Match Preview: Liversedge vs Bootle FC

Credit: Liversedge FC

By Freddie Bullen

Following their defeat to Northwich Victoria in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday night, the Bucks travel through the Pennine countryside to Clayborn Stadium in West Yorkshire, as their 2026/27 FA Trophy campaign gets underway with a tough test against Liversedge FC.

The Bucks make the journey having been knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Northwich Victoria at The Marine Travel Arena, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat courtesy of Matt Lawson’s 14th-minute strike. The opening stages were evenly contested, with both sides creating early chances before Lawson broke the deadlock. Bootle responded positively, with Ryan Beigan, Matty Fenton and Ben Hodkinson all coming close to finding an equaliser, but Northwich goalkeeper Andre Mendes produced several important saves to keep the Bucks at bay. Despite dominating large spells of possession after the break and creating further opportunities, including a late effort from Hodkinson which struck the post, Bootle were unable to find the goal they needed and ultimately saw their FA Cup journey come to an end.

The home side, Liversedge, have enjoyed a fantastic start to their 2026/27 campaign, picking up maximum points from their opening four league fixtures and sitting top of the Northern Premier League East Division table with an impressive +8 goal difference. Most notably, ‘The Sedge’ have conceded just one goal throughout their league campaign so far. However, much like their opponents Bootle, Liversedge were also knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup in the Preliminary Round, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to fellow East Division rivals Ossett United, another result which highlighted their strong defensive qualities.

Club History 

Liversedge Football Club, commonly known as “The Sedge”, is a football club from Liversedge and Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1910, following the demise of the old Liversedge Rugby Club. The new football club began life playing local football before becoming established in the Bradford League.

Liversedge’s first major success came in the 1920–21 season when they won the Bradford League championship. This was an important early achievement and helped establish Liversedge as one of the stronger amateur football clubs in the area.

In 1922–23, Liversedge became founder members of the West Riding County Amateur League. The club enjoyed a very successful period during the 1920s, winning the league championship in 1923–24, 1925–26 and 1926–27. These successes established the club as one of the leading amateur sides in West Yorkshire.

Following the disruption caused by the Second World War, Liversedge returned to the West Riding County Amateur League in 1949. The club remained there for many years and enjoyed another successful period during the 1960s. Liversedge won the league championship in 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1968–69, adding three more league titles to their history.

In 1972, Liversedge decided to move into the Yorkshire League, entering Division Three for the 1972–73 season. They finished second in their first season and earned promotion to Division Two. The club continued to progress and reached Division One by 1975–76. Although there were some setbacks and relegations, Liversedge managed to return to Division One in 1978–79.

A major change to non-league football came in 1982 when the Yorkshire League and Midland League were reorganised to create the Northern Counties East Football League. Liversedge were founder members of the new competition. The early years were challenging, with the club eventually finding itself in Division Two, but they gradually rebuilt and began climbing the divisions again.

In 1988–89, Liversedge finished as runners-up in NCEL Division Two and earned promotion to Division One. The following season they finished second in Division One, narrowly missing promotion to the Premier Division because of goal difference. However, there was still a major achievement as Liversedge won the West Riding County Cup for the first time in the club’s history.

In 1990–91, Liversedge finished third in NCEL Division One and finally gained promotion to the Premier Division. This began a long period in the top division of the Northern Counties East League. Liversedge became an established Premier Division club and regularly competed against some of the strongest non-league sides in the region.

One of the most memorable periods came during the 2004–05 season when Liversedge produced an outstanding run in the FA Cup. They reached the Fourth Qualifying Round, which remains their best-ever performance in the competition. During the run, they defeated three higher-ranked opponents before eventually being knocked out by Coalville Town in a replay.

The FA Cup run also had a major impact away from the pitch. The money generated from the cup run, along with assistance from The FA, allowed the club to make improvements to its ground at Clayborn. One of the biggest projects was the removal of the famous Clayborn slope, with the playing surface being levelled during the 2005–06 season.

The 2005–06 season was another excellent one for Liversedge. They finished runners-up in the NCEL Premier Division behind Buxton and also won the NCEL League Cup for the first time. However, despite finishing second, Liversedge were unable to gain promotion because their facilities did not meet the requirements for the higher level. In particular, the changing rooms were not considered large enough.

Liversedge continued to develop over the following seasons and won the NCEL Presidents Cup in 2007-08. The club also went through several managerial changes as it continued to try to progress higher up the non-league pyramid. Improvements were made to the clubhouse and facilities as the club worked towards eventually reaching the Northern Premier League.

During the 2010s, Liversedge experienced some difficult periods and came close to the relegation places on occasions. In 2014–15, Jonathan Rimmington, who had previously worked with the club’s Under-19s, became first-team manager. His initial task was to stabilise the team and ensure that Liversedge remained in the NCEL Premier Division, which he successfully achieved.

The club’s ambitions began to grow again towards the end of the decade. Liversedge reached the NCEL League Cup Final in 2017–18, although the match was ultimately not played because of unforeseen circumstances. The following season they reached the final again, this time losing 3-1 to Worksop Town. Around the same time, Simon Turfrey became chairman and the club began placing greater emphasis on improving its facilities and building a stronger future.

The 2019–20 season was potentially one of the most important in Liversedge’s modern history. The club had invested heavily in its facilities, including new changing rooms, improvements to the clubhouse and extensions to other areas of the ground. On the pitch, Liversedge were also challenging for promotion. When the season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were sitting second in the league with games in hand and were in a strong position to challenge for promotion to the Northern Premier League. However, the season was eventually declared void.

The following 2020–21 season was also disrupted by COVID-19 and was eventually curtailed. Liversedge were again in the promotion picture and also enjoyed their best-ever run in the FA Vase, reaching the Fourth Round. Although the two seasons had been interrupted, Liversedge’s performances over the period were eventually recognised when promotion places were decided using a points-per-game system.

This finally gave Liversedge the opportunity they had been chasing for many years. They entered the Northern Premier League Division One East for the 2021–22 season and produced the greatest season in the club’s modern history. Liversedge won the league title after an incredible campaign in which they lost only one league match. They finished ahead of Marske United and secured promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

The season became even more special when Liversedge reached the West Riding County Cup Final against local rivals Brighouse Town. Liversedge won the final 3-1, completing a memorable league and cup double. They also reached the second round of the FA Trophy, another club record in the competition.

The move into the Northern Premier League Premier Division for the 2022–23 season represented the highest level that Liversedge had played at. The step up proved extremely difficult, as the club was competing against teams with greater resources and experience. Despite a strong run towards the end of the season, Liversedge were relegated back to Division One East.

The club then entered a rebuilding period. In 2023–24, former Premier League and Scotland international Ross McCormack joined Liversedge as a player and director of football, bringing additional experience to the club. However, Liversedge eventually suffered another relegation and returned to the Northern Counties East League Premier Division for the 2025–26 season.

The 2025–26 season became another outstanding chapter in Liversedge’s history. Rather than spending years rebuilding, the club immediately challenged for the NCEL Premier Division title. Liversedge finished first with 89 points from 38 matches, recording 27 wins, 8 draws and only 3 defeats. They scored 85 goals and conceded just 29. The title was secured after a 3-0 victory over Parkgate in March 2026, confirming Liversedge’s immediate return to Step 4 football.

The season became even more successful when Liversedge reached the NCEL League Cup Final against Rossington Main. They produced a dominant performance, winning the final 7-1. Kelan Swales scored twice, Benjamin Atkinson scored three times, while Jack Stockdill and Lewis Barlow also found the net. The victory gave Liversedge another league and cup double, remarkably repeating the achievement of the 2021–22 season.

Form Guide: 

Liversedge 1 Bridlington Town 0 

August 11th 2026 

Grimsby Borough 0 Liversedge 3 

August 15th 2026

Beverley Town 0 Liversedge 1 

August 18th 2026

Liversedge 0 Osset United 1 

August 21st 2026

Liversedge 4 Guisborough Town 1 

August 25th 2026

The Manager: 

Danny Forrest, who was appointed in 2025. Forrest is a former professional footballer who played as a winger and forward, with his playing career including Bradford City, Halifax Town, Crawley Town, Barrow, Guiseley and Harrogate Town. He moved into management after retiring from playing and previously managed Silsden and Thackley, as well as having a spell as interim manager of Guiseley. His appointment at Liversedge came at an important time for the club, and he guided the team to the NCEL Premier Division title during the 2025–26 season, securing an immediate return to the Northern Premier League. He also led the club to the NCEL League Cup, where Liversedge beat Rossington Main 7–1 to complete a league and cup double. Forrest therefore goes into the 2026–27 season having already made a major impact at Clayborn. 

Key Player:

Ben Atkinson, who has played an important role in the club’s recent success. Atkinson operates in an attacking midfield role and was part of the side that won the NCEL Premier Division in 2025–26. He was also one of the standout players in the League Cup Final against Rossington Main, scoring a hat-trick as Liversedge won 7–1. His goals and attacking ability make him an important part of the current team, and he has already shown that he can make a difference in big matches. Atkinson has also continued to contribute at the start of the 2026–27 campaign, scoring in Liversedge’s 3–0 away victory over Grimsby Borough.

Last Five Seasons: 

2025/26 Northern Premier League East Division 

2024/25 Northern Premier League East Division

2023/24 Northern Premier League East Division

2022/23 Northern Premier League Premier Division 

2021/22 Northern Premier League East Division 

Club Fact File: 

Founded: 1910 

Nickname: Sedge

Ground: Clayborn Stadium 

Capacity: 2,200

Recent Honours: 

Northern Premier League East Division Champions 21/22

Non-league to Pro 

Bobby Pointon, Dayle Coleing, Jack Degruchy, Danny Devine, Zak Dearnley, Oliver Greaves, Rogan Ravenhill