The top 7 most successful Lancashire football clubs based on trophies won (Ranked) | OneFootball

FLW have looked at the sides in the red rose county with the most trophies in their history

Throughout English football, there are so many debates as to what makes one club significantly better than another, particularly when it comes to rival sets of supporters.

It is a competitive element which helps make the English game so great, as the passion is often passed down through generations, irrespective of whether any given club has actually won a major honour in its history at present.

Then, of course, comes the rivalry element, and one of the regions of England best-known for rivalries in any sport is Lancashire, whether it is local sides vying for bragging rights, or whether those from one side of the Pennines are hoping for success way more than their Yorkshire counterparts due to historic battles that go way beyond sport.

However, in football, there are so many historic clubs who reside in this one particular county in the North West of England, including five of the English Football League's founding members in the form of Accrington, Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End.

As such, the rivalry between many of the professional, and indeed, non-league clubs in Lancashire go back decades, and they have also provided some of the most historic storylines in English football, for both good and bad reasons.

However, here at Football League World, we are sticking to trophies in this particular ranking, and looking at which seven clubs from the red rose county have been the most successful, purely in terms of the amount of silverware currently in their respective trophy cabinets.

7 ? ? Blackpool

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At the bottom of this particular seven-team list are Blackpool, who currently reside in League One under the management of Ian Evatt.

The Tangerines have won just four honours of significance throughout their history to-date, since forming in July 1887, with their finest hour being the 1953 FA Cup final against county rivals, Bolton, at the Old Wembley.

The final, indeed, was named the 'Matthews Final' in honour of Sir Stanley Matthews' performance in the 4-3 success, even though Stan Mortensen netted a hat-trick.

Aside from this, Blackpool have won the Second Division title in 1929/30, as well as winning the EFL Trophy in two out of three seasons in 2002 and 2004.

Despite this, they were able to reach the Premier League for one season in 2010/11, where they became infamous under Ian Holloway.

6 ? ? Bury

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In sixth are Bury, who have still been able to retain their prior successes after a fan-led group named Est.1885, were able to acquire the Shakers' stadium, Gigg Lane, as well as the club's history and memorabilia, after being expelled from the English Football League in August 2019 after seeing a last-ditch takeover bid collapse following prior financial mismanagement.

That said, whilst the club can boast five major honours, three of those came before the First World War, including two FA Cup successes in 1900 and 1903.

The latter of those FA Cup triumphs was a 6-0 win over Derby County, which had solely stood as the biggest margin of victory in a final until 2019, when Manchester City saw off Watford by the same scoreline.

They have also won the Second Division once in 1895, and two Third Division titles in 1961 and 1997.

5 ? ? Wigan Athletic

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For the majority of their history, Wigan Athletic were a non-league side before being elected into the English Football League ahead of the 1978/79 season.

And, whilst the Latics' recent trajectory has certainly been chequered, both on and off the pitch, they are now the fifth-most successful club in Lancashire with as many as seven trophies to their name.

The first of those came back in 1985 when they defeated Brentford in the EFL Trophy, a competition they won for a second time 14 years later.

On top of this, Wigan have also won what is now League One on four occasions between 2003 and 2022, but their biggest day in club history saw them lift the FA Cup back in May 2013.

Ben Watson's last-gasp header was enough for the Latics to cause one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup final history against Manchester City, ensuring a stint in European football afterwards too.

4 ? ? Preston North End

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In fourth are Preston North End, with it being a total of 10 honours which the Lilywhites have to their name.

Preston's history is well-documented despite residing outside the top-flight since the early 1960s, and they were the first side to ever win the First Division back in 1889 as invincibles, before going back-to-back the following campaign.

North End have also lifted the FA Cup on two occasions as well as one Charity Shield, and, as a result of their Fourth Division title back in 1995/96, belong to a select group of clubs to have won each professional division in English football.

Their last piece of silverware came in 2000, when they lifted what is now League One.

3 ? ? Burnley

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Burnley are the joint-second most successful side in Lancashire, having won 11 trophies, two of those being the First Division championship in 1921 and 1960.

As well as this, the Clarets won the FA Cup on a solitary occasion back in 1913, and two Charity Shields in 1960 and 1973, whilst also belonging to the same club as Preston in terms of winning each league title in the four professional divisions English football has to offer.

After spending a fair period in the Premier League between their first promotion to the newly-formed top-flight in 2009 and 2022, their two most-recent honours have been Championship title victories in 2016 and 2023 under Sean Dyche and Vincent Kompany.

2 ? ? Bolton Wanderers

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Like the Clarets, Bolton Wanderers have won 11 trophies in their lengthy history, with the last of those coming in 2023 when they defeated Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Trophy final.

But, despite being viewed by some as a top-flight team, Wanderers have never won the First Division or Premier League in their entire history, winning the Second Division on four occasions.

However, they have also won the FA Cup four times, with those victories coming in 1923, 1926, 1929 and in 1958, with the former of those being the historic 'White Horse Final' against West Ham United.

With Bolton emerging victorious 2-0, it was the first football match to have been played at the Old Wembley Stadium, and it has been widely claimed that as many as 300,000 supporters surrounded the national stadium that particular afternoon, which led to the infamous decision for the horse to enter the pitch in order for fans to clear the playing order and the game to start.

Wanderers are now back in the Championship, even though their League One play-off victory over Stockport County in North London does not count towards the number of trophies they have won since 1874.

1 ? ? Blackburn Rovers

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Blackburn Rovers are yet another historic Lancashire side with a troubled recent past, but they are the most successful club in the county in terms of honours won, boasting 13 in the Ewood Park trophy cabinet.

Rovers have won the top-flight of English football on three occasions, with the most famous of those being the 1994/95 Premier League triumph under Sir Kenny Dalglish, bankrolled by lifelong supporter, Jack Walker.

They have also won the FA Cup as many as six times, although all of these would come well in advance of World War Two, with the last of those victories coming in 1928.

As well as winning the Second and Third Division titles in 1939 and 1975, as well as one Charity Shield success in 1912, Blackburn's most recent trophy came in the year 2002, when they defeated Tottenham Hotspur to win the EFL Cup in Cardiff.