Accrington Stanley

If you were asked to come up with the list of 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888, Accrington might be the last one you would think of – in part because they don’t exist anymore. We will get to all of that, but first we have to talk about the milk advertisement, and the famous question, “Accrington Stanley, who are they?” At some…

Accrington sits between Blackburn and Burnley, which are just 12 miles apart, so one would assume either of them would be a rival. Indeed, one of the more famous goals in club history knocked Burnley out of a cup a few years back. But in fact they hardly ever play them, and supporters say the bigger rivals are Rochdale and Morecambe. Bury also…

Accrington Stanley Women play in the North West Women’s Regional Football League Division 1 North, tier six of the pyramid. Home games are at the Stanley Sports Hub in town. See aswomen.org for

They have one that includes the lines, “Champions of League Two, we’ll do it again!” Tells you about their stature as a club. Otherwise, I don’t recall much. Then again, though I was in the middle of the singing ultras on the home terrace, I could hardly make out any lyrics through their thick Lancashire

The Crown Ground, known as the Wham Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is quite nice for League Two. It holds 5,450 in four separate stands: two all-seaters on each side, a covered home terrace called the Clayton End, and an uncovered terrace that generally isn’t used unless the away team has a large following. Home rowdies are in the Clayton…

GETTING THERE: It’s about a mile from the town’s train station, so maybe a relaxed 30-minute walk. PUBS: The club bar in the main stand is Coley’s, named for logntime manager John Coleman, and it’s lovely for this level of the league. The Crown is just across the road, a more traditional pub with a nice outdoor area. In…