North Ferriby United A.F.C.
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North Ferriby United A.F.C. is a football club based in North Ferriby in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They were formed in 1934 and reached the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the first time in 2005. They won the Northern Premier League Division One title in 2005.
History
North Ferriby United were formed in 1934 as a result of a village meeting during which it was decided that it would be a good idea to form a local football team. They first took part in the local East Riding Church League and, in 1938, they won the Division One title.The club was re-formed after the Second World War and were admitted to the East Riding Amateur League. The immediate post war years proved to be very successful with the highlight being an appearance in the final qualifying round of the F.A. Amateur Cup during the 1949/50 campaign.
In 1969, North Ferriby improved their status when they joined Division Two of the Yorkshire League and the following season they captured the championship and also lifted the East Riding Senior Cup. 1975 saw them win the Yorkshire League Cup by defeating Lincoln United 2-0 and twelve months later they finished second to Emley in Division One.
The 1970s were a very positive period for the club and saw them win the East Riding Senior Cup three times. The 1980/81 season was indeed a momentous one. They reached the lofty heights of the F.A. Cup Third Qualifying Round stage, losing away to Boston United.
In 1982 they joined the newly formed Northern Counties East League, finishing as runners-up in Division One North. Promotion to the Premier Division was offered to them but had to be declined because the ground facilities were not up to the required standard.
The 1985/86 season saw them take the Division One title and this time they were promoted. They also reached the Fourth Round Proper of the F.A. Vase and the following year went out in the Fifth Round to Farsley Celtic by 2-1.
Three seasons later national recognition came their way when they advanced to the semi-final of the F.A. Vase losing to Tamworth, after just shading the first leg at Tamworth 2-1.
In 1991, North Ferriby United won the inaugural President’s Cup, defeating F.A. Vase champions Guiseley 8-5 on aggregate. They also lifted the East Riding Senior Cup for the first time in twelve years and in the League Cup Final they lost 1-0 to Guiseley. 1996/97 saw them achieve the ambition of every non-League club when they appeared in the F.A. Vase Final at Wembley Stadium. A 3-1 aggregate victory over Guisborough Town in the semi-final saw them through to the F.A. Carlsberg Vase Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19th May 1997. A 3-0 defeat by Whitby Town only partially marred their great day and their name is now proudly entered in the record books.
The next two seasons saw them only whiskers away from promotion to the UniBond League but in 1999/2000 season they won the Northern Counties East League Championship and, with all the necessary work having been carried out to the ground, they finally achieved their long time goal of promotion to the higher level of non-League football.
The first season in the UniBond League saw a satisfactory start at this level with a respectable mid-table 13th place. The season also saw the club set a new post-war record by lifting the East Riding Senior Cup for a fifth successive season.
Season 2001/02 was the club’s second season in the UniBond League and the club’s progression continued with a higher League placing (eleventh) and the emergence of a number of talented local players bodes well for the future. The campaign finished on another high as the club retained the East Riding Senior Cup for a sixth year in succession, thus equalling the all-time record held by Hull City in a period which straddled the Second World War. The following season the club continued it’s recent progress with it’s highest ever finish, gaining a place in the Promotion Play-Offs via fourth place in the table. Although the promotion push floundered on a tense evening at Radcliffe, that disappointment was assuaged by the club taking the outright record from Hull City with a seventh successive East Riding Senior Cup triumph.
Season 2003/04 wasn't kind with the departure of the majority of previous season's team by mid-September which left manager Brian France with a major re-building job. A run of 14 matches without a win left the club in the relegation zone. Once the young side had settled they mounted a charge up the table which saw them fall two points shy of promotion in 17th place. The side finished the campaign without a trophy for the first time in nine years.
The 70th Anniversary Season, 2004/05, proved to be one of the most rewarding in the club's history as the young team clinched the UniBond League First Division Championship on the final day of the season at Mossley. The side led the division from early October and, despite a minor slump in March, never relinquished their grip on top spot. Promotion sees the club reach the highest level within the Pyramid in it's history as it enters the UniBond Premier Division for the first time
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