A Decade On City of Liverpool FC Are Still Going Strong
For those of you who were thinking that there are two (or even three) clubs in Liverpool (Tranmere are often forgotten about by some football fans – and let’s not mention the othe one!), well, you would be wrong.
In fact, one that often slips under the radar is City of Liverpool FC, who ply their trade in non-league’s North West Division One. Obviously, we love LFC here, but we thought it would be nice to give coverage to other clubs in the city to give you more of an insight!
The club, which was only founded in 2015 has done well to rise through the football pyramid and, despite recent struggles – they’re currently managerless and sitting 22nd in their league, can be proud of what they have achieved so far.
Owned by fans and other shareholders, many of whom have more than one share, City of Liverpool FC is a progressive club and originally applied for entry into the North West Counties Football League in early 2016, however, this was rejected by the FA.
Instead, they had to make do with the Liverpool County Premier League, however, their initial application was a mark of their early ambition. Despite this though, they didn’t give up and decided to appeal, which was successful after the resignation of Northwich Manchester Villa and started the 2016/17 season in the first division of the North West Counties Football League.
Super Start To Their First Season
After going unbeaten during August, before a slip up in September away against Daisy Hill – a narrow 2-1 defeat, this bode well for the season ahead, regardless.
Indeed, despite missing out on automatic promotion, finishing fourth, they achieved a play-off spot, while also reaching two cup finals. They beat Sanbach United 1-0 in the First Division Challenge Cup Final, after a 4-0 aggregate victory over Widness in the semi-final, while they beat Premier Division side Barnoldswick Town 3-2 on penalties in the final of the League Challenge Cup. This was a landmark achievement, as they became only the second club since Cammell Laird in the 2004/05 season to win the cup double in the same campaign.
What a season!
Reusch Cup Winners
Play Off Final Winners
Macron Cup Winners— City of Liverpool FC (@CityofLpoolFC) May 16, 2017
More honours were to follow, with Simon Burton being awarded the ‘1st Division Manager of the Year’, while Stephen Longrigg won the award for ‘1st Division Goalkeeper of the Year’. Meanwhile, in May 2017, bookmaker Coral named the club as their ‘Non-League Team of the Season’.
The next season brought more success. They beat Atherton Collieries 4-3 on penalties in their first game – the Champions Cup game, held between the winners of Premier Division and Challenge Cup (similar to the Community Shield).
An FA Cup journey also began. In the first preliminary round, they beat fellow Premier Division side Padiham to set up a tie with Northern Premier League side Prescot Cables in the second preliminary round. The first match (2-2), was a record home attendance of 956 and set up a replay, which brought another record for their highest scoring match – an 8-2 victory.
This earned them a remarkable entry into the First Qualifying Round for the FA Cup, Nantwich Town – an established non-league side, though were unlucky to lose 2-1 through a deflected 95th minute goal, in front of a new record 1022 crowd. The club also reached the third round of the FA Vase by Stockton Town, who reached the final at Wembley Stadium. That season earned them a fourth placed finish in the Premier Division, after another great campaign.
Mixed Fortunes Since
After a great start to their tenure, City of Liverpool FC have witnessed ups and downs which has seen them back in the league they started and a number of managerial changes.
Notable performances saw them put in a hard-fought 90 minutes in the FA Trophy against former professional club Darlington, which they lost 2-0, after beating Buxton away in the second round.
It is perhaps fair to say that since the global pandemic, the club hasn’t really been the same and it has been somewhat of an effort to bring about stability, however, it is a club that has certainly shown it can mix it with the best.
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