Extreme Football Tourism: ENGLAND: Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC (2007-2008) / Nuneaton Town FC (2008-2018) / Nuneaton Borough FC (2018-2023)

Liberty Way Sports Ground, Nuneaton (formerly Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC / Nuneaton Town FC / Nuneaton Borough FC)

England, county: West Midlands

February 2026 / no match visited

Timeline

1889 / Foundation of a football club in Nuneaton, a town in the West Midlands, with young man from the Nuneaton St Nicholas Parish Church deciding to form a team to represent the town. The new club takes on the name Nuneaton St Nicholas FC, with various playing fields being used in the early years at Higham Lane, Rose Inn (Coton Road), Arbury Road (later renamed Queens Road), and Edward Street, which remained in use until 1903.
1894 / After five years of only playing recreational and friendly matches, Nuneaton St Nicholas FC joins a league for the first time, the Warwickshire Junior League, under a new name, Nuneaton Town AFC.
1895 / Nuneaton Town AFC withdraws from the Warwickshire Junior League after one season.
1896 / After one year without league football, Nuneaton Town AFC joins the Coventry & District League.
1897 / Withdrawing from the Coventry & District League, Nuneaton Town AFC joins the Coventry & North Warwickshire League.
1899 / Withdrawing from the Coventry & North Warwickshire League, Nuneaton Town AFC joins the Leicestershire Senior League.
1900 / Following a decent fourth place in the Leicester Senior League, Nuneaton Town AFC abandons this league association, probably ceasing activities altogether temporarily.
1901 / After one year without league affiliation, Nuneaton Town AFC rejoins the Coventry & District League.
1902 / Nuneaton Town AFC finishes as runner-up in the Coventry & District League.
1903 / Withdrawing from the Coventry & District League after a title in this league association, Nuneaton Town AFC joins the Trent Valley League. That same year, the club moved away from its pitch at Edward Street, settling at a newly laid-out ground at Queens Road.
1904 / Withdrawing form the Trent Valley League after one season, Nuneaton Town AFC rejoins the Coventry & North Warwickshire League.
1906 / Withdrawing from the Coventry & North Warwickshire League, Nuneaton Town AFC now joins the Birmingham Junior League.
1907 / Nuneaton Town AFC clinches the title in the Birmingham Junior League.
1908 / While the Birmingham Junior League takes on the new name Birmingham Combination, Nuneaton Town AFC moves away from its ground at Queens Road after five years, settling at the newly laid-out Newdigate Arms ground.
1911 / Nuneaton Town AFC finishes as runner-up in the Birmingham Combination.
1915 / Nuneaton Town AFC clinches the Birmingham Combination title. The following four seasons (1915-19), regular league football does not take place due to the World War I effort. The club abandoned its Newdigate Arms ground after seven years.
1919 / As regular league football is resumed, Nuneaton Town AFC abandons the Birmingham Combination, joining the Birmingham & District League instead. That same year, the club inaugurates a new ground, Manor Park.
1920 / A rival club for Nuneaton Town AFC sees the daylight, Nuneaton United FC, which joins the Leicestershire Senior League.
1921 / In spite of a decent fourth-place finish in the Leicestershire Senior League, Nuneaton United FC withdraws from league football following its first season – with the club probably being wound up altogether.
1923 / In its best season in the Birmingham & District League, Nuneaton Town AFC finishes in third place.
1924 / Withdrawing from the Birmingham & District League, Nuneaton Town AFC joins the Southern League, being placed in the Eastern Section.
1926 / Finishing bottom of the table in the Southern League Eastern Section, Nuneaton AFC withdraws from the Southern League altogether, rejoining the Birmingham Combination.
1929 / Nuneaton Town AFC clinches the Birmingham Combination title.
1931 / Clinching the Birmingham Combination title for the second time, Nuneaton Town AFC also goes on to win its first Birmingham Senior Cup, defeating Evesham Town FC in the final following a replay (1-1, 4-2).
1932 / Nuneaton Town AFC finishes as runner-up in the Birmingham Combination.
1933 / Withdrawing from the Birmingham Combination after seven years, Nuneaton Town AFC rejoins the stronger Birmingham & District League.
1935 / In its best performance in the 1930s, Nuneaton Town AFC finishes in third place in the Birmingham & District League.
1936 / The club sells its Manor Park ground to the Nuneaton Corporation, with the contract stipulating that the club has to leave the ground after the 1936-37 season.
1937 / In May 1937, at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, the decision is taken to withdraw from the Birmingham & District League and shut down the football club despite it being financially sound. Following the disbanding of the club, a group of young men decides to reform the club two days later, taking on the name Nuneaton Borough FC. The new club joins the Central Amateur League, settling on a newly laid-out ground, which is given the same name as its predecessor, Manor Park.
1938 / Withdrawing from the Central Amateur League after just one season, Nuneaton Borough FC joins the Birmingham Combination, a league in which predecessor club Nuneaton Town AFC had also featured.
1941 / As regular league football comes to a standstill due to the outbreak of World War II two years previously, Nuneaton Borough FC joins a local emergency league, the Nuneaton Combination.
1945 / As regular league football is resumed, Nuneaton Borough FC takes its place again in the Birmingham Combination.
1946 / Nuneaton Borough FC finishes as runner-up in the Birmingham Combination, staying ahead of Bromsgrove Rovers FC on goal difference, 6 points behind champions Darlaston FC.
1949 / Nuneaton Borough FC finishes as runner-up in the Birmingham Combination, 10 points behind runaway champions Bedworth Town FC. Also in 1949, the club wins its first Birmingham Senior Cup, the cup competition won by predecessor club Nuneaton Town AFC on one previous occasion, as Boro sees off Banbury Spencer FC in the final (2-1).
1950 / Knocking out King’s Lynn FC in R1 (2-1) and Mossley AFC in R2 (0-0, 0-3), Nuneaton Borough FC reaches R3 of the 1949-50 FA Cup, being eliminated by professional league side Exeter City FC (3-0).
1952 / Withdrawing from the Birmingham Combination, Nuneaton Borough FC joins the Birmingham & District League instead. That summer, the club is joined by George Mason, who had been the centre-half of Coventry City FC for 21 years. It is unclear how long Mason played at Manor Park following his arrival.
1953 / Knocking out Watford FC in R1 of the 1953-54 FA Cup, Nuneaton Borough FC bows out against Queens Park Rangers FC in R2 following a replay (1-1, 1-2).
1954 / Nuneaton Borough FC reaches R1 of the FA 1954-55 FA Cup, in which the club is eliminated by Brentford FC (2-1).
1955 / Nuneaton Borough FC clinches the title in the Birmingham & District League Northern Division, 9 points ahead of runners-up Wolverhampton Wanderers FC ‘A’, the third team of the professional league side.
1956 / Nuneaton Borough FC clinches the title in the Birmingham & District League Division 1, 3 points ahead of runner-up Stourbridge FC. Moreover, the club also wins its second Birmingham Senior Cup following a 2-0 win over Brush Sports FC in the final.
1958 / Withdrawing from the Birmingham & District League, Nuneaton Borough FC now joins the Southern League, a semi-professional non-league association generally regarded as one of the strongest in England – in fact a league in which predecessor club Nuneaton Town AFC had briefly, and rather unsuccessfully, featured in the mid-1920s.
1959 / Placing eighth in the Southern League North-Western Zone, Nuneaton Borough FC qualifies for the newly created single-tier Southern League Premier Division.
1960 / Finishing in nineteenth place in the Southern League Premier Division, Nuneaton Borough FC drops back into Division 1 of the said league system along with Barry Town AFC, Poole Town FC, and bottom club Kettering Town FC. Nuneaton does a better job in the Birmingham Senior Cup, winning this piece of silverware for the third time following a narrow (1-0) win over Banbury Spencer FC in the final.
1963 / Finishing in fourth place in the Southern League Division 1, ahead of Tonbridge FC on goal difference (+41 vs. +30), Nuneaton Borough FC manages a return to the Premier Division of the said league system, along with champions Margate FC as well as the teams in second and third place, Hinckley Athletic FC and Hastings United FC.
1967 / Nuneaton Borough FC finishes as runner-up in the Southern League Premier Division, 1 point behind champions Romford FC. More notably, the club reaches R3 of the 1966-67 FA Cup following successive wins over Wealdstone FC (0-2) and Swansea Town AFC (2-0). In R3, the club manages a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United FC at Manor Park in front of an all-time record crowd of 22,114, eventually bowing out in a replay at The Millmoor Ground (1-0). Nuneaton also qualifies for the FA Cup in the new season, but has to leave the competition after R1 following defeat against Exeter City FC in a third replay, played at Ashton Gate in Bristol (0-0, 0-0, 1-0).
1971 / Nuneaton Borough FC reaches R1 of the FA Cup, in which the club is knocked out by Torquay United FC (3-2). For the new season, Nuneaton signs 26-year-old David Pleat as its new manager. Pleat is a former professional league player, who enjoyed spells at Nottingham Forest FC, Luton Town FC, Exeter City FC, and Peterborough United FC (1962-71).
1973 / After two-and-a-half seasons in charge of the first team of Nuneaton Borough FC, David Pleat leaves the club to sign a deal with Luton Town FC, becoming a part of the coaching staff at that club. Pleat would go on to have a long career as a professional league manager at Luton Town FC (two spells), Tottenham Hotspur FC (four spells), Leicester City FC, and Sheffield Wednesday FC (1978-2004).
1975 / Nuneaton Borough FC finishes as runner-up in the Southern League Premier Division, 3 points behind champions Wimbledon FC.
1976 / Reaching R2 of the FA Cup following a win over Crook Town AFC (1-4), Nuneaton Borough FC suffers elimination at the hands of Lincoln City FC (6-0).
1977 / Eliminating Oxford United FC in R1 of the FA Cup, Nuneaton Borough FC bows out in R2 of the competition against Tilbury FC (1-2).
1978 / Nuneaton Borough FC wins its fourth Birmingham Senior Cup, seeing off Redditch United FC in the final (1-0). Yet again, the club also reaches R1 of the FA Cup, in which Crewe Alexandra FC proves too strong (0-2).
1979 / Placing eleventh in the Southern League Premier Division, Nuneaton Borough FC qualifies for the Alliance Premier League, a newly created nationwide top division of the non-league pyramid.
1980 / Nuneaton Borough FC clinches its fifth Birmingham Senior Cup following a 2-0 victory over Lye Town FC in the final.
1981 / Finishing in third-last place in the Alliance Premier League, Nuneaton Borough FC descends into the Southern League Midland Division along with Wealdstone FC and bottom club Bangor City FC.
1982 / Champions in the Southern League Midland Division, 3 points ahead of closest rivals Alvechurch FC, Nuneaton Borough manages an immediate return to the Alliance Premier League. The successful manager is William Carr.
1983 / In March 1983, George Best plays for Nuneaton Borough in a friendly match against Coventry City FC, scoring from a penalty.
1984 / Nuneaton Borough FC finishes as runner-up in the Alliance Premier League, 1 point behind champions Maidstone United FC. The club also qualifies for the 1984-85 FA Cup, bowing out in R1 against Scunthorpe United FC following a replay (1-1, 2-1).
1985 / Confirming its status as one of the strongest non-league teams in England, Nuneaton Borough finishes as runner-up in the Alliance Premier League – renamed Football Conference for the new season – for the second year in a row, 4 points behind champions Wealdstone FC. The club also reaches R1 of the 1985-86 FA Cup, in which Burnley FC proves too big a hurdle (2-3).
1986 / Nuneaton Borough FC bows out in R1 of the 1986-87 FA Cup against Rochdale AFC (0-3). Also in 1986, midfielder Eddie McGoldrick, who had joined Nuneaton Borough FC two years previously from Kettering Town FC, earns himself a professional league contract at Northampton Town FC. The Irishman would go on to have subsequent spells at Crystal Palace FC, Arsenal FC, Manchester City FC, and Stockport County FC, eventually bowing out into non-league in 1999. Moreover, McGoldrick also earned 15 caps for Ireland between 1992 and 1995, being part of his country’s squad as an unused sub in the 1994 World Cup.
1987 / Finishing in eighteenth place (of 22) in the Football Conference – in the first season with obligatory promotion-relegation taking place with Division 4 of the Football League – Nuneaton Borough FC avoids relegation, but the club chooses to withdraw into the Southern League Premier Division voluntarily.
1988 / Finishing in second-last place in the Southern League Premier Division with manager Jim Holmes, Nuneaton Borough FC descends into the seventh tier of the English football pyramid, the Southern League Midland Division, with the other clubs unable to avoid the drop being Chelmsford City FC, Willenhall Town FC, and bottom finishers Witney Town FC.
1991 / Marred by financial problems, Nuneaton Borough FC goes into liquidation, being reformed immediately as Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC and being allowed to continue its existence in the Southern League Midland Division.
1993 / Champions in the Southern League Midland Division, 5 points ahead of closest followers Gresley Rovers FC, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC wins promotion to the Southern League Premier Division alongside the aforementioned club. The successful manager is George Rooney. That same year, the club also bags its sixth Birmingham Senior Cup win following a 2-0 win over VS Rugby FC in the final. Moreover, Nuneaton knocks out Swansea City AFC in R1 of the 1993-94 FA Cup, with Tony Simpson netting both goals in the replay (1-1, 2-1), with the club proving unable to cause a second upset in R2 against AFC Bournemouth (1-1, replay 0-1).
1994 / Finishing bottom of the table in the Southern League Premier Division with manager John Barton, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC drops back into the Southern League Midland Division after just one season, with the other drop-outs being Moor Green FC, Waterlooville FC, and Bashley FC.
1995 / With Nuneaton Borough FC still playing at Manor Park, the local rugby union side, Nuneaton Rugby Club, moves into the Liberty Way Sports Grounds after purchasing fifty acres of land from Warwickshire County Council. The park, which is part of the Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, contains several full-size rugby pitches, as well as four changing rooms and a large function room with a bar.
1996 / Runaway champions in the Southern League Midland Division, 11 points ahead of closest followers King’s Lynn FC, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC wins promotion to the Southern League Premier Division alongside the aforementioned club. Furthermore, Nuneaton also wins the Southern League Cup, defeating Baldock Town FC in the final (5-2 aggr.). The successful manager is Brendon Phillips.
1999 / Runaway champions in the Southern League Premier Division, 23 points ahead of closest followers Boston United FC and Ilkeston Town FC, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC manages a return to the Football Conference after an absence of twelve years at the top non-league level. The successful manager is Brendon Phillips. In the summer of 1999, Nuneaton signs Coventry City FC striker Andy Ducros.
2000 / Having managed 9 goals in 36 matches in the 1999-2000 season, striker Andy Ducros leaves Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC in favour of Kidderminster Harriers FC. Ducros would return to Manor Park in two loan spells (2002, 2002-03) before signing a contract with professional league side Burton Albion FC in 2003. In the 2000-01 FA Cup, Nuneaton knocks out Stoke City FC after a replay (0-0, 1-0) following a Marc McGregor goal in the last minute of regular play. In R2, for the second time in club history, AFC Bournemouth blocks the road to more cup success (3-0).
2002 / Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC wins its seventh Birmingham Senior Cup, having the better of West Bromwich Albion FC Reserves in the final (2-0).
2003 / Finishing in third-last place in the Football Conference under manager Steve Burr, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC drops back into the Southern League Premier Division, with the other drop-outs being Southport FC and bottom club Kettering Town FC.
2004 / Placing fourth in the Southern League Premier Division, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC qualifies for the Football Conference North, the newly-created sixth tier of the English football pyramid.
2005 / Runner-up in the Conference North, 3 points behind champions Southport FC, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in the semis by Altrincham FC (1-1 & penalty shoot-out).
2006 / Finishing in third place in the Conference North, Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the semis by Droylsden FC (0-1). Moreover, the club also reached R3 of the 2005-06 FA Cup following successive victories over Ramsgate FC (2-0) and Histon FC (2-2, 1-2). In R3, the club drew Middlesbrough FC, with the northerners visiting Manor Park on January 7th, 2006; as Gez Murphy scores an equalising penalty for the home side (1-1), a replay is staged at the Riverside Stadium – with Middlesbrough walking away as winners in spite of two more Gez Murphy goals (5-2); this away tie was attended by 26,255 spectators, an all-time record in any Nuneaton match. Also in 2006, Nuneaton Rugby Club sells around 5 acres of its Liberty Way Sports Ground to Nuneaton Borough in view of a prospective move of the football club to this location – technically, though, the ownership of the new-to-be-built football ground at Liberty Way is ceded to a new holding company, Stadiasafe, owned by Ted Stocker, who was involved as strongman with both clubs at the time. Works get underway on the new stadium in the course of 2006.
2007 / Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC plays its final game at Manor Park on April 28th, 2007, in a 1-1 draw with Vauxhall Motors FC; Gez Murphy scored the last Nuneaton goal at the ground from the penalty spot. The club moves into its new ground at Liberty Way for the start of the 2007-08 season, with the main pitch coinciding with the old main pitch of Nuneaton Rugby Club. To allow Borough to play at the ground, the ground had been upgraded by local building firm Ian Neale Construction, involving the construction of two covered terraces, the East Stand (capacity 1,800) and the West Stand (1,000) in addition to the open Rugby Club Terrace at the southern touchline of the ground (500). After the abandonment of Manor Park, the old ground is knocked down to be redeveloped for housing by former Borough shirt sponsors Bloor Homes.
2008 / Marred by ill health, Borough’s owner Ted Stocker decides to sell his shares in the club. In March 2008, local businessman Ian Neale, whose building company had been responsible for the works at the Liberty Way Sports Ground the previous year, takes ownership of the club, but, in May, Neale made it known that he had found irregularities in the club finances, with Nuneaton Borough 1991 FC having to go into liquidation in June of the same year. As in 1937 and in 1991, the club was reformed, but FA authorities insisted on a name change, with the club reverting to its pre-1937 name of Nuneaton Town – albeit with the additional abbreviation FC rather than AFC this time around. As a result of its financial mismanagement, the club suffered the penalty of being demoted two divisions, from the Conference North to the Southern League Division 1, i.e. the eighth tier of the English football pyramid. The liquidation of the old Nuneaton Borough AFC caused serious subsequent problems in the summer of 2008; the newly formed Nuneaton Town FC, having gained ownership of the ground, did not honour the groundshare agreement with Nuneaton Rugby Club. As no agreement could be reached between the two clubs, this led to Nuneaton Rugby Club having to settle on one of the side-pitches at the Liberty Way site for their home matches.
2009 / Runner-up in the Southern League Division 1 Midlands, 9 points behind champions Leamington FC, Nuneaton Town FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs; knocking out Chesham United FC in the semis (2-1), the club goes on to edge past Chasetown FC in the final (1-0). As a result, Nuneaton Town FC manages a promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in the first season following the liquidation and the name change. The successful manager is Kevin Wilkin. Later that year, the club made its first appearance in the FA Cup R1 in its current guise, entertaining Exeter City FC at Liberty Way – incidentally also the first-ever regular FA Cup tie at the new ground – with the game ending in a clear-cut 4-0 win for the professional league side.
2010 / Runner-up in the Southern League Premier Division, 5 points behind champions Farnborough FC, Nuneaton Town FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs; easing past Brackley Town FC in the semis (6-0), the club goes on to have the better of Chippenham Town FC in the final (2-1 A.E.T., winning goal by Eddie Nisevic). As a result, the team of Kevin Wilkin manages back-to-back promotions, thus finding the way back to the Conference North three years after Nuneaton Borough FC had been demoted from this division under the same manager. Three days after the play-off final, Nuneaton went on to beat Alvechurch FC (2-1) to take home the Birmingham Senior Cup for the first time under its new name. Also in 2010, with the liquidation of Stadiasafe, Nuneaton Town FC gained sole ownership of the stadium on the site of the Liberty Way Sports Ground, with a deal being struck with the Nuneaton Rugby Club, allowing the latter to play several games per season inside the stadium.
2011 / Finishing in sixth place in the Conference North, Nuneaton Town FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is knocked out in the semis by AFC Telford United (3-2 aggr.).
2012 / Finishing in fifth place in the Conference North, Nuneaton Town FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs for the second year running; eliminating Guiseley AFC in the semis (2-1 aggr.), the club goes on to beat Gainsborough Trinity FC away from home (0-1, sole goal by Andy Brown), thus clinching a ticket for the Conference Premier. The successful manager is Kevin Wilkin. In the summer of 2012, the club completed a permanent seated stand for 514 supporters on the north side of the Liberty Way stadium, which improved the ground in line with the standards required for participation in the Conference Premier, bringing up total capacity to 3,814. In the new season, Nuneaton Town FC qualifies for R1 of the FA Cup, bowing out against Luton Town FC after a replay (1-1, 2-0).
2013 / In the early months of 2013, the Liberty Way stadium undergoes improvements to meet new league regulations, with the turnstiles, changing rooms, and the players' tunnel all being upgraded. In the summer of the same year, it was announced that the stadium would be known as the Sperrin Brewery Stadium for the 2013-14 season after a local business won the naming rights in a golden ticket draw.
2014 / Nuneaton Town FC signs Liam Daish as its new manager. Daish, a former Ireland international defender, enjoyed a thirteen-year-long professional league career with spells at Portsmouth FC, Barnet FC, Birmingham City FC, and Coventry City FC (1986-99). Also in 2014, in the second golden ticket draw, the Liberty Way stadium is renamed the JDRF James Parnell Stadium for the duration of the 2014-15 season.
2015 / Finishing bottom of the table in the Conference Premier, Nuneaton Town FC drops back into the Conference North – renamed National League North for the new season – with the other drop-outs being Alfreton Town FC, Dartford FC, and AFC Telford United. Manager Liam Daish leaves the club after just one season. Meanwhile, the summer of 2015 saw an agreement being reached between the new owners of the football club and Nuneaton Rugby Club, allowing the latter to play all of their first team home games in the stadium proper at Liberty Way.
2016 / Finishing in sixth place in the National League North, Nuneaton Town FC misses out on the play-offs due to a three-point deduction.
2018 / Nuneaton Town FC takes on the name of its predecessor, Nuneaton Borough FC, after overwhelming support for the change from supporters.
2019 / A record crowd of 4,054 flocks to the Liberty Way stadium for the National League North match against future champions Stockport County FC on April 27th. Nuneaton Borough FC itself is markedly less successful than their counterparts on the day, finishing bottom of the table with manager Jimmy Ginnelly and descending into the Southern League Premier Division, with Ashton United FC and FC United of Manchester being the other drop-outs.
2023 / Finishing in fourth place in the Southern League Premier Division, Nuneaton Borough FC qualifies for the promotion play-offs; edging past Leiston FC in the semis (1-2), the club ultimately misses out on promotion in the final against Rushall Olympic FC (0-0 A.E.T. & penalty shoot-out). In the final months of 2023, Nuneaton was issued with an eviction notice with debts of around £650,000 and bosses claiming that the club had been behind in rent payments since 2019. In December, the club were locked out of Liberty Way, with permission being given by FA authorities to play its FA Trophy tie against AFC Fylde at the Coventry Arena free of charge. Following Nuneaton Borough’s eviction from Liberty Way, the club were forced to play their home games away from Nuneaton, with one match taking place at Leicester Road in Hinckley and a second at Knights Lane in Stratford. In late December 2023, it was agreed that Nuneaton would play the remainder of their homes games in the 2023-24 season at Kirby Road in Barwell.
2024 / In January 2024, pressed down by financial problems, Nuneaton Borough FC chooses to quit the Southern League Premier Division Central altogether, remaining inactive for the remainder of the season and exploring a liquidation process with additional plans to form a new club lower down the league ladder. Eventually, an announcement followed that a fan lead group would be forming a new club with it being decided the new club being named Nuneaton FC – but in the end the choice fell on the more familiar name Nuneaton Town FC, with a groundsharing agreement being concluded with Bedworth United FC to play home games at that club’s ground, The Oval, in part of a two-year deal with an option of a third year. For the 2024-25 season, Nuneaton Town FC is placed in the Midland League Division 1.