Bishop Auckland F.C.
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Bishop Auckland F.C. are an English football team based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. They are one of the most successful amateur sides, having won the old FA Amateur Cup on 10 occasions. They currently play in the Northern League Division One. Their nickname is 'The Bishops' or 'The Kiwis', due to the more famous Auckland in New Zealand.
[edit] Football Ground
Between the years of 1886 and 2001 Bishop Auckland F.C. played their home matches at one of the United Kingdom's oldest football grounds, Kingsway, Bishop Auckland. Kingsway was unique because it was shared with the town's cricket club, one of the four sides was a cricket pitch. The club moved out of Kingsway with plans to move into a 10,000 capacity stadium to be built at Tindale Crescent near Bishop Auckland (although this has been scaled down greatly to a more realistic capacity), for which the football club have been given planning permission by Durham County Council to build and have also been given a grant by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to assist the construction of the ground.
While waiting for the ground at Tindale Crescent to be completed (although construction has not yet begun due to problems with a covenant on the land) the football club have had to share with other local football teams. Bishop Auckland F.C. are currently playing their football at Dean Street, Shildon, home of Shildon A.F.C. (their second stint here, having played between 2002-04), but have also played at Brewery Field, Spennymoor, home of Spennymoor Town between the spells at Dean Street.
FILMAR Photography - see link below - has the only archived pictures from the last ever match played at the historic Kingsway ground.
[edit] History
- 1893-94 - Auckland Town changed their name to Bishop Auckland, and rejoined Northern League under that name.
- 1895-95 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners
- 1898-99 - Northern League Champions
- 1899-00 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (2nd time)
- 1900-01 - Northern League Champions (2nd time)
- 1901-02 - Northern League Champions (3rd time); F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1903-04 - Northern League runner-up
- 1905-06 - Declared Northern League "amateur champions", and drew the "Championship match" 1-1 against Sunderland the professional champions, and league leaders (28.4.1906); F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1908-09 - Finished level on points (with superior goal average) with South Bank. Play-off held at Darlington St Augustines (27.11.1909), B Auckland 4 South Bank 2. Declared Champions (4th time)
- 1909-10 - Northern League Champions (5th time)
- 1910-11 - F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1911-12 - Northern League Champions (6th time)
- 1913-14 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (3rd time)
- 1914-15 - F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up; Northern League runner-up
- 1919-20 - Northern League runner-up, after finishing joint top of table with Crook Town and South Bank, three-way play-off decided on goals scored
- 1920-21 - Northern League Champions (7th time); F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (4th time)
- 1921-22 - Northern League runner-up; F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (5th time)
- 1922-23 - Northern League runner-up
- 1930-31 - Northern League Champions (8th time)
- 1934-35 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (6th time)
- 1936-37 - Northern League runner-up
- 1937-38 - Northern League runner-up
- 1938-39 - Northern League Champions (9th time); F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (7th time)
- 1939-40 - Northern League runner-up
- 1945-46 - F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1946-47 - Finished level on points with Crook Colliery Welfare, declared champions (for 10th time) after beating Crook 5-1 in play-off at Willington (7.6.1947)
- 1947-48 - Northern League runner-up
- 1948-49 - Northern League runner-up
- 1949-50 - Northern League Champions (10th time); F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1950-51 - Northern League Champions (11th time); F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1951-52 - Northern League Champions (12th time)
- 1952-53 - Northern League runner-up
- 1953-54 - Northern League Champions (13rd time); F.A. Amateur Cup runner-up
- 1954-55 - Northern League Champions (14th time); F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (8th time)
- 1955-56 - Northern League Champions (15th time); F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (9th time)
- 1956-57 - F.A. Amateur Cup Winners (10th time, 3rd in succession)
- 1960-61 - Northern League runner-up (on goal difference)
- 1966-67 - Northern League Champions (16th time)
- 1972-73 - Northern League runner-up
- 1978-79 - Northern League runner-up
- 1984-85 - Northern League Champions (17th time)
- 1985-86 - Northern League Champions (18th time)
- 1986-87 - Northern League runner-up
- 1988-89 - Joined Northern Premier League Division One; Northern Premier League Division One runner-up; Promoted to Premier Division
- 1996-97 - Northern Premier League runner-up
- 2002 - Relegated to Division One
- 2003-04 - Promoted to Premier Division
- 2004-05 - Relegated to Division One
- 2005-06 - Relegated to Northern League Division One
- Best league position: 3rd in Northern Premier League, Premier division (then level 6), 2000-01
- Best FA Cup performance: 4th round, 1954-55
- Best FA Amateur Cup winners: Champions 10 times in 1895-96, 1899-00, 1900-01, 1913-14, 1920-21, 1921-22, 1934-35, 1938-39, 1954-55, 1955-56 and 1956-57.
- Best FA Trophy performance: Quarter-final replay, 1978-79 and 1999-00
Source: Bishop Auckland at the Football Club History Database
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Information on New Ground Progress
- FILMAR Photography - Official photographers to Bishop Auckland FC
