Bilston Town F.C.
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| Bilston Town (2007) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Bilston Town (2007) Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Steelmen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1894 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Bantock Park Bilston West Midlands |
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| Chairman | tbc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | tbc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | West Midlands Regional League Division Two |
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| 2006–07 | West Midlands Regional League Division One, 7th |
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Bilston Town Football Club is an English football (soccer) club based in Bilston, West Midlands. In the 2006–07 season they played in the West Midlands Regional League Division One. In 2007 the club folded but was rescued by a consortium, re-formed as Bilston Town (2007) and accepted into the West Midlands Regional League Division Two.
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[edit] History
The club was founded in 1894 simply as Bilston F.C. In 1954 the team joined the Birmingham & District League and won the championship in 1960-61 and again in 1972-73 (by which time the league had been renamed the West Midlands Regional League). In 1983 the club's name changed to Bilston Town F.C.
After finishing as West Midlands Regional League runners-up in 1984-85, the Steelmen were promoted to the Southern Football League, where they spent seventeen seasons in the Midland Division (later re-organised as the Western Division). Their best finish (3rd place) came in 2000-01, but the following season they could only finish 17th, after which they dropped three levels to the West Midlands League Division One.
Bilston were the first ever opponents of Rushden & Diamonds. [1]
After the 2006–07 season Bilston resigned from the West Midlands (Regional) League. In June the club's chairman issued a statement on the club's future:[2]
| “ | I have had several discussions/meetings and I am now drawing up final details with four interested parties. Three out of the four interested parties have a strong desire to continue a Bilston Town FC. I will post further details as & when a conclusion has been reached | ” |
Shortly after this the club's official website was shut down. The club was reformed as Bilston Town (2007) and accepted back into the West Midlands Regional League for the 2007–08 season, albeit in Division Two. The club finished the season in second place behind Wellington Amateurs.[3]
[edit] Club records
- Best league performance: 3rd in Southern League Western Division, 2000-01
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round proper, 1972-73
- Best FA Trophy performance: 4th round, 2000-01
- Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 1992-93[4][5]
[edit] Ground
In April 2006 the BBC reported that the club's Queen Street ground had been vandalised over 120 times in six years. [6] Bustleholme shared the ground, and Wolverhampton Wanderers Ladies also played their home fixtures at Queen Street.
In 2007 council officials ruled that the ground was unsafe, forcing the club to move out and play their matches in Bantock Park, a public recreation ground.[7]
In May 2008 Bilston Council announced plans to redevelop the football ground with a new hotel, restaurants and shops, allowing a complete overhaul of the pitch and terraces.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ www.historicalkits.co.uk
- ^ Official website, retrieved on 28 June 2007
- ^ WMRL Division Two at FA Full Time
- ^ Bilston at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Bilston Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ BBC Feature
- ^ Park 'home' for Bilston Town FC. Express and Star (2007-10-08). Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ Express and Star article £12m plan for football club, accessed 28 May 2008
