Runcorn Town have come a long way from their very first season in 1968 when the club were one of the founder members of the Runcorn Sunday League. They were formed as CKD, a works team from 'D' section of the local Castner Kellner plant.
It’s fair to say that the club has had a few identities over the years. The club changed name to Mond in 1970, reflecting the Mond Division of ICI of which ran the Castner Keller plant, and three years later added the Rangers to their name. In 2005 came the latest name change to Runcorn Town in order to try and bring a more professional look to the club in general, as well as trying to improve facilities at the club with a view to joining the Non-League Pyramid. This they would achieve five years later but we are jumping ahead, so let’s start at the beginning.
The early years of the club were not that great with Runcorn having a thriving Sunday League at the time. So in 1973 the club made the decision to try Saturday football in the impressive Warrington and District League (WDL), joining in Division Five. At the end of that first season, they amalgamated with struggling ICI Weston who played in the WDL Division One, and became one of the strongest sides in the league. They remained in the WDL until 1984 when they were elected to join the West Cheshire League (WCL) Division Two.
The club established themselves as a solid mid-table team and in 1991/92 won their first silverware in the West Cheshire Bowl. The following two seasons saw third place finishes, also reaching two more Bowl Finals of which they won one. Promotion finally came in 1994/95 when they finished second in the league scoring 118 goals. They also reached the Final of the Cheshire Amateur Cup but lost to Poulton Victoria in a match played at Prenton Park, Tranmere.
Despite sharing the Bill Weight Memorial Trophy in that first season, Division One proved a struggle and they were relegated for the first time in the clubs history in 2001/02. Success returned in 2004/05 with the team finishing as runners up in Division Two, winning the Runcorn Senior Cup and reaching the final of the Bowl.
Back in Division One, the new season got off to a good start with the Bill Weight Memorial Cup won early on and the Runcorn Cup added, but on the final day of the season, they slipped into the relegation places for the first time to suffer a heart-breaking relegation. Town quickly regrouped and bounced back the next season by winning Division Two for the first time, this also being the club’s first Championship.
The following three seasons saw top four finishes, although the main progression was off the field as the ground was transformed. Hard standing, seating and floodlights were installed for the first time, with the dressing rooms also upgraded. This enabled the club to be elected to the North West Counties League at the start of the 2010/11 season, with the club also entering the FA Vase and the Cheshire Senior Cup for the first time in their history.
It is fair to say that the first season in the league exceeded all expectations under Simon Burton's leadership, with the team losing just two league matches as they secured promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up, with James McShane finishing as the league's overall leading scorer with 43 goals. The Quarter Final of the Division One Trophy was also reached as well as the Semi Final of the Challenge Cup.
In the clubs' FA Vase debut season, the club also wrote headlines as they progressed through four successive away ties before bowing out in the in the Last 32 stage against Dunston UTS, the last remaining North West Counties League side in the competition.
The first season in the Premier Division saw Town continue in the same vein that they left Division One, with the team losing out on the title on the last day of the season to Ramsbottom United. James McShane once again topped the league scoring charts with Town scoring over 120 goals in all competitions.
The club were also once again the last remaining NWCL side in the FA Vase, this time reaching a replay in the Last 32 before bowing out, as well as making their debut in the FA Cup, winning two games before bowing out to Evo-Stik League side Ashton United.
The 2012/13 season saw Town finish fourth in the league, with the main highlight of the season coming in the FA Vase. This saw the club reach the Last 16 for the first time, losing in extra time to Walsall Wood. Another good scalp came in the Cheshire Senior Cup with a 5-0 away win at Warrington which earned the "Team of the Round" award.
A fifth place finish followed the next season, with the club disappointingly losing at holders Whitley Bay in the Second Round of the FA Vase, but the club had its first decent FA Cup run. Wins against Bootle, Goole and Witton Albion set up a tie at Conference North leaders Barrow, 83 places above them in the pyramid. Town shocked their hosts with a 1-0 win thanks to Andy Potter's stunning goal, with Town losing in the Third Qualifying Round to Norton United.
Two poor seasons followed finishing 13th in both, with Chris Herbert appointed manager at the start of the 2016/17 season. It was an uphill battle to get a squad together, with only one player retained from the previous season. There were no real cup runs this year, but Town bounced back in the league to finish third, level on points with runners-up Bootle.
The 2017/18 saw the club get off to a record breaking start as they won their first 11 games of the season, with the first defeat coming in November. But the bad weather over winter saw momentum halted, playing just once in 35 days, and in ten league games until February, Town picked up just seven points. The end to the season was almost as good as the start, but they left themselves too much to do and finished third once more, albeit with a club record 93 points.
2018/19 saw Runcorn Town in and among the leading sides until Christmas, but midway through the season, Herbert left the club to take a full time role at National League side Salford City. Midfielder Paul McManus accepted the role on a caretaker basis, and was appointed as permanent player-manager prior to the final game of the season.
The 2019/20 season was ended prematurely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Town in 7th place and 8 points behind the top 3 who would earn promotion. The team was in good form though as the season ended with one defeat in the final eleven games. In the cup competitions a shock win against Radcliffe in the FA Cup was a highlight as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Macron Cup.
The 2020/21 season was again impacted heavily by the pandemic and after various delays and postponements and another national lockdown it ended in December 2020. Standout results were again in the cup competitions with a win on penalties against Brighouse Town in the FA Cup and another shootout victory in the 2020 Macron Cup semi-final against AFC Liverpool. The final was again delayed though until the following season.
2021/22 began with defeat to 1874 Northwich in the much-delayed 2020 Macron Cup Final. Early results were disappointing and this along with early exits in the FA Cup and FA Vase led to a change of the management team. Niall McGuinness and Aden Shannon took over with the task of moving the team away from the relegation places. Despite a few good performances and results, the team didn't manage to get any momentum going and on the last day of the season defeat at Padiham meant relegation after 12 seasons in the NWCFL Premier Division.
At the start of the 2022/23 season Matt Barnes was brought in as manager with the challenge of rebuilding the squad and pushing for promotion this season from Division One North back to the Premier Division. Unfortunately Matt's tenure only lasted to November, with Karl Brown and Lee Bignell brought in to put together another new squad. The team finished second from last in the division, but the club were handed a reprieve from relegation on points per game.
The 2023/24 season saw Town again in the lower part of the table, eventually finishing in 13th place, with Lee Bignell departing with seven games remaining. 2024 saw the club laterally moved to the NWCFL First Division South, but an early change of managers led to a turbulent start to the season. Darren Moore and Liam Page were appointed as Managers at the end of August and the first win game in their fourth game against Stockport Georgians was the club's first points of the season in the 11th game! The duo gradually turned around the club's fortunes and rebuilt the squad and the team climbed the table finishing in 12th place, 9 points above the relegation zone.