Clitheroe v Stafford Rangers

Preview

Stafford Rangers travel up the M6 to face Clitheroe on Saturday and Neil Kitching is hoping to return to winning ways.

Squad news – Mason Rees is back for the game, while Jack Sherratt is hoping to return to the squad for the forthcoming game. Ben O’Hanlon and Dan Cockerline are still on the sidelines but will hopefully return in the next couple of weeks. New signing Che Ranger hopes to make the Match Day squad.

The Opposition

The early years of Clitheroe FC are shrouded in mystery, although it is clear that we do not have an unbroken lineage all the way back to 1877. That said, in that time, a number of teams could claim to be the town team and several of them plied their trade at Shawbridge. However, it took over 40 years for the confusion to be settled, with matters not being helped by the Clitheroe Advertiser not being around in the very early years.

What is clear is that in 1877 the first town team, called Clitheroe FC, took to the field for the first time. As legend has it, they did indeed play against Blackburn Rovers at Swan Meadows (off Kirkmoor Road) and carried on for several years before closing down. They then reformed in 1890 and went on to win the Lancashire Cup in 1892 and took their place in the North East Lancashire League. Not long after, they disappeared but this was not the end of football in Clitheroe. Far from it – indeed several teams could lay claim to being the intermediate predecessor to our current club, before a Clitheroe FC team stepped out at Shawbridge in the Lancashire Combination in 1925-26.

It was not until the mid-nineties that the Club recovered from this setback and started to fulfil its potential. It became a force in the NWCFL Division 1 again and also made itself known on the national FA Vase stage. Having been pipped to the title in 1994-95 by Bradford PA in controversial circumstances, the following season saw possibly the highlight of the club’s history when the Blues reached the Vase Final under the joint managership of Dennis Underwood and Gary Butcher after an epic two legged semi Final win against Mangotsfield United of Bristol. 2,000 people were on Shawbridge for the second leg when a deflected goal saw the Blues home with seven minutes of extra time remaining. The Final pitted the Blues against a powerful Brigg side and a 3-0 reverse in front of 7,500 fans was a fair reflection of the play. In the close season, Clitheroe also received their record transfer fee, £45,000, from Crystal Palace for goalkeeper Carlo Nash.

Across their league campaign so far, Clitheroe are 15th in the Division One West table, there record is 7 wins, 2 draws, 7 losses. They have scored 23 and conceded 26 in there 16 games this season. They currently average 1.44 points per game; they have a frequency of conceding a goal roughly every 55 minutes on average. Clitheroe are still in the Fa trophy, having beaten Chester in the second round they now face York City in the 3rd round.

Key players are Luke Gilland and Veron Parny.

Match Details

Date: Saturday 22nd November 2025

Kick Off: 3pm

Club Address: The Loom Loft Stadium, Shawbridge, Pendle Road, Clitheroe, BB7 1LZ

Ticket Prices: Adults: £11, Concessions: £7, Under 18’s: £5, Under 14’s: FREE (when accompanied by an adult), U14s will not be allowed entry on their own for Safeguarding reasons.

Match-day Coverage

If you are not able to back the Boro in person on Saturday, then we have you covered.

SRFC Radio will be providing full match commentary with coverage starting from 2.50pm for the 3.00pm kick off.

You can also follow the action across our social media accounts with full-text coverage.

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