As of March 2020 I have seen County face 188 different Clubs in competitive first team action. It’s a quite remarkable total and reflects the highs that we reached and the depths to which we descended. At the time we left the Football League in 2011 I had seen us play 89 of the other 91 clubs, the exceptions being Newcastle United and Chelsea. The non- league years have provided a wide range of opposition.
Included in this list are the two iterations of the following clubs.
Aldershot were wound up in 1992, becoming the first Club to fall out of the league, (they were in Division 4 at the time), in mid-season since Accrington Stanley 30 years previously. A new club Aldershot Town was formed and placed in the Isthmian League. (The two iterations are listed as Aldershot and Aldershot Town)
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The original Chester, (which was renamed Chester City in 1983), was wound up in March 2010 when its results were annulled and the season not completed . The phoenix club Chester FC was formed immediately, and placed in the Northern Premier League. (The two formations are listed as Chester City and Chester FC)
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Darlington went into administration in 2012, after the disastrous move into the Darlington Arena. They were expelled from the Football Association. A new Club Darlington 1983 was formed and were placed in the Northern Premier League. The ‘1883’ was dropped from their name in 2017. (In the listing below the initial club is identified as Darlington and the reborn club as Darlington 1883)
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Halifax Town were wound up and removed from the Conference in 2008. A new club was formed by the former Directors as FC Halifax Town. It began the new existence in the Northern Premier League. (The two clubs are identified by those names)
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Hereford United were expelled from the Conference in 2014, and the club was wound up. A phoenix club, Hereford FC, was formed and entered the Midland Football League in 2015. (The two clubs are listed below as Hereford United and Hereford)
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Maidstone United had a brief spell in the Football League between 1989 and 1992, before being forced to resign through bankruptcy. A new club using the same name was formed immediately, and was based on the previous junior set-up. It worked its way through the hierarchy and reached the National League. (Both iterations of the Club are listed below as Maidstone United)
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After relegation from the Football League in 1988 Newport County went out of business in February 1989, not completing the season. The Club was reformed and played in the Hellenic League initially. (The two clubs are listed below as Newport County and Newport County (1989))
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Nuneaton Town changed its name to Nuneaton Borough for the 2018/19 season. For my purposes this is regarded as one club, (albeit that the two names are listed below).
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Stevenage Borough dropped ‘Borough’ from their title on admission to the Football League in 2010. County had played them in the FA Cup in 2003. For my purposes this is regarded as one club, (albeit that the two names are listed below).
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Telford United, (playing then in the Conference), folded at the end of the 2003/04 season, following the business collapse of its owner. The new Club AFC Telford United was formed immediately and were placed in the Northern Premier League. (The two clubs are identified by those names).
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Where a Club name is in bold there is a page which lists the games I have seen County play against them. Where available there are video links to the highlights, and I have picked a ‘highlighted’ (or indeed ‘lowlight’!) game and added some commentary about it. This section is a ‘work in progress’ and is being dealt with alphabetically. As at April 2021 club names beginning with A-L had been completed.
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THE MOST FAMILIAR OPPOSITION (29 CLUBS)
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It is no surprise that our fellow travellers over the years are reasonable local. Not only because they featured in the same league, but the regionalised nature of the draws in the Football League Trophy led to frequent games against familiar opponents. Crewe lead the list, (I have seen us play them 54 times), and are closely followed by Wrexham; Hartlepool and Rochdale.
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| Games | W | D | L | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 54 | 22 | 12 | 20 |
| Wrexham | 45 | 19 | 10 | 16 |
| Hartlepool United | 43 | 17 | 10 | 16 |
| Rochdale | 41 | 19 | 9 | 13 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 41 | 11 | 14 | 16 |
| Peterborough United | 40 | 13 | 10 | 17 |
| Port Vale | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
| Burnley | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 |
| Hereford United | 37 | 15 | 6 | 16 |
| Bradford City | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 |
| Bury | 33 | 15 | 8 | 10 |
| Huddersfield Town | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 |
| York City | 32 | 20 | 4 | 8 |
| Chesterfield | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 |
| Mansfield Town | 29 | 9 | 4 | 16 |
| Blackpool | 28 | 8 | 7 | 13 |
| Halifax Town | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 |
| Scunthorpe United | 28 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Darlington | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 |
| Grimsby Town | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| Torquay United | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
| Chester City | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| Lincoln City | 23 | 11 | 8 | 4 |
| Swindon Town | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Carlisle United | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Northampton Town | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Preston North End | 21 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| Wigan Athletic | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
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I’VE SEEN 40 CLUBS BETWEEN 11 AND 20 TIMES
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| Games | W | D | L | |
| Barnsley | 20 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Rotherham United | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Sheffield United | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| Walsall | 19 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Birmingham City | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Brentford | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Hull City | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Colchester United | 17 | 3 | 9 | 5 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Southend United | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Bristol City | 15 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| Bristol Rovers | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Notts County | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Oldham Athletic | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Aldershot | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Boston United | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Cambridge United | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Leyton Orient | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Brackley Town | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Chorley | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Exeter City | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Gillingham | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Macclesfield Town | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| AFC Telford United | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Barnet | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Harrogate Town | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Southport | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Tamworth | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Barrow | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Bradford Park Avenue | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Luton Town | 11 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Nottingham Forest | 11 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Oxford United | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
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6 – 10 GAMES (35 CLUBS)
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| Games | W | D | L | |
| Reading | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Stalybridge Celtic | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Stoke City | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Swansea City | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| AFC Fylde | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Alfreton Town | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Curzon Ashton | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Gainsborough Trinity | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Portsmouth | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Watford | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Cardiff City | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Cheltenham Town | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Fulham | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Gloucester City | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Leamington | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Scarborough | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Solihull Moors | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Worcester City | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Altrincham | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| FC United of Manchester | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| North Ferriby United | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Norwich City | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Nuneaton Town (see †† below) | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Wimbledon | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Accrington Stanley | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Guiseley | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Hednesford Town | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Ipswich Town | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Manchester City | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Millwall | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Yeovil Town | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
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2 – 5 GAMES (48 CLUBS)
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| Games | W | D | L | |
| Blackburn Rovers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Charlton Athletic | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Colwyn Bay | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Darlington 1883 † | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Ebbsfleet United | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Kidderminster Harriers | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Newport County | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Sunderland | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Blyth Spartans | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Braintree Town | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Forest Green Rovers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Gateshead | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Hyde FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Leeds United | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Lowestoft Town | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Maidstone United | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Morecambe | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Newport County (1989) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Oxford City | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Salford City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Southampton | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Telford United | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Woking | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Chester FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Corby Town | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Everton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Leicester City | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Spennymoor Town | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Workington | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Aldershot Town | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bath City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Burton Albion | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Coventry City | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dartford | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Derby County | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FC Halifax Town | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hayes & Yeading United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hereford | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Histon | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kettering Town | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Maidenhead United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Northwich Victoria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nuneaton Borough †† | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Stevenage ††† | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Vauxhall Motors | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| West Ham United | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
† Darlington 1883 – the suffix ‘1883’ was dropped from the name prior to the 2017/18 season – the games played against the ‘new’ club, (in seasons 2016/17 to present) as opposed to the original Darlington are listed using the suffix so as to differentiate
†† Nuneaton Town were renamed as Nuneaton Borough in 2018/19. (It is the same Club, and therefore counted only once)
††† Stevenage had dropped the word ‘Borough’ from their title in 2010. The FA Cup game against Stevenage Borough is included below. (It is the same Club, and therefore counted only once)
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I’VE SEEN THESE 36 CLUBS ONLY THE ONCE
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The majority of these clubs provided the opposition in Cup ties, although there are 5 which I saw at EP in 2019/20 in the National League. There’s a wide range of names here, from the likes of Manchester United; Arsenal and Tottenham through to Alsager, Barnton and Congleton Town in the Cheshire Senior Cup in the 2010’s.
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| Games | W | D | L | |
| Alsager Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ashton United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barnton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bishop Auckland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Boreham Wood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brighouse Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bromley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Caernarfon Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Congleton Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorking Wanderers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dover Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eastleigh | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ilkeston | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lancaster City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Manchester United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Marine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mossley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nantwich Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ossett Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramsbottom United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Runcorn | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Runcorn Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rushall Olympic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Shields | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| St Albans City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Staines Town | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Stevenage Borough (see ††† above) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sutton United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tooting & Mitcham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Truro City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Warrington Town | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Winsford United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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