Cammell Laird 1907 Football Club is a semi-professional
football club based in
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...
, Merseyside, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Kirklands.
History
The club was established in 1907 as Cammell Laird Institute Association Football Club, playing their first match against
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
on 2 September that year.
[History of Cammell Laird 1907 FC]
Cammell Laird F.C. They joined Division One the
West Cheshire League
The West Cheshire Association Football League (commonly known as the West Cheshire League) is an English football league in the county of Cheshire, which also includes teams from Merseyside. Its current principal sponsor is ''Carlsberg'', also ...
for the 1907–08 season, finishing tenth.
[West Cheshire League 1892–1915]
Non-League Matters Despite finishing bottom of Division One in 1909–10 they were not relegated to Division Two.
[
After ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the Cammell Laird company faced cutbacks due to reduced government spending on ships, and the football team was taken back in-house, with a company league set up and a representative team put forward to play in Wirral Football Association cup competitions.[ In 1922 a team was entered to Division Two of the Birkenhead & Wirral League under the name Kirklands Football Club,][ and in 1924–25 they were league champions.][Cammell Laird 1907 Honours Board]
Cammell Laird F.C. The club was disbanded in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, but reformed in 1946 under the name Cammell Laird Association Football Club.[
The club rejoined the Birkenhead & Wirral League,][ before moving up to the West Cheshire League in 1948.][West Cheshire League 1946–1964]
Non-League Matters After finishing fourth in 1950–51, the club were promoted to Division One.[ However, they were relegated back to Division Two after finishing second-from-bottom of Division One the following season.][ They won Division Two in 1957–58, but were not promoted. However, after winning it again the following season, they moved up to Division One.][ In 1968–69 the club won Division One without losing a match.] They were league champions again in 1970–71 and went on to win five successive titles between 1974–75 and 1978–79.[ After finishing as runners-up in 1979–80, they won four successive titles between 1980–81 and 1983–84.]
Non-League Matters They were champions again in 1986–87,[ before winning another four consecutive titles between 1988–89 and 1991–92.][ Further titles followed in 1993–94, 1998–99 and 2000–01.][
After finishing as runners-up in 2003–04, Cammell Laird moved up to Division Two of the North West Counties League.][ They won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division.][ They won the Premier Division the following season and were promoted to Division One of the Northern Premier League; the season also saw them reach the semi-finals of the FA Vase, eventually losing 5–0 on aggregate to ]Nantwich Town
Nantwich Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed ''The Dabbers'', a reference to the town's tanning industry. They currently compete in and pla ...
in the semi-finals.[ Their first season in the Northern Premier League saw them finish as Division One runners-up, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating ]Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
3–2 in the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 to Eastwood Town
Eastwood Town Football Club was an English football club based in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The club last participated in the Northern Premier League Division One South, the eighth tier of English football.
A new club, Eastwood C.F.C., was f ...
in the final.2006–07 Northern Premier League
Football Club History Database
League reorganisation saw them placed in Division One South for the 2007–08 season, in which they finished as runners-up again, this time earning promotion without the need for play-offs as champions Retford United
Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an England, English association football, football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the .
History
The club was founded in 1987 by Retfor ...
were denied promotion due to ground grading. However, despite finishing eighteenth in the Premier Division in 2008–09, the club were relegated after themselves failing to meet the ground grading criteria.[ The club returned to Division One South, but were moved to Division One North in 2010.][ Despite finishing bottom of the division in 2011–12, they avoided being relegated. The following season saw them finish second, again qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating ]Mossley
Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester.
The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshir ...
1–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 4–2 on penalties to Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...
in the final after a 0–0 draw.[
After finishing eleventh in 2013–14, the club were disbanded and replaced by a new club, Cammell Laird 1907,][ which joined Division One of the North West Counties League.] They finished as runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[ However, in 2016–17 the club finished bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation back to Division One. A sixth-placed finish in 2017–18 saw the club qualify for the promotion play-offs. After beating ]Prestwich Heys
Prestwich Heys A.F.C. is a semi-professional football club based in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Heys run one senior side competing in the . Heys now have a Youth Team formed in the 2020–21 season ran by Nick Simister.
League ...
4–1 in the semi-finals, they were beaten 2–1 in the final by Whitchurch Alport.
Season-by-season record
Ground
The club initially played at the original Prenton Park, before moving to Park Road North in Birkenhead Park
Birkenhead Park is a major public park located in the centre of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847. It is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world. Th ...
, where they played between 1909 and 1921, although league matches were played at the Bebington Oval after World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.[Marine 0–2 Cammell Laird]
Marine F.C. In 1922 they moved to Kirklands in Rock Ferry
Rock Ferry is an area of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the county of Cheshire. At the ...
.[ It currently has a capacity of 2,000, of which 150 is seated.][
]
Managers
Honours
*North West Counties League
**Division One champions 2005–06
**Division Two champions 2004–05
**Challenge Cup winners 2004–05
**Division Two Cup winners 2004–05
*West Cheshire League
**Division One champions 1968–69, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02
**Division Two champions 1957–58, 1958–59
**Pyke Challenge Cup winners 1969–70, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2014–15[
*Birkenhead & Wirral League
**Division One champions 1924–25
*]Cheshire Senior Cup
The Cheshire County Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Cheshire Senior Cup, is a football knockout tournament founded in the 1879–80 season and involves teams from Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England. It ...
**Winners 2006–07[
*Cheshire Amateur Cup
**Winners 1972–73, 1975–76, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2002–03][
*West Cheshire Bowl
**Winners 1957–58
*Wirral Senior Cup
**Winners 1971–72, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2001–02,][ 2021–22
*Shipley Cup
**Winners 1920–21][
*Wirrall Minor 'B' Cup
**Winners 1923–24][
*Regent Cup
**Winners 1926–27][
]
Records
*Best FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Third qualifying round, 2004–05, 2005–06[
*Best FA Trophy performance: Third qualifying round, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2012–13][
*Best FA Vase performance: Semi-finals, 2005–06][
*Highest home attendance: 1,700 vs Harwich & Parkeston, FA Vase fifth round, 1990–91][
]
See also
* Cammell Laird 1907 F.C. players
* Cammell Laird 1907 F.C. managers
References
External links
Official website
{{coord, 53.369, -3.002, display=title, region:GB_scale:10000
Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Merseyside
Association football clubs established in 1907
1907 establishments in England
Sport in Birkenhead
North West Counties Football League clubs
Northern Premier League clubs
Works association football teams in England
West Cheshire Association Football League clubs