CLUB HISTORYThere are two stand-out achievements in the club's history. In 1989/90 as a Northern Premier League Division One side, Leek Town reached the final of the FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium. On the way to the final Leek knocked out Telford United, Stafford Rangers and Darlington, who were all Conference sides at the time. Unfortunately there was no fairytale ending, as Leek were beaten 3-0 in the final by Barrow. Nonetheless, the side returned to the town as heroes.
Then in 1996/97 the club won the Northern Premier League title and reached the Vauxhall Conference - the pinnacle of non-league football. This remains the last silverware won by the club. The club survived their first season in the Conference despite having to play their final 6 fixtures in 8 days, but the next season Leek were relegated back to the Northern Premier League.
During the 'glory years', Leek made it out of the qualifying competition in the FA Cup on two occasions. In 1990/91 they reached the second round proper, after beating Scarborough 2-0 in the first round. After holding Chester City to a 1-1 draw at Harrison Park, the club were thrashed 4-0 in the second round replay.
Then in 1993/94 they reached the first round again, but were knocked out by Wigan Athletic. Leek again held their illustrious opponents to a draw in the first match, but were soundly beaten 3-0 in the replay.
And although Leek have enjoyed many extended runs in the qualifying competitions of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy since - knocking out countless sides from higher divisions - they have not been able to emulate the success stories of the '90s.
After relegation from the Conference, Leek underwent a complete change of playing and coaching staff, reverting to local players on a smaller budget. The golden years in the league did not return, and Leek suffered further relegations in 2001 and 2008.
A succession of managers have since tried and failed to reverse Leek's fortunes, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Lee Casswell was appointed as manager in 2011, and in his first full season in charge he guided Leek Town to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Division One South play-off final. Despite Leek being beaten by a very strong Ilkeston FC side, the season was considered a huge improvement and something of a success.
And despite a disappointing 2012/13 campaign which saw Leek finish 10th, the club returned to the play-offs again in the 2013/14 season but were beaten in the semi-finals by Belper Town.
The target for the 2014/15 season has to be the play-offs again. But Leek will have to do without the service of their star man from the previous campaign; right-wing flyer John Johnston was snapped up by League One side Crewe Alexandra.
HARRISON PARKLeek Town Football ClubHarrison Park
Macclesfield Road
Leek
Staffordshire Moorlands
ST13 8LD
Main Stand At Harrison ParkAround The GroundLeek Town's 3,000 capacity stadium is no doubt the envy of many clubs at our level - and indeed many clubs in higher leagues. Situated on the North West perimeter of the town, the ground boasts covered terracing on all four sides of the pitch and a main stand containing 650 seats. The covered stands means a good deal of noise can be generated, providing a great match atmosphere. Also within the ground is The Blues Bar, which opens on match days only. Access to the bar is only from inside the ground before kick-off and drinks aren't allowed outside in the stands. Thankfully, the frosted windows have now been replaced with clear glass, taking the guesswork out of downing your pint and getting out for the second half.
The club shop was permanently closed last year and converted into an office. A small range of items such as badges and scarves are available behind the bar in the clubhouse.
Admission at Harrison Park is £7.50 for adults, £4.50 for over 65's and £2 for under 16's. Parking at the ground is very limited, but there is plenty of room on the Macclesfield Road (A523) that runs past the stadium. Alternatively, free parking is available outside the Supersport building opposite the Dyers Arms pub, about 5 minutes walk from the ground back towards Leek.
Inside the ground, backing on to the bar, is a small but well-stocked refreshments hut, serving the usual teas, coffees, pies, burgers and chips....and of course our famous North Staffordshire oatcakes. Be prepared to dive into the queue at half-time though, as the service isn't the fastest and there can be a bit of a wait if you're not on the ball.
The official club programme "The Town Crier" is excellent value at £1.50, and is stuffed with articles, statistics, and lots more. This is sold from a bench just through the turnstiles, and usually sells quickly, so bag one immediately on entry to the ground.
HOW TO GET THEREUnfortunately Leek Town remains one of the most difficult clubs in the country to reach by public transport. Leek has no railway station, the closest options being Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Congleton which are all roughly 12 miles away by taxi (roughly £25-£30, so not too bad if you're sharing). Of these, Stoke is the only train station which can be reached by bus from the ground, and even this is a complete ballache due to Leek's ground not being anywhere near Leek's bus station, and Stoke's bus station not being anywhere near Stoke's train station. In summary, Leek is slap-bang in the middle of nowhere and you'll need your car. As a result of our geographical situation, Leek matches do generally suffer from a lack of travelling away support.
Macclesfield Road EndWHAT'S IT LIKE FOR VISITING SUPPORTERS?If there's one thing Leek has got lots of, it's pubs. Not even the recent arrival of Wetherspoon's public house in the town has dimmed the prospects for our entrepreneurial landlords.
Adjacent to the ground is The White Lion, which serves meals and allows you to park in their carpark for the duration of the game if you eat there. Personally, it's all a bit too posh for me. Five minutes walk back towards the town centre (in the direction of Sainsbury's from the ground) is the Dyers Arms, which is much more like the real deal. The Dyers is the closest pub to the ground with Sky TV and show the lunchtime kick-offs on a Saturday. If this involves Stoke City, you're likely to be pushed for room, as the pub isn't the biggest.
Into the town centre itself (15 minute walk, all uphill) there is the aforementioned Wetherspoon's pub called The Green Dragon sitting on the first corner you'll get to. Most other options are situated on the Market Place itself (keep walking past the Green Dragon) or on Derby Street which is Leek's main shopping thoroughfare, running across from the bottom left of the Market Place. Real ale enthusiasts will probably appreciate the offerings in The Cock Inn (Joules) and The Roebuck (Titanic), whilst the best of the other chain pubs that serve food are The Engine Room (Smith & Jones) and The Red Lion (Hydes), both on the Market Place.
If pubs aren't your thing but you want something to eat, then there are plenty of outlets serving the usual mixture of sub sandwiches, fish & chips and so on. Leeks pubs are easily equalled in number by cafes. For a local twist, hunt out the Leek Oatcake Shop. This closes fairly early, but serves traditional North Staffordshire Oatcakes stuffed with your favourite fillings - fresh from the griddle. I'd recommend cheese & bacon. Note that there are no McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Wimpy, Dominos, Papa John's or similar around these parts. We don't do that sort of thing. If you really fancy a Greggs, the local version is called Wright's, and is almost the same sort of stuff.
If you're making a weekend of it we've got a brand-new Premier Inn in the centre of town. However, this is likely to be fully booked given that it's all shiny and new.
ATTENDANCESHarrison Park is definitely the best ground in the north at this level of football, and is certainly worth a visit. Re: the figures, it's worth bearing in mind that there is little travelling away support at our level, and even less to Leek Town due to our geographical isolation and transport links.
Season Averages2013-14: 270 (3rd, play-offs)
2012-13: 234 (10th)
2011-12: 303 (5th, play-offs)
2010-11: 226 (16th)
Grace Street Stand
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