This is a list of seasons completed by

Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, from 1904—when the club began playing professionally—to the most recent completed season. The list details accomplishments in all competitions the club has entered. The club has never participated in any major competitions outside of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

History

The club was created in 1899 after Pine Villa Football Club folded earlier the same year. In the early years, Oldham played mostly at the junior level of competition. In 1899, Oldham Athletic played their first game in the Manchester Alliance League versus Berry's Blacking Works Second XI. The following season, the club would move to the

Manchester Football League The Manchester Football League is a football league in England, affiliated with Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of fiv ...

after finishing as runners-up. The club began to play professionally in 1904 as they moved into the Lancashire Combination B Division and were immediately promoted to the A Division by finishing as runners-up. After two seasons in the Lancashire Combination, the club gained acceptance into

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

in June 1907 when Burslem Port Vale resigned from the league. Unlike many clubs, Oldham Athletic gained early success in the league as they finished in third place in the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

. By 1910, the club was playing in the top flight of English football after the club had finishing in the runners-up spot in the 1909–10 season. It would not be until the 1952–53 season when the club would once again win a trophy, as they finished at the top of the

Football League Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated In sports leagues, promotion and ...

table. By the late 1950s, the club was in the

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

and twice had to apply for re-election into the Football League, including a finish of 23rd in 1959–60, their lowest rank in the League. By the mid-1960s, the club's fortunes had turned as they gained promotion back into the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

. In 1973–74,

Jimmy Frizzell James Letson Frizzell (16 February 1937 – 3 July 2016) was a Scottish association football player and manager. Frizzell was appointed a patron of Oldham Athletic's supporters' trust, Trust Oldham in 2004. Playing career Frizzell began his ca ...

led Oldham back to the Second Division as the club won their first league title since 1953. Unlike the previous visit into the division, the club was not relegated quickly. In the late 1970s, the club were runners-up in the Anglo-Scottish Cup following a loss to

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

4–2 on

aggregate Aggregate or aggregates may refer to: Computing and mathematics * collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...

. Under Joe Royle in 1989–90 season, Oldham had their best finish in a major English cup by finishing as runners-up in the

1990 Football League Cup Final The 1990 Football League Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1990. It was the 30th League Cup Final, and was contested between Nottingham Forest and Oldham Athletic. Nigel Jemson Nigel Bradley Jemson (born 10 August 1969) i ...

. The following season, Oldham won the Second Division and were promoted to the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

for the first time in 64 years and, in 1992–93, the club was a founding member of the

FA Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. The club was relegated back into the First Division following the 1993–94 season with Joe Royle leaving to join Everton during the next season. In the 1996–97 season, the club was relegated for the second time in four seasons and were back in the Second Division. After 21 consecutive seasons in the third tier of English football, the club were relegated to the renamed

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

for the first time since 1971. In 2021–22 they finished 23rd, 62 years after they had finished in the same position, and this time they were relegated automatically to the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

– the first former Premier League club to play non-League football.

Seasons

Key

* P – Played * W – Games won * D – Games drawn * L – Games lost * F – Goals for * A – Goals against * Pts – Points * Pos – Final position * Lan C-1 – Lancashire Combination A Division * Lan C-2 – Lancashire Combination B Division * Div 1 –

* Div 2 –

* Div 3 –

* Div 3N –

* Div 4 –

* Prem –

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

* Champ –

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

* Lge 1 –

Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

* Lge 2 –

Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

* NL –

* GS – Group stage * R1 – First round * R2 – Second round * R3 – Third round * R4 – Fourth round * R5 – Fifth round * QF – Quarter-finals * SF – Semi-finals * F – Regional final * RU – Runners-up * W – Winners * (N) – Northern section of regionalised stage Division shown in bold when it changes due to promotion or relegation.

Footnotes

References

External links

Oldham Athletic
at Soccerbase
Football Club History Database

at Historical Football Kits {{Lists of English football seasons Seasons Oldham Athletic