page_title: New Mills A.F.C.
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: New Mills A.F.C. / History
context_page_description: New Mills Association Football Club are an English football club based in New Mills, Derbyshire. They currently play in the North West Counties League Division One South.
context_section_description: Formed in 1886 New Mills quickly progressed through the local leagues in its early days and even had a spell in the Manchester League. However, the club disbanded and a new team was formed, New Mills St Georges, which in a period up to World War I, won a number of titles, including the Derbyshire Minor Cup.
  In 1919 the club began playing again and dropped the St Georges from its name. It joined the Manchester League once again and finished top in 1924 and, after finishing as runner-up the following season, lifted the championship once again in 1926.
  As well as winning the league, New Mills also won the Derbyshire Cup three seasons out of four. The club was extremely well supported and had regular gates of around 3000. This was a very successful few seasons for the club, and at least half a dozen players moved on to clubs in the Football League.
  The club was once again disbanded due to World War II but reformed again afterwards, this time entering the Manchester Amateur League before progressing once again to the Manchester League, taking the title in 1956.
  In 1959, Joe Martin took charge as manager, which started a run of success for the club, winning the league seven times before he retired in 1972.
  The club eventually moved up to the Cheshire County League and later the North West Counties League.  The club began to suffer financially, however, and in the summer of 1983 ceased playing in that competition.
  Birch Vale and Thornsett F.C. were looking for a new ground and became tenants at Church Lane. Eventually, they took over running of the club and became New Mills Football Club.
  The club rejoined the Manchester League and in 1977, thanks to a fund-raising appeal along with a grant from the Lottery Association, redeveloped its Church Lane ground to what it is today. In 2002–03 they became semi professional when their application to the North West Counties League was approved.
  New Mills won the North West Counties League Division Two title in the 2007–08 season under the leadership of former Stockport County player Tony Hancock, who had joined as manager in 2005.
  New Mills then followed up its Division Two title with a record-breaking 2008–09 season during which it set a new league and club record by winning 21 consecutive games, missing out on the Division One title only on goal difference to A.F.C. Fylde, which beat the Millers 5–0 on the last day of the league season in front of a crowd of over 1,400. Two days after the disappointment on the Fylde coast, the Millers lifted the League Cup for the first time by beating Runcorn Linnets 2–0 at the Tameside Stadium, the home of Curzon Ashton.  Goals from Garry Kharas and Scott McGowan ensured the Millers did not end the season empty handed. The star player during this era was Carlos Meakin who scored 150 goals in only 200 games, predominantly whilst playing in midfield.
  During the close season of 2009–10, in which New Mills finished as runner-up for the second year in a row, manager Tony Hancock resigned but then had a change of heart and returned to lead the Millers until he again resigned in March 2010 when the player budget was cut. For the remainder of the season Ally Pickering was named caretaker manager and he took the role full time in 2010–11.
  Pickering had great success in his first full season as manager and led the Millers to the league title and promotion to the Northern Premier League. A league and cup double was denied though when Winsford beat the Millers 1–0 a few weeks later. During the 2011 pre-season to mark the club's 125th anniversary Alex Ferguson sent a Manchester United XI to Church Lane. United won 7–0, with their team including future England internationals Michael Keane and Jesse Lingard.  In the 2011–12 season Pickering led the Millers to a 9th place after a poor winter saw the team slip out of the play-off places. New Mills were placed in the Southern League but after one season were switched to the Northern Premier League. Pickering remained in charge until October 2012, when he and the club parted company by mutual consent.  Former FC United
caption: The entrance to Church Lane
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