Historical Football Kits

Skybet League Two 2018 - 2019

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

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Bury

Designer: Admiral

Sponsor: Tappit

Bury finished bottom of League One last season. After a quick online poll of supporters two new strips have been chosen for 2018-19. The first strip is "based on the (design) during our 1903 FA Cup campaign with the recent royal blue being replaced with the navy blue used during the record-breaking success," according to the official website. In point of fact the strip more closely resembles that worn in the mid-1950s. The alternative is navy with an interesting graphic on the shirt.

Once the strips were finalised the club announced a two-year contract with Advantage Sport, Admiral's UK licensee.

(Ataof, Russel Mackenzie, MMA)

Cambridge United

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Mick George

Cambridge have stayed with stripes and the unpleasant spotty version is mercifully retired. The new shirt is a slight improvement but I do wish they would go back to proper stripes without the gimmickry. And speaking of gimmicks, the graphic on the front of the change shirt is an abstract representation of the Magdalen Bridge, a famous landmark that features on the club crest.

(Ataof, Robert, Ben Gershaw)

Carlisle United

Designer: Umbro

Sponsor: Edinburgh Woollen Mills

Umbro's famous sleeve trim makes its reappearance in Carlisle this season, rendered in navy on both strips so it's barely visible. The away strip is not purple by the way - it's "grape juice." Oh yes.

(Alexander Perkin, Dan MacLennan, David King)

Cheltenham Town

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Mira Showers

There are anniversaries everywhere you look this season and Cheltenham have decided to celebrate 20 years since they won the Conference title and were promoted to the Football League in 1999 with a reproduction of the Errea strip they wore at the time. Only the crest and shirt sponsor are different. The yellow strip is in its second season.

(Matthew Powell, Chris Antone, MMA)

Colchester United

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Jobserve

Colchester have fading stripes on the first shirt and a grey camouflage design on the alternative which is fun. The online recruitment agency founded by the club's chairmen, Robbie Cowley and John Witney, now sponsors both sets of kit. They had previously sponsored only the change shirt. Last season's lime green outfit was needed for the opening match at Notts County.

(Jordan Knott, Juraj Gudába, Mike Marchand, David King)

Crawley Town

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: The People's Pension

There's not much to say about the new home strip. It's simple and has white trim. Smart, understated and eminently forgettable. As an alternative we have all-black with neon yellow trim and last season's light and dark blue for the third strip

(Jordan Knott)

Crewe Alexandra

Designer: FBT

Sponsor: Mornflake

The appearance of navy as an accent colour on Crewe's familiar red and white strip is unusual, having previously appeared briefly in the 90s, and it looks rather smart. There is a fading diamond graphic on the front of the red shirt. The colours are rearranged for the change strip but without the bespoke detailing. The third shirt has appeared with both the first and second choice shorts/socks depending on what the opposition were wearing.

(Ataof, @mt106, Gabriel R, David King)

Exeter City

Designer: Joma

Sponsor: Flybe

Exeter's stripes tend to vary in width each season and this time round they are comfortably in the middle range, enhanced by white sleeves. This is a decent looking strip but it won't set the world on fire. The change strip will, however, damage your eyesight.

(Ataof)

Forest Green Rovers

Designer: PlayerLayer

Sponsor: Ecotricity

Forest Green found it tough last season and finished 21st, just one point clear of relegation. They switched from Puma to Hummel but with almost a month of the new season gone, there was no sign of their new strips being delivered and the team were forced to play in a hastily arranged sky blue and white third strip. As a result, FGR tore up their contract and commissioned PlayerLayer, a UK company that previously specialised in customised base layers for athletes, to provide their strips. Initially the club stated these would be kept for two seasons in accordance with the club's sustainability policy but we now believe that a new kit will be introduced in 2019 to mark the centenary of the club being reconstituted.

(Bill Craven, Detenator Ninety, Tommy Samson, MMA, Sytse Korts)

Grimsby Town

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Young's

Grimsby had to delay the launch of their new strips as Errea's production was tied up producing replicas for Iceland in time for the World Cup. First choice is a neat take on their traditional look without the gimmickry of recent seasons. This is complemented by red and purple alternatives.

(Todd Good, Matthew Powell, Robert Wacey, David Wherry)

Lincoln City

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: NSUK Asbestos Services, APSS Construction

Imps' supporters were promised something that would have a retro feel with a modern twist and, by George, they've got it. The new striped shirt resembles one from 1993, but the twist is that the pinstripes are now made up of diagonally dashed lines.

(Diamond One, Detenator Ninety)

Macclesfield Town

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Zaki Artist Management

The Silkmen return to the Football League after an absence of five seasons. Their familiar blue and white first choice strip has an unusual twist with broad tonal hoops on the front of the shirt which are repeated on the black and grey alternative.

(Detenator Ninety)

Mansfield Town

Designer: Surridge

Sponsor: One Call Insurance, OCL Solicitors

Mansfield are in black when they have to change, with an elaborate graphic on the front of the shirt. Their amber and blue set is retained from last season.

(Ataof, Mike Politt)

Milton Keynes Dons

Designer: Errea

Sponsor: Suzuki

As always MK Dons have three strips in identical designs, each one now embellished with striking pale gold trim. While they seem to have been well received some supporters are unhappy that the secondary colour on the first choice kit keeps switching between red and gold.

(Tom Johnston)

Morecambe

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: BizLoans4U

Morecambe survived by the skin of their teeth last season by virtue of a better goal difference than Barnet who were relegated to the National League.

(Ataof)

Newport County

Designer: FBT

Sponsor: Interbet

The Exiles have dug into their heritage to come up with striking first and second strips with three bands across the chest. The original club adopted these in 1938-39 and won the old Division Three (South) to reach the second tier for the only time in their history. The style was revived in the late fifties. The white third strip was chosen by supporters from a short-list of three and is a contemporary masterpiece.

(Ataof)

Northampton Town

Designer: Nike

Sponsor: University of Northampton

The change kit has not gone down at all well. The original choice of red shorts and socks is strange as the Cobblers have to change when playing teams in all-red. There are yellow shorts and socks in the hamper and these were frequently used. A period of reflection will be in order before next season's outfits are ordered I think.

Nike's camo design serves as first choice.

(Bill Craven, David King)

Notts County

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Click here to view

Yellow returns to the striped kit, a reminder of the 1990s, while all-blue is once again used for the alternative. Last season's experiment of having different shirt sponsors each month and in cup games proved successful and the 2018-19 package had sold out by the beginning of July.

(Neil Ward, Richard Williams, David King)

Oldham Athletic

Designer: Sondico

Sponsor: Lovell Soccer

Relegated from League One last season, Oldham commissioned Eden Creative, a Manchester based graphic design and branding agency, to come up with their new kits, which are manufactured by Sondico. The results are, well, simple and elegant, and include broad diagonal bands sublimated into the fabric of the shirts. Eden also designed Latic's 2015-16 kits and their current owl crest. the tangerine shirt was commissioned for the match at Tranmere.

(Simon Barnett, Ric Dennis)

Port Vale

Designer: BLK

Sponsor: Manorshop.com

A small independent sportswear manufacturer from Stockton-on-Tees now supplies Port Vale and their first effort is very good indeed. Combining Vale's traditional white shirts and black shorts with vertical stripes in black and amber gives the new first strip a distinctive twist. The alternative is equally striking.

(Zachary Lewis, Ataof, David King)

Stevenage

Designer: Macron

Sponsor: Astute

Macron's catalogue is full of well designed, smart outfits but they do have a tendency to produce some shockers from time to time and these fall into the latter category. There's just too much going on. Plain light blue socks have also appeared with the change strip.

(Ataof, David King)

Swindon Town

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: Imagine Cruising

Six seasons ago Swindon reintroduced white shorts but for 2018-19, they are returning to all-red. The first choice strip features shadow stripes on the shirt as well as contrasting white trim. For all its simplicity it looks smart enough.

(Diamond One, Tom Eatwell)

Tranmere Rovers

Designer: Puma

Sponsor: B&M Waste Services

Tranmere are back after three seasons in the National League after beating Boreham Wood in a dramatic promotion play-off final. The new first shirt is Puma's new Liga design with the addition of some textured fading thing going on that suggests the dye is leaking out of the shorts. The alternative is altogether more sensible, a plain blue and white effort that recalls Tranmere's colours before 1962. In an unusual step, the club has introduced a "secondary crest" consisting of a monogram and this appears on the change strips as well as around Prenton Park. For the visit to Oxford City (who wear blue and white hoops) in the FA Cup Rovers wore a curious mixture rather than their cherry red third strip.

(Marc Gibbs, Jon Horswell, Gary Davies)

Yeovil Town

Designer: TAG

Sponsor: Jones Building Group

TAG Sportswear specialise in bespoke kits and now supply Yeovil. The club takes pride in coming up with unusual variations on their hooped shirt but I think this one is just too cluttered. The black strip is TAG's Colorado design.

(Ian Hambridge, Ataof, David King)