ACCRINGTON STANLEY - THE HISTORY
Accrington had been without a football team following the collapse of the original Accrington Stanley in 1966. The original team had been formed in 1891, and played in The Football League from 1921 to 1961; it had spent its final four seasons in the Lancashire Combination.
In a meeting in the town library in October 1968 the revival was started and in August 1970 the new club played at a new ground, the Crown Ground. Since their formation, Stanley have climbed the non-League pyramid to reach The Football League.
Eric Whalley, a local businessman, took control of the club in 1995 and started the development of the club's ground. After the club was relegated in 1999, Whalley appointed John Coleman as manager. In 2005-06, Stanley won the Football Conference and were promoted to League Two, switching places with relegated Oxford United - in a reversal of fortune, the team that had been elected to replace the former Accrington Stanley as members of the Football League in 1962.
The club's recent rise to the Conference level, and eventually to the League, is attributed in part to the windfall of hundreds of thousands of pounds reaped by the sell-on clause in the December 2001 transfer of former Stanley star Brett Ormerod to Southampton, who paid Blackpool over a million pounds for his contract. Stanley had taken £50,000 from Blackpool in 1997 with the agreement that Blackpool would pay Accrington a quarter of what they might have received if they in turn transferred Ormerod to another team. The 2002-03 championship of the Northern Premier League followed quickly on Accrington's getting the cash.
On 21 August 2006, Accrington Stanley won their first ever Football League Cup match, beating Nottingham Forest 1–0. Their first appearance in the second round resulted in a loss on penalties against at the time Premiership team Watford at Vicarage Road.
2006-07 saw Accrington Stanley finish 20th in League Two. Stanley finished higher a year later in 2007-08, rising to 17th. 2008-09 saw Stanley finish higher still in 16th place with 50 points.
On the 26th March 2009, Eric Whalley announced he would be selling his stake in the club and stepping down as chairman after 14 years.
In the 2009-10 FA Cup, Accrington Stanley reached the fourth round proper, their best FA cup performance, equalling the original club's best performance.
Accrington Stanley again raised their performance in 2009-10 season and finished 15th with 61 points.