Bicester Town F.C.
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| Full name | Bicester Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Foxhunters | ||
| Founded | 1896 | ||
| Dissolved | 2011 | ||
| Ground | The Playing Fields Ardley | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 | ||
| 2015–16 |
Hellenic Football League Division One East, 1st | ||
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Bicester Town F.C. is a football club based in Bicester in Oxfordshire, England. They are founder members of the Hellenic Football League.
History
Bicester Town FC was formed from an amalgamation between Bicester Rovers and Bicester Harriers in the late nineteenth century, and in 1896 began playing on the town cricket field. Up until the Great War however, the early history of the club was marked by something of a nomadic existence: playing first at Banbury Road, a little way out of town. The club then moved back to Station Road, a ground originally shared by the two founding clubs; before moving to a pitch in London Road.[1]
In 1922, Bicester reverted to the cricket field until in 1929 both they and the cricket club were given the opportunity to use newly opened facilities in Oxford Road, this land having previously been used for golf. The ground was enclosed and the cricket pavilion dismantled and moved to the new site, where it was used for changing rooms. Bicester have used this ground ever since.[2]
Up until the Second World War many of Bicesters fixtures were local matches played in friendly format, much the same as lower league clubs across the country, although seasonal tournaments and a variety of cups existed for clubs to enter throughout the year. After the war, the club grew rapidly in size and Bicester entered the 1950's with a relatively strong side for non-league, its strengths shown in the FA Cup in which Bicester reached the 1st Qualifying Round in 1950–51, 1952–53, 1954–55, a remarkable achievement for a small amateur side. They also reached the 1st Qualifying Round in 1994-95.[3]
In 1953 they became founder members of the Hellenic League, which they have played in ever since, finishing runners-up in 1954-55 and winning the league on two occasions, 1960–61 and 1979–80. After reaching peak strength in the early 1960's, Bicester began to decline in strength in the 1970's after a period of 25 years of continuous growth and domination. This culminated in the clubs relegation to Hellenic League Division One in 1976-77, however the club quickly bounced back and ended up champions in 1977-78, gaining promotion in the process. Bicester reached the 4th round of the FA Vase in the 1978–79 season. After 26 years in Hellenic League, Bicester were relegated to Hellenic League Division One East in 2004-05 however just like in the late 1970's, Bicester won promotion the season after. In 2009-10 Bicester were relegated to Hellenic League Division One West however this time the club never recovered. After finishing runners-up in Hellenic League Division One West that year, the club folded due to consistently failing to meet rent demands at Oxford Road, ending 130 years of the semi-professional side in Bicester. [4][5]
Ground
The club first played on the town's cricket field in 1896 before using a variety of different grounds, of which little is known about, however in 1929 both the football and cricket teams moved onto a former golf course on Oxford Road which boasts a wood, iron and brick stand dating from the 1930s with terracing and bench seating, and a clubhouse built in 1960, ending the clubs nomadic ground hopping. Oxford Road also has floodlighting.
The record attendance recorded at the ground is 955 for a match against Portsmouth in 1994, although it is usually much lower – in the 2005–06 season the best gate was 81.
| Year | Ground |
|---|---|
| 1896-1898 | Cricket Field |
| 1898-1907 | Banbury Road |
| 1907-1915 | Station Road |
| 1915-1922 | London Road |
| 1922-1929 | Cricket Field |
| 1929-2011 | Oxford Road |
Club records
- Best league performance: Hellenic League champions, 1960–61 and 1979–80
- Best FA Cup performance: 1st qualifying round, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1954–55 and 1994–95
- Best FA Vase performance: 4th round, 1978–79
Revival
In March 2015, 4 years after their exit from the Hellenic League, a group of mainly former players decided that Bicester Town should be an active football club again. A new committee was formed and an application made to the Football Association to rejoin the Hellenic League. On the 15th May 2015, the Football Association supported Bicester Town Football Club's application and sanctioned that the club rejoin the Hellenic League 2015/16 season under management duo Eddie Nix and John Prpa. Unable to return to the Oxford Road ground, Ardley United F.C. kindly offered Bicester Town a ground-share arrangement for the 2015/16 season in the Hellenic League Division One East.[6]
References
- ↑ https://btfc.9drw.uk/content/btfc-team
- ↑ http://www.pyramidpassion.co.uk/html/bicester_town.html
- ↑ http://www.bicestertownfootballclub.com/
- ↑ http://www.fchd.info/BICESTET.HTM
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-14185072
- ↑ http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/12952132.FOOTBALL__Bicester_Town_bid_for_shock_return/
External links
- Bicester Town at the Football Club History Database
- Pyramid Passion feature on their ground
- http://www.bicestertownfootballclub.com/
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