Basingstoke Town F.C.

Basingstoke Town
Full name Basingstoke Town Football Club
Nickname(s) Dragons[1]
Founded 1896
Ground The Camrose, Basingstoke
Ground Capacity 6,000 (651 seated)[2]
Chairman Rafi Razzak
Manager Terry Brown
League Southern League Premier Division
2015–16 National League South, 22nd (relegated)

Basingstoke Town Football Club is a football club based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The club are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play at the Camrose. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'No stepping back'.

History

The club was established in 1896 by a merger of Aldworth United and Basingstoke Albion.[3] They joined the Hampshire League in 1901, and when the league was split into geographical divisions in 1903, were placed in the North Division.[4] They finished bottom of the division in both 1903–04 and 1904–05, and again in 1906–07 and 1907–08. However, after consecutive second-bottom finishes and then finishing fifth out of seven clubs in 1910–11, they were North Division champions in 1911–12.[4]

Finishing as champions resulted in promotion to the County Section, although the club continued to play in the North Division.[4] They won the North Section again in 1919–20,[5] After league reorganisation in 1929 Basingstoke were placed in Division One.[6] They finished as runners-up in 1965–66 and 1966–67, before winning the league in 1967–68.[7] After finishing as runners-up again in 1968–69, they won back-to-back titles in 1969–70 and 1970–71, remaining unbeaten in the latter season.[7][8]

After their third Hampshire League title, Basingstoke moved up to Division One South of the Southern League.[9] Their first season in the Southern League saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 5–1 to Northampton Town.[9] The club remained in Division One South until 1979, when league restructuring saw them placed in the Southern Division.[9] They won the division in 1984–85, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[9] Two seasons later they were transferred to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League. Although they were relegated to Division One at the end of the 1987–88 season, they made an immediate return to the Premier Division after ending the following season as runners-up.[9]

The 1989–90 season saw the club reach the first round of the FA Cup again. After beating Bromsgrove Rovers 3–0, they lost 3–2 to Torquay United in the second round. In 1993–94 they were relegated to Division One, returning to the Premier Division after finishing as Division One runners-up in 1996–97.[9] The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup and defeat Football League opposition for the first time, beating Wycombe Wanderers 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in a replay;[9] the attendance of 5,085 was a new record for the club.[3] They then took Northampton to a replay in the second round, before losing 4–3 on penalties.[9] They reached the first round again in 1998–99, losing 2–1 to Bournemouth.[9]

In 2003–04 the club finished fourteenth in the Premier Division, entering a play-off against Lewes for a place in the new Conference South. Although they lost 4–1,[9] they gained a place in the new league after Hendon decided against promotion.[3] The club made another appearance in the FA Cup first round in 2006–07, beating League One club Chesterfield 1–0 at Saltergate before losing 3–1 to local rivals Aldershot in a second round replay.[9] A fifth-place finish in 2011–12 saw the club qualify for the promotion play-offs. However, they lost the two-legged semi-final to Dartford 3–1 on aggregate, losing 1–0 at home and 2–1 away.[9] They also reached the FA Cup first round again, losing 1–0 to Brentford. They qualified for the play-offs for a second time in 2014–15 after finishing third, but were beaten 2–1 on aggregate by Whitehawk in the semi-finals.[9] The following season saw another appearance in the FA Cup first round, a 1–0 defeat at Cambridge United;[9] however, after finishing bottom of the renamed National League South, they were relegated to the Premier Division of the Southern League.

Ground

The main stand at the Camrose.

The club played at Castlefields from their establishment until 1945, when a site for a new ground was offered to them by Lord Camrose. The new ground was initially known as Winchester Road, and consisted of a small wooden stand together with grass banking with some terracing.[10] The first match played on 1 December 1945 against Southampton Borough Police, and the ground was later renamed after Lord Camrose.[10]

A new clubhouse was built in 1969 and a new main stand in 1970. Terracing also added to the ground and floodlights erected.[10] A roof was later installed over the terracing opposite the stand, with another terrace built next to the stand.[10] The ground's record attendance of 5,085 was set in 1997 for an FA Cup first round match against Wycombe Wanderers.[3] It currently has a capacity of 6,000, of which 651 is seated and 2,000 covered.[1]

During the 2014–15 season it was known as the Soccer AM Stadium due to a sponsorship deal with the Sky Sports show,[11] before becoming the Ark Cancer Charity Stadium for the 2016–17 season.[12]

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 GK Alex Tokarcyzk
England GK Kieran Greene
England DF Robert Atkinson
England DF David Ray
England DF Matt Partridge
England DF Joe Gater
England DF Mark Hastings
England DF Marcus Johnson-Schuster
England DF Tamille Roache
England MF Charlie Kennedy
England MF Ashleigh Artwell
No. Position Player
England MF Michael Atkinson
England MF George Bennett
England MF Dan Collier
England MF Sam Deadfield
England MF Nana Owusu
England MF Richie Whittingham
England FW George Hallahan
England FW Romone Rose
England FW Aaron Jarvis
England FW Aaron Redford

Club staff

First team

Academy

Honours

Records

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p257 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. ↑ Basingstoke Town Non-League Club Directory
  3. 1 2 3 4 History Basingstoke Town F.C.
  4. 1 2 3 Early Hampshire League 1896-1914 Non-League Matters
  5. ↑ Hampshire League 1919-1929 Non-League Matters
  6. ↑ Hampshire League 1929-1939 Non-League Matters
  7. 1 2 Hampshire League 1960-1970 Non-League Matters
  8. ↑ Hampshire League 1970-1980 Non-League Matters
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Basingstoke Town at the Football Club History Database
  10. 1 2 3 4 Basingstoke Town Pyramid Passion
  11. ↑ Introducing the Soccer AM Stadium - Basingstoke Town change name of ground’ Sky Sports, 15 August 2014
  12. ↑ The Camrose renamed ‘The Ark Cancer Charity Stadium’ Basingstoke Town F.C., 10 May 2016

External links

Coordinates: 51°15′08.17″N 1°06′37.11″W / 51.2522694°N 1.1103083°W / 51.2522694; -1.1103083

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