| Full name | Bedlington Terriers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Terriers | ||
| Founded | 1949 (as Bedlington Mechanics) | ||
| Ground | Dr Pit Welfare Park, Bedlington (Capacity: 2000) |
||
| Chairman | David Holmes | ||
| Manager | Tony Lowery and Keith Perry | ||
| League | Northern League Division One | ||
| 2010–11 | Northern League Division One, 9th | ||
|
|||
Bedlington Terriers F.C. are a football club based in Bedlington, England. They were established in 1949 and joined the Northern Alliance in 1980 and joined the Northern League when it expanded to two divisions 3 years later. In the 1998–99 season, they reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup - beating Colchester United 4-1[1] on the way - and also reached Wembley in the FA Vase final, losing 1-0 to a late goal from Tiverton Town. By 2006 they were experiencing a number of financial and organisational problems.
Since experiencing these problems, the club has returned to being back to normal with a new committee and with the Chairman Dave Holmes taking over the running of the club.
Contents |
The club was founded in 1949 as Bedlington Mechanics and joined the Northern Combination League. The team won its first trophy in 1954 when they were victorious in the Northumberland Minor Cup. The success was continued the following season when they became champions of the Northern Combination.[2] The club then joined the Northern Alliance League as Bedlington Colliery Welfare. The team won the Northern Alliance League Cup in 1958[3] before disbanding in 1963.
The club was reformed in 1965 and rejoined the Northern Alliance League. In the 1966–67 season, the team won two trophies when they became the Northern Alliance league champions and cup winners, but dropped out of the league in 1971. The club went on to play in local amateur leagues for almost ten years before becoming members of the Northern Alliance League once again in 1980 (this time as Bedlington United).
In 1982, the club became one of the founding members of the Northern League Division Two. Promotion to Division One was achieved in 1985, but the club remained there for just two seasons before being relegated in 1987. By 1993, the club was at the bottom of Division Two and in serious danger of going out of business, but was saved by the financial support of local businessmen Dave and Keith Perry. The club was also renamed as Bedlington Terriers.
With the club now financially stable, instant success followed on the pitch, and the club became champions of Division Two in their first season under their new name. The club had a memorable season in 1998–99, defeating Colchester United 4-1 in the FA Cup before losing in the second round to Scunthorpe United. This remains the only season in their history where Bedlington have progressed beyond the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup.[4] In the same season, the Terriers also became league champions after amassing a total of 101 points, and reached the final of the FA Vase, where they lost 1-0 to Tiverton Town.
With the start of the 2006–07 season approaching quickly and existence confirmed, Mel Harmison set about bringing together a young squad to keep the team going. During the season, Mel took a coaching role at the club and Tom Wade was brought in to guide the team. They narrowly avoided relegation to Northern League Division 2 after Newcastle Blue Star took promotion to the Northern Premier League at the end of the season after finishing in 20th place (2 of the 3 teams in relegation places were demoted). This was seen as a success given they had a very young group of players with very little or no experience at this level.
In the 2007–08 season saw the club bring back the old managerial partnership of Tony Lowery and Keith Perry midway through. They during the season brought in their own blend of experience and youth and guided the club to a 15th place finish.
In preparation for the 2008–09 season, the Terriers brought back some familiar names to the club including Colin Morton but have also lost goalkeeper Karl Dryden, Craig McFarlane and Andy Carr to other clubs. They have however recently announced the signings in former Brandon United, Blyth Spartans and Newcastle Blue Star striker Scott Bell and his former Blyth team mate Dale Crawford.
The club emblem was redesigned by Neil Douglass for the start of the 2008–9 campaign. It features the Latin phrase "Virtus Unita Fortis", which means "Together We Act Stronger".
On 4 November 2010, it was announced that American billionaire Robert Rich, owner of the Buffalo Bisons and Jamestown Jammers baseball teams, had become the new shirt sponsor of the club with his Rich Products brand. Rich, the 488th richest man in the world, became involved after tracing his family tree back to the area and after his wife Mindy purchased the title of Lord Bedlington for him as a gift. Mr. Rich has since announced the shipment of a £30,000 electronic scoreboard to the club's Welfare Park ground, and will be looking to turn the club shirts into a cult item for US sports fans.[5] In June 2011, the team played friendlies in Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario.[6] [7] The annual friendly between FC Buffalo and the Terriers will be known as the "Lord Bedlington Cup," named after Rich.
Division Two: 1993–94
Division One: 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02