Esh Winning Football Club is a football club based in Esh Winning, near Durham, in County Durham, England. They are currently members of the and play at West Terrace.
History The original Esh Winning club was established in 1889 as Esh Winning Rangers. After playing in local leagues, they joined the Northern League in 1912, winning it at the first attempt, also winning the Durham Benevolent Bowl. At the end of the season they were renamed Esh Winning. The club's second season in the league saw them finish eleventh. After World War I the club continued in the Northern League, finishing bottom of the table in 1926–27, 1931–32 and 1933–34. In 1934 the club were forced to fold as they were unable to pay rent to the parish council; they resigned from the league on 5 October after four matches and their fixtures were taken over by West Auckland Town.
The modern club was established in 1967 as Esh Winning Pineapple. They joined Division Three of the Durham and District Sunday League, and were promoted to Division Two at the end of the 1970–71 season. The club won the Guards Cup in 1971–72 and the Division Two title in 1972–73. After winning the Stafferi Cup in 1974–75 and the Guards Cup again in 1975–76, they won successive league titles in 1978–79 and 1979–81. In 1981 the club joined the Northern Alliance. After a sixth-place finish in their first season in the league, they were promoted to Division Two of the Northern League, dropping "Pineapple" from their name.
Esh Winning remained in Division Two of the Northern League for twenty seasons, finishing bottom of the division in 1985–86 and 1989–90. In 2001–02 they finished third and were promoted to Division One, where they remained until being relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 2005–06 season. In 2007–08 the club won the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup. In 2008–09 another third-place finish in Division Two saw them promoted to Division One for a second time. However, they were relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 2010–11 season. They finished bottom of Division Two for a third time in 2013–14.
After finishing bottom of Division Two again in 2025–26 Esh Winning were relegated to the Premier Division of the Wearside League.
Season-by-season record SeasonLeagueNotesDivisionPlWDLFAPtsPos1981–82Northern Alliance34177105841416/18Promoted1982–83Northern League Division Two30107134260376/111983–84Northern League Division Two341310114955499/181984–85Northern League Division Two341261646643911/18Three points deducted1985–86Northern League Division Two38592444992420/201986–87Northern League Division Two36872144813117/191987–88Northern League Division Two34147134749495/181988–89Northern League Division Two381082042683815/201989–90Northern League Division Two38752640912320/20Three points deducted1990–91Northern League Division Two36196117757637/191991–92Northern League Division Two381391676744811/201992–93Northern League Division Two381342170824313/201993–94Northern League Division Two361271750724312/191994–95Northern League Division Two381571678885213/201995–96Northern League Division Two361371680754611/191996–97Northern League Division Two367326441002118/19Three points deducted1997–98Northern League Division Two361191658794216/191998–99Northern League Division Two369101759733715/191999–00Northern League Division Two361122359813515/192000–01Northern League Division Two36197107944645/192001–02Northern League Division Two3827479339853/20Promoted2002–03Northern League Division One401481851844717/21Three points deducted2003–04Northern League Division One401391852684815/212004–05Northern League Division One4012141458525014/212005–06Northern League Division One403730321031620/21Relegated2006–07Northern League Division Two401272163834316/212007–08Northern League Division Two381571673585213/202008–09Northern League Division Two3821878959773/20Promoted2009–10Northern League Division One421162557943918/222010–11Northern League Division One424434401211621/22Relegated2011–12Northern League Division Two422061695746611/222012–13Northern League Division Two4210329491083020/222013–14Northern League Division Two428331501382722/222014–15Northern League Division Two429429471353120/222015–16Northern League Division Two427629461272720/22
Ground The original Esh Winning played at the Stags Head Recreation Ground. The ground's record attendance of over 5,000 was set in 1910 for a match against Newcastle United reserves and equalled in 1921 when the club lost 5–4 to Bishop Auckland in the FA Amateur Cup quarter final.Cup final grounds Durham & District Sunday League
The modern club bought the welfare grounds in Waterhouses (a village to the south-west of Esh Winning) from the National Coal Board when the mine was about to be closed down. The West Terrace ground was subsequently developed, including a stand with five rows of seating and two covered standing areas.
Honours
Northern League Champions 1912–13 Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup winners 2007–08 Durham and District Sunday League Champions 1978–79, 1979–80 Division Two champions 1972–73 Guards Cup winners 1971–72, 1975–76 Stafferi Cup winners 1974–75 Durham Benevolent Bowl Winners 1912–13
Records Best FA Cup performance: Second qualifying round, 1990–91, 2004–05 Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 1983–84, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2012–13 Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Quarter-finals, 1920–21 Record attendance: Original club: 5,000 vs Newcastle United Reserves, 1910; vs Bishop Auckland, FA Amateur Cup quarter-final, 1921 Modern club: 1,500 vs Liverpool Fantail, FA Sunday Cup, 1982 Most appearances: Neil McLeary, 194Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p746 Most goals: Alan Dodsworth, over 250
See also
References
External links
Esh Winning on X