Accrington Stanley formed in 1968 following the club of the same name folding earlier that year. They competed at the Crown Ground from 1970 and they have slowly be climbing up the non-league structure ever since, eventually winning promotion in the 2005/6 season, winning the Nationwide Conference by a considerable margin.

Jimmy Hinksman was the manager as Accrington Stanley started off their life in the Lancashire Combination League. They had successfully applied and a crowd of 620 saw their first game against Formby. They eventually finished a respectable sixth in their first season. They finished as runners up in the following season and also achieve a Cup Double. They beat Ashton Town to win the League Cup (not that League Cup) and Nelson to win the Combination Cup. A third placed finish in the 1972/3 season followed.

The first piece of league silverware followed as they won the league in 1973/74. That season also saw them win the Combination Cup yet again. They successfully defended the trophy the following season and they also won the League. They tried to return to their old Peel Park ground, but pitch problems meant this was possible and they finished the following season as runners up to Bootle. David Hargreaves scored 56 goals in 44 games that season.

Strangely, Accrington Stanley remained unbeaten in the first 27 games 1976/77 season, losing only two games and yet only finishing third. 1977/78 was considerable better though and they finished as Champions, also receiving a transfer first from Blackburn Rovers for David Hargreaves.

This time they were promoted to the Cheshire County Division 2. They again finished in a very respectable 15^th and were the runners up in the following season. However they were not promoted due to their ground not being up to sufficient standards for the Cheshire County Division One.

However, they sorted those problems out and finished the following season as the Champions, also gaining the promotion to the Cheshire County Division One in the process. Their first and final season in that division saw them finish 13^th.

The North West Counties Division One was created as the Cheshire County and Lancashire Combination Leagues combined into one division. Stanley spent £40,000 on improving their problematic pitch. This had occasionally caused them to play their home games away from their Crown Ground. Accrington's first few years in the new division were certainly not a success in this division. 10^th, 7^th, 15^th and 11^th were considered poor compared to their record before this time and they went into the 1986/7 season with a lack of optimism.

However, they stormed the division finished second, winning promotion to the Northern Premier League. Accrington received £50,000 for Brett Ormerod from Blackpool and it wasn't long before Gary Williams was fold to Doncaster Rovers for £60,000. The incoming transfer fees meant they were able to upgrade their ground and build a new stand. This meant that they could potentially qualify for the Football League several years in the future.

They stayed in this division for 11 seasons before having a disastrous 1998/9 season, being relegated to the Northern Premier Division One. However, they did bounce back at the first attempt as they dominated the division.

They returned to the Northern Premier League and were promoted to the Nationwide Conference in 2002/3. The average attendance at the Crown Ground was well over 1,000, crowd levels that are unheard of at that level and those fans saw Stanley win the division by a whopping 16 points.

Accrington decided to go professional after their first season in the Conference. They finished 10^th two seasons running before winning the title. It was the third time in seven years that they won a division and many wrongfully stated they were back in the Football League. However, this is a different Accrington Stanley than the one that folded in the 60s. Ironically, they replaced Oxford United. The U's had replaced the previous Accrington Stanley several years prior.

They didn't make no bones about how difficult it would be and they finished 20^th in their first season and 2007/8 wasn't much better. A 17^th placed finish hid the fact that they lost more games than any other side in the division. A hideous 27 defeats would normally get any side relegated, but some vital and noteworthy victories away from home certainly helped their cause and now they'll go into this new season hoping to improve on the field.

Accrington Stanley are probably most famous around the world for one of the stupidest adverts that has ever appeared on TV. Two kids from Liverpool run into a kitchen and the following conversation starts ;

Boy 1: "Got any lemonade?"

Boy 2: "If you want!"

Boy 1: "Milk.....Ugh!"

Boy 2: "It's what Ian Rush drinks."

Boy 1: "Ian Rush?"

Boy 2: "Yeah, an' he says if I didn't drink lots of milk, when I grow up I'll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley!"

Boy 1: "Accrington Stanley? ... Who are they??!"

Boy 2: "Exactly!"

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