RUNCORN LINNETS FC – THE STORY SO FAR

(Last updated January 7^th 2026)

The beginning of 2026 saw a changing of the guard at APEC Taxis Stadium with the familiar figure of Michael Ellison returning for a second spell as manager.

Ello had already secured legendary status at Linnets from his first stint, which saw him lead the team to promotion to the Northern Premier League as North West Counties Premier Division champions in 2017-18.

Spanning nine years, his initial stay had involved 212 appearances as a player (with many as captain) and 187 matches in his maiden managerial role.

He has taken charge of more Linnets games than any other manager and as a player is the fourth highest appearance maker.

Since departing Runcorn in 2020, after the first of two Covid-curtailed seasons, Ello had managed at City of Liverpool and more recently Widnes he won the NPL West title in 2024-25.

He returned to Linnets on January 2nd 2026, after the shock resignation earlier in the day of Brad Cooke.

Appointed in February 2025, Brad had steered Runcorn to their first Cheshire Senior Cup title and left the club in much better shape than he'd found it.

Ello inherited a squad which turned the year in sixth place in the NPL West Division table after reaching the 4th Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup - our best ever run in the competition.

Linnets had started this season with renewed hope and expectation after claiming historic silverware at the end of a difficult 2024-25 campaign.

We defeated Pitching In Northern Premier League West rivals Stalybridge Celtic at Chester's Deva Stadium 3-0 in the final match of the season to lift the Cheshire Cup.

The landmark success came 100 years after our predecessors Runcorn AFC celebrated
their inaugural triumph in a competition, which they would win 12 times.

Hometown striker Adam Moseley scored a hat-trick in front of a 900-strong Linnets following.

It provided fresh impetus for what was expected to be former West Didsbury & Chorlton and Atherton Collieries boss Brad Cooke's first full campaign in charge.

In the event, Brad's Linnets managerial lifespan covered two half seasons and 51 games.

He had succeeded Antony Kay, who had himself been appointed ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Antony had ended a stellar playing career, featuring 800 games in the EFL, at Runcorn Linnets under another much-travelled and experienced former professional Billy Paynter.

Antony stepped into management when Billy resigned at the end of the 2023-24 season after being unable to provide Runcorn with desired promotion.

A Play-off semi-final defeat by City of Liverpool was Billy's last stand after he'd missed out to Workington in the club's second successive final 12 months earlier.

However, seven of 14 home league games were lost under successor Antony Kay’s command and with crowds falling, the Trust Board felt it was time for change.

Brad Cooke became the club’s 10th manager since our formation in 2006 and Michael Ellison, having been our fifth, is now our 11^th boss. He is the first person to manage us twice.

From the beginning

Fans-owned Runcorn Linnets Football Club was born in 2006 as a successor to Runcorn AFC, who had intimated they would not be in a position to field a team beyond the end of 2005-06 season. Onleaving town in 2001, the now defunct club had suffered a troubled and nomadic existence.

Fans met at their spiritual home in Canal Street – at the then Quayside Bar and Function Rooms, next to the Linnets Park housing estate on which Runcorn AFC's ground had once stood.

An existing Supporters Trust was remodelled to run Runcorn Linnets, whose identity was derived from Runcorn AFC's nickname.

A community benefit society, we operate as a Trust, which each member (including directors) holding one share.

The club spent our first four seasons as tenants of Witton Albion FC at Wincham Park, Northwich -gaining promotion at the first attempt to the top division of the North West Counties League under the management of Steve Carragher. Steve had been the predecessor club's last team boss.

Victory against Formby in the NWCL Challenge Cup final in 2012-13 brought a maiden winners' trophy for the first team.

Former AFC player, Joey Dunn (pictured above) was the then manager.

Paul McNally is another "old boy" of the original club to have managed the new with Steve Wilkes at the time of his appointment being the only manager not to have had any previous Linnets connections.

Calum McIntyre (pictured above), Dave Wild, Billy Paynter and Brad Cooke have since joined that particular "club".

Wilkesey in 2009 led Linnets to our first ever final, only to be beaten to the NWCL Challenge Cup by New Mills at Tameside Stadium. The ground in Ashton-under-Lyne would be the scene of the club's triumph in the same competition four years later.

Managerial timeline

First game	Last game	Name and match record in all competitions	Honours
Saturday, August 12^th 2006 (Our first ever competitive game in NWCL Division Two at Ashton Town, a 4-0 win).	Saturday, December 29^th 2007	STEVE CARRAGHER P69 W38 D8 L23 F157 A97	NWCL Division Two runners-up in inaugural season 2006-07 and promotion to Division One (now Premier Division)
Saturday, January 26^th 2008	Saturday, August 21^st 2010	STEVE WILKES P131 W54 D21 L56 F218 A249	NWCL Challenge Cup finalists 2008-09
Tuesday, September 2010	Tuesday, November 27^th 2012	PAUL McNALLY P121 W55 D23 L43 F199 A195
Saturday, December 8^th 2012	Saturday, May. 7^th 2016	JOEY DUNN P181 W122 D24 L35 F410 A193	NWCL Challenge Cup winners 2012-13; NWCL Premier Division runners-up 2013-14. 2014-15 and 2015- 16
Saturday, August 6^th 2016	Saturday, March 14^th 2020	MICHAEL ELLISON P187 W107 D33 L47 F402 A230	NWCL Premier Division champions 2017-18 and promotion to NPL West
Saturdaym September 12^th 2020	Saturday, April 30^th 2022	CALUM McINTYRE P65 W39 D11 L15 F134 A69	NPL West Play-off finalists 2021-22
Saturday, August 13^th 2022	Saturday, March 25^th 2023	DAVE WILD P47 W27 D7 L13 F76 A55
Saturday, April 1^st 2023	Tuesday, April 30^th 2024	BILLY PAYNTER P58 W 28 D12 L18 F98 A64	NPL West Play-off finalists and Liverpool Senior Cup runners-up 2022-23; NPL West runners-up (highest ever finish) and Play-off semi-finalists 2023-24
Saturday, August 10^th 2024	Tuesday, January 28^th 2025	ANTONY KAY P35 W16 D6 L13 F47 A55
February 2025	Thursday, January 1^st 2026	BRAD COOKE P51 W28 D11 L12 F96 A60	Cheshire Senior Cup winners 2024-25 and FA Cup fourth qualifying round (club best run in competition) 2025-26
January 2026		MICHAEL ELLISON

The North West Counties League years

2006-07	Division Two	2^nd place
2007-08	Division One ☆	12^th place
2008-09	Premier Division	11^th place
2009-10	Premier Division	11^th place
2010-11	Premier Division	12^th place
2011-12	Premier Division	5^th place
2012-13	Premier Division	6^th place
2013-14	Premier Division	2^nd place
2014-15	Premier Division	2^nd place
2015-16	Premier Division	2^nd place
2016-17	Premier Division	4^th place
2017-18	Premier Division	1^st place and promoted as champions to NPL at Step 4

☆ Division One renamed Premier Division after the 2007-08 season.

Elected to the NWCL for the 2006-07, the club spent its first four seasons as tenants of Witton Albion while plotting a return to Runcorn.

We were promoted from its second tier at the first attempt as runners-up, losing out to champions Winsford United on goal difference.

But further progress in 'exile' proved tough with the financial constraints of playing out of town taking their toll. On-field achievement was modest.

Even returning to Runcorn in 2010 to take up residence at our own stadium, built on the site of the former Halton Sports Playing Fields in Murdishaw, did not bring instant success.

It was only with Joey Dunn's arrival as manager that fortunes began to turn back in our favour but despite League Cup success, he wasn't quite able to get us across the finish line in terms of championship honours.

Ultimately, this was left to Michael Ellison and his assistant Matt Cross in 2017-18.

Ello at the helm (for the first time)

Having announced his retirement from playing at the end of the the 2015-16 season, Michael Ellison had suddenly found himself thrust into the world of management. With the 2016-17 fast approaching, he rallied his remaining troops and at short notice assembled a team to begin the new campaign.

Although a managerial novice, he proved a quick learner - achieving a highly-creditable fourth place on the back of three successive runners-up finishes as a player under Dunn.

Promotion was finally and fittingly clinched on April 28th 2018 on the 12th anniversary of the club's foundation.

The title was secured on May 3rd 2018
with a 5-0 home victory over Blackpool-based Squires Gate.

The long-awaited league crown was captured with two matches to spare and 100 points – a club record 122 goals being scored over the 44 games with 36 conceded.

The departures of Ello and Crossy in the summer of 2020 coincided with the retirement through injury of influential player and club captain, Kyle Hamid.

Only Matt Atherton, pictured above (313) has made more appearances than Kyle's 261 with Michael Ellison, Mark H

oughton, Rob Whyte and most recently Peter Wylie the other double century makers. Peter achieved the feat at the end of last season.

(Our appearance figures include games played in the seasons abandoned because of
the coronavirus pandemic, although playing records for these two campaigns have
been officially expunged)

A place to call home

Runcorn Linnets’ move to our home town within four years of formation was a remarkable feat.

The Linnets Stadium, now known as APEC Taxis Stadium, is in the Murdishaw area of Runcorn.

It opened ahead of the 2010-11 season with former landlords Witton visiting for a certain raiser friendly match.

The project had been supported by Halton Borough Council, the FA and the Football Foundation as well as the club and its fans.

Our facilities straddled Stockham Lane with the clubhouse, secretary’s office and dressing rooms on one side and the 1,600-capacity ground on the other. The lane would be closed on matchdays so the club could operate.

But 2017 saw the completion of a replacement £1.4 million pitchside clubhouse as part of wider redevelopment of the immediate area.

The Halton Arms pub, which had been adjacent to our original clubhouse, were both pulled down. A new leisure and retail park was built, including the Queen of Hearts pub and Aldi supermarket alongside other smaller units.

The area on which it stands was named Jack Search Way in honour of the Linnets centre forward of the 1930s, who had resumed his career after World War Two - having been decorated for bravery with the award of the George Medal – and later became club chairman.

Pitches surrounding the stadium were fenced in for use by Linnets’ junior teams with the club signing a new long-term lease with Halton Council for the extended site.

The stadium's ground-breaking hybrid pitch was installed for the 2020-21 season by the Football Association, through the Football Foundation.

Our club was selected as one of eight host sites for the five-year pilot scheme

More recent developments have seen the addition of extra covered accommodation at the Forest End and a hospitality cabin along the touchline on the Main Stand side.

The stadium has so far had three full-house attendances - for the NPL West Play-off final against Marine in 2022, the 2024 semi-final versus City of Liverpool and our first appearance in the 4th Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup in 2025, when we lost 1-0 to Buxton, the National League North side snatching a last-gasp goal.

It is also now home to Northwich Victoria FC of tbe Midland League Premier Division, under a groundshare agreement.

Northern Premier League performance to date

2018-19	West Division	6^th place
2019-20	North West Division	Season abandoned due to Covid-19
2020-21	North West Division	Season abandoned due to Covid-19
2021-22	West Division	4^th place and Play-off finalists
2022-23	West Division	5^th place and Play-off finalists
2023-24	West Division	2^nd place, Play-off semi-finalists and Liverpool Senior Cup finalists
2024-25	West Division	11^TH place and Cheshire Senior Cup winners

We achieved our promotion to earn a place in the NPL at Step 4 for our 13^th season and have reached the play-offs in three out of five completed seasons.

Linnets were finalists at home to Marine, losing 2-1, in 2021-22 and at Workington, where we went down 2-1 after extra-time in 2022-23.

In 2023-24, under the management of Billy Paynter (pictured above) we took second place in NPL West, our highest ever placing the National League System, only to fall at home to City of Liverpool in the semi-finals.

We were beaten on penalties by Marine in the Liverpool Senior Cup final at Widnes, where we were cheered on by a magnificent following of 1,600 (above).

Last season brought our lowest finish since promotion but the season was ultimately memorable for our landmark Cheshire Cup success and our all-time individual goals record being broken.

Ryan Brooke’s second and match winning effort in a 3-2 home NPL victory over Stalybridge in March 2025 was his 77^th in a Linnets shirt, enabling him to overhaul the previous best tally by Mark Houghton.

Our club continues to evolve, expand and develop. With our large junior section, Ladies team and men’s Under 21s, who were double winners last season in the second tier of the North West U21s League, we are firmly established although still relatively young.

Through Linnets in the Community, we have been involved in many and various schemes and projects, assisting individuals, organisations and charities within our neighbourhood.

We are proud of our progress and achievements to date and look forward to many more successes on and off the field.

Our Story