Statistics

Match Summary
Biggest Home Win	4-1	27/08/16 v Irlam (Premier Division)
Biggest Away Win	4-0	05/09/16 v Barnton (Premier Division)
Biggest Home Defeat	0-2	16/08/16 v Winsford United (Premier Division)
Biggest Away Defeat	1-3	20/08/16 v Runcorn Town (Premier Division)
Highest Drawn Game	3-3	23/08/16 v Cammell Laird 1907 (A) (Premier Division)
Highest Aggregate Scoreline	6	23/08/16 3-3 v Cammell Laird 1907 (A) (Premier Division)
		03/09/16 4-2 v Padiham (H) (Premier Division)

 

League Season at a Glance
	Home		Away		Total
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Played	4		5		9
Won	2	50.00%	2	40.00%	4	44.44%
Drawn	1	25.00%	2	40.00%	3	33.33%
Lost	1	25.00%	1	20.00%	2	22.22%
Scored	10	2.50	9	1.80	19	2.11
Conceded	7	1.75	6	1.20	13	1.44

 

Progression in Cup Competitions
The Emirates F.A Cup	Extra Preliminary Round	1-2	Hemsworth Miners Welfare	(A)
The Macron Cup	1st Round	v	Daisy Hill	(H)
	To be played on Sat 01/10/16

 

Home Attendance Summary
Highest Attendance	295	16/08/16 v Winsford United (Premier Division)
Lowest Attendance	267	27/08/16 v Irlam (Premier Division)
Average Attendance	4 games	287

 

Number of Games Since
Last Win	0 games
Last Defeat	6 games
Goalless Draw	3 games
Score Draw	5 games
Scored A Goal	0 games
Clean Sheet	0 games

 

Scored / Conceded This Season
	Scored		Conceded
	#	%	#	%
None	2	20.00%	3	30.00%
One	3	30.00%	1	10.00%
Two	1	10.00%	4	40.00%
Three	1	10.00%	2	20.00%
Four	3	30.00%	0	0.00%
Five or more	0	0.00%	0	0.00%

 

When the Goals Went In
	For		Against		Total
	#	%	#	%	#	%
0-15	4	20.00%	2	15.38%	6	18.18%
16-30	0	0.00%	2	15.38%	2	6.06%
31-45	2	10.00%	3	23.08%	5	15.15%
46-60	3	15.00%	1	7.69%	4	12.12%
61-75	5	25.00%	1	7.69%	6	18.18%
76-90	6	30.00%	4	30.77%	10	30.30%
90-105	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%
105-120	0	0.00%	0	0.00%	0	0.00%

 

History

WITH runners-up finishes in the last two Premier Division campaigns, Runcorn Linnets may have earned the tag of North West Counties League 'nearly men'.

But the Linnets feel they are getting ever closer to glory with the first team's league performance now improving year on year.

Despite the double disappointment at missing out again on promotion, they would have accrued a club record 98 points in 2014-15 but for losing the six won against Stockport Sports as a consequence of the Saxons folding during the season.

The Linnets led the table for most of the season but were eventually overtaken by Glossop North End, who prevailed thanks to their higher win ratio with both clubs having lost only four of their 40-game league matches.

This continued progress of the senior men's side - along with the birth of Runcorn Linnets Ladies and the growth of youth and junior football - was rewarded with the prize of Cheshire's Charter Standard Club of the Year in the FA Community Awards supported by McDonald's.

Fielding an unprecedented 31 teams, the club was also highly commended at the annual Halton Sports Awards.

On the field, success was less forthcoming in the cup competitions although the cause wasn't helped by tough away draws against in-form EvoStik League side Droylsden in the FA Cup and Shaw Lane Aquaforce, eventual Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division champions, in the FA Vase.

An individual landmark saw winger Matthew Atherton set a new club appearance record with his 203rd Linnets outing in September. This has since been significantly extended by the popular winger.

At the start of the season, the Linnets had announced a further three-year extension to their successful and highly-valued partnership with club sponsors The Millbank Group in a move which will now run to the end of 2017-18 season.

Millbank have been principal backers of the Linnets since February 2010, when work began on a new hometown ground for the club in the Murdishaw district and the leading engineering recruitment business secured naming rights on what was to become known as The Millbank Linnets Stadium.

The Linnets have certainly come a long way since starting from square one in 2006 as a fans-owned phoenix club for the former English national non-league champions and three-times FA Trophy finalists Runcorn AFC, who had latterly played as Runcorn FC Halton in Widnes and Prescot.

Club history

Back to the beginning - how Runcorn Linnets were formed
Runcorn Linnets Football Club was born on 28 April 2006 after Runcorn AFC had intimated that they would not be in a position to field a team in the following season. Since leaving town in 2000, the club had suffered a troubled and nomadic existence.

Fans met at on their spiritual home of Canal Street - in the Quayside function rooms next door to the now Linnets Park housing estate on which Runcorn's ground had stood. Those supporters, determined not to let 88 years of football tradition die, voted to establish a new community club. An existing Supporters Trust was remodelled to run Runcorn Linnets, whose identity was derived from Runcorn AFC's nickname.

With only four months to the start of a new season, business and action plans were drawn up and negotiations opened with the FA, the Cheshire FA, the NWCL, Supporters Direct and Witton Albion FC in Wincham, Northwich, where Linnets ground shared for four seasons.

The club was accepted into the NWCL league by the member clubs on Saturday 17 June 2006 at the AGM in Buxton and former Runcorn player and boss Steve Carragher joined as manager.

Flying start to early years at Wincham Park

Visiting unfamiliar grounds and making new friends along the way, the 2006-07 season was both enjoyable and successful as promotion was won from Division Two (now Division One) to Division One (now Premier Division) at the first attempt - as runners-up on goal difference to Winsford United.

Striking a balance between paying the rent, funding the team and building reserves for the desired Runcorn homecoming proved challenging; it also took time to come to terms with the higher standard of football at the next level and the last three seasons at Witton brought modest mid-table positions.

In season 2007/08 the Linnets entered the FA Vase for the first time but after victory in a preliminary round, there was a first-round exit to Salford City. Averaging 180 crowds at Wincham Park and invariably taking up to 100 fans to away grounds, the desire to relocate back into Runcorn was always paramount as the R2R ("Return to Runcorn") campaign was launched.

Steve Wilkes, who had been manager at Padiham, succeeded Carragher at the beginning of 2008. Goalkeeper Robbie Holcroft provided continuity as the new manager's assistant. 2008-09 saw first-time FA Cup involvement but the campaign highlight was reaching the Vodkat (League Challenge) Cup final at Tameside Stadium in Ashton-under-Lyne although Linnets were beaten 2-0 by league runners-up New Mills.

Season 2009/10 saw The Linnets again finish midway while having little real success in the cup competitions. The main target throughout this time had been to get the club back into its home town.

Original proposals to develop facilities at Riverside College in the Dukesfield area proved too costly but in June 2009 plans for the new ground at Murdishaw - on the municipal Halton Sports complex - were passed by Halton Borough Council Executive Board. Just before Christmas, the club was grant-funded £93,000 plus by the Football Stadium Improvement Fund (FSIF).

Coming home to a first winner's trophy

Dreams became reality as The Millbank Linnets Stadium officially opened on July 17th 2010 when the visit of former landlords Witton Albion attracted a crowd of more than 1,000.

Season 2010/11, the first back in Runcorn, saw Steve Wilkes and his deputy Ian McGarry replaced towards the end of August. Former Linnet Paul McNally, having been assistant at Skelmersdale United was appointed manager - his backroom team including assistant Dave Hughes, the ex-Atherton LR boss, and coach Chris Fitzsimmons. A rebuilding process ended in a strong finish for 12th spot and average attendances were 106% up on the previous season at Witton.

In 2011/12 the club achieved its highest placing thus far of fifth in the NWCL Premier. Highlight of the cup runs was the 4-0 replay defeat of Evo-stik North One visitors Mossley.

The following season saw Paul McNally leave for personal reasons. Replacement Joey Dunn, a one-time Runcorn team-mate of McNally and assisted by Stuart Humphreys, led the club to its first major trophy, The Linnets defeated Formby in League Challenge Cup in front of more than 500 fans at Curzon Ashton FC.

A three-month undefeated run from the start of the New Year secured sixth spot in the league.

Excellent early form in 2013/14 brought a run in the FA Cup that saw two Evo-Stik League teams defeated before a 2-0 third qualifying round defeat at North Ferriby United of Conference North. Despite an impressive 95-point return, Runcorn were beaten to the title by Norton United.

Although last season's deficit on Glossop was 10 points, three of Linnets' four league defeats came in the final month after they had finally been overhauled by the relentless Derbyshire outfit, also League Challenge Cup winners and Wembley finalists in the FA Vase.

In many other seasons, Runcorn would have gained more than enough points to be champions but it`s the firm belief of all involved with the Linnets as preparations continue for the 2015-16 campaign that thus far elusive title success is not far away.