Mickleover Sports was founded in 1948 as Mickleover Old Boys playing in the Derby & District Senior League.
For the next 44 years until their resignation in 1993, they were the longest-serving club in the league.
In 1982 they, along with other members of the club, embarked on an ambitious campaign to develop their own football and cricket facilities on meadow land at the end of Station Road in Mickleover.
During the next ten years dedicated club members led a serious fundraising drive, raising over £30,000 and work on the new ground finally began early in 1992, with the facilities formally being opened later that year.
Following development of the new facilities the ambitions of Mickleover Sports FC were increased and an application was made to join the Central Midlands League.
This was successful and in 1993 Sports officially entered the non-League Pyramid for the first time.
They drafted in an entire new management team led by Tony Shaw which resulted in both teams finishing sixth in their respective divisions.
Season 1994/95 saw Sports gain promotion to the CML Supreme Division and reach the semi-final of the League Cup on the way.
In 1996/97, Mark Kelsey took up the managerial reins and Sports finished a creditable 6th in the Supreme Division.
Meanwhile, off the field Mickleover were learning to manage the new facilities.
There was some limited on-going expenditure in the railing off of the pitch, laying of slabs to provide hard standing and erection of a small stand, but with the general ground maintenance as well, there was little money for anything else. However, in order to progress (or even retain their CML status) the club needed to erect floodlights.
A concerted fundraising effort was made and in 1997, at a capital cost of over £30,000, the club’s ambition was finally realised.
The next development was aimed at providing dedicated facilities for the junior teams and with the help of a National Lottery grant, it involved taking one of the adjacent fields and turn into a junior pitch. In addition to this, new changing rooms were built, a referee’s room, toilets and showers, put in sewerage and a re-built car park.
Back on the pitch, season 1997/98 saw Sports gain a third-place finish in the CML Supreme Division and just 12 months later further improvement saw them crowned as the 1998/99 champions. This season also saw Sports first venture into the FA Vase, where they embarked on an exhilarating cup run.
After beating several teams from ‘higher’ leagues they were eliminated at the third stage in controversial circumstances. Winning 3-0 at eventual finalists Bedlington Terriers and with only 14 minutes remaining, the home side’s floodlights suspiciously failed. After an FA enquiry Sports lost the replay 2-0.
So, the club was assured promotion to the Northern Counties East League and season 1999/00 saw Sports playing for the first time at Step 5.
After challenging hard they finished in fourth place in Division One and also reached the semi-final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup and for the second year running they fell in the Third Round of the FA Vase.
Season 2000/01 saw Sports go one better by finishing third and reaching the Fourth Round of the Vase, but the following year was less successful, with a fifth-place finish and early exits from all cup competitions.
Mark Kelsey was replaced by former Belper Town manager Martin Rowe, who led Sports to the NCEL Division One championship in his first season in charge.
For good measure, Sports also won the Division One Cup (Wilkinson Sword Trophy) and reached the final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the first time in their history.
Once again, they reached the Third Round of the Vase, where they eventually lost by the odd goal in 9, after 240 minutes of football, to eventual semi-finalists Oadby Town.
So, Mickleover were once again in a position to move up the non-League Pyramid to the NCEL Premier Division, they did, however, have to erect a 280 seat stand first.
After three seasons of ‘consolidation’ at their new level, season 2006/07 was arguably Mickleover’s most successful season to date.
Despite early exits from both the FA Cup and Vase and the subsequent departure of manager Martin Rowe, new manager Dick Pratley led Sports to their highest ever position in non-League football, seventh in the NCEL Premier Division, and Sports also won NCEL League Cup along the way, beating Garforth Town.
The following year was disappointing as for the first time in recent history, Sports finished lower than the previous season. However, it was to be no less than a minor ‘blip’ as the following season Sports eventually won the league by 7 points.
The step up to Northern Premier League level was significant and they were expecting a tough season.
Unlike some other clubs, they would not jeopardise Sports` future by paying players more than they could afford, but the development of several key under-19 academy players, plus some astute signings by manager Dick Pratley, gave Sports confidence.
Life in the NPL Division One South started well at Butt Hole Lane, home of Shepshed Dynamo, with 4-0 win and after 17 games, Sports were mid-table.
Then a record run of 16 consecutive wins catapulted Sports to the top of the table and they never looked back and won the league by seven points.
They went on to win the Chairman’s Cup by beating FC Halifax Town at The Shay, then lost the Peter Swales Trophy on penalties to Guiseley.
Season 2010/11 was another step up for Sports into the Northern Premier League and it didn’t start well, with Sports gifting points to opposition.
Their first win came away at local rivals Matlock Town with a tremendous display (also doing the double over them).
But still Sports were gifting points especially the never to be forgotten 6-6 home draw against Nantwich Town when Sports were 6-3 up with 6 minutes to go.
In the end Sports ended in 14th position and were safe with four games to go.
The 2011/12 season saw Sports relegated for the first time, despite scoring more goals than any other team in the bottom half of the table.
Inconsistent performances saw Sports drop down to the NPL Division One South.
Season 2012/13 saw Sports start with two wins, but this form dropped and were third-from-bottom in December.
Dick Pratley and Colin Hoyle left, Charlie Palmer took over temporarily until permanent management team of Glenn Kirkwood and Craig Hopkins took over in January.
The season ended with Sports second-from-bottom, narrowly avoiding relegation, having used 53 players.
The 2013/14 season had been a great improvement on what had gone before but was ultimately marred by play-off final defeat to local rivals Belper Town.
The management duo of Glenn Kirkwood and Craig Hopkins were determined to use the pain of disappointment in a positive way for the next campaign.
Sports started the 2014/15 season in positive mood, and but for good runs in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy would have topped the table almost from the start.
Postponements to league games because of the cup competitions meant that they were always playing catch up, but even so they still managed to rise to pole position with games in hand.
Their home record was excellent, and results on the road also impressive, so much so that they ended the season having scored in excess of 100 goals and the only disappointment was that the last day draw at home to Sheffield FC denied them the record of most points gained in an individual Division One South season.
Sports started 2015/16 well, getting to eighth spot, but having an unsettled side with a lot of movements in and out saw them in the relegation spots.
Sports had a very disappointing season in the cups and went out at the first time of asking in all competitions.
Back in the League, Sports picked up with eleven games to go when forced to have a settled side due to the close of the transfer window.
Sports survived with a game to go, and that last game at already relegated Stamford, joint-managers Kirkwood and Hopkins resigned.
Sports were quick in approaching captain and academy manager John McGrath to take over, having led Sports to win the NPL Academy League again.
In 2016/17, Sports finished the season with most points they have gained in the NPL Premier Division.
Again, early exits from the major cup competitions was a disappointment. Sports blooded a lot of the their academy players with Lewis Belgrave becoming the first NPL academy player to captain any first team and again, Sports won the Academy League.
Season 2017/18 saw Sports finish in their highest ever position -12th - as McGrath continued to give youth their chance to shine with six teenage debuts. One of these - Morgan Williams - developed throughout the season and eventually was snapped up by Coventry City for a fee of £12,000 plus add-ons.
Sports competed well against all the top teams but were too inconsistent against lower placed teams and this, along with a poor disciplinary record, meant a play-off position was out of reach.
The loss of top scorer Andy Dales to Scunthorpe United for a fee of £10,000 plus add-ons badly affected Sports 2018/19 season as their lack of goals meant a continual struggle throughout the season.
They competed will against several of the top sides but only a good finish to the season and a last day win saw them survive the drop.
An appearance in the Derbyshire Senior Cup final at Pride Park was the highlight of the season and although they put in a good performance, they lost 2-1 to Vanarama National League North outfit Alfreton Town.
The 2019/20 season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic when Sports were 13th in the league with some considerable games in hand.
In June 2020, the club dropped `Sports` from their title and they were re-named Mickleover F.C.
Season 2020/21 was to prove very frustrating for all the clubs at non-League level as for the second successive season the league was ended by the Covid virus.
The difference to the last one was that Mickleover had had their best start to a season since they were promoted to the Premier Division.
Granted only ten games had been played, but Mickleover were standing top of the table having played three of the fancied teams all away from home, the best performance being a great 4-1 win at previously unbeaten Nantwich Town. At this time the team looked to be well balanced, solid at the back with goals from both midfield and attack.
In the FA Cup, Sports had two good wins away to Leek Town and home to Newark Flowserve and only went out to National League South side St Albans City after extra-time and to make it worse, they were to appear on television two rounds on.
Perhaps the worst performance came in the FA Trophy, where after a fine 5-0 home win over Dereham Town they travelled south yet again this time to Hitchin Town where they disappointed in a 3-0 defeat.
The 2021/22 campaign saw Mickleover again compete well and eventually finished 12th in the NPL Premier Division, although there were early exits again from the FA Cup and Trophy.
However, the summer of 2022 saw a new chapter begin in the club’s history as the FA switched the club to the Pitching In Southern League Premier Division Central.
Manager John McGrath will reply on the majority of his young side from last season, although he has brought vastly experienced midfielder Marcus Marshall from National League North side AFC Telford United and striker Elliott Reeves from Alfreton Town, along with former Nottingham Forest defender Steve Chettle’s son Callum from Basford United who, of course, have been switched from the NPL with Mickleover this summer.
(Thanks to James Edge and Tony Shaw for much of the information)
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