Historical Football Kits

Sky Bet League One 2013 - 2014

There are some big names in League One this season, major clubs that have fallen on hard times. Coventry are struggling to escape this division under the burden of administration and a dispute with the owners of the Ricoh Arena, Sheffield United missed out on promotion in the play-offs and Wolves are in danger of repeating their disastrous slide down the league in the 80s.

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Contributors are credited in brackets. Opinions expressed on this page are those of HFK and not contributors.

Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two

Bradford City

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: JCT600

In an unforgettable season, City reached the League Cup final and weeks later returned to Wembley in the play-off final, where they comfortably beat Northampton to win promotion.

No doubt fans would have liked the team to retain the hooped shirts from last season but instead the players will be wearing the quite elegant Striker III design.

The shirt sponsors have a familiar look - their logotype appeared on City's shirts between 1997 and 2006.

(Alec Hitchman, Gav Gusher)

Brentford

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Skyex

The Bees have switched from Puma to Adidas and adopted straightforward kits from the catalogue.

(Nick Bruzon)

Bristol City

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Blackthorne

Ahem. Last season we warned that the only time that City had worn black with their home strip relegation followed and so it proved last season. Wisely they have opted for a far more traditional look this time round, with black reserved for the change strip. Black shorts are available for both sets.

(Mark Leech)

Carlisle United

Designer: Fila

Sponsor: Eddie Stobart

There is a distinctly 1980s feel about the new Carlisle home strip, with pinstripes and a neat foldover crew neck trimmed in red.

(Andrew Mihaleff, Danny Carlisle, David Rafelle)

Colchester United

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Weston Homes (H), Jobserve (A, 3rd)

The home strip may be just another standard template but there are some nice touches. The gold detailing, a feature of all the kits Puma has provided to the club, is retained. The best feature, however, is the three seaxes, the symbol of Essex, printed on the lower left of the shirt. The home top is solid blue on the back. The third strip is recycled from last season.

(Andrew Mihaleff, Mike Marchand, Jack Henderson)

Coventry City

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Grace Research Fund (Oct-May)

The crisis at Coventry is an object lesson in what can happen when clubs are owned by financial institutions: a bitter dispute over rent with the owners of the Ricoh Arena (whose offer to reduce the rent from £1.2m to £150,000 was rejected), the sale of the club to a company associated with the hedge fund who placed it into administration in March and plans to play in Northampton for the next three seasons have left supporters bitter and angry. Because of their financial problems, the team played in last season's strips (with the sponsorship covered) for the first weeks of the season: the new home version was worn for the first time at Sheffield United on October 13.

Coventry now face a further 15-point deduction and possible liquidation.

(Harry Meadows, George Pannell)

Crawley Town

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: 32Red

By popular demand, Crawley have returned to their familiar all-red home strip. The gold trimmed white third kit proved popular last season so these colours are now used as second schoice. Black shorts trimmed in gold are available for colour clashes and an all black third strip was introduced in October.

(Jordan Knott, Ben Gershaw)

Crewe Alexandra

Designer: Carbrini

Sponsor: Mornflake

As you pull into Crewe station from the south the giant logo on the side of Mornflake's mill leaves you in no doubt about the importance of the company to the town and to the club it has supported since 2005. There are no surprises with Crewe's latest home outfit, a simple design with discrete white trim although closer examination reveals the shirt is embossed with a small checkerboard pattern. The single red flash down the left side of the shorts is positively rakish. The blue change strip is new.

Gillingham

Designer: Vandanel

Sponsor: MEMS Power Generation

After winning the League Two title, the board asked fans if they would like the team to retain the red and blue shirts worn last season but they voted in favour of a return to plain blue. According to one insider, the replica commemorative shirts were of poor quality, which may explain the preference. The new home kit is in fact the 2011-12 strip while the commemorative outfit is now used when the team has to change. The old pink kit is also recycled.

(Lee Capeling, Anders Nerdrum)

Leyton Orient

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Samsung (H), EA Games FIFA 14 (A)

Although described as "gold", the O's new away shirt is a sort of dingy beige colour. The home shirt features the latest Nike Precision III template that grades from red to white and really works better with the alternate white shorts and socks worn in some away games.

(Alec Hitchman, Ollie Bessex)

Milton Keynes Dons

Designer: Sondico

Sponsor: Case Security

The central stripes on the new Dons' home shirt give it a striking and very distinctive appearance, a definite improvement on the rather anonymous version worn last season.

As usual the second and third alternate kits are in red and black and very smart they look.

(Andy Gronneberg, James Blackwell)

Notts County

Designer: Fila

Sponsor: 3663 (H), Pinnacle (A)

We are all in favour of retro kits and last season's designs for County were outstanding, but there are some that are best consigned to the history books. Reviving the 1993-94 barcode shirt falls into this category. The sleeve panels are printed with "1862" and "The Magpies" while "1862" is woven into the sock turnover. The away strip is, as my old nan might have said, "a bit sudden."

Next year will be the 120th anniversary of County's solitary FA Cup win and a gold star appears above the crest on the home shirt to mark the occasion.

(Andrew Mihaleff, Richard Williams)

Oldham Athletic

Designer: Fila

Sponsor: Blacks

The Latics have gone back to white shorts and have added orange piping that echoes the colours worn in the 60s and revived in their change kit last season (now third choice). The away strip is quite a radical departure in "virtual pink."

The well-known outdoor specialists, Blacks, have recently been acquired by JD Sports who also own Fila and their name now appears on Oldham's shirts.

(Stephen Niven, Paul Green, Michael Hollis)

Peterborough United

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: Stadium Energy (H, A), Green Energy Parks (3rd)

Relegated Peterborough are staying with Nike and have chosen their Striker III design from the catalogue for the home strip, which looks rather smart combined with white socks.

Last season's change kit is now used as a third choice and appeared at Colchester in August. The special kit was worn on New Year's Day against Brentford, after which the shirts were auctioned off for charity.

(Nick Dormand, Ben Gershaw, David Rafelle)

Port Vale

Designer: Sondico

Sponsor: GMB

The plain appearance of the home shirt is deceptive: on the reverse a photographic image of the Churchyard Pottery Works is printed while "Pride of the Potteries" is embroidered below the back of the collar. The crest has been updated as well, marking a fresh start after the financial traumas of last season. The smart away strip is a variation on Sondico's latest sash design that Dagenham are also wearing.

The limited edition third shirt in Wedgewood Blue has supporters' names printed into the fabric.

(Jon Forbes, Ben Gershaw)

Preston North End

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: The Carers' Trust

It is 125 years since Preston won the first ever Football League championship undefeated and a special crest has been introduced to mark the occasion. Nike have taken over from Puma and their home strip is classic in its simplicity while the away strip re-creates the popular design introduced by Bobby Charlton in the 1970s. The yellow and blue third strip was introduced in October.

(Alec Hitchman, Ben Gershaw)

Rotherham United

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Parkgate Shopping Centre (H), TGB Sheds (A)

The Millers, promoted last season, have retained their home strip. Some supporters are not that keen on the mid-grey away kit.

(Millers Fan, JL)

Sheffield United

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Sports Games (H), Top Spring (A)

The home strip looks tidy enough but the away strip has not gone down well in Yorkshire. Yellow and green have not previously appeared on any Blades outfit and fans seem upset that their team might be mistaken for that one from Norfolk. Yellow shorts and socks may be worn with this outfit. The shirts sponsors are a Spanish computer games developer and a Chinese real estate company, which is about as obscure as you can get but we must presume they have both set their sights on South Yorkshire in their business plans.

(Tom Birchenough, Matt Brownhill, David Rafelle)

Shrewsbury Town

Designer: Surridge

Sponsor: Greenhous

Surridge are now contracted to Shrewsbury for the first time, taking over from Joma, and they have delivered a rather fine home strip in the club's usual blue and amber. Red and black has proved a popular alternative choice in the past.

(Ryan Davies, Jonathon Moore)

Stevenage

Designer: Fila

Sponsor: STS Tyre Pros

With so many standard templates around this season, Stevenage's new kits are an good example of the imagination and style that can be achieved by the smaller brands. The vertical stripes on the home shirt give a distinctive appearance to the traditional combination of white shirts with red shorts and socks while the black alternative is attractively trimmed in teal blue.

(Jack Henderson)

Swindon Town

Designer: Adidas

Sponsor: Samsung (H) Fifa 14 (A)

As usual, Swindon have gone for stock outfits from the latest Adidas catalogue, Toque 13 for the home set Estro 13 for the alternative.

(Jordan Yeates, Stephen Kelly, @STFCjordan)

Tranmere Rovers

Designer: Fila

Sponsor: Home Bargains

There is an unfamiliar look about Rovers' new kits and it's not the addition of blue sleeves to the home set. For the first time since 1989, Wirral Borough Council are no longer sponsoring the team's shirts, an association that has lasted for a remarkable 24 years.

The team had to borrow a set of gold kits when they visited Colchester United because the referee decided their light blue change strip clashed with the U's home strip.

(Michael Hollis, David Rafelle)

Walsall

Designer: Diadora

Sponsor: CAT Communications

It is 125 years since Walsall were formed so we have the usual anniversary crest and a home kit that has been carefully designed to evoke memories of earlier days. The V neck and white socks were worn in the early 1960s while the pinstripes on the shirt hark back to the 1983-84 League Cup campaign when Walsall reached the semi-finals (when white socks were also worn). Before club officials met with Diadora's designers, suppporters were canvassed to get their ideas about memorable and influential kits.

Our man in Milton Keynes (late of Adis Ababa) dislikes the new third strip but I confess I find the combination of cream and red rather pleasing.

(Neil Morris)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Whathouse.co.uk

For the second time in their history, Wolves have dropped from the first to third tier in consecutive seasons. Between 1983 and 1986 the team plunged from the First to Fourth Division and faced extinction and while their present predicament is not as serious, supporters hope this season will see a halt to their decline.

The new Puma designs maintain the unfussy look of recent seasons and include a striking, purple away kit.

(David Lane, Matthew Wharmby)