Nelson Football Club is an English semi-professional association football club based in the town of Nelson, Lancashire. Founded in 1882, the club played friendly matches for its first eight years, before becoming one of the founder members of the Lancashire League in 1889.[1] The team won the Lancashire League title in 1896, however, after enduring a month-long Football Association suspension,the club left the league during the 1898–99 season following the 3–2 home defeat by Ashton North End on January 12 and their record for that season was subsequently expunged when they were expelled by the Lancashire FA. Having completed the North-East Lancashire Combination League and Shield double in 1900, Nelson were accepted back into the Lancashire League the following season and in 1901, they joined the Lancashire Combination. Between 1915 and 1918, the team ceased play for the First World War. When competitive football restarted in England in 1919, they joined the Central League.[1] Two seasons later, the club was invited to be one of the founder teams of the Football League Third Division North. They won the league in 1923, gaining promotion to the Football League Second Division.[2] However, they stayed there for just one season, finishing second-bottom of the league and being relegated back to the Third Division.[3]
After finishing bottom of the division for the second time, Nelson left the Football League in 1931 after failing re-election.[3] They rejoined the Lancashire Combination, and played in the league for the next five seasons, before, following reformation in the summer of 1934, ceasing all football activities in August 1936.[4] The club returned to action following the Second World War, and won the Lancashire Combination title in 1950 and 1952. Nelson continued to play in the same league until 1982, when the side achieved a third-placed finish.[4] In the same year, the non-league football system was re-organised, resulting in the formation of the North West Counties Football League. The club was accepted into the league's Third Division, and was transferred to the Second Division in 1987, as a result of the abolition of the third tier. However, the following season the team was forced to leave the league after their ground was deemed to be unfit.[5] They joined the West Lancashire League in 1988 and stayed there until 1992, never finishing higher than 15th in four seasons. That year, the club was accepted back into the North West Counties League Second Division after improving the stadium. The club played in the same division for the next 15 years, until they won promotion to the First Division, where they played until the end of the 2009–10 season.[5] On 16 July 2010, it was announced that Nelson had resigned from the North West Counties Football League with immediate effect.[6]
The side first played in the FA Cup in 1893 and have reached the Second Round three times, in 1926–27, 1930–31 and 1950–51. In the 1970s, the club entered the FA Trophy on a number of occasions, but never progressed past the Second Qualifying Round. Since the club's first entry into the FA Vase in 1978, the side have reached the Second Round twice, in the 2001–02 and 2005–06 seasons.
- ^ a b "Nelson FC: 1881–1921". Nelson F.C. 19 March 2005. Archived from the original on 19 August 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ "Nelson FC: 1921–1923". Nelson F.C. 8 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Nelson FC: 1923–1931". Nelson F.C. 29 April 2005. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Nelson FC: 1931–1982". Nelson F.C. 17 May 2005. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Nelson FC: 1982–2006". Nelson F.C. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ "Nelson FC for sale". Burnley Express. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.