Programme 25 26 Kidsgrove Athletic 181025

The main instigator, Ernie Langford had a sixty-year tenure with the club as chairman then president and served many years on the Staffs FA until his passing in July 2014. The main stand is named after Ernie Eric Hibbitt and Frank Timmis, who both attended that first meeting, still supported the club until their passings, Eric in July 2024 aged 95 and Frank in December 2024 aged 97. 

The club started life in the now defunct Burslem and Tunstall League playing on the Vickers and Goodwin pitch on the A50 just down the road. In 1961 the present ground was acquired from a local farmer, and the club then took a year out to develop the pitch. 

After success in the league and cup in the Burslem and Tunstall league, the club then joined the Staffordshire County league in 1963 where again they had success winning the league and Staffs Challenge cup. In search of more success the club joined the Mid Cheshire league, a move not entirely liked by the Staffs FA but eventually they did allow a Kidsgrove reserve side back into the County league. 

The Seventies and Eighties saw the club have huge successes winning the Mid Cheshire league four times and the challenge cup three times, and they also lifted the Staffs FA Vase and the challenge cup once more. They also lifted the prestigious Sentinel Cup three times. 

The Eighties saw the club grow increasingly and the clubhouse and ground started developing at a very fast pace with the aid of a strong committee, supporters, and local tradesmen. In 1986 the club applied for membership to the North West Counties league but this was rejected twice until facilities were improved. The club were accepted in 1989, the same year they became the first team to win the Staffs FA Vase twice. Three years later Kidsgrove were promoted to the first division after finishing tenth in the second division, the result of the league introducing strict ground criteria. Part of this was the installation of floodlights, Kidsgrove acquired floodlights free of charge from the council when they decided to have them taken down from local all-weather football and tennis courts at a local park. Kidsgrove Athletic has them installed and on the 29^th October 1991 Lou Macari brought his Stoke City team to officially switch on the floodlights. 

Within the next few years the South and West stands were completed but the club struggled financially on and off the field. After the demise of Eastwood Hanley in 1997 the playing side were strengthened when their manager Jimmy Wallace took over. 

The team of 97-98 had unparalleled success winning the league and challenge cup and narrowly missing out in an FA Vase final at Wembley losing 3-2 to Tiverton in the semi-final in front of Kidsgrove’s official record crowd of 1903. This was surpassed in a Pre-Season friendly with Port Vale in 2023 when 2365 attended. 

Promotion to the NPL was not forthcoming because of ground grading facilities but in 2002 after winning the league promotion was gained. The team struggled on and off the field and two years later they faced relegation for the first time in their history after finishing bottom of the league. The restructuring of the league however saved this from happening and to celebrate the club won the Staffs Senior cup for the first time beating Stafford Rangers 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium, a feat they have won four times since. The club have only picked up one piece of silverware in the league winning the Chairman’s Cup 7-6 on aggregate against Woodley Sports and reached the play-offs once, losing 1-0 to Glapwell in 2010. 

Struggles have ensued and re-election twice saved relegation and despite reaching the FA Trophy quarter finals losing 2-0 to Ilkeston, and the FA Cup 4th qualifying round twice losing 2-0 to Bradford PA in 2011 and losing away to Hartlepool 1-0 in 2018. Kidsgrove have had to settle for fair play awards. 

Mick Fitzjohn’s takeover of the club in 2015 has certainly stabilised the club as has Ian Cooper’s directorship. Ian’s company has transformed the pitch into one of the best in the league receiving compliments from all quarters. 

 The following season club did well on the pitch at first before going out in the third qualifier of the FA Cup 1-0 to Gateshead. The Grove slipped slightly in the league though were still in with a chance of the play-offs before the season was halted. 

The club parted company with manager Ryan Austin and former player Scott Dundas was appointed as the new manager. A decent run in the FA Trophy was halted by Stamford behind closed doors before the season ended with Grove 4th after eight games. 

With plans approved for new floodlights, clubhouse, and other facilities, the club and supporters remain very optimistic about the future on and off the field though Covid and the ongoing economic uncertainty have put plans behind. The present aim is to establish ourselves as a force in the NPL and aim for a playoff place. 

In the 2022/23 season the team finished in eighth position, the third highest since we have been in the NPL.  

Season 2023/24 the club had an electric start to the season winning the first seven league games but alas the loss of key players through injury and players moving on saw the team plunge down the table. Manager Scott Dundas left Kidsgrove in the March. Kidsgrove’s all-time scorer Anthony Malbon took temporary charge until the end of the season and was then appointed manager in close season with Jay Bateman as his assistant.  

Season 2024/25 saw a steady start with the club hovering around mid-table but due to personal reasons manager Anthony Malbon left the club and see his assistant Jay Bateman take temporary charge. Due to player injury and departures, the club started to drop down the league, so the board decided to make a change in the managerial position and made players Tom Pope and Matty Rhead joint player managers hoping their experience as ex professional players would help and Kidsgrove survived with the 1 point required to stay up. 

Season 2025/26 has started reasonably well with both Tom and Matty still at the helm and working wonders with a relatively young squad. 

kidsgroveathleticfc.co.uk/history