It is thought that Garstang Football Club formed in the late 1800s although the earliest documented records show that, in 1927, the club won the Guildhall Cup as a member of the Preston and District League.
In the mid sixities both the First and Reserve Teams moved from "The Beeches" to the club's current home of the "The Riverside", shown below. At the time of this move the club continued to be a proud member of the Preston and District League.
After much soul searching and debate during the summer of 1994 the club made the decision to advance and to step into the West Lancashire League. Garstang made steady progress in the early years and then, under the guidance of manager Keith Brindle, the first team reached the Lancashire Amateur Shield final for two years in succession. The first fina,l during the 1998/99 season, saw the team suffer defeat at the hands of Fulwood. However the following year the club bounced back and secured the trophy with a victory over favourites Stand Athletic.
Also in the 1999/00 season, Garstang secured the Presidents Cup with a thrilling sudden death penalty shoot out victory and they also achieved promotion to the West Lancashire Premier Division as runners up.
The following season saw the first team finish a respectable eighth in the league, and the Reserve Team won the Reserve Division Two title and with it promotion.
Following the departure of Keith Brindle as manager, the first team suffered relegation back to the First Division.
The next silverware that the club achieved was in the 2002/03 season when the Reserves won the Houston Cup. Unfortunately their fortunes also suffered, and they returned to Reserve Division Two following relegation.
After a poor start to the 2005/06 season, the club appointed Gary Hargreaves as Manager along with Scott Somerside as his assistant. This duo stopped the first team's slide towards the relegation trap door and also steered them to the Presidents Cup final, which was lost on penalities. The following season saw the First Team achieve promotion back to the Premier Division as runners up. Chairman Adrian Wilding stepped down at the end of the season due to pressures of work, with Secretary Andy Harkins stepping in to the breach for what proved to be a remarkable season.
The 2007/08 season saw the Reserve Team secure the Reserve Division Two title under the guidance of Paul Bailey. The First Team were also involved in a thrilling title battle that went down to the last game of the season and in front of over 250 of their own fans, the team secured the three points needed to win the Premier Division title.
Season 2008/09 was almost a case of 'after the lord mayor's show' as Hargreaves and Somerside departed, citing the club's inability to take up the earned promotion to the North West Counties as the reason. In the pre-season, Adrian Wilding returned as Chairman of the Management Committee, bringing with him Les Taylor as Commercial Manager and Ian Blezard as Website Manager, intent on building the Community Club that Garstang deserved. Adrian's first task was the appointment of a new Manager, George Norrie, from Trimpell / Slyne FC.
Norrie came with the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach and simply picked up the reins and carried on. Unfortunately, despite some good early results, the chemistry was not right, and he left after a handful of games to coach at Lancaster City.
The Club began the search for a new manager and were very happy to find that Scott Somerside, the previous season's number two, was willing to return and take on the task. Scott achieved a very creditable performance, getting the team up and running again, eventually finishing the Premier Division in an excellent third place.
It was a difficult season in terms of playing staff, however, with four of the previous seasons regulars moving out, three of them to UniBond Clubs, and long term injuries restricting the appearances of several more. The manager did bring some fresh blood to the club, however, and with several Reserve Team players stepping up to make the grade, the season finished on a high with a string of feisty performances. At the end of the season, however, Scott Somerside surprisingly handed in his resignation as, due to work and family commitments, he could no longer devote the time necessary to manage a successful football club. The Club were very fortunate, however, to immediately secure the services of the former Lancaster City manager Barrie Stimpson, 'Stimmo', who joined Garstang FC on May 9th 2009, a high profile capture symbolising the Club's footballing ambitions.
The Reserve Team, managed by Paul Bailey, had another good season, despite frequently releasing players to support the First Team, finishing the Reserve Division One in sixth place, their highest ever placing.
Off the field, developments came thick and fast with the launch of this website, the recruitment of several new sponsors, the instigation of the Garstang 'Score' Lottery, and hosting a hugely successful Sportsmans Dinner at Blackpool FC, amongst some the more memorable achievements. These are all vital building blocks that will provide the foundations for the new Garstang FC, raising the profile of the Club as the committee, team management and players all work together to bring the highest standard of football possible to the Riverside ground.
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| First Team Squad - September 2009 |
2009/10 was an interesting season, characterised by a foul winter which wiped out much of the programme from mid November until well into January. Manager 'Stimmo' started his Garstang career gently, choosing to work with the existing squad of players as he got to know the foibles of the 'West Lancs' and quickly discovered that, whatever the abilities of his players, he was blessed with a tremendous team spirit that made them very difficult to beat and saw the club hit top spot in December. A successful run in the Lancashire Shield, losing a fabulous final 3-4 to Blackpool Wrens, may have shifted focus away from the league, however, and a disappointing run in saw a tired squad slip to sixth place in the rush of 'catch up' games at the end of the season.
The Reserves too suffered in the 'player availabilty' department for key games but, despite the frustrations, Manager Paul Bailey achieved another 'best ever' league placing, pushing his squad into third place.
Off the field, Chairman Adrian Wilding pushed on with his vision of 'Garstang in the Community'. Under-pinned by an increasingly successful 'Score' Lottery, Garstang FC, lacking any junior football for many years, aligned itself with Cockerham Juniors thus providing their young players, aged from 6 to 16, with a route through to senior football at The Riverside. The defunct Garstang Juniors U16's side were also welcomed into the GFC family, the players and management forming the nucleus of the new Garstang FC Youth Team setup for season 2010/11. Finally, the diggers moved on to The Riverside in the summer as the pitch was widened and lengthened to league standards - but more of that next season!
Recent Honours: |
1999/00 West Lancashire League Division One Runners Up 1999/00 The President's Cup
2000/01 Reserve Division Two Champions
2002/03 The Houston Cup
2006/07 West Lancashire League Division One Runners Up 2007/08 West Lancashire League Premier Division Champions 2007/08 Reserve Division Two Champions
2008/09 The Wilf Carr Memorial Trophy
2009/10 Lancashire Amateur Shield Runners Up |
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| Recent Seasons |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
P |
Pos |
|
| 94/95 |
West Lancs Division 2 |
32 |
11 |
5 |
16 |
49 |
71 |
38 |
12th |
|
| 95/96* |
West Lancs Division 2 |
34 |
15 |
9 |
10 |
73 |
59 |
51 |
6th |
|
| 96/97 |
West Lancs Division 2 |
34 |
17 |
5 |
12 |
70 |
54 |
56 |
7th |
|
| 97/98 |
West Lancs Division 2 |
38 |
22 |
4 |
12 |
89 |
73 |
70 |
5th |
|
| 98/99** |
West Lancs Division 1 |
30 |
6 |
10 |
14 |
53 |
67 |
28 |
14th |
|
| 99/00 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
28 |
15 |
7 |
6 |
60 |
48 |
52 |
2nd |
Promoted |
| 00/01 |
West Lancs Premier Division |
28 |
11 |
5 |
12 |
43 |
59 |
38 |
8th |
|
| 01/02 |
West Lancs Premier Division |
30 |
4 |
3 |
23 |
33 |
101 |
15 |
16th |
Relegated |
| 02/03 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
28 |
9 |
6 |
13 |
47 |
63 |
33 |
11th |
|
| 03/04 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
30 |
15 |
5 |
10 |
73 |
59 |
50 |
4th |
|
| 04/05 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
28 |
10 |
2 |
16 |
60 |
65 |
32 |
12th |
|
| 05/06 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
26 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
44 |
57 |
29 |
9th |
|
| 06/07 |
West Lancs Division 1 |
26 |
17 |
6 |
3 |
56 |
25 |
57 |
2nd |
Promoted |
| 07/08 |
West Lancs Premier Division |
30 |
22 |
1 |
7 |
50 |
28 |
67 |
1st |
Champions |
| 08/09 |
West Lancs Premier Division |
30 |
16 |
7 |
7 |
55 |
44 |
55 |
3rd |
|
| 09/10 |
West Lancs Premier Division |
32 |
15 |
7 |
10 |
56 |
41 |
52 |
6th |
|
|
