Clevedon Town F.C.

Clevedon Town
Full name Clevedon Town Football Club
Nickname(s) The Seasiders
Founded 1880 (as Clevedon)
Ground Hand Stadium
Ground Capacity 3,900 (1,900 seated)
Chairman Mark Lewis
Manager Michael Bell
League Western Football League Premier Division
2014–15 Southern League Division One South & West, 18th (relegated)

Clevedon Town Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the village of Kenn outside of Clevedon, Somerset. They currently play in the Southern League Division One South & West. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County Football Association and is an FA chartered Standard club[1][2]

History

Clevedon Town (wearing blue kit) playing at the Hand Stadium on 26 December 2007

Clevedon FC was formed in 1880, making the club one of the oldest clubs in the West Country.[3] They were founder members of the Western League in 1892 although their stay only lasted three seasons.[4] After dropping back into local football they re-joined the Western League in the 1910–11 season. They initially played at Dial Hill, still the home of the local cricket club, but they moved to a new site at Old Street (later renamed Teignmouth Road) in 1895, where they were to remain until 1992.[5]

After the First World War, Clevedon played in the Bristol & District League and the Bristol & Suburban League before a switch to the Somerset Senior League in the early 1930s, where they remained until World War Two.[5] After the War the club again returned to the Western League and also made their debut in the FA Cup for the 1945–46 season.[6] However the club became better known for their runs in the FA Amateur Cup, reaching the rounds proper no less than 8 times in 13 years. This cup success, however, was not matched in the league and Clevedon spent several years in Division 2 before resigning, for financial reasons, at the end of the 1957–58 season.[7]

For the next fifteen years the club once again played in the Bristol & District League, before finally rejoining the Western League in 1973–74 after a merger with another local club, Ashtonians United, who were already members of that League.[4] The club's name was later changed to Clevedon Town to reflect their new status.[7] Clevedon joined the professional ranks in 1974 when Ray Mabbutt, father of future Spurs star Gary Mabbutt became their first paid player.[7]

The building of a new clubhouse and the installation of floodlights in the early 1980s nearly bankrupted the club, but things began to change when the club decided to sell their Teignmouth Road ground and move to a new site at Davis Lane on the edge of the town.[7] The club had had the foresight to buy the Teignmouth Road site for £450 back in 1949 and this enabled them to sell off the ground, pay off their remaining debts and build a purpose-built stadium from the proceeds.

The 1980s also saw the club pick up their first Somerset Premier Cup in the 1986–87 season. However they managed to achieve this without playing against anybody in the final, as after the semi-final second replay in which Yeovil Town beat Bath City 2–1, Bath protested about an ineligible player in the Yeovil side. The protest was upheld and the tie ordered to be replayed. However, by this time the season was nearing its close and both clubs claimed their players' contracts would not allow them to fit the replayed game in and both withdrew from the Cup giving Clevedon Town a walkover in the final.[8]

In their first season at their new home in 1992–93, the club gained promotion to the Southern League for the first time.[9] Promotion to the Premier Division followed in 1998 and, although Town were relegated again in 2000–01, the 2005–06 season saw them win Division One West to return to the top flight.[6] In 2006 they reached the first round proper of the FA Cup but went down 4–1 to Football League opposition Chester City.[6]

The club at the end of the 2009–10 season suffered relegation and found themselves in Division One West again where they have remained since. Under the management of Michael Bell since their relegation the club has struggled in the league but have achieved some cup success by getting to the final of the Somerset Premier Cup and winning The Red Insure Southern League Cup in the 2011–12 season.[10][11][12]

Rivalries

Clevedon Town have a fierce rivalry with neighbours Weston-super-Mare, who are situated in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. However, the rivalry has been put on the back-burner as of late since Weston-super-Mare was promoted to the Southern League Premier Division in 2002–03 after winning promotion at Clevedon Town 1–0. The two have not played in the same league since.

Stadium

Clevedon Town play their games at The Hand Stadium, Davis Lane, Clevedon BS21 6TG.

The Hand Stadium took its name from the Hand family, successive generations of which were involved in running the club for nearly 100 years. The facility includes an all weather pitch, training facilities, a 300-seater stand, tiered terracing around the whole ground and a clubhouse. The complex also includes function/conference facilities as well as Vibe, Clevedon's only nightclub. The record attendance of the Hand Stadium is 2,261, when the club played Chester City in a First Round FA Cup tie on 11 November 2006.[4]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England DF Jake Lewis
England MF Nick Dunn
England MF Lloyd Mills
England MF Chaz Hemmings
No. Position Player
England MF Marcus Lee
England FW Andy Walker
England FW Jake Horton

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

Records

Former players

  1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Players with full international caps.
  3. players that have achieved success in other sports.

References

  1. ↑ "| SiX | Somerset Information Exchange |". Six.somerset.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 March 2009 County Magazine Somerset FA
  3. ↑ "Clevedon Town". Pyramidpassion.co.uk. 20 April 1992. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clevedon Town History Evostik Southern league
  5. 1 2 "History – History 1 – CLEVEDON TOWN AFC". Pitchero.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CLEVEDON TOWN at the Football Club History Database
  7. 1 2 3 4 "History – History 2 – CLEVEDON TOWN AFC". Pitchero.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Football Club History Database – Somerset County Cups Summary". Fchd.info. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "History – History 3 – CLEVEDON TOWN AFC". Pitchero.com. 20 April 1992. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Bristol City | News | Latest | Latest | MICKEY BELL NOW A MANAGER". Bcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  11. 1 2 "United miss out on cup glory – Football". Banbury Guardian. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. 1 2 max 4000 characters (9 May 2012). "Clevedon Town 1 Weston-super-Mare 2: Pepperell and Kabba on target as Weston clinch the Premier Cup". This is Bristol. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Honours – Clevedon Town Afc". Pitchero.com. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  14. ↑ "Evostik League Southern". Southern-football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. ↑ "Senior Cup". SomersetFA. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  16. ↑ "Junior Cup". SomersetFA. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 "History | Weston-super-Mare Football Club". Weston-s-mareafc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 51°25′23.851″N 2°50′12.322″W / 51.42329194°N 2.83675611°W / 51.42329194; -2.83675611

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