Goole A.F.C.

Goole Association Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds.

History

The club was established by Mike Norman in 1997 as a replacement for Goole Town, which folded at the end of the 1995–96 season.History
Goole A.F.C. The new club joined the Premier Division of the Central Midlands League and went on to win the division at the first attempt, losing only one league match all season, earning promotion to the Supreme Division. The following season saw the club win the Wakefield Floodlit Cup and the League Cup. A third-place finish also saw them gain promotion into Division One of the Northern Counties East League.

In Goole's first season in the Northern Counties East League they won both the Wilkinson Sword Trophy and the Division One title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 2004–05 the club won the Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One of the Northern Premier League. In 2006–07 they won the West Riding County Cup. League restructuring at the end of the season saw the club placed in Division One South for the 2007–08 season, and they remained in the division until being transferred to Division One North in 2012. Although they were moved back to Division One South the following season, the club were transferred to Division One North again in 2016. After finishing second-from-bottom of the division in 2016–17 the club were due to be relegated until being reprieved when Ilkeston were excluded from the league.

The 2017–18 season saw Goole finish bottom of Division One North, resulting in relegation to the Premier Division of the Northern Counties East League.

The 2018/19 season saw the Vikings back in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division where they achieved an 18th place finish.

The 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were ultimately curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Vikings finishing 17th and 14th respectively.

The 2021/22 season heralded a welcome return of football at the Victoria Pleasure Grounds, and gave the management team of Mick Carmody and Alan Jackson, a much-anticipated chance of getting back in the dugout, and the players chance to get back playing.
Their first full season in charge saw the Vikings finishing a very respectable 12th in the table.

The 2022/23 season started off brightly, with the Vikings recording a 1-0 away victory at Yorkshire Amateur on the opening day of the season.

They also embarked on a successful FA Cup run, starting off with a superb 4-1 home win over Northern Premier League side Consett, in the Extra Preliminary Round.

This was quickly followed by long trip up to Carlisle, to take on Carlisle City, in the FA Cup Preliminary round, where at a rainy Gillford Park, the Vikings put in another superb performance to see off their hosts 3-2 and reach the FA Cup First Qualifying Round.

The Vikings were drawn at home, taking on another side from the Northern Premier League, this time it was Prescot Cables FC who would be making the trip across the M62.

Ultimately, the Vikings FA Cup adventure came to an end, as they lost that game 1-0.

The Vikings league form took a turn for the worst, with a sequence of losses, interspersed with a couple of draws.

On Saturday 22nd October, a painful 7-0 home defeat against Garforth Town heralded the end of Mick and Jacko's time in charge, as they both resigned after the Game.

A two-game spell with Josh Schofield overseeing First team affairs followed.

On Tuesday 2nd November, the Club announced that former Shaw Lane Aquaforce and Pontefract Collieries Manager, Simon Houghton had been appointed as the Clubs New Manager.

Non-playing staff

*Chairman: Alan Wilson
*Vice Chairman: Nigel Emery
*Club Secretary: Connor Walker
*First Team Manager: Simon Houghton
*Assistant Manager: Leon Sewell
*Head Coach: Greg Beswick
*First Team Coach: Josh Schofield
*Goalkeeping Coach:
*Sports Therapist: Callum Sellars

Honours

*Northern Counties East League
**Premier Division champions 2004–05
**Division One champions 1999–2000
**League Trophy winners 1999–2000
*Central Midlands League
**Premier Division champions 1997–98
**League Cup winners 1998–99
* West Riding County Cup
**Winners 2006–07
*Wakefield Floodlit Cup
**Winners 1998–99

Records

*Best FA Cup performance: Second qualifying round, 2000–01, 2005–06
*Best FA Trophy performance: Second qualifying round, 2005–06, 2014–15
*Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 1998–99
*Record attendance: 976 vs Leeds United, friendly match, 1999
*Most goals: Kevin Severn (1997–2001)

See also

* Goole A.F.C. players
* Goole A.F.C. managers

References

External links

Official website

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Football clubs in England
Football clubs in the East Riding of Yorkshire
1997 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1997
Goole
Central Midlands Football League
Northern Counties East Football League
Northern Premier League clubs