Shefford Town & Campton F.C.

Shefford Town & Campton
Full name Shefford Town & Campton Football Club
Founded 2010
Ground STMA (Digswell)
Shefford
Bedfordshire
Chairman Graham Earl[1]
Co-managers Graham Earl[1]
Dan Pinkerton[1]
League Bedfordshire County Football League
Premier Division
2013–14 Bedfordshire County Football League
Premier Division, 11th

Shefford Town & Campton Football Club is an English football club based in the town of Shefford, Bedfordshire. The team plays its home matches at STMA (Digswell), where the club has been based since its re-establishment. During the 2014-15 season, the club is competing at the 11th tier of the English football league system in the Bedfordshire County Football League Premier Division.

Originally formed in 1910 as Shefford Town, their first successful period came in the 1950s: starting in 1949–50, the team won two South Midlands League championships and three Beds Senior Cups within five seasons. Subsequently, the club finished as runners-up in the Parthenon League, and won the United Counties League title in 1960–61. Shefford would not match these achievements until the early 1980s, when the club was promoted from the South Midlands League's second tier in 1982–83 and won the league title a year later.

After relegation in 1990, Shefford Town folded in 1994. The town remained without a senior football team until 2009, when the club was reformed. In 2010 Shefford Town merged with near neighbours Campton.

The club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association.

History

Founded in 1910,[1][2] the club played its first football in September when it began to enter a team into the Biggleswade and District Junior League.[2] Playing home matches at Ivel Road,[1][2] the team contested this local competition until 1949–50,[3] when Shefford began to enter its team into the South Midlands League.[2][3] The side won the Beds Senior Cup that season, a feat it repeated in 1953.[2] After finishing runners-up in the Beds Senior Cup the following year, winning it again in 1955 and capping these feats with two successive league championships,[2] Shefford Town started to contest the Parthenon League against teams from further afield – some away trips took the team as far as London.[2] In the new league, Shefford finished as runners-up in the first season before spending two more years in the competition.[2] After three years, the long journeys and sparse league programme led the club to join the more local United Counties League.[2]

In 1960–61, the league championship came to Shefford, and the club added the North Beds Charity Cup to its trophy cabinet during the same week.[2] The following season saw a drastic change in fortunes, as the team finished second from bottom – the club reacted by arranging a move back to the South Midlands League.[2] The team came third during the first season back in the division,[2] and in 1973–74 the team finished as runners-up. However, the club was relegated in 1975–76.[3] Success didn't come back to Ivel Road until the early 1980s – in 1982–83 Shefford lifted the Division One title,[2] and finished the following season as league champions.[2][3] During 1983–84, Shefford also won the North Beds Charity Cup, the Biggleswade Knockout contest and the Bedfordshire Intermediate Cup.[2] The North Beds Charity and Biggleswade Knockout double was repeated the following year.[2]

During the late 1980s the club stagnated, as the team tumbled back into Division One after finishing bottom in 1989–90.[2][3] After three uneventful seasons, Shefford Town were moved to the Senior Division on league re-organisation.[3] Though performances improved, with the team finishing fifth in 1993–94, the club was wound up and played its final match on 18 May 1994.[2][3]

Shefford Town Football Club was reformed in 2009 by Dan Pinkerton and Graham Earl, who had been involved in local youth football.[4] The new club was accepted into the Bedfordshire County Football League for the 2009–10 season, and assigned a place in Division Two, at level 13 of the English football league system.[5]

Stadia

Shefford Town is as of 2009 based at STMA (Digswell) in Shefford,[1][4] less than a quarter of a mile from the club's original home at Ivel Road.[1] Ivel Road featured a small stand, a floodlit pitch and a clubhouse with a bar.[1] The stand, erected in 1950,[2] was able to hold 600 people.[2]

On the club's demise, the ground remained in place while the company that had owned the football club sought a buyer for the land.[1] In 2008, planning permission was given for a residential development on the site – on the condition that the developer provide a replacement ground and clubhouse.[1][6] Planning permission was applied for a year later to build a new facility on an 11-acre (45,000 m2) site on Hitchin Road,[1][7] and construction is as of June 2009 due to begin in 2010.[1]

Backroom staff

As of 1 March 2012.[1]

Directors

Management

Honours

Shefford Town teams have won several honours, including three Beds Senior Cups and four league championships. They have also finished as runners-up in the Beds Senior Cup on two occasions, and finished as league runners-up three times.[2][3][8][9][10]

Honour Year(s)
South Midlands League Premier Division champions 1953–54, 1954–55, 1983–84
runners-up 1952–53, 1973–74
South Midlands League Division One champions 1982–83
United Counties Football League champions 1960–61
Parthenon League runners-up 1955–56
Beds Senior Cup winners 1949–50, 1952–53, 1954–55
runners-up 1953–54, 1958–59

References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Welcome". Shefford Town FC (Shefford Town F.C.). 2009-06-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Stewart, James (1994-06-03). "The rise and fall of Shefford Town FC". Biggleswade Chronicle (Bedfordshire Newspapers).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rundle. "Shefford Town".
  4. 1 2 "Shefford hoping for a football comeback". Bedfordshire on Sunday (Local Sunday Newspapers). 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  5. ↑ "How They Will Line Up In Season 2009–10". Bedfordshire County Football League. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  6. ↑ "Minutes of the meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee held on 19th November 2008" (PDF). Shefford Town Council. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  7. ↑ "Application for Planning Permission, Town and Country Planning Act 1990". Central Bedfordshire Council. 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  8. ↑ "Bedfordshire Football Association Senior Challenge Cup Finals" (PDF). Bedfordshire County Football Association. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  9. ↑ "Table of Club Histories 1950–51 to 2005–2006 SD-SH". Non League Archive. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  10. ↑ "Parthenon League – 1955–1956". Non League Archive. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
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