Clitheroe - Shawbridge

Clitheroe FC

The Loom Loft Stadium

Shawbridge

Pendle Road

Clitheroe

Lancashire

BB7 1LZ

07788 662294

Official Website

Twitter

Blackburn Rovers WFC Twitter

Ground Number: 1523

Sunday 8th March 2026

Blackburn Rovers WFC 1-3 Leeds United WFC

WNL Division 1 North

CLITHEROE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Despite two previous clubs existing in the town, this version of the club was established in 1924. They joined the North East Lancashire Combination for a year before moving on to the Lancashire Combination. An early high point was in 1938 when they finished as runners-up behind South Liverpool. After years of struggle, they were relegated to the second tier in 1952. It would take until 1958 for them to win promotion back as they finished as runners-up behind Oldham Athletic Reserves, but they were relegated back before winning the Division 2 title in 1960. They remained in the top tier for many years after this, even winning the league overall in 1980. In 1982, the league was merged with the Cheshire League to form the North West Counties League. Clitheroe were placed in Division 3, which they won in 1984, followed by the Division 2 title a year later. They remained in Division 1 for nearly two decades, finishing as runners-up twice before winning the title in 2004. This earned them promotion to the NPL Division 1. They have remained there ever since; in latter years, the division has been regionalised. Their best finish came in 2023, where they finished 4th before losing out to Workington in the playoff semi-finals.

The best run in the FA Cup has been to the 3rd Qualifying Round, which has been achieved on four occasions. In 1996, they played at Wembley Stadium in the final of the FA Vase. Some 7,500 people watched the game against Brigg Town, and although Clitheroe won against them earlier in the season in the FA Cup, they were beaten 3–0 in the Vase Final. A public appeal to help with the visit to Wembley saw £7,400 donated by townspeople and businesses. A notable FA Trophy run came this season, and several higher division sides were giant-killed, most notably York City. This game produced their record attendance of 2,071. Their run eventually came to an end in the 4th Round as they were beaten 3-1 at Scunthorpe United. Local cup wins include the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1985 and the North West Counties Floodlit Trophy in 1999. The club's record transfer sale is Carlo Nash, who netted them £45,000 when the goalkeeper moved to Crystal Palace in 1996.

Clitheroe is a town in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire; it is located 34 miles north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Clitheroe built-up area had an estimated population of 16,279. The town was listed in the 2017 The Sunday Times report on the best places to live in Northern England, while the wider Ribble Valley, of which Clitheroe is the most populous settlement, was listed in the 2018 and 2024 Sunday Times reports on the best places to live. Clitheroe and the wider Ribble Valley have also been listed as the healthiest and happiest place to live in the United Kingdom. The town's most notable building is Clitheroe Castle, which is one of the smallest Norman keeps in Great Britain. The castle's most prominent feature is the hole in its side, which was made in 1649 as was ordered by the government. Clitheroe is twinned with Rivesaltes, a small town in France.

BLACKBURN ROVERS WFC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1991. They play in the FA Women's National League Division One North, the fourth tier of English women's football. The club spent five seasons in the FA Women's Premier League National Division, the highest level of the women's game in England before the formation of the Women's Super League in 2011, from 2006 until their relegation at the end of the 2010–11 season. They declined to submit an application to become an inaugural member of the Women's Super League due to their reluctance to split the team from the men's. It was announced on 20 May 2025, after finishing tenth in the 2024–25 Women's Championship, one spot away from relegation to the FA Women's National League, that Blackburn had withdrawn from the Women's Championship, because the club owner was unwilling to meet the league's requirements on facilities, player welfare and staffing. On 4 June 2025, the club announced that The FA had decided that Blackburn would play in the FA Women’s National League Division One North for the 2025–26 season, dropping from the second to the fourth tier of English football.

MY VISIT

Originally, on this day, I had Blackburn Rovers Women pencilled in. It was a cracking ground and seemed ironic that I was watching women's football in a town that is literally called clit hero. At least to my puerile mind anyway. However, what was not so amusing was Northern Railway's famously hopeless Sunday service. When it did run, the service was only scheduled to depart every two hours, which would mean placing my faith in the buses. If something went wrong, then I risked missing my coach home, so although I was keen to visit, a list of alternatives was drawn up, but these were little better logistically, aside from revisits to Bury & Hyde. The latter appealed more, and not fancying a tricky and sober bus journey, my mind was set on a Hyde revisit. The 12:30 kickoff was a strange one and muddied the waters. I later found that their U21 team had a 10:30 kickoff, so they were obviously making good use of the pitch. But then, in the morning, I took a look and found that the public transport was equally crap wherever we went, so we might as well get a new tick. There was also the excellent-looking Bowlands Beer Hall, which really swung it.

 

From a few pints at Spoons in Lytham, we headed to Tesco Express for both hard and soft drinks. Then a bus to our hotel with a friendly Jimmy Bullard lookalike. He loved our hopping stories. Colin had lost his power bank and borrowed mine. Due to inebriation, I cannot be sure what happened, but in any case, I no longer had a power bank when I reached the hotel. I was thinking of an upgrade anyway, so I ordered a new one on Amazon along with Energy Drinks to get free delivery. From then, I drank my cider and climbed into bed. It had been a boozy old weekend once again, so I was thinking that I'd be more sensible on Sunday. Colin woke me up on Sunday at 6 am, turning all the lights on. It was only an hour before my alarm, so it wasn't too bad. We still hadn't decided what game we were going to do at that point. Even Kendal Town Women was considered. It was very good transport-wise, but no one had bothered advertising the game on Twitter. I fint it staggering that clubs can't be arsed to spend ten seconds updating people, as it's free advertising after all. It was a shame as it was a cracker of a town and ground, but I suppose Groundhop UK might do it one day, being that they control both the North West Counties and Northern League hops. The plan was to go into Preston as Colin needed some bits and then get a single bus to Clitheroe. It was a bit early to get there, but it was better than faffing about with multiple buses.

We left the room at 9.10 to get the bus to Preston as Colin wanted to go to a shop. It was perfectly on time, and so we had a bit of time to wait before the shops opened. So naturally, we headed to Wetherspoons for a breakfast muffin and Cranberry juice. No pint for me as I'd had tons the previous two days and was going to indulge later. The bus was on time, but as the shops didn't open until 11, his shopping had to wait. Both bus rides were £1, a bargain but on rickety old buses. We were in Clitheroe at 11.30. We walked up to the castle, which was very pleasant and popular with dog walkers. The keep was all covered up with polythene, which was a shame as it was the highest point. We still managed to get a picture of the ground, though, albeit obscured by trees. We then walked down to the Bowlands Brewery for lunch. First up was a pint of Cockeyed Bushpig cider, a retry but very nice. Second was a Kasteel Tropical, which was new for me and excellent. For food, I had a slow-roast beef baguette, and this was also great. It had been a most enjoyable pre-match. It was a ten-minute walk to the ground, where I paid £5 to get in and £4.50 for a pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits in a branded club cup.

 

Leeds United were 2nd in the table, whilst Blackburn were rock bottom and having a tough season. Blackburn were playing in a rather nice yellow kit, probably because both of Leeds' kits would have clashed with Blackburn's blue and white halves. Leeds were dominant in the first 20, but Blackburn dug in and defended well. On 23 minutes, Blackburn had their first attack and took the goal well, Ellie Rice striking the ball low into the bottom corner. Leeds continued to dominate, but Blackburn defended well. Leeds finally equalised on 67 minutes, a good header from the left and a header from Woodruff. Leeds got two late goals, firstly a penalty from Smith, then a cross from the left was bundled home by Woodruff for her brace, both in injury time.

 

THE GROUND

SHAWBRIDGE is an excellent small ground full of character. The main stand holds around 200 seated, whilst there is extensive cover for around 1000. There was no hot food to my knowledge when I went, but the bar was good. The club shop also stocked a reasonable range. The quaint town is a short walk away and includes plenty of options. The Bowlands Brewery is especially excellent, with 40 draft beers and ciders and many more in bottles. It's a very hilly place, and the pitch has a noticeable slope to it, adding to the character.

Bamber Bridge - Sir Tom Finney Stadium

Bamber Bridge Football Club

The SFC Stadium

Irongate

Bamber Bridge

PRESTON

PR5 6UU

01772 909695

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1522

Saturday 7th March 2026

Bamber Bridge 1-3 Hednesford Town
NPL Premier

BAMBER BRIDGE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although a team existed in the village in the late 1800s, the current club was established in 1952. They joined the Preston & District League, progressing to the Senior Division. In 1974, they merged with Walton-le-Dale. Bamber Bridge would go on to win four Premier Division titles, the last of these coming in 1990. The same year, they joined the North West Counties League's second tier, and by 1992, they were champions. The following year, Bamber Bridge were runners-up behind Atherton Laburnum Rovers in the top tier. This earned them promotion to the NPL Division 1, and the success continued with a runners-up spot behind Blyth Spartans in 1995 and, with it, promotion to the NPL Premier. Their best-ever league finish came in 1999 as Brig finished 4th in what at the time, was a step 2 league. They were relegated in 2002, before being allocated a place back in the NPL Premier following the establishment of the Conference North in 2004. They would only last a single season before being relegated to the step 4 NPL Division 1 North, where they spent a prolonged period. Failed playoff campaigns in 2014 (where they lost to Ramsbottom United in the final and 2015 (where they lost to Darlington in the final) were put right in 2018 following a 4th place finish. Bamber Bridge beat Tadcaster Albion 2-1 in the semis and Prescot Cables 1-0 in the final earn promotion to the NPL Premier. Since then, the club have been in the NPL Premier. They came close to promotion in 2023 following a 3rd place finish, but despite beating Gainsborough Trinity on penalties in the playoffs, lost 1-0 to Warrington Town in the final.

Bamber Bridge's best FA Cup run came in 1999. They beat Trafford (after a replay), Morpeth Town, Lancaster City (after a replay) & St Albans City before a narrow 1-0 loss at Football League side Cambridge United in the 2nd Round. They've also reached the FA Trophy 2nd Round twice. In their debut season in the FA Vase during the 91/92 season, Bamber Bridge reached the semi-finals. They beat Ashville, Prescot, St Dominics, Liversedge, Flixton, Brigg Town, Newport IOW & Chertsey Town before losing to Wimborne Town over two legs. Local cup wins include the NPL Challenge Cup in 1994, the NPL President's Cup in 2005, the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy in 1995, the Lancashire FA Amateur Shield in 1982 and the Lytham Medal Competition in 1976. They've also won three Lancastrian Brigade Cups and four Preston and District League Guildhall Cups.

From 1974, the club played at King George's Playing Field. In 1983, they purchased a plot of derelict land to build their own ground, with the name Irongate taken from the local area. The first game was played in August 1987. The ground was officially named the Sir Tom Finney Stadium after Finney's death in 2014. The record attendance of 2,300 was set for a friendly match against the Czech Republic national team shortly before Euro 96, as the Czechs were using Irongate as a training ground. The national side won 9-1, but it became one of those rare club v country ties. It was the Czechs' first-ever tournament as a separate country since the split with Slovakia. They went from 66-1 outsiders to nearly beating Germany in the final. The tie only came about after another local side, Preston North End, turned the friendly down. The game itself was sold out. Bunting lined the streets while a brass band played as Bamber Bridge's opponents arrived.

Several Football League players have played for Bamber Bridge. A link with Wycombe Wanderers is Andy Bell. He scored three goals in eleven games during 2004 before a career that brought three years at Bamber Bridge between 2012 & 2015. Bamber Bridge is a large village, 3 miles south-east of Preston. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". People who live in Bamber Bridge are often known locally as Briggers. During the Second World War, Bamber Bridge was home to the 1511 Quartermaster Truck regiment. The unit was racially segregated, and all of the soldiers except the officers were African American. Tensions in the wake of the 1943 Detroit race riot caused a major fight, known as the Battle of Bamber Bridge to break out between white American military police on one side, and black American soldiers and townsfolk on the other. A Black American soldier, Private William Crossland, was killed. In June 2022, a memorial garden commemorating the battle was created opposite the pub where the Battle of Bamber Bridge started. The incident inspired the plot of the 2022 film The Railway Children Return.

MY VISIT

Bamber Bridge had long been on my priority list of grounds to visit. This was heightened when, following my visit to Morpeth Town in January, it was the only ground that I had left to do in the NPL Premier. In fact, it was the only ground that I needed for every ground down to step 3 - the top seven levels of English football or the top 248 teams in the country. Something I am quite proud of and that I have had much fun doing. It would not last for long, though, due to Workington's imminent ground move, but they could find themselves at step 4 next season anyway. I remember Bamber Bridge from their friendly against the Czech Republic just before Euro 96. For some reason, I stopped by Bamber Bridge on 30th September 2006 to take pictures of the ground on the way to Accrington Stanley, and I saw an impressive ground. When researching the village, it also seemed an interesting place with lots of history and some decent pubs. It was a rare case of the club being listed on CAMRA for serving real cider. A pint always tastes better when it is going to a worthy cause, so I was looking forward to visiting.

From our game at Bray, we headed back towards the room. Tesco Express was called upon, where I got a couple of Irish ciders and some crisps. We made our second flying visit to the room to drop our stuff before heading out again. I had my can of Devil's Bit on the walk back; it was only a few minutes' wait for the train to Dun Laoghaire. It was fairly quick, and the Forty Foot Wetherspoons was only a few minutes' walk away. I ordered a Strongbow whilst Colin got disappointed at the soft drink range. The service took ages, and I had to go to the bar to chase it up. Colin was his usual charming self, being rude to staff in a matter that was none of his business. Just the one pint, then the train back. Colin fell asleep, and I got someone to wake him up and tell him he was in Malahide at the other end of the line. He didn't see the funny side. We were back at the room just before midnight and I had the bottle of cider as I typed my blog. This was up just before 1 am and within 20 minutes, I was asleep. I awoke around 5.25 and was 20 minutes ahead of my alarm. Even so, it was quite tight for time with Colin's constant questions about random things. We arrived outside our hotel around four minutes before the first bus of the day was scheduled, just as well, as it pulled off as soon as we got on. Everything was quite busy, even at this time of day. A change of bus in Dublin centre was easy and we were at the airport at 7:45.

Security was pretty decent, though not as good as Stansted. Colin discovered that he had lost his bag with power bank and cables in. The selection was fairly mediocre on the other side, so I just had a pint of Orchard Thieves for €7.25. Colin got a tiny breakfast for €14, neither especially great. We were at the gate an hour before kickoff and they started boarding at 9:10. It took a fair while and it was an hour before we got moving. We landed at 11 and got out of the airport very quickly. It was a fair old walk, but it took 15 minutes to walk to the train station where we got the 11:29 to Preston. Mid-journey, Colin decided to go to Lancaster to meet Richard, which was fine with me as I prefer my own company. I started looking at potential lunch places as I wanted to spend time in Bamber Bridge, and found a place that looked decent. The train got in at 12.30, then it was a 15-minute walk to the bus stop. The 125 was a few minutes late, but a £6.50 Central Lancs Day Rider would cover most of my travel today. It got me to my pre-match pub, The Withy Arms. A pleasant place, I had Chinese salt, chilli pepper-loaded fries and a pint of Thatchers Cloudy Lemon. All very tasty and decent value for £11.48 with a drink. It was then around 15 minutes walk to the ground with me getting there at 2. It was a great ground to finish the league on but the bar was a bit disappointing as no real cider was on offer, contrary to what the CAMRA website claimed. The bar was doing a brisk trade, though, so I had a pint of Kopparberg Crisp Apple. The club shop opened at halftime, and I got a few interesting things.

The league table had Hednesford Town chasing the title in 3rd and Bamber Bridge just outside of the playoffs in 8th. Bamber Bridge started the stronger and they took the lead on six minutes. A swinging cross was headed home at the back post by Isaac Abamkwah. Hednesford looked to get back into the game, and it was all square on 20 minutes. A free kick was awarded 25 yards out from goal, and a great effort produced the equaliser from Omari Sterling-James. That sent the considerable Hednesford into raptures. They had even more to cheer about after a close-range finish from Amari Rose put them ahead on the half hour, and again, a Sterling-James free kick did the damage with a good delivery. The second half saw Bamber Bridge have a lot of possession and have the ball cleared off of the line. Hednesford made it 3-1 on 87 minutes. Substitute and former football league player Jake Jervis had all the time in the world to slot past the keeper after a clever break.

It was hard on Bamber Bridge, but Hednesford and their fans were excellent. They'd brought a good proportion of the declared 555 attendance, although the crowd looked like more. It had been a decent game in a decent atmosphere. Wycombe had been 2-0 up on 88 minutes, but somehow conspired to lose 3-2. I put on our local radio station before my headphones ran out, which happened as soon as the well-timed bus arrived. I read the reaction to the Wycombe game, which was not positive. Colin had been to Lancaster but had to wait until 5.40 to leave. As I was back in Preston before him, I headed to the comfortable surroundings of the Twelve Tellers in Preston, where I had a pint of Black Dragon whilst I typed this blog. It was super busy, but the service was very good considering. Colin was quicker than I expected, and so we headed to the bus stop for the trip to Lytham. The Railway Hotel Wetherspoons was on the bus route that would deposit us right next to our hotel, so it was a good place to spend an hour.

THE GROUND

IRONGATE, THE SFC STADIUM or THE TOM FINNEY STADIUM is a great ground for the level. The main seated stand holds 500 under cover, whilst there is considerable cover at both ends for around 1,200 more. It is only the far side, backed onto houses, that is uncovered. The food is decent in variety and price, and the club shop is a gem if you love old programmes and books. The bar was a bit of a letdown. Plastic glasses, which require you to pay a deposit, but the queues are huge, so I couldn't be bothered. They were just generic too, with no Bamber Bridge logo. The range of drinks was underwhelming, too. That old oak bar with Old Rosie cider must have been in the upstairs bit for directors. The main Bamber Bridge area was around 15 minutes walk away with excellent bus links to Preston. Overall, a positive experience.