‘We’re back’ – Club who folded in 2014 announced return and new league

‘We’re back’ – Those are the words from non league club Formby who folded in 2014 but this week announced their return and new league.

Reports first emerged a few years back in 2020, that Hugh McAuley, a former footballer who played full time football for 15 years, now the 44 year old, is in the property and finance field, but set his sights on bringing Formby Football Club back to life.

On the 7th of August 2020, an interesting tweet emerged from the landowner of the Altcar Road site on which Formby FC played at before to their demise.

After 12 months working together with our architects Zara Moon, we have designed the new Sports Complex for Altcar Formby. This will be the home for the new Formby Football Club and many sporting activities. Plamning application will be submitted soon! pic.twitter.com/f9PJOeeYXR

— Hugh Mcauley (@hughmcauley3) August 7, 2020

It showed a stunning artist’s impression of what the new look ground could look like ready for the club’s return. However his Twitter account when quiet, stadium plans have gone quiet, and questions remained on if this team would ever make a comeback.

A new Twitter account under the name Formby FC emerged, stating they were a new team, with old faces, a new manager and that they were sitting down with local businesses to jump on board with their new project for the 2022/23 season.

February 2022 saw the club post via Insta that they were pleased to announce that their application was successful in that they were joining the Liverpool County Premier League Division 1 for next season and that they had 20+ players ready to link up with a further 10 looked at.

3rd of March saw them claim they were looking for a sponsor for both their home and away kits, that they secured three of the 16 players from their old squad, drew 4-4 against Roby FC in their first friendly, played at Mossley Hill, took on Formby CFC and won 7-2, then the Twitter account launched by the 31st.

WERE BACK ! Our application has been approved to join the Liverpool County Premier League Div 1 for the new season 👏🏻👏🏻 #upthesquirrels pic.twitter.com/905DdFyz33

— Formby Fc (@Formby_Fc_) March 30, 2022

They wrote: “WE’RE BACK! Our application has been approved to join the Liverpool County Premier League Div 1 for the new season 👏🏻👏🏻 #upthesquirrels”

Formby added “Skem jmo hopefully”, the venue for the second friendly mentioned earlier in the article, hoping that would be their new home for the new season.

When asked if this is the same club as the one that dissolved, what is the latest of Hugh McAuley and if those proposed stadium plans were still going to happen, they responded via Instagram: “Hello, yeah it is coming back for the new season, yeah the same one from 2014, am Jim Shirley’s nephew so I have the same passion for football and Formby that he did. Hughie what can I say, I think the plans he has will never be passed as the site is green belt, so I have stepped away from Hughie after false promises regarding the pitch, which is a shame to be fair as that pitch holds so many memories for me and the club.”

Fans reacted as the club who folded in 2014 announced a return and new league for the 2022/23 campaign…

@tommy_tugger: Boss news! One of my old clubs when I was a good striker! Boss tha!

@ian601: Used to like coming with FC united of Manchester. (Flasback)

@everton1888: All the best 👍

@PeteBudha: Welcome back been too long not being involved in competitive football.

@TithebarnStreet: Well done

@TNLN_LIVE: Re-Formby FC 😎

@EDtheREDX6: Great news and about time. Just hope you get good backing financially and support wise good luck to all involved.

@MoretonMarsh: Great news! Looking forward to attending a game soon

@gibby9790: Big part of @ASFCofficial history. Good to see the squirrels back.

@AFCLiverpoolSC: Brilliant news 👍🏻 All the best!

@mikeysmith1996: Fantastic news ⚽️👏👏👏

keith_brooksbank: Great to have a cub in formby

gretna2008: Congratulations and good luck on the journey

Andrew Page: Great to hear!

Mark Richards: Great news

Frank Thomas: Fond memories of the old Formby.. Welcome back.

Eddie Fellows: 👍👏⚽️

MORE ABOUT FORMBY FC

Before the latest development, Formby was an English football club based in Formby, Merseyside. They last played in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division in 2013–14 and were members of the Liverpool County Football Association.

1968-69 – Joined Lancashire Combination
1971-72 – Joined Cheshire County League
1982-83 – Founder members of North West Counties League
1984-85 – Two points deducted
1986 – Relegated to Division Two
1986-87 – Promoted to Division One
1989 – Relegated to Division Two
2002-03 – Joined Liverpool County Combination
2003-04 – Rejoined North West Counties League
Promoted to Division One
2007-08 – Three points deducted
2008-09 – Division One renamed Premier Division
2011 – Relegated to Division One
2012-13 – North West Counties League Division One Champions
2013-14 – North West Counties League Division One runner-up (on goal difference)
2014 – Folded

LEAGUE HISTORY

1968-69 LAN C 42 17 7 18 82 72 41 10/22
1969-70 LAN C 38 13 7 18 48 71 33 12/20
1970-71 LAN C 30 15 7 8 47 35 37 5/16
1971-72 CHES 42 11 10 21 61 92 32 20/22
1972-73 CHES 42 17 12 13 60 64 46 8/22
1973-74 CHES 42 17 12 13 62 53 46 7/22
1974-75 CHES 42 16 13 13 55 55 45 9/22
1975-76 CHES 42 10 15 17 44 59 35 15/22
1976-77 CHES 42 17 9 16 59 56 43 9/22
1977-78 CHES 42 18 11 13 71 57 47 10/22
1978-79 CHES-1 42 20 9 13 73 57 49 8/22
1979-80 CHES-1 38 13 7 18 50 58 33 16/20
1980-81 CHES-1 38 21 7 10 65 39 49 4/20
1981-82 CHES-1 38 12 11 15 42 55 35 12/20
1982-83 NWC-1 38 10 8 20 48 68 28 16/20
1983-84 NWC-1 38 14 7 17 48 61 35 13/20
1984-85 NWC-1 38 9 9 20 41 79 25 * 17/20
1985-86 NWC-1 38 5 8 25 35 86 18 20/20
1986-87 NWC-2 34 13 7 14 54 55 33 11/18
1987-88 NWC-1 34 6 10 18 32 63 22 14/18
1988-89 NWC-1 34 3 4 27 24 77 10 18/18
1989-90 NWC-2 30 7 7 16 33 57 28 12/16
1990-91 NWC-2 34 5 9 20 46 63 24 17/18
1991-92 NWC-2 34 17 5 12 49 39 56 5/18
1992-93 NWC-2 34 14 9 11 49 49 51 8/18
1993-94 NWC-2 34 12 11 11 59 50 47 10/18
1994-95 NWC-2 30 11 6 13 57 53 39 10/16
1995-96 NWC-2 34 10 7 17 59 76 37 13/18
1996-97 NWC-2 38 21 6 11 86 57 69 7/20
1997-98 NWC-2 40 22 7 11 90 63 73 6/21
1998-99 NWC-2 36 17 7 12 81 59 58 7/19
1999-00 NWC-2 34 12 8 14 52 68 44 11/18
2000-01 NWC-2 38 15 8 15 65 56 53 12/20
2001-02 NWC-2 40 21 14 5 76 39 77 5/21
2002-03 LIV 34 14 7 13 74 72 49 9/18
2003-04 NWC-2 38 21 9 8 86 48 72 3/20
2004-05 NWC-1 42 8 8 26 47 99 32 20/22
2005-06 NWC-1 42 4 7 31 43 105 19 22/22
2006-07 NWC-1 42 6 4 32 43 111 22 21/22
2007-08 NWC-1 38 14 3 21 52 60 42 * 13/20
2008-09 NWC-P 42 15 3 24 57 67 48 15/22
2009-10 NWC-P 42 14 3 25 57 81 45 15/22
2010-11 NWC-P 42 11 10 21 67 95 43 18/22
2011-12 NWC-1 34 13 4 17 72 69 43 11/18
2012-13 NWC-1 34 28 2 4 117 42 86 1/18
2013-14 NWC-1 36 26 6 4 97 37 84 2/19

Numerous Football League players had a spell at Formby.

• George Bellis defender at Wolves and captain at Burnley began his career at Formby in 1921.
• Albert Tomkin began his career at Formby before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 1937.
• Tony Evans started his career at Formby playing in the 1972–73 season for the club.
• Formby captain Ben Seddon signed directly to Tranmere Rovers in 1973.
• Alex Russell had a three-year spell at Formby 1975–78.
• Ron Smith played for Formby in the mid 1970s before becoming manager in the early 1980s.
• Harvey Clapperton spent 3 months on loan from Middlesbrough under 23s in 1977 before being released and changing career to be part of the backroom staff at Formby.
• Ron Yeats, legendary 1960s Liverpool captain, ended his playing career at Formby in the 1977–78 season.
• Geoff Twentyman, Jr., defender at Preston North End and Bristol Rovers in the 1980s, and son of Liverpool’s 50s defender and 70s chief scout also called Geoff, started his senior playing career at Formby in the late 1970s.
• Shaun Cook, aspiring goalkeeper who played over 450 games for local teams, including Formby FC. Shaun was noted for never winning a professional league trophy despite years of footballing experience.
• Hughie McAuley, manager of the Liverpool Under-18 team, played for Formby in the early 1980s. He is the father of Formby’s present owner, Hugh McAuley.
• George Telfer, Everton forward in the 1970s, played for Formby in 1985.
• Football League player and Burscough all-time hero Gary Martindale was hired as Formby manager in July 2010 but adopted the role of player-manager until his resignation in January 2011.
• Ex-Everton starlet John Paul Kissock had a two-month spell restarting his career at Formby in autumn 2010.
• Former Everton player Adam Farley was signed by Formby in December 2010.
• Rhyl, TNS and Charlton Athletic player Luke Holden had a two-game spell at Formby in February/March 2012. He re-signed for Formby at the start of 2012–13, had a further spell away before signing for a third time in the summer of 2013.
• Ray Putterill, a product of Liverpool’s academy and briefly a first team squad member, signed for Formby in summer 2013.