HINCKLEY United were formed in 1997 following the merger of the rival clubs in the Leicestershire town, Hinckley Athletic and Hinckley Town. The object of the merger was to bring a higher standard of football to the Leicestershire market town, and the progress the club has made in that time has been beyond the wildest dreams of most supporters as development has been swift both on and off the field.

The new club inherited Town’s place in the Southern League Western Division and after a mid-table finish in the first season, the club steadily improved with finishes of fourth and third before they won the Western Division title in 2000-01.

An outstanding campaign saw them score over 100 league goals and they tasted defeat in the league on just four occasions with one of those defeats, by Weston-super-Mare, bringing to an end a run of 51 games unbeaten on home soil.

A memorable season also saw the club lift the Westerby Challenge Cup as they beat Barwell at Filbert Street, and come within a whisker of reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Cup when they were defeated in a final qualifying round replay by Telford United.

The following campaign saw the club consolidate their place in the Southern League Premier Division, but the highlight was a run to the 2^nd Round Proper of the FA Cup. Wins over Bilston Town, Histon and Weymouth saw them into the First Round and a tie at Ryman League Grays Athletic. United won a close game by the odd goal in three set-up a home clash with Cheltenham Town in Round Two, but a goal in each half saw the Nationwide League side win 2-0 before a sell-out crowd of 2661.

The Knitters (a nickname chosen by the fans after a newspaper competition, reflecting the traditional industry in the area) retained the Westerby Cup with a 3-1 victory over Oadby Town in the final at Filbert Street and after another mid-table finish, Hinckley attained their highest ever league placing at the end of the 2003-04 season by finishing sixth in the Doc Martens Premier to earn their place in Nationwide North. They also regained the Westerby Cup with a 1-0 success over Oadby Town at The Walker’s Stadium.

United’s debut season in Nationwide North was a memorable one. Hinckley made national headlines as they again progressed to the 2^nd Round Proper of the FA Cup, wins over Stamford, Mossley and Burton Albion (on penalties) saw them into the First Round with League One side Torquay United visiting Middlefield Lane. Before a crowd of over 2000, Hinckley triumphed 2-0 to record their first win over a League side with Neil Cartwright’s stunning volley capturing the headlines.

That result brought Brentford to Middlefield Lane, and such was the level of interest, it was transmitted live on BBC’s Match Of The Day to a worldwide audience. United battled to hold their League One opponents to a goalless draw in the first game before a replay at Griffin Park saw Hinckley lose 2-1, having played most of the second half with ten men.

So far, United have consolidated their position in Nationwide North with finish of 12^th in the first season, a position they improved upon by two places in 2005-06. 

The 2006-07 campaign began on a tragic note for the club. In September, centre-half Matt Gadsby collapsed and died during a game at Harrogate Town. After a period of mourning, the players showed enormous character in making the play-offs, and came within a whisker of achieving a promotion in memory of their team-mate, losing a thrilling play-off final 4-3 to Farsley Celtic.

The following season The Knitters failed to recover after making a poor start and battled relegation for most of the campaign, though a nine game unbeaten sequence towards the end of the campaign secured their Blue Square North status.

The club’s development off the field has matched the team’s progress on it and In March 2005, the club made the move to the purpose built Marston’s Stadium (now re-named The Greene King Stadium) on Leicester Road in the town. The ground has a capacity of over 4000 complete with fully equipped gymnasium and conference facilities and over 2000 were present to see the first game, a 1-1 draw against Stalybridge Celtic.

The Greene King Stadium development also incorporates a number of pitches to accommodate the future of Hinckley United. The club have a thriving junior and youth system with over 20 sides, from Under 6’s upwards, playing under the Hinckley United banner as well as a ladies side

In 2006, United opened a new floodlit all-weather facility which boasts the latest 3-G artificial pitch technology, the only full size model of it’s type in the UK which is also available for use by the community.The latest phase of development began with construction of changing rooms to serve the all weather arena and the junior pitches opened during the summer.

The 2008/9 season began when a new record crowd of 3231 assembled to see Leicester City in a friendly but after a brief flirtation with the play-off spots, United ended the campaign in 10^th spot.

Last season saw the club reach the First Round of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy and have a virtual season long stay in the play-off zone. But a troubled end of season saw the Knitters drop out of the play-offs and regroup with a new-look squad for another season in Blue Square North.

Club history by Andy Gibbs