1986–87 North West Counties Football League
Football league season
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The 1986–87 North West Counties Football League (known as the Bass North West Counties League for sponsorship reasons for the first of seven seasons[1]) was the fifth in the history of the North West Counties Football League, a football competition in England.
| Season | 1986–87 |
|---|---|
← 1985–86 1987–88 → | |
The league comprised three divisions and there was additionally the League Challenge Cup knockout competition open to all the league's clubs and also a reserves team section. At the end of the season owing to the expansion of the Northern Premier League to two divisions 14 clubs left the league and subsequently the third division was discontinued.[2]
Division One
| Season | 1986–87 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 20 |
| Champions | Stalybridge Celtic |
| Promoted | 12 clubs to Northern Premier League Division One |
| Matches | 380 |
| Goals | 1,070 (2.82 per match) |
← 1985–86 1987–88 → | |
Division One featured 20 clubs, 18 remaining from the previous season plus 2 additional both promoted from Division Two:
- Kirkby Town, promoted as champions
- Rossendale United, promoted as runners-up
At the end of the season 12 clubs with suitable ground grading left Division One to join the newly formed Northern Premier League Division One.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stalybridge Celtic (C, P) | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 74 | 39 | +35 | 58 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 2 | Accrington Stanley (P) | 38 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 53 | |
| 3 | Clitheroe | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 76 | 47 | +29 | 52 | |
| 4 | Kirkby Town | 38 | 22 | 4 | 12 | 71 | 48 | +23 | 48 | |
| 5 | Bootle | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 52 | 38 | +14 | 48 | |
| 6 | St Helens Town | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 65 | 37 | +28 | 47 | |
| 7 | Winsford United (P) | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 39 | +16 | 46 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 8 | Fleetwood Town (P) | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 61 | 49 | +12 | 45 | |
| 9 | Penrith (P) | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 62 | 59 | +3 | 42 | |
| 10 | Rossendale United | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 59 | +7 | 39 | |
| 11 | Congleton Town (P) | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 38 | 39 | −1 | 37 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 12 | Burscough | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 33 | |
| 13 | Leyland Motors | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 33 | |
| 14 | Eastwood Hanley (P) | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 40 | 50 | −10 | 31 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 15 | Radcliffe Borough (P) | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 30 | |
| 16 | Leek Town (P) | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 55 | −13 | 30 | |
| 17 | Netherfield (P) | 38 | 12 | 5 | 21 | 45 | 73 | −28 | 29 | |
| 18 | Irlam Town (P) | 38 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 36 | 74 | −38 | 21 | |
| 19 | Curzon Ashton (P) | 38 | 4 | 12 | 22 | 35 | 78 | −43 | 20 | |
| 20 | Glossop | 38 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 87 | −54 | 18 |
Rules for classification: The points system until the 1990–91 season: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Division Two
| Season | 1986–87 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 20 |
| Champions | Droylsden |
| Promoted | 2 clubs to Northern Premier League Division One 10 clubs to Division One |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 934 (3.05 per match) |
← 1985–86 1987–88 → | |
Division Two featured 20 clubs, 16 remaining from the previous season plus 4 additional:
- Prescot Cables, relegated from Division One
- Formby, relegated from Division One
- Blackpool Mechanics, promoted as champions from Division Three
- Oldham Town, promoted as runners-up from Division Three
At the end of the season 2 clubs, the champions Droylsden and Lancaster City, left the league to join the newly formed Northern Premier League Division One. Warrington Town who occupied the runners-up promotion position and a further 9 clubs, selected not solely on the basis of their position in the final table but also having the necessary ground grading, were advanced to Division One to replace the clubs that had left that division to join the Northern Premier League.[3] Bottom club Salford recorded only one win and scored 17 goals over the season, creating lows for both measures by any club to date in the top two divisions of the league.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Droylsden (C, P) | 34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 79 | 42 | +37 | 48 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 2 | Warrington Town (P) | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 48 | 34 | +14 | 45 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Ashton United | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 73 | 45 | +28 | 44 | |
| 4 | Wren Rovers | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 65 | 39 | +26 | 44 | |
| 5 | Colwyn Bay (P) | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 61 | 43 | +18 | 43 | Promoted to Division One |
| 6 | Darwen (P) | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 45 | 47 | −2 | 38 | |
| 7 | Chadderton | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 37 | |
| 8 | Colne Dynamoes (P) | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 36 | Promoted to Division One |
| 9 | Skelmersdale United (P) | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 52 | 53 | −1 | 36 | |
| 10 | Ellesmere Port & Neston (P) | 34 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 68 | 54 | +14 | 35 | |
| 11 | Formby (P) | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 33 | |
| 12 | Blackpool Mechanics | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 32 | |
| 13 | Lancaster City (P) | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 31 | Promoted to Northern Premier League Division One |
| 14 | Prescot Cables (P) | 34 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 46 | 48 | −2 | 28[a] | Promoted to Division One |
| 15 | Great Harwood Town | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 36 | 59 | −23 | 24[a] | |
| 16 | Oldham Town | 34 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 38 | 57 | −19 | 23 | |
| 17 | Atherton Laburnum Rovers (P) | 34 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 32 | 61 | −29 | 21 | Promoted to Division One |
| 18 | Salford (P) | 34 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 17 | 89 | −72 | 10 |
Rules for classification: The points system until the 1990–91 season: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
- Prescot Cables and Great Harwood Town had 2 points deducted
Division Three
| Season | 1986–87 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 13 |
| Champions | Atherton Collieries |
| Promoted | 13 clubs to Division Two |
| Matches | 156 |
| Goals | 453 (2.9 per match) |
← 1985–86 | |
Division Three featured 13 clubs, 9 remaining from the previous season plus 4 additional:
- Ford Motors, relegated from Division Two
- Nantwich Town, relegated from Division Two
- Flixton, joined from the Manchester League
- Ashton Town, joined from the Manchester League
At the end of the season to rebuild Division Two following the movement of its clubs to Division One (to replace the clubs that had left the league to join the expanded Northern Premier League) all this division's clubs were advanced to Division Two and subsequently Division Three was discontinued.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Season End Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atherton Collieries (C, P) | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 36 | Promoted to Division Two |
| 2 | Flixton (P) | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 58 | 29 | +29 | 35 | |
| 3 | Maghull (P) | 24 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 30 | |
| 4 | Nelson (P) | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 29 | +8 | 30 | |
| 5 | Newton (P) | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 27 | |
| 6 | Ford Motors (P) | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 26 | |
| 7 | Bacup Borough (P) | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 26 | |
| 8 | Cheadle Town (P) | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 23 | |
| 9 | Daisy Hill (P) | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 42 | −21 | 17[a] | |
| 10 | Padiham (P) | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 16 | |
| 11 | Nantwich Town (P) | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 26 | 42 | −16 | 16 | |
| 12 | Ashton Town (P) | 24 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 29 | 39 | −10 | 15[a] | |
| 13 | Whitworth Valley (P) | 24 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 48 | −31 | 11 |
Rules for classification: The points system until the 1990–91 season: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
- Daisy Hill and Ashton Town had 2 points deducted
Divisional Cup
Owing to the low number of clubs in Division Three a subsidiary cup competition was organised for its members. In the final Ford Motors beat Maghull 4–2 in a deciding penalty shoot-out after the match, played at Burscough F.C., finished 0–0 after extra time.[4]
League Challenge Cup
The 1986–87 League Challenge Cup was a knockout competition open all the league's clubs. The winners were Colne Dynamoes of Division Two who defeated Division One club Leyland Motors in the final, played at Bury F.C., 6–5 on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time (1–1 at 90 minutes).[5]
Semi-finals and Final
The semi-finals were decided on aggregate score from two legs played
| Semi-finals | Final[a] | ||||||||||||
| Colne Dynamoes (D2) | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Ashton United (D2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Colne Dynamoes (D2) | 1 [b] | 6p [c] | |||||||||||
| Leyland Motors (D1) | 1 [b] | 5p [c] | |||||||||||
| Leyland Motors (D1) | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Droylsden (D2) | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
Club's division appended to team name: (D1)=Division One; (D2)=Division Two
sources:
- Semi-finals: "(column 6) • Bass North West Counties…". Manchester Evening News. Manchester. 5 May 1987. p. 42.
- Final: Andrew Spencer (15 May 1987). "Cup Triumph for Dynamos". Barnoldswick & Earby Times. Wigan. p. 24.
Reserves Section
Main honours for the 1986–87 season:[6]
- Reserves Division
- Winners: Radcliffe Borough Reserves
- Runners-up: Warrington Town Reserves