Desborough Town F.C.
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| Full name | Desborough Town Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Ar Tarn | |
| Founded | 1896 | |
| Ground |
Waterworks Field Braybrooke Road Desborough | |
| Capacity | 1,000 | |
| Chairman | Ernie Parsons | |
| Manager | Chris Bradshaw | |
| League | United Counties League Premier Division | |
| 2015–16 | United Counties League Premier Division, 15th | |
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Desborough Town F.C. is an association football club based in Desborough, Northamptonshire, England. The club is a member of the United Counties League Premier Division.
History
"Ar Tarn" was founded in 1896, joining the Northants League in its second season (1896–97). This league later became the United Counties League; the club has played in every official season since with the exception of 1945–46, since 1972–73 in the Premier Division. This longevity has meant that they are the second-most frequent title winners in League history (Rushden Town have won it most often), winning the league for the first time in 1901, they retained the honour in 1902 and again in 1907. Their golden era was the twenties, further championships were won in 1921, 1924, 1925 and 1928. In 1926-27 Desborough reached the FA Cup 1st Round. A visit to Doncaster saw Desborough 8 minutes from securing a home replay when fog forced the game to be abandoned. Ar Tarn lost 3-0 on their return to Yorkshire. In 1980 Desborough reached the 5th Round of the FA Vase.
Desborough have won the league on just two occasions in post-war years in 1949 and 1967 taking their total number of championships to nine. Ar Tarn have finished second on five occasions most recently 1998-99.
The club's record victory was a 14-0 defeat of Nuneaton in the 1924-25 season. Jack Starmore's six goal haul remains the best individual tally in the club's history.
The 2007–08 season saw one of the more successful seasons of recent history with Desborough finishing 3rd in the UCL Premier – having sat in the top two for most of the season, a run in the FA Vase and the capture of the United Counties League Knock-Out Cup beating division one champions Daventry Town 3–2 at Wellingborough Town's Dog & Duck Ground.
The summer saw manager Steve Noble depart for Stewarts & Lloyds Corby, taking with him assistant Graham Leech as well as the bulk of the first team squad. It was left to former Rothwell Town duo Dave Williams and Frank Benjamin to virtually re-build the squad.
In December 2008, the club suffered a devastating fire at their ground losing not only the clubhouse but irreplaceable memorabilia such as trophies and programmes. The old clubhouse was unique at their level because it contained a viewing gallery above the pitch. The new clubhouse opened in February 2011. The task of cutting the ribbon was left to Bob Cotter Chairman of the Northamptonshire FA.
In 2010 with the squad near the bottom of the UCL Premier, Desborough sacked Williams and Benjamin and appointed from within – promoting Martin McLeod from his role as reserve team manager. McLeod resigned as manager of Desborough Town on 16 November 2011 with Ar Tarn rooted to the bottom of the table. On 12 December 2011 caretaker manager Steve Walker was given the job on a permanent basis alongside former Corby Town and Rothwell Town manager Rob Dunion.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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History
- United Counties League Premier Division[1]
- Champions 1948–49, 1966–67
- Runners-up 1979–80, 1998–99
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 hold a club record or have captained the club.
References
- 1 2 Desborough Town at the Football Club History Database
External links
- Desborough Town official website
- Desborough Town at the Football Club History Database
Coordinates: 52°26′43.24″N 0°49′45.29″W / 52.4453444°N 0.8292472°W