What You Don’t Know About… Accrington Stanley F.C.

Hooligan Soccer

·11 January 2025

What You Don’t Know About… Accrington Stanley F.C.

League Two midtablers travel to Anfield to take on mighty Liverpool in a third round tie. For a club best known as a punchline in an advert, it’s chance to make national (and global) headlines if they can slay the Merseyside giant.

A Storied Soccer History

The town of Accrington, located in the south-east Lancashire, has had three distinct football clubs. The first, just called Accrington, was a founding member of the Football League in 1888. They would dissolve a few years later. A neighboring club called Stanley Villa (founded 1891) changed its name to Accrington Stanley in 1894. They folded in 1966. This current iteration was founded in 1968.
Turned professional in 2003.
From 2017-18 through 2022-23 they competed in League One.
In the FA Cup second round they defeated Swindon Town 4-1 on pens after a 2-2 draw.
Have a fierce rivalry with fellow Lancashire club Morecambe F.C.

Pedigree, Players & ‘Pool

Manager John Doolan was on the Manchester City staff when they lost the FA Cup final to Wigan Athletic in 2013.
Feature three current players from Liverpool: midfielder Shaun Whalley, midfielder Liam Coyle and striker Josh Woods. Woods, interviewed on BBC Radio Lancashire before their game at Swindon, replied when asked about his dream third round draw: “Gotta be Anfield, isn’t it?” Wish granted, boyo. Whalley scored at Anfield in 2020 during an FA Cup tie when playing for Shrewsbury, only to have the goal overturned by VAR.
There are 85 places between Liverpool and Accrington Stanley, the second largest gap in the third round.
Their home pitch, the Crown Ground, was widely considered one of the worst in upper-flight soccer. Renovations begun in 2015 have improved it significantly.

That Commercial

A TV advertisement for milk that ran in the ‘80s made the club (in)famous for its obscurity. The phrase “Accrington Stanley? Who are they?” is a beloved pop culture quip.