Basingstoke Town F.C.
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| Basingstoke Town | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Basingstoke Town Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Dragons or The 'Stoke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1896 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | The Camrose Basingstoke Hampshire (Capacity 6,000) |
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| Chairman | Rafi Razzak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Frank Gray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Conference South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007-08 | Conference South, 15th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Basingstoke Town Football Club are an English association football team, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, playing in the Conference South. Their ground, The Camrose, is named after their late benefactor, Lord Camrose. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'No stepping back'.
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[edit] History
While Basingstoke didn't originally qualify for their place in the newly formed division for 2004/05, they were awarded Hendon's place when the Middlesex team declined it as the next highest placed team in the Isthmian League Premier Division that season.
This kind of luck is typical of the up-and-down history of the club, first formed in 1896 from Aldworth United and Basingstoke Albion. After tasting title success in the Hampshire League North Division in 1911/12 and 1919/20, "Town" had to wait over 30 years for its next honours, finishing as either champions or runners-up every season between 1965/66 and 1970/71, winning the league and Hampshire Senior Cup double in 1970/71, without a league defeat, and joining the Southern League South the following season.
It took 14 years for the team to record their next League championship, in the 1984/85 season. In 1987/88 Basingstoke joined the Isthmian League Premier Division, and spent the next 17 years flitting between this and Division One, winning the Hampshire Senior Cup twice in this period.
In the inaugural season of the Conference South, the 'Stoke began very well, occupying a place in the play-off spots until Christmas that year. However, a run of six consecutive defeats in the league meant Town had to play catch-up, and although they recovered some ground toward the end of the season, it wasn't enough and Town finished sixth, one place and a single point outside the play-offs. Town had a worse time of it the following season, with considerable upheaval among the playing staff, and the departure of long-time manager Ernie Howe towards the end of the season, meaning Town finished 19th. They did, however, reach the final of the Hampshire Senior Cup, which they lost 1-0 to Farnborough Town.
In the 2007/8 season, the club won the Hampshire Senior Cup by beating Farnborough 1-0 in the final.
[edit] Cup runs
In 1989 Town reached the second round of the FA Cup for the first time, having beaten Southern League Bromsgrove Rovers 3-0 in the first round. They played host to Division 4 side Torquay United at the Camrose, and a crowd of over 4,000 saw Town beaten 3-2.
The late 1990s saw Town go on two amazing FA Cup runs. In the 1997/98 season, the 'Stoke fought their way through qualifying to face Wycombe Wanderers in the first round. After a 2-2 away draw in which the 'Stoke battled back from two goals down, a capacity crowd at the Camrose saw Dean Beale save the decisive penalty in the shoot-out after the two sides had finished at two apiece. In the second round, Town travelled to Northampton Town, coming from behind to earn a replay at the Camrose, which was shown live on Sky Sports. Again the Blues held the league side to a draw after extra time, but there was no repeat of the previous round's joy, with Town crashing out on penalties.
The following season, Basingstoke reached the first round proper at the expense of Conference side Dover Athletic, and faced Bournemouth at home. Town lost that match 2-1, and had to wait eight years to again reach the first round proper.
In the 2006/07 season the Dragons came through a nervy qualifying campaign, defeating Conference North outfit Worcester City 7-6 on penalties in a 4th qualifying round replay, to set up a meeting away to League One side Chesterfield in the first round - a team 76 places higher up the league system than the 'Stoke. Town were 1-0 victors though a first half Matthew Warner volley and faced derby rivals Aldershot Town in the second round of the FA Cup. A 1-1 draw in this fixture meant that a replay would be held, but that in the meantime Basingstoke would be in the draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup. They would have been playing Blackpool away, but they lost the replay 3-1.
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] Management
- Manager: Frank Gray
- Caretaker Manager: TBC
- Assistant Manager: TBC
- First Team Coach: TBC
- Goalkeeper Coach: Ben Davey
- Physio: Mark Randall MCSP SRP
- Reserve Team Manager: Jason Blake
- Reserve Team Manager: Alex Brown
- Youth Team/ Academy Manager: Steve Allison
[edit] Honours
- Hampshire League North Division:
- Hampshire League Division 1:
Winners: 1967/68, 1968/69, 1970/71
Runners up: 1965/66, 1966/67, 1968/69
- Southern League South Division:
Winners: 1984/85
- Hampshire Senior Cup:
Winners: 1970/71, 1989/90, 1995/96, 2007/08
Runners up: 1964/65, 1975/76, 1981/82, 1985/86, 1988/89, 2005/06
- Best league position: 3rd in Isthmian League, Premier Division (then level 6), 2000/01
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1989/90, 1997/98 (replay), 2006/07
- Best FA Trophy performance: 3rd round, 2003/04
- Record Goalscorer - Paul Coombs 164 (1991-99)
- Biggest win - 10-0 vs. Chichester City, F.A. Cup 1st Qualifying Round, 1976
- Biggest defeat - 8-0 vs. Aylesbury United, Southern League, 1979
- Biggest home attendance - 5,085 vs. Wycombe Wanderers, F.A. Cup 1st Round, November 1997
- Biggest home league attendance - 2,810 vs. Aldershot Town, December 1998
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Basingstoke Town FC Online - The Original 100% Unofficial BTFC Fan Site
- Supporter's Club
- Independent Fans Forum
- Basingstoke Town at the Football Club History Database
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AFC Wimbledon | Basingstoke Town | Bath City | Bishop's Stortford | Bognor Regis Town | Braintree Town | Bromley | Chelmsford City | Dorchester Town | Eastleigh | Fisher Athletic | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Havant & Waterlooville | Hayes & Yeading United | Maidenhead United | Newport County | St Albans City | Team Bath | Thurrock | Welling United | Weston-super-Mare | Worcester City |
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