Notice how odd the map segment above looks without the usual suspects (ie, no Manchester United Red Devils and no Liverpool Reds). And the fact that uber-minnows Accrington Stanley are still alive in the 2009-10 FA Cup makes it even more unusual.
Accrington Stanley are drawing 40 percent higher than last season, but are still barely above a 2,000 per game average gate. In this tough economic climate, it’s good to see a tiny but competeive club like Stanley with increased attendance figures. The fact is, they deserve it. Accrington Stanley’s Manager John Coleman, the current third-longest-tenured Football League manager (behind Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger), has done a remarkable job with very little..Stanley have the smallest budget and the smallest roster in the League. Even so, Accrington Stanley are the only club in England to have improved (or maintained) their league standing every season for the past 10 years. Here is ASFC’s League History, from Accrington Stanley-Mad.co.uk {click here}.
From The Offside, ‘Accrington Stanley, who are they?’ (14 December, 2009) {click here}.
This season, Stanley are in 11th place in League Two, and have won four of their last 6 league matches, as well as beating League One’s Gillingham 1-0, on Tuesday, in their FA Cup Third Round replay. And there is good news for the club financially, as they have have avoided last year’s winding up order and have repaid their debts. And the 67,500 pounds prize money for reaching the Fourth Round is another plus for the little Lancashire club that wouldn’t die.
Accrington Stanley will host the Premier League’s Fulham FC on Saturday. This is the first time the modern version of Accrington Stanley has reached the FA Cup Fourth Round; while Accrington Stanley FC (1891-1963) reached the Fourth Round 3 times, in 1926-27, 1936-37, and 1958-59.
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For this round’s map, over at the far left, in the average attendance list, I have added another column…percent change in average attendance from 2008-09.
Average attendances for each club are 2009-10 season domestic leagues, to Wednesday, January 20 inclusive.
FA Cup fixtures {click here (BBC Sport)}.
Thanks to the contributors to the pages at en.wikipedia.org {FA Cup page, here}. Thanks to ITV site, for gate figures {click here}. Thanks to FourFourTwo magazine, for information on Accrington Stanley {FourFourTwo site, here}. Thanks to Accrington Stanley official site {click here}. Thanks to Behind the Badges site {click here}. Thanks to http://www.hyndburn.gov.uk {The Townships of Hyndburn, Accrington, here}.
