Bridgnorth Town F.C.
Full name | Bridgnorth Town Football Club | |
---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Meadow Men | |
Founded | 1949 | |
Dissolved | 2013 | |
Ground |
The Crown Meadow Innage Lane Bridgnorth | |
Capacity | 2,000 | |
2012–13 | Midland Football Alliance, 7th | |
|
Bridgnorth Town F.C. was a football club based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. They joined the Worcestershire Combination in 1938 and have twice reached the 5th round of the FA Vase. They were champions of the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division in the 2007–08 season.
History
An independent Bridgnorth Town Football Club was first formed in July 1938 and accepted into the Worcestershire Combination but had to discontinue in their first and only season at the Bandon Arms due to the outbreak of the Second World War.
At the same time, St Leonards (Bridgnorth) Football Club also suspended their football programme with many players called up for active duty. However, the Bridgnorth Boys Club continued to carry forward the good name of Bridgnorth and for a number of years played in the Bridgnorth League.
With the Second World War over, the war heroes returned home. With St Leonards still suspended from football, former Saints players opted to play for the existing Bridgnorth Boys club.
Following this, the Boys club decided to opt for a change in name and from season 1946–47 would be known as Bridgnorth Boys Club Old Boys.
On hearing this news, the club officials of St Leonards (Bridgnorth) Football Club wound the club up with immediate effect and joined the newly renamed club.
Following two seasons in the Bridgnorth league and one season in the Kidderminster League it was decided (following several meetings) that the club would once again from season 1949–50 be associated as the "Town" club.
In 1968 they re-joined the league, now called the Midland Football Combination. They were runners-up in 1976–77 and 1980–81 and champions in both 1979–80 and 1982–83, their second title enabling them to step up to the Southern League, where they played for over a decade but rarely finished above mid-table. In 1995–96 they finished bottom and were relegated to the Midland Football Alliance. Again, they were generally a mid-table team until 2004–05 when they finished bottom and returned to the Midland Combination after more than 20 years. However, after just one season in the Combination, a re-organisation of the Step 6 leagues in the region saw them moved into the West Midlands (Regional) League, where they were Premier Division champions in the 2007–08 season.
On 12 May 2010 former Derby County and Bradford City player Lee Mills was appointed new manager after previously holding a management role at Shropshire County League club Shifnal United 97. Mills resigned from his post as manager in May 2011 and a few weeks later former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Mark Clyde was appointed as the club's new manager.
Beset by financial difficulties, the club folded after the 2012-13 season. A phoenix club, called AFC Bridgnorth, now play in the West Midlands (Regional) League, with a reserves team in the Mercian Regional Football League.
Honours
- Midland Football Combination
- Champions 1979–80 and 1982–83
- West Midlands (Regional) League
- Premier Division champions 2007–08
Records
- Best league performance: 5th in Southern League Midland Division, 1994–95
- Best FA Cup performance: 3rd qualifying round, 1983–84 and 1984–85
- Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd qualifying round, 1994–95
- Best FA Vase performance: 5th round, 1975–76 and 1993–94
See also
Sources
- Bridgnorth Town at the Football Club History Database