Leigh Genesis Football Club, formerly known as Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute F.C. (Horwich RMI) and Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute F.C. (Leigh RMI), is an English amateur
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club that currently plays in the South Lancashire Counties Football League. The semi-professional senior side folded in 2011, following relegation from the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
; however, the club continued, fielding youth teams in the North West Youth Alliance, and a women's team in the North West Women's Regional League. The senior team was reintroduced for the 2012–13 season in the South Lancashire League.
The club was based in
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, and played at
Grundy Hill
Grundy Hill was the former home stadium of Horwich RMI association football club in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England, near the Horwich Leisure Centre.
The ground had a capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators, with 500 being seated. The t ...
,
Hilton Park,
, and finally Crilly Park.
The highest level at which the club competed was the
Conference National
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
, between 2000 and 2005; it reached the FA Cup First Round Proper on five separate occasions between 1928 and 2004.
History
The club was founded in 1896 and was initially known as Horwich RMI F.C., the club's name until 1995 when it relocated to Leigh and was renamed Leigh RMI.
[
] Its name was changed again in June 2008 when the club became Leigh Genesis FC.
Founding and early years
RMI was one of two football clubs founded at the workshops of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
; it was started at the
locomotive works in Horwich. The other club was started at the
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883.
Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial Re ...
carriage and wagon works and later became known, and famous, as
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
RMI played in various non-professional leagues over its first 90 years of existence, primarily in the
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
, before moving into the newly formed
North West Counties League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern S ...
in 1982,
[
] and then onto the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
the next year.
Manager
Les Rigby led RMI to the final of the
GMAC Cup in 1988 against
Weymouth, which was played on the sloping pitch of
Grundy Hill
Grundy Hill was the former home stadium of Horwich RMI association football club in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England, near the Horwich Leisure Centre.
The ground had a capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators, with 500 being seated. The t ...
. The home advantage was credited by many, including Rigby, for spurring RMI's victory in the match.
Move to Leigh
During the
1994–95 season,
the club realised their ground
Grundy Hill
Grundy Hill was the former home stadium of Horwich RMI association football club in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England, near the Horwich Leisure Centre.
The ground had a capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators, with 500 being seated. The t ...
would not be able to help the clubs' prospects of achieving success up the football pyramid, made the decision to move from
Horwich
Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Prior to 1974 in the historic county of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It l ...
seven miles south to
Hilton Park in Leigh, home of the
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club
Leigh Centurions
The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League.
The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern R ...
. As part of this deal, a new company, ''Grundy Hill Estates'', was formed to take over the ownership of the shared ground.
Once the move had been finalised and agreements had been made to share the 10,000 capacity stadium, the club officially changed their name to Leigh RMI to reflect their new surroundings. RMI lost its first match at Hilton Park in March 1995 to
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
4–0, and were relegated at the end of the 1995 season.
In 2000, five years after this move, Leigh RMI reached the top tier of the
Conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
, the highest level of non-league football in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Upon entering the Conference, RMI had a very successful first season, finishing a very respectable fifth place.
Steve Jones spearheaded the club's attack that season, scoring 19 league goals.
After a few seasons at this level, and despite the fact that things seemed to be going well for the club on the pitch, Leigh RMI faced a placement in the new
Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
division for
2004–05 due to their second from the bottom finish in the
2003–04 season. The club was spared relegation that season due to two factors: the lack of a promotable
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
club kept the team that finished above them in the table from relegation and
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
were demoted from the Conference for failing to meet ground standards. Leigh RMI's reprieve only lasted one season, however, as they were relegated after finishing bottom of the Conference table in
2004–05 with only 18 points from 42 games.
The season after this relegation, Leigh RMI hosted
F.C. United of Manchester
Football Club United of Manchester is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.
Found ...
, the football club started in reaction to the purchase of
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
by American businessman
Malcolm Glazer
Malcolm Irving Glazer (August 15, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, ...
, for FCUM's first ever match in July 2005, a friendly that ended in 0–0 draw.
[
] Leigh RMI's ownership had previously offered to merge with FCUM prior to this friendly in 2005, but the clubs decided against such a merger. "It would seem hypocritical to some degree, in light of the Glazer events, if a team came into being by taking over another club," said Chairman of RMI Supporters' Club Peter Lowe at the time.
[
]
The
2005–06 season saw the club finish second from bottom in the Conference North, and the club thereby faced relegation to the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
, but RMI gained yet another reprieve from relegation after
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...
resigned from the
Conference National
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
.
In the
2006–07 campaign, RMI avoided relegation more easily, despite finishing 17th and in the bottom half of Conference North.
As of 6 October 2007, Leigh RMI were again facing a relegation fight as they stood on the threshold of the relegation zone in 19th place.
[
] RMI removed manager Stuart Humphreys and his assistant
Andy Roscoe
Andrew Ronald Roscoe (born 4 June 1973) is an English left sided defender or midfielder whose last job was as assistant manager at Leigh RMI having joined in 2003 from Exeter City. Roscoe has also played for Bolton, Mansfield, and Rotherham. He ...
on 15 October 2007 and hired
Steve Bleasdale
Stephen Bleasdale (born 23 June 1959) is a former English football coach. He has managed Bangor City, Leigh Genesis and Football League side Peterborough United.
Bleasdale has often worked alongside former England footballer Mark Wright havi ...
to manage due to "the fact of the current low league position and falling gates something had to be done rapidly to improve our prospects," according to a club spokesman.
Genesis
In May 2008 Leigh RMI lost their fight for survival and were relegated to the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
. In June 2008 the club was renamed Leigh Genesis to signify a "new beginning" for the club ahead of its move to the
. The rebranding was also used to signify chairman Dominic Speakman's restructuring of the ailing club with the view of taking the club forward.
In October 2008, chairman Dominic Speakman announced his departure from the club. Genesis had been due to move into the new Leigh Sports Village Stadium (LSV). Continuing delays and unrealistic pricing, in the end cost the club. With the rising losses, and lack of home ground Speakman withdrew his financial backing from the club.
A large number of the playing staff agreed to play voluntarily. The board and backroom staff also offered to stay unpaid for the immediate future. However, manager Steve Bleasdale resigned the following week, and shortly afterwards returned to former club
Chester City as assistant manager. Reserve team coach
Lee Merricks was appointed the club's new manager.
The LGSA (Leigh Genesis Supporters Association), began fundraising and hoped to keep the club alive.
On 23 March 2009 the club appointed former Blackburn player
Garry Flitcroft as its new manager, as well as announcing that the team would be playing at the
with immediate effect.
After finishing in sixth position, one place outside of the promotion play-offs, in the
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
Division One North during 2009–10, manager Garry Flitcroft and several players departed the club to join local rivals
Chorley
Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came pr ...
.
The club left the Leigh Sports Village Stadium and entered into a groundshare agreement at Crilly Park with North West Counties Premier Division neighbours
Atherton Laburnum Rovers for the 2010–11 season. At the same time, they appointed former player Mark Maddox, previously manager with
Formby
Formby is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 22,419 at the 2011 Census.
Historically in Lancashire, three manors are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under "For ...
, as their new manager, bringing eight players from the Formby squad with him. In June 2010, veteran midfielder Andy Heald was installed as player-coach, while July 2010 saw Gary Scott, another ex-Leigh player and former Altrincham teammate of Maddox's, appointed as assistant manager and Richard Ward as a coaching assistant.
Maddox and Leigh parted company by mutual consent on 3 December 2010, with Maddox replaced as manager by Alan Kershaw, who stepped up from managing the successful Leigh Genesis Youth side in the Lancashire Floodlit League.
On 2 June 2011, Leigh Genesis FC officially announced that it would not be joining the
North West Counties League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern S ...
(Level 9) despite being relegated from the
Northern Premier League Division One North
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
(Level 8). Leigh Genesis secretary Mary Croasdale stated:
''... we do not have a home ground and have been ground sharing for the last year at Crilly Park, home of Atherton LR. It is with much sadness and regret that we confirm that due to our lack of permanent facility we will not be applying for membership with the North West Counties League and taking an option further down the football ladder as appropriate for the playing facility we will have available.''
Return of senior team
In May 2012, the club officially announced the re-launch of the senior team for the 2012–13 season. was playing in the South Lancashire Counties Football League, a men's
Sunday League affiliated with the
Lancashire FA
The Lancashire County Football Association, also known simply as the Lancashire FA, is the governing body of football within the historical county boundaries of Lancashire, England. They are responsible for the governance and development of foo ...
.
Colours and badge
The club introduced new colours to their kit for the 2008–09 season. The home kit consisted of white shirts with black trim, black shorts and black socks, while the away kit was all blue with white trim. Both kits were manufactured by
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
and neither had a sponsor, instead bearing the new Genesis name.
[
] The kit colours were changed as part of the "Genesis" branding and to stand out from the many clubs in Lancashire with red kits. Prior to the rebranding Leigh RMI playing kits consisted of red and white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks. The emblem for the club was the Leigh coat of arms.
It was said that the club had desired the colour of their home kit to be primarily black. However FA rules prevented non-league clubs to do so due to comparisons with the colours worn during a match by the match officials.
Supporters
After moving from Grundy Hill in Horwich, this club's support has always been considered light.
''Horwich's traumatic move to Leigh involved a far greater leap than a mere six-mile journey south west. Unsigned boundaries were crossed. Horwich is football and Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
; Leigh is rugby league.''
With Leigh being known as a rugby league town, and the numerous well known football sides on the club's doorstep, not only
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
, but
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
,
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, Leigh RMI averaged attendances of approximately 250 people per game in 2007.
[
]
FA Cup record
As Horwich RMI, the club only made the
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 ...
First Round proper twice. In the
1928–29 season, RMI lost to
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
at home 1–2, and 54 years later, in 1982, they lost at
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
3–0.
After relocating to Leigh, the club reached the
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 ...
First Round on three occasions. The first came in the
1998–99 season when RMI defeated
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich. It grew around the salt mining industry ...
,
Worksop
Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from the nor ...
, and
Droylsden
Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester city centre and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689.
Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the ...
, the last two by the same scoreline, 2–1, to meet
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, then in Division Two, at
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against M ...
.
Leigh achieved a 1–1 draw against Fulham in the club's first FA Cup
first round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
appearance in 16 years, and received attention of the British media. Leigh goalkeeper
David Felgate, who was then 38 years old, received widespread plaudits for his sparkling performance in the Fulham match,
[
] which prompted then-Fulham boss
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...
to declare that Felgate's goalkeeping was "the best I've ever seen at any level."
[
]
The RMI-Fulham replay at Hilton Park, which was televised and shown live on
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
,
[
] ended with Leigh losing 0–2. RMI's Cup defeat witnessed by a club record crowd of 7,125 spectators.
Leigh's second FA Cup First Round appearance in the
2000–01 season also ended in defeat. They lost 3–0 to
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
who at that time were in
Division Two. On police advice, the venue for this match was switched from Hilton Park to The
New Den
The Den (previously The New Den) is a association football, football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall F.C., Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London Line, South London railway originating ...
in
Bermondsey
Bermondsey () is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, a ...
, Millwall's home ground.
A third appearance in the FA Cup First Round Proper also ended in defeat for Leigh with a 2–1 defeat away to
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
side
Cambridge City in the
2004–05 season. This followed RMI's 2–0 victory at
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
in the Fourth Qualifying Round that year.
Stadia
* The Old Racecourse 1896–1914
["Wigan County were again away from home, this time meeting the Horwich team on the old racecourse under the shadows of the Pike". Wigan Examiner 30 March 1898 page 4, column 2]
*
Grundy Hill
Grundy Hill was the former home stadium of Horwich RMI association football club in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England, near the Horwich Leisure Centre.
The ground had a capacity of approximately 5,000 spectators, with 500 being seated. The t ...
1914–1995 ''(as Horwich RMI)''
*
Hilton Park 1995–2008
*
2009–10
*
Crilly Park 2010–11
Managers
*
Steve Waywell (1995–2003)
*
Mark Patterson (2003)
*
Phil Starbuck
Philip Michael Starbuck (born 24 November 1968) is an English former professional footballer who scored 43 goals from 245 appearances in the Football League playing for a number of different clubs. He started out as a striker then winger befor ...
(2003–04)
*
Geoff Lutley (2004–05)
*
Steve Bleasdale
Stephen Bleasdale (born 23 June 1959) is a former English football coach. He has managed Bangor City, Leigh Genesis and Football League side Peterborough United.
Bleasdale has often worked alongside former England footballer Mark Wright havi ...
(2005)
*
Stuart Humphreys (2005–2007)
*
Steve Bleasdale
Stephen Bleasdale (born 23 June 1959) is a former English football coach. He has managed Bangor City, Leigh Genesis and Football League side Peterborough United.
Bleasdale has often worked alongside former England footballer Mark Wright havi ...
(2007–08)
*
Lee Merricks (2008–09)
*
Garry Flitcroft (2009–10)
*
Mark Maddox
Mark Anthony Maddox (born March 23, 1968 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former professional American football linebacker for ten seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at Northern Michigan Un ...
(2010)
*
Alan Kershaw (2010–11)
*
Liam Conor (2011–16)
*
Rob Atherton (2016-)
Honours and achievements
Club records
*Record Win: 19–1 vs
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, 1964 ''(
Lancashire Combination
The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...
)''
*Record Defeat: 1–9 vs
Brandon United, ''(
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 ...
)''
*Record Home Crowd at Grundy Hill, Horwich: 8,500 vs
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
, 1954
*Record Home Crowd at Hilton Park, Leigh: 7,125 vs
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, 1998 ''(FA Cup)''
*Best League Finish: Football Conference, 5th position
2000–01
Notable former players
:''See also
:Leigh Genesis F.C. players''
References
External links
{{commons category
Official website
Association football clubs established in 1896
Football clubs in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
1896 establishments in England
Football clubs in England
West Lancashire Football League
Lancashire Combination
North West Counties Football League clubs
Northern Premier League clubs
National League (English football) clubs
Railway association football teams in England
Cheshire County League clubs
Manchester Football League