After finishing 16th in their inaugural Third Division North campaign in 1921–22, the team performed well above expectations under the guidance of player-manager David Wilson and went on to win the league title.

[1] Former Scotland international David Wilson remained player-manager of the first-team for the second consecutive season after guiding them to a 16th-placed finish in the previous campaign.

Centre forward Joe Eddleston, Nelson's top scorer in 1921–22 with 16 league goals, remained along with Clement Rigg, Sid Hoad and Bob Lilley.

Among those who left the club were Harold Andrews, who joined Bury,[6] and Irish international inside forward Billy Halligan, who retired from professional football.

[nb 1] Goalkeepers Harry Heyes and Robert Bruce both moved on in the close season, so Stockport County custodian Joseph Birds was signed as a replacement in June 1922.

[9] Wilson also added to the defensive ranks with the signings of his former Oldham Athletic team-mate Ernie Braidwood, and of Jimmy Broadhead on a free transfer from Scunthorpe & Lindsey United.

Bradford Park Avenue were again the opponents the following week for Nelson's first home game of the campaign and the match was won 1–0 by the host side courtesy of a Mike McCulloch goal.

Eddleston's second goal of the campaign secured another 1–0 victory, this time against Stalybridge Celtic, at Seedhill on 9 September 1922 to send the team seventh in the table after three matches.

Nelson could not follow up their earlier victory over Stalybridge Celtic, falling to a 0–2 loss before attaining a fourth win of the campaign against Southport a week later.

[13] A 2–0 win in the return match with goals from Eddleston and McCulloch took Nelson to the top of the league for the first time in the season the following week, overtaking Wigan Borough at the summit.

A first Nelson goal for defender Ernie Braidwood could not prevent the side succumbing to a 1–2 reverse, not helped by first-team regulars Wilson and Wolstenholme missing the match due to injury, forcing inexperienced inside-right William Bennett to make his league debut.

Entering the Easter period, Eddleston's 20th league goal of the campaign earned Nelson a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town at Seedhill on 31 March.

Wolstenholme and Braidwood scored to give Nelson a 2–0 win over Grimsby on 7 April, before beating local rivals Accrington Stanley 2–1 at Seedhill.

Player-manager David Wilson claimed he was "the happiest man in Nelson" as his side gained promotion to the Second Division for the first time in their history.

[19] Nelson emerged from the match with a 1–0 victory courtesy of an Eddleston goal, putting them into the Fifth Qualifying Round for only the fourth time since they first competed in the FA Cup in 1894.

[13] Both Ernie Braidwood and Bob Hutchinson played in every league and cup game, while Nelson's record appearance holder Clement Rigg missed just one match, the defeat to Ashington on 7 October.