MATCHDAY
PROGRAMME
AVRO vs WORKINGTON
WEDNESDAY, 19TH AUGUST, KICK OFF 7.45PM
Northern Premier League
AVRO
Football Club
In accordance with FA Rule 2.15, Avro FC, officially registered as Avro FC First Team Limited (Company Number: 14931069), is structured as a Private Limited Company by Shares. The current directors of Avro FC First Team Limited are Charlie O’Brien, Robert Fuller, Kelly Fuller, Mark Hutton and Liam Bambridge. The majority shareholder of Avro FC is Avro Community Football Club Limited (100%)
HONOURS
- Manchester Football League Champions: 2009/10, 2017/18
- Manchester FA County Challenge Cup Winners: 1940, 1941,
1956, 1988, 1994, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 (Record 10 times) - NWCFL Divison 1 North Runner-Up: 2018/19
- NWCFL Division 1 Cup Runners-Up: 2018/19
- NWCFL Premier Division Runners-Up: 2022/23
- Northern Premier League West : Runners-up 2025-26
- Northern Premier League West Play-Off : Winners 2025-26
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Vestacare Stadium and our first Wednesday night fixture in step 3! August is an incredibly busy month, with eight NPL Premier fixtures in just 23 games, and tonight marks the halfway point of that run. We kicked off with two excellent results against Quorn and Bamber Bridge before suffering the disappointment of a first league defeat in Derbyshire last Saturday.
Overall I think most of us would have settled for two wins out of three to kick us off in our new surroundings, and another win tonight would obviously be amazing! One thing is clear already – anyone can beat anyone, so it looks like the next eight months are going to be full of twists and turns.
It was brilliant to see so many new faces on that first Saturday of the new campaign, and I hope that even if the prospect of a late night has kept some of the younger ones away this evening, they will be back in the weeks to come. I believe that this current set of players play an exciting and attacking brand of football, and as such they really deserve the support of the local community and beyond. It has been fantastic to see so many businesses willing to sponsor them – they are a tremendous bunch of lads, brilliant role models for the club, and already we are seeing our younger supporters talking about who their favourite Avro player is, which is great to see!
Whilst on the subject of our juniors, many thanks to all the parents who brought their children down to the Quorn game so that they could be mascots. We are looking to make this a regular feature of our home games this season – if you are interested in your child being involved, which of course includes the opportunity to stretch their legs in a half time game of five a side, please let your Junior team coach know.
Enjoy the game!
Liam Bambridge
Director of Media and Public Relations
MATCH
PREVIEW
A warm welcome to the players, coaching staff and supporters of tonight’s visitors from Cumbria – AFC Workington. As was the case with Quorn, their geographical location means that most of their away days involve a significant number of miles to be travelled, and that is going to be especially challenging on a Wednesday night. So hats off to all those fans who have made it down to the Vestacare – we hope that you enjoy your night off the pitch, although naturally we would rather that the ninety minutes does not match or surpass it!
Workington pulled off the great escape at the end of last season – seemingly doomed to swap places with us, they eventually preserved their step 3 status on the penultimate weekend of the season with a 3-2 win at Warrington Town, after they had trailed 2-0 at the break. The last Saturday of the campaign also saw their last ever game at Borough Park, their home for nearly 90 years. This season they are ground sharing with Workington Town, the local rugby league side.
2025-26
P 42 / W10 / D13 / L7 / F743 / A58
Pts 43 / 18/21
LAST TIME OUT
Our last 90 minutes at the Vestacare was of course on the opening day of the season when we secured our first ever step 3 win against Quorn.
TAKEN FOR GRANTed
Good evening and welcome to everyone from Workington making the trip down to us tonight.
Sorry I’m absent again. My wife is hard to bargain with, so I’m currently writing this while the sun sets over the beautiful South of France coastline. I’m sure you’ll all feel sorry for me!
Our start to life in the NPL Premier has gone well so far, despite a little bump in the road. I’m confident that’s all it will be. Once we get through August, I think we’ll have a much clearer picture of where we are.
I’m happy with the group and with how we’ve looked so far. August is relentless with the number of games, but I see that as a real opportunity. It gives us the chance to put points on the board, but just as importantly, to play ourselves into form and keep learning about this level.
The truth is, I’m not entirely sure what to expect from most teams in this league yet and I actually like it that way. It means there are no preconceived ideas. We approach every game with the same mentality, concentrate on ourselves and deal with whatever is put in front of us, game by game.
Hopefully we get a good turnout tonight for our first home midweek game of the season. There’s always something a little bit special about Avro under the lights.
The last time we played here under those conditions was that unforgettable play off game against Breck. If tonight brings even half the drama and entertainment of that occasion, you’re in for a good night.
Enjoy the game and get behind the lads.
Shents
WHO ARE YA?
MEET THE VISITORS
Formed in1884, Workington played competitive football in the Cumberland Association, Cumberland Senior, Lancashire, Lancashire Combination and the North Eastern leagues before disbanding in 1911, going into voluntary liquidation.
The club was reformed in 1921 and, since then, has operated from the North Eastern League (25 seasons), Football League (26 seasons), Northern Premier League (40 seasons), North West Counties League (1 season) and National North (9 seasons).
When the club was reformed in 1921, they became members of the North Eastern League remaining there for thirty years.
They finished in the top half of the table more often than not – 5th on five occasions, 4th five times and runners-up after one memorable season. Goals were plentiful in those days, with the team netting over a century on eight occasions – including 147 at the end of the 1933-34 campaign. Billy Charlton was the leading scorer during the early thirties, netting 131 NEL goals in just three seasons.
The Club record victory (16-1 v. Chopwell Institute) was obtained in May, 1934 having overcome the same team 7-4, away, earlier in the season.
CONTINUE READING
On two occasions, they lifted the NEL Challenge Cup overcoming Middlesbrough Reserves in 1936 and Blyth Spartans two years later. They were beaten finalists in 1938.
The Football League
Elected to the Third Division North in 1951, their first Football League fixture was against Halifax Town but ended in a 3-1 defeat. A few days later, Chesterfield arrived as the first visitors to Borough Park with Reds emerging 3-1 victors.
It was a tough baptism, though, and Workington finished 24th, 23rd and 20th in their first three seasons with a record FL defeat (0-8 at Wrexham) inflicted upon them during the ’53-54 campaign.
Matters slowly began to improve under the management of Bill Shankly and his two-year tenure saw the club better positioned when he left than they were on his arrival. Two other prominent managers, Joe Harvey, who was in charge for five seasons, and Ken Furphy, in the hot seat for just over two years, did so much to enhance the club’s reputation throughout the late fifties/early sixties.
Promotion from the Fourth Division in 1964 led to three seasons in the Third and, whilst there, Workington attained their highest FL placing – 5th position at the end of the ’65-66 campaign. Sadly, though, relegation was experienced twelve months later.
It had been a golden period in the club’s history and included a notable league double over Swansea Town (7-0 at home, 6-1 away), during the 1965-66 campaign.
They became famed League Cup fighters in the sixties, reaching the quarter finals in both 1964 and 1965 only to lose to West Ham United and Chelsea respectively. The run in ’64-65 competition began with a 9-1 victory over Barrow and included a sensational 5-1 replay success over, then, top flight outfit Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park – arguably the club’s finest ever result.
Other cup heroics were recorded in the FA Cup – a narrow 1-0 defeat against Liverpool (51-52) and a 1-3 reverse v. Manchester United (57-58) – both memorable occasions.
Messrs Shankly, Harvey and Furphy were revered during their time in the Borough Park hot-seat but the stability was not quite the same thereafter and managers came and went on a regular basis. Brian Doyle and former player, George Aitken, did stay longer than most but once they left the club the future looked bleak
The decline set in during the mid-seventies and Workington’s final four seasons saw them finish 23rd, 23rd, 24th and 24th. It ended in demotion from the Football League in 1977, voted out and replaced by Wimbledon.
The Non-League Era
They became members of the Northern Premier League on the 18th June, 1977 but life remained a struggle. Indeed, they were left to reflect on 19th, 14th and 21st final placings in the first three campaigns and didn’t manage a top half finish (7th) until the end of their sixth season.
Winning a first trophy in forty-seven years was welcome respite when they lifted the President’s Cup in 1984 but matters deteriorated on the league front culminating in relegation at the end of the 1987-88 season. Many unwanted records were established including an all-time heaviest loss, 0-9 at Chorley, and a painful, embarrassing home defeat, 0-8 v. Rhyl.
Ten mediocre seasons in the NPL First Division followed, before another relegation saw them demoted to the North West Counties League in 1998.
After years of struggle and decline, what happened in the NWCL was truly remarkable. They won their final fourteen league games to pip Mossley for the ’98-99 title on the final day of a dramatic season – a first senior championship in the club’s history.
It prompted fifteen years of moderate success and a nine-season stint in Conference North, ending in April, 2014.
They twice reached the Conference North play-offs, and enjoyed several good FA Trophy runs, with a few Cumberland Cup successes thrown in for good measure.
They finished runners-up in Evo-Stik Premier in 2015 recording more victories (27) than any other team in the division. Unfortunately, though, they lost in the play-offs to Ilkeston, a team they had beaten twice in the regular campaign. A fifth-place finish in 2016 again culminated in play-off heartache, beaten in the final at Salford City.
Workington made it a hat-trick of top five finishes, fourth in fact, but again suffered disappointment in 2017 when they fell at the first hurdle, albeit a thrilling 3-2 defeat at Stourbridge.
It was a mid-table finish at the end of the 2017-18 campaign when an injury crisis over the second half of the season saw them slump from a position of second at the turn of the year to a final standing of eleventh.
And the decline continued throughout the 2018-19 season with only eight league wins recorded, culminating in relegation. During the last three months of a depressing season, Workington lost nine consecutive league games at home – another unwanted club record!
Under new management, the Reds bounced back in style during the 19-20 campaign but, the intervention of a world-wide pandemic prevented a highly probable promotion and immediate return to Step 3 football.
They were ten points clear at the top of the North West Division when the season was declared ‘concluded’ and recorded as null and void.
A second curtailed season compounded the frustration ahead of a third bid to gain promotion during 2021-22. Despite just four defeats and an excellent defensive record (only 27 goals conceded) they ended their NPL West Division campaign as runners-up to Warrington Rylands. Had they won on the final day, instead of being held to a damaging 1-1 draw, they would have clinched a maiden NPL title.
There was hardly time to recover from the disappointment with Workington knocked out of the play-offs by Marine a few days later.
Workington were again strongly fancied for promotion during the ’22-23 campaign but, because of Macclesfield’s strength and resources, any success would probably have to be via the ply-offs. After a third-place finish, they got the better of Clitheroe and Runcorn Linnets, the latter in the final before a 2,500 crowd – and so made a welcome return to Step 3 football.
To cap a memorable season, they also lifted the Cumberland Cup for a record twenty-seventh time, inflicting a 9-1 victory over Penrith at Brunton Park.
The objective, following promotion, was consolidation in the Premier Division and that was achieved with a 17th final placing. They also retained the Cumberland Cup, overcoming Carlisle United in the final, lifting the trophy for the 28th time.
A 12th place finish in a congested Premier Division in 2025 probably papered over some cracks and early exits in both FA Cup and Trophy illustrated the need to do better.
The 2025-26 campaign ended on a high note after the team had spent much of the season encamped in the relegation zone. Admittedly, an 18th place finish shouldn’t have been a cause for celebration but, considering where they were at the turn of the year, it was some achievement.
QUORN FC
SQUAD
JAKE ALLAN
CHARLIE BARNES
BRAD CARROLL
CEIRAN CASSON
BRENNAN DICKENSON
JACK DICKINSON
MATTY DOUGLAS
DANNY ECCLES
LUKE ELLIS
DAN HOPPER
LUKE HUNTER
KEELAN LESLIE
ALFIE McDONOUGH
ALEX MITCHELL
KAI NUGENT
JOSH PALMER
SIMON RIGBY
TOM STEPHENSON
TED THOMSON
ISAAC WHITEHALL
HEAD 2 HEAD
Today marks the first ever game, competitive or otherwise against Workington AFC.
MATCH OFFICIALS:
REFEREE :
JAKE BURTON
ASSISTANTS :
DANIEL O'BRIEN
ATTICUS MILLS
