Trikala

Formation

Until 1963, the town was split in two football wise. The rival football clubs were called Achilleas and A.E.T.. The rivalry between the clubs was intense, and it was the main reason that both narrowly failed to achieve promotion to the 1st Division in the 1962-63 season.

Players, fans and members of the clubs realized that only a merger would benefit the city. On the 10th of July 1963, the General Assemblies of both clubs decided to proceed with the merger. They agreed on the name, red-blue colors for the shirt and two interlocking circles as the badge. The best players would join AO Trikala, while another club named AO Dimitra Trikalon was founded to accommodate the younger players.

On the 16th of July 1963, AO Trikala was officially founded.

Early years and success (1963-1973)

The merger was an instant success, as the club won promotion from the 2nd Division (Beta Ethniki) to the 1st Division (Alpha Ethniki) in its inaugural season. In the first 10 years of the club's existence, 6 seasons were spent in the top flight.

The most successful was the 1965-66 season, when AOT finished 11th out of 16 teams and also reached the semi-finals of the Greek Cup.

The team was notoriously hard to beat at home and it achieved many notable results over this period, having beaten Olympiacos, PAOK and Aris at home, as well as AEK home and away.

A decade of stability (1974-1983)

The following decade saw the club stabilizing itself in the 2nd Division. Results in the league were not ideal, with promotion remaining elusive. Participations in the Cup were not successful either, with no appearances past the Round of 16.

A league reorganization in 1982-83 in order to facilitate the establishment of a national 3rd Division meant the club were relegated to this level for the first time.

Yo-yo between 2nd and 3rd tier (1984-1993)

In this period the club failed to stabilize itself, going up and down the leagues on a number of occasions. AOT nearly dropped to the regional leagues in 1986-87, but a reorganization of the league pyramid gave the club a reprieve. There was some success in the Cup though: AOT reached the quarter finals in 1987-88 and beat Panathinaikos in a Cup Group Stage game in 1992-93.

Highs and new lows (1994-2003)

The mid 90's saw the team re-establish itself as a strong 2nd Division side, regularly playing in front of very large crowds. Winning the 3rd Division in 1994-95 was followed by a run to the Greek Cup quarter finals in 1995-96. Each season the club was growing, culminating in winning the 2nd Division in 1998-99, returning to the top flight after a 27 year absence.

Relegation from the 1st Division in 1999-00 however was the start of a downward spiral as the owner stopped financing the club. AOT were relegated 3 times in 4 years, with 2002-03 bringing a new low as the club failed to fulfill fixtures and was expelled from the league. This meant relegation to the regional 4th Division for the first time.

Lower league wilderness, renaissance and a new disaster (2004-2013)

Dysfunctional management and corrupt ownership meant the club suffered in the 3rd and 4th tier until the end of the decade. Things took an upward turn in 2009-10. Having just been promoted from the 4th Division, the club had a great Cup run and finished as runners up in the League, securing a second consecutive promotion via a playoff.

The 2010-11 season was superb on the pitch, with a great Cup run and a very successful League finish that would certainly mean another promotion. However, it was proved that the owner Vangelis Plexidas had submitted a dishonoured check as a bank guarantee (a prerequisite for a licence by the Greek FA). The club was punished with relegation to the 4th tier. To make matters worse, the financial irregularities forced the club to completely withdraw from football for 2 seasons, dropping further into non-league regional football.

After a failed attempt by a local businessman to rename another club and establish it as a new entity, a group of former players and fans managed to revive the club-AOT returned to play in the 2nd local Amateur Division (5th Division overall) which they easily won with 36 wins in 36 games.

2009–10 season

This season was the most successful for AO Trikala in a decade. Having won promotion from the Greek 4th Division, AO Trikala was to compete in the Greek National 3rd Division North Group. They signed many experienced players and set their sights on promotion. The club started the season with a great performance in the Greek Cup as they eliminated Kastoria and went on to play fierce local rivals Anagennisi Karditsas at home. A crowd of over 7,500 Trikala fans saw the home team beat their rivals 1–0, with the goalscorer being Dimosthenis Manousakis. In the 4th round, Trikala beat top-flight club Iraklis Salonica in front of over 7,000 home fans. They eventually lost on penalties in the next round, having progressed to the last 16 of the competition.

Despite the good run in the Greek Cup, the team's league performance at the start of the season suffered as their inability to score away from home meant that Trikala dropped many points. But a 9-game streak of consecutive victories at the end of the season meant that Trikala achieved a second-place finish, which qualified them for a playoff match against the division runner-ups.

The playoff match took place on May 29 at the Nea Smirni Stadium in Athens. Approximately 4,000 Trikala supporters attended the match, where AO Trikala defeated Vyzas Megaron 2–0. Costa Rican striker Enoc Perez scored both goals in the victory.

The 2009–10 season also saw AO Trikala breaking some impressive records. The team conceded just 11 goals in 35 league games (including the playoff match), which was a European record for the season. Trikala also finished with an impressive home record of 12 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses, while having conceded only 2 goals (a penalty and an own goal). Trikala also were the most attended team in the division, with attendances regularly rising over 4,000.