Wantage Town F.C.

Wantage Town Football Club is a football club based in Wantage, Oxfordshire that currently play in the Southern League Division One Central. The club is affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association.[1]

Wantage Town
Full nameWantage Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Alfredians
Founded1892
GroundAlfredian Park, Wantage
Capacity1,500
LeagueSouthern League Division One Central
2019–20Southern League Division One Central (season abandoned)

History

The club was formed in 1892.[2] The club started playing in the Swindon & District League, winning the Swindon Advertiser Cup in the 1903–04 and 1907–08 seasons, as well as also winning the league in the 1907–08 campaign.[3] In 1909 they became one of the founder members of the North Berks Football League.[4] After the First World War in the 1919–20 season, the club became joint winners of the North Berkshire league, with Abingdon Town and Long Wittenham.[5] Two seasons later the club would go on to win the league again,but this time without having to share the honour.[6] After winning the league title the club moved leagues and played in the Reading and District Football league, but after no success they went back to competing in the Swindon & District League, where they won the title in the 1933–34 season.[3]

Wantage Town F.C. in the green and white hoops

After the Second World War the club continued to compete in the Swindon & District League, winning the league two times in the 1952–53, 1955–56 seasons.[3] After their second league win the club joined the premier division of the Hellenic Football League.[7]

They remained in the Premier division until the end of the 1963–64 competition, when finishing bottom they were relegated to Division one.[7] The club regained promotion back to the Premier Division, when they finished as runners up in Division One at the end of the 1969–70 campaign.[7] In the 1974–75 season the club made their debut in the FA Vase reaching the third round before being knocked out by Clanfield. The club was again relegated at the end of the 1975–76 campaign, and it took the club until the 1980–81 season to regain their Premiership status, when they finished champions of Division one.[8] From the 1981–82 to 1993–94 season they remained in the Premier Division except for the 1987–88 and 1991–92 campaigns where they were promoted back up at the first attempt as Runners-up.[9]

Despite finishing fourth at the end of the 1993–94 campaign, the club was demoted to Division one as a result of their ground failing to have floodlights.[9] The club two seasons later finished as runners-up in Division one and subsequently erected floodlights to allow them to be promoted back to the premier Division.[3] The club then remained in the premiership until the end of the 2002–03 season when upon finishing bottom were relegated to Division one east.[10] The 2002–03 season also saw the club enter the FA Cup for the first time, when they met Gosport Borough in the preliminary round, but lost 2–1. The following season the club bounced back up as Champions.[10]

The 2010–11 season saw the club become Hellenic league Premier Division champions, under the management of Andy Wallbridge.[2][11] However the club were denied promotion to the Southern Football League as their ground did not have a boundary fence in place, that effectively prevents people who haven’t paid for entry from being able to watch matches.[12]

However following the necessary ground improvements being made the club having won the Hellenic League title in 2013-14 took their place in the Southern League South West for the first time for the 2014–15 season under the management team of Gary Ackling and Andy Lyne.

Following a rocky start to life in the Southern League, in October 2014 long-standing Chairman Tony Woodward stood down for personal reasons. Club stalwarts Glyn Austin and John Culley were put in temporary charge of the running of the club. Gary Ackling, Andy Lyne and their coaching team followed Woodward out of the club, along with a number of the first team players. Reserve team Manager Daniel Barry and his Assistant Ian Lovegrove were promoted to undertake the rebuilding job at the top. On 18 April, despite a narrow defeat at home to Wimborne Town FC, a loss at AFC Totton for Bishops Cleeve FC mathematically secured Wantage's place in Step 4 of the English Football ladder; a fine achievement following a difficult season.

Ground
The Clubhouse at Alfredian Park

Wantage Town play their home games at Alfredian Park, Manor Road, Wantage. Floodlights were added in 1996.[3]

Honours

League honours

Cup honours
  • Berks & Bucks FA Intermediate Cup:[15]
    • Winners (1): 1954–55
  • Hellenic Football League Division One Cup:[15]
    • Winners (2): 1980–81, 1991–92
  • Hellenic Football League Floodlit Cup:[16][17]
    • Winners (1): 2006–07
    • Runners up (2): 2012–13, 2013–14
  • North Berks Cup:[18]
    • Winners (2): 1919–20, 1920–21
  • Reading Senior Cup:[15]
    • Winners (1): 1982–83
  • Swindon Advertiser Cup:[3][15]
    • Winners (2): 1903–04, 1907–08
  • Hungerford Challenge Cup:[15]
    • Winners (1): 1993–94
  • Newbury Greystone Cup:[15]
    • Winners (2): 1991–92, 1998–99
  • Faringdon Thursday Cup:[15]
    • Winners (1): 1958–59
  • Faringdon Thursday Memorial Cup:[15]
    • Winners (1): 1959–60
  • Ian Humpries Memorial Cup:[15]
    • Winners (3): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94

Records
  • Highest League Position:[9] 1st in Hellenic Premier Division 2010–11, 2013–14
  • FA Cup best performance:[9] Second qualifying round 2018-19
  • FA Trophy best performance:[9] First qualifying round 2016-17
  • FA Vase best performance:[9] Third round 1974–75, 1983–84, 1986–87, 2010–11, 2011–12
  • Highest Attendance:[19] 550 vs. Oxford United (August 2003)

See also
  • Wantage Town F.C. players

References
  1. FA Community Clubs Archived 2012-06-26 at the Wayback Machine BerksBucksFA
  2. "Planning row set to deny club promotion (From The Oxford Times)". Oxfordtimes.co.uk. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  3. "History – Wantage Town FC". Pitchero.com. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  4. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  5. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  6. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  7. "Hellenic League 1953–1972". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  8. "Non League Tables for 1980–1981". NonLeagueMatters. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  9. WANTAGE TOWN at the Football Club History Database
  10. "Hellenic League 1995–2011". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  11. "Binfield FC boss looks to go one better – Goalpost – Football – Sport – getbracknell – Bracknell Forest Standard". getbracknell. 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  12. "Binfield FC chief in ground improvement pledge – Goalpost – Football – Sport – getbracknell – Bracknell Forest Standard". getbracknell. 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  13. "Binfield FC's Sturgess eyes up Premier Division title – Goalpost – Football – Sport – getwokingham – The Wokingham Times". getwokingham. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  14. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  15. "Honours – Honours 1 – Wantage Town FC". Pitchero.com. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  16. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2006–2007". Hellenicleague.co.uk. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  17. Admin, Ardley (2013-04-16). "Ardley United win the A&M Print Floodlit Cup Final – ARDLEY UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB". Pitchero.com. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  18. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  19. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Club Details | Wantage Town". Hellenicleague.co.uk. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
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