Recent News
Stanley edge past non-league foe in FA Cup scare
In a hard-fought fixture, Accrington Stanley secured a 2-1 win after extra time against Gainsborough Trinity in the first round of the FA Cup 2025‑26. The result came at home but not without a scare: Gainsborough, 58 tiers lower in the English pyramid, pushed Stanley deep into extra time before eventually conceding the deciding goal. LincolnshireWorld+2ESPN.com+2

 
Stanley opened the scoring through Patrick Madden in the 29th minute before Gainsborough’s Sisa Tuntulwana hauled the visitors level in the 76th minute. With the tie still level after 90 minutes, Stanley managed to clinch the win in extra time via a 95th-minute strike by Charlie Caton. Statistics underscored Stanley’s dominance in possession (63.1 %) and shot attempts (20 versus 13) — yet the narrow margin and extra-time requirement raised serious questions about their sharpness. ESPN.com+1
League Two woes deepen
Stanley’s struggles in league form continued, as recent predictions from an AI preview of the upcoming weekend’s fixtures placed them in a tough position. The club has managed just three wins out of 14 in the current campaign, with a single away victory to date. These numbers paint a bleak picture of where they stand in the English Football League Two. Derbyshire Times+1
Most recently, Stanley drew 1-1 at home to Tranmere Rovers. ★ Shaun Whalley opened the scoring after 16 minutes, his first appearance of the season following injury, but the visitors levelled through Charlie Whitaker in the 63rd minute. A late penalty from Stanley was saved by the Tranmere goalkeeper, further highlighting the Reds’ inability to close out games. Sky Sports
Off-field progress: youth development and community work
While results on the pitch are causing concern, the club has made positive strides off it. The Accrington Stanley Community Trust released their 2024 impact report, showing they engaged with over 21,000 individuals across sports, education, health and social inclusion initiatives. Over one million pounds was raised through charitable programmes. stanleytrust.co.uk
Additionally, the club has announced the launch of a Youth Team for the 2026-27 season, in partnership with the Trust. This will include a full-time setup, players training alongside the first team at the £4 million Stanley Sports Hub, and the opportunity to compete in the National League U19 Alliance and the FA Youth Cup. stanleytrust.co.uk
What lies ahead
For Stanley, the coming weeks are pivotal. The FA Cup win offers a lifeline of confidence, but the mismatch in performance relative to expectations and league position cannot be ignored. They will look to bounce back in the league and avoid slipping further down the table.
On the managerial side, John Doolan’s squad will be under increasing scrutiny if the results do not improve, especially given their home vulnerability and narrow margins against much weaker opponents.
In sum: a narrow cup win gives hope, but the broader picture remains concerning. Stanley must translate their off-field progress into on-pitch results if they are to steer clear of a season slide.

Team data by Scoreaxis

Home of Accrington Stanley FC

Opened 1968

Capacity 5,450

ACCRINGTON WEATHER

History (from Wikipedia)

The Crown Ground is a multi-use stadium in Accrington, Lancashire, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Accrington Stanley. Opened in 1968, the stadium has a capacity of 5,450.

The ground is currently known as the Wham Stadium as part of a three-year £200,000 sponsorship deal with What More UK Ltd.[2] It was previously also named the Fraser Eagle Stadium and the Interlink Express Stadium.

Stands/terraces[edit]

  • Jack Barret Memorial Stand: this stand is the newest stand. A terrace used to be in its place until it was knocked down and replaced by the current one whilst Stanley were still in the Northern Premier League. It runs half the length of the pitch. The dugouts are situated here and in the John Smiths Stand.
  • Clayton End: officially called the Sophia Khan Stand. This the home end. The more vocal Stanley fans known as the Stanley Ultras like to stand here. It is a covered terrace that had a roof added to it at the start of 2007–08. Seats were added to the front half of the terrace to bring the stadium up to Football League standards.
  • Whinney Hill Terrace: otherwise known as the Cowshed. It stands on the lower slopes of Whinney Hill which is home to a vast waste infill site. It was a small terrace with only 3 rows but had seating installed in the covered section to bring the stadium up to Football League standards. It has a roof running two thirds of the length of the pitch held up by pillars. The terrace continues around the corner for about a third of the Coppice End and around the corner at the other end to join with the Clayton End. The television gantry is situated in the middle of the terrace. The half nearest the Coppice End is given to away fans. This stand is currently closed and is being replaced by the 1,100 seater Eric Whalley Stand, which is due to open in late 2018/early 2019.
  • Coppice End: This is the away end and has the ability to accommodate up 1,800 supporters. If additional demand is required then part of the Whinney Hill side is used for this allocation. Conversely, if away demand is small this stand can go unused. This end is uncovered and is very exposed to the weather.
Record attendance[edit]

A record attendance of 4,801 set on 17 November 2018 for a League One match against Barnsley, but only stood for three weeks, when it was bettered by a crowd of 5,257 for another league match against Sunderland on 8 December 2018, although the match was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch.[3] A new record of 5,397 was set on 26 January 2019 when Derby County visited in the FA Cup fourth round.

Things to do in Accrington.