Ilkeston Town fail to make history in the FA Cup, but should be proud they were there in the first place

FA Cup 4th Qualifying round Round up

Having reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, the Northern Premier League side failed to reach the first round proper with a 6-0 defeat to National League outfit Hartlepool United.

It was always going to be an uphill task for the hosts, who currently sit ninth in the eighth tier of English football whilst their opponent is currently knocking on the door of a return to the Football League three divisions above.

However, three years ago playing for a place in the FA Cup 1st round would’ve been a dream for Ilkeston, who were only formed back in July 2017.

The Derbyshire club was formed after Ilkeston FC were wound up for the second time in a decade after Ilkeston Town had their records erased in 2010. The liquidated Ilkeston FC were now Ilkeston Town FC.

The club saw back-to-back promotions to gain entry into the eighth tier of English football and have been playing in the Northern Premier League since 2019, with last season abandoned due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Robins were taken over in late 2019 as the then manager Mark Clifford bought the club and appointed Martin Carruthers as the new manager as part of a complete restructure of the club.

As is the case every season, there’s a great story about a non-league club in the FA Cup and Ilkeston Town is certainly one of them. Defying the odds to have a chance at playing the big dogs.

Furthermore, having the BBC televise the fixture will provide the club with extra much-needed funds as it attempts to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. As well as this, hopefully more people will be aware of Ilkeston and their story as the club looks to climb the English footballing ladder.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t their day against Hartlepool, but the Robins should be proud of their cup run and all those involved with the club, particularly it’s reform, will remember the day for the rest of their lives.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt

Non League

September, 2026
August, 2026

FA Cup

September, 2026
August, 2026

Share and Enjoy !

Shares
Dan Hargraves

Recent Posts

Mora gets first El Tri goal in draw with Colombia

Mexico 1-1 Colombia BALTIMORE, MD--A crowd of over 67,000 came to M&T Bank Stadium on…

3 hours ago

Defeat for Inter Miami at the hands of Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew 2 - 1 Inter Miami COLUMBUS, OH--Inter Miami's chances of closing the gap…

7 hours ago

Dos Santos out as LAFC head coach

With its season slipping away, LAFC is moving now to right the ship with precious…

8 hours ago

Another loss on the road for the Portland Timbers

  Preston Judd scored fourth minute and in the 29th minute was a man on…

16 hours ago

Angel City improves playoff position with big win in DC

After Saturday's result, the question that needs to be asked is not whether Angel City…

1 day ago

Whitecaps held by DC in seesaw battle

Vancouver Whitecaps 3-3 DC United VANCOUVER, BC--The Whitecaps were without Andres Cubas to international duty.…

2 days ago