ACCRINGTON Stanley are on the verge of securing the Nationwide Conference title - and it was more than 100 years ago that they won their first senior league crown.

In 1903 there were only two divisions of the Football League, and no national non-League below it.

The Lancashire Combination was the most powerful league in the county outside the Football League, and one of the strongest in the land. Winning it was the parallel of the time to winning the Conference.

The Combination was dominated by the reserve sides of the major Lancashire clubs, notably Everton and Manchester City, and no non-reserve side had ever won it.

This prompted the Accrington Stanley chairman, Richard Watson, to induce the club president, captain John Harwood (creator of the Accrington Pals regiment during WW One) to donate a set of medals for the best non-reserve side.

And his club did not only claim the medals - they became the first non-reserve side to win the League outright.

The Reds had been going neck and neck with Manchester City reserves all season, and having beaten Heywood on Saturday, they travelled to Turton for a Wednesday evening game knowing a victory would secure the title.

When the news filtered through to Accrington that the Reds had beaten Turton by three clear goals, all scored by centre-forward Matt Brunton, a large crowd assembled outside the railway station to greet the homecoming heroes.

Such a strong team had some useful players. Jack Finney, who was still in his early 20s, captained the side from right-back. He had played for Bury in the First Division and would seem to have a bright future ahead of him, but he died the following summer.

Jack Bradshaw, the centre-half, would take over the captaincy for years to come, but the most talented player was probably his younger brother Billy.

Still in his teens, the young-left half would leave the club in the summer for Blackburn Rovers and go on to play for England.

Leader of the attack was Brunton, small for a centre-forward but an opportunist scorer. Matt was in the beginning of travels that would see him represent a host of Football League clubs, as well as Stanley four times, the last as trainer-coach in the first Football League season.

And the secretary, John Haworth, would also reach Football League fame, leading Burnley to both FA Cup and League titles in a 14 year spell as their manager.

Players and spectators returned to Accrington in two special trains and were greeted by the Accrington Old Band and the Accrington Piper Band. They were then cheered by an animated crowd through Blackburn Road and Piccadilly onto the Royal Oak Hotel, where preparations had been made for the reception.

The Cup itself was on view the following evening at Moorhead on the occasion of a charity game against Accrington Amateurs, when a larger than anticipated crowd turned up to continue the celebrations.

It was Accrington Stanley's first success and the second was not long in coming.

The Reds repeated as Lancashire Combination champions three years later, in 1906, but for the next century they won no senior league titles. It's been a long wait.

If you have any information about the 1903 team or the history of Accrington Stanley, please contact Greger Lindberg at greger.lindberg@bredband.net or the Observer Sports Desk on accringtonsports@gmwn.co.uk .