TOPIC: How many different teams have we played?

Following the thread about the FA cup draw on Monday and looking at the teams in the Northern section 4th Qualifying round i wanted to check to see if we'd played Gainsborough Trinity before ( we haven't ) so i went on the head to head stats. Anyway, being an anorak, I thought I'd count up how many different teams we'd played over the years. This does not include the season we were in the Conference so, for example, Forest Green are not on the list. Just teams in the Football League plus any team we've played in the FA Cup.

Any fellow anoraks care to have a guess? ( Don't forget that famous 3-1 away win over Yorkshire Amateurs! )

Given teams that have gone out League over time, replacements, and various Cup Draws, I'll go for 160...

I hope you included Tunbridge Wells Rangers in that CCU.

I'll give fellow anoraks a day or so to have a go before putting up the answer.

118

Having had a good think about it, could well be pushing 200!

184.

Might be worth establishing what constitutes the word "different". For instance - clubs that have gone bust and come back as a new entity like Accrington, Newport, Wimbledon - do they count as one or two clubs? Where do MK Dons fit in? How about a mere change of name - and how many have Leyton Orient had - do they count as one, two, etc.

Do you count North Shields? FA Cup in 1945/46, but no league that season!

Done a quick count and from when we entered the league in 1928 to now (not inc. non-league season), we've played 145 teams.

Going by your rules 1954blue, we can't include Fleetwood!

Good point, Mersey. Should have expanded on the Cup games. JPL etc are included. My apologies.

Scotty. Another good point. Some name changes. I noticed Newport and Accrington each count twice, but not Leyton Orient/Orient/The Orient.

We played Runcorn and South Liverpool in the 46/47 FA Cup

This is a shambles, it will never stand up in court.

The only teams I haven't seen Carlisle play presently in the League are West Ham, Aston Villa & Fleetwood i think.

I'd guess 173. But I wish you hadn't asked this question, because I'll probably now waste my time researching how many I've seen. Purely by memory I'd say I missing 3 of the present league teams. Reading, Barnsley & Stoke City.

Shouldn't be too hard to add on the Conference teams - they were still league fixtures and should count.

What about the Anglo-Italian Cup too?

Anyway, I'll guess 160.

Considering we have been up and down the leagues over the years and have played most of the teams that are in the current top two divisions, it's a bit odd that fate has kept ourselves and Man U from coming up against each other, apart from the home draw and replay in the FA cup. We have on one or two occasions been just one match from coming up against them in the cup.

If we included the Conference season, Heilkmoon, then there are the 20 odd years before we joined Div 3N when we played in the Cumberland Senior League, Lancashire Combination and the North Eastern League. Then there are all the non league teams we played in the FA Cup pre 1928-9 in the qualifying rounds before the First Round proper.

Incidentally there were only 5 of the 2004-5 Conference teams that we haven't played before or since in League or Cup fixtures - Canvey Island, Northwich Victoria, Forest Green Rovers, Farnborough and Leigh RMI. Plus Redditch United in the 2004-5 FA Trophy at Workington. ( I remember going down to Morecambe to see us thrash Barnet 4-1 in the next round )

In the Anglo Italian Cup we played AS Roma and Catanzaro.

If we added friendlies we'd be here all day. We played Glasgow Rangers as far back as 1905 ( on Carlisle RU ground )

Mersey, the 1945-6 FA Cup counts as a proper competition although the leagues didn't start back until 1946-7. Derby County beat Charlton Athletic 4-1 at Wembley in 1946. So Runcorn and South Liverpool count.

1954Blue wrote:
What about counting the Runcorn FC Halton match in the Conference Cup - does it count as a competition, do they count as a different team cos of the different name?

Wouldn't it be easier to count all the teams we've faced in a competitive fixture?

1954Blue wrote:
We played North Shields in 1945/46 FA Cup (played South Shields in the early years in the league). Runcorn and South Liverpool was in 46/47.

Just done a rough list (with the help of the second Paul Harrison Complete History book).... 153 in total - that's from 1928/29 onwards, includes Football League, Conference, FA Cup, FA Trophy, League Cup and JPT:

Accrington Stanley
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Wimbledon
Aldershot
Alfreton Town
Arsenal
Ashington
Aston Villa
Barnet
Barnsley
Barrow
Bedford Town
Billingham Symphonia
Birmingham City
Bishop Auckland
Blackburn Rovers
Blackpool
Blyth Spartans
Bolton Wanderers
Boreham Wood
Boston United
Bradford City
Bradford Park Avenue
Brentford
Brighton and Hove Albion
Bristol City
Bristol Rovers
Burnley
Burton Albion
Bury
Cambridge United
Canvey Island
Cardiff City
Carlisle United
Charlton Athletic
Chelsea
Cheltenham Town
Chester City
Chesterfield
Colchester United
Coventry City
Crawley Town
Crewe Alexandra
Crook Town
Crystal Palace
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham FC
Darlington
Denaby United
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Ebbsfleet United / Gravesend and Northfleet
Everton
Exeter City
Farnborough
Fleetwood Town
Forest Green Rovers
Fulham
Gateshead
Gillingham
Grimsby Town
Guiseley
Halifax Town
Hartlepool United
Heanor Town
Hereford United
Huddersfield Town
Hull City
Ilkeston Town
Ipswich Town
Kidderminster Harriers
Knowsley
Leeds United
Leicester City
Leigh RMI
Leyton Orient / Clapham Orient / Orient FC
Lincoln City
Liverpool
Luton Town
Macclesfield Town
Maidstone United
Man City
Man United
Mansfield Town
Matlock Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
MK Dons / Wimbledon
Morecambe
Nelson
New Brighton
Newcastle United
Newport County
North Shields
Northampton Town
Northwich Victoria
Norwich City
Nottingham Forest
Notts County
Oldham Athletic
Oxford United
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Port Vale
Portsmouth
Preston North End
QPR
Reading
Redditch
Rhyl
Rochdale
Rotherham United
Runcorn
Rushden & Diamonds
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday
Shepshed Dynamo
Shrewsbury Town
South Liverpool
South Shields
Southampton
Southend United
Southport
Stafford Rangers
Stalybridge Celtic
Stevenage
Stockport County
Stoke City
Sunderland
Swansea City
Swindon Town
Tamworth
Telford United
Tipton Town
Torquay United
Tottenham Hotspur
Tranmere Rovers
Tunbridge Wells Rangers
Walsall
Watford
West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Borough
Woking
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Workington
Wrexham
Wycombe Wanderers
Yeovil Town
York City
Yorkshire Amateurs

Thanks for that, Merseyside.

According to the Association of Football Statisticians its 152. That includes 2 Accringtons and two Aldershots. It only has one Newport but i reckon that should be two. I'm sure they are different teams. You however have the extra 2004-5 five Conference teams on your list which I mentioned above. The Statisticians list includes FA Cup round 1 and beyond from 1907-8 when we beat Brentford in Round 1. So that includes

FA1 Chilton Colliery Recreation 1925 H 0-2

but doesn't have

FA2 Bedlington Town 1926 H 4-0


You're right about Runcorn and South Liverpool being in the 1946-7 cup competition and it being North Shields 45-6. Interestingly we played North Shields over 2 legs, winning both games ( 4-0 and 3-2 ) I seem to recall reading that most of the rounds were played over 2 legs and eventual winners Derby lost a game in an earlier round but won the Cup.

A few others in the Cup worth mentioning which are on your list

FA2 Tunbridge Wells Rangers 1930 H 4-2 ( that must have been a heck of a journey for them )

FA1 Yorkshire Amateurs 1931 A 3-1

FA1 Denaby United 1932 H 1-0

So, the next question is who have we played most often?

I reckon there are two teams we've played more than 100 times in League and Cup competitions combined and another 98 times.

re: "Just done a rough list (with the help of the second Paul Harrison Complete History book).... 153 in total - that's from 1928/29 onwards, includes Football League, Conference, FA Cup, FA Trophy, League Cup and JPT"

Where's Grays, didn't we play them in a cup game that needed two attempts after an early abandonment?

Yes, ibtufty, Grays Athletic is on the list.

lbtufty wrote:
Congrats for spotting the deliberate mistake put in to make sure you all read the list thoroughly

(truth be told - I went off memory for the last decade or so and somehow forgot Grays!)

According to the statisticians site these are the teams we've played most.

Rochdale 104
Hartlepool 101
Darlington 98
York 86
Wrexham 85
Crewe 85
Stockport 82
Chester 80
Halifax 74
Chesterfield 73
Mansfield 71

Out of the 92 FL Clubs We've played them all at some point Although We've never been in the same Division as Manchester United or Fleetwood We've played Manchester United twice in the FA Cup 3rd round 1978 and Fleetwood once in the JPT

Mersey, who the F are Heanor Town?

Mashie Niblick wrote:
Played them in the FA Cup First Round in the 50s (I think - will check date when I get home unless someone can answer it sooner)

Mashie Niblick wrote: Derbyshire side - Northern Counties east League.


15 Nov 2025 FA Cup First Round. Heanor 1-5 Carlisle Att: 6,511

I think there's an odd team or two in Division Three South we never played.

Thames?

MerseysideBlue wrote:
Did we play ourselves????

Oh FFS