Northern League
  • Champions 1914–15, 1926–27, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1962–63
  • League Cup winners 1937, 1946, 1961
• Durham Challenge Cup
  • Winners 1927, 1932, 1955, 1960
• Durham Benevolent Bowl
  • Winners 1914, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1955
• Captain G. Wright Trophy
  • Winners 1964, 1965

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Crook Town at the Football Club History Database
2. ^ FC Barcelona - Complete International Record RSSSF
3. ^ Crook Colliery Welfare at the Football Club History Database

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 54°42′52.52″N 1°45′04.15″W / 54.7145889°N 1.7511528°W / 54.7145889; -1.7511528