| Full name | Bishop's Stortford Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Bishops, The Blues | |||
| Founded | 1874 | |||
| Ground | Woodside Park, Bishop's Stortford (Capacity: 4,000 (298 seated)) |
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| Chairman | Luigi Del Basso | |||
| Manager | Rod Stringer | |||
| League | Conference North | |||
| 2010–11 | Conference South, 16th | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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Bishop's Stortford F.C. is an English football club based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at Woodside Park.
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The club was established in 1874. They joined the Stansted & District League, winning it in 1910-11 and 1912–13, and also entered a team in the Saffron Walden & District League during the same era, winning it in 1911-12, 1912–13 and 1913-14.
After World War I the club won both the Stansted & District League and the East Hertfordshire League in 1919-20. In 1921 they joined the North-Eastern Division of the Hertfordshire County League. In 1923 the league was reduced to a single division, and it disbanded entirely in 1925, making a brief comeback in 1926-27, when Stortford were one of only six clubs to play in it. They later switched to the Spartan League, winning Division Two (East) in 1931-32.
In 1951 the club joined the Delphian League, winning it in 1954-55. After the league disbanded in 1963 they joined Division Two of the Athenian League, winning Division One in 1965-66 and the Premier Division in 1969-70. In the 1970-71 season they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 6-1 at Reading. In 1971 the club switched to the Isthmian League, and in 1973 they reached the second round of the FA Cup, losing 3-1 at Peterborough United after a replay. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup, losing 1-0 to Slough Town. However, the following season they won the last ever edition of the cup, beating Ilford 4-1 at Wembley. In 1974-75 they reached the FA Cup first round again, but lost 2-0 at Leatherhead in a replay. The following season they reached the second round again, losing 2-0 at Aldershot.
In 1977-78 the club finished bottom of the Isthmian League Premier Division, and were relegated to Division One. They returned as Division One champions in 1980-81, a season in which they won the FA Trophy with a 1-0 win over Sutton United at Wembley. In 1982-83 the club beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup for the first time, winning 2-1 at Reading in the first round. After beating Slough Town 4-1 in the second round, they held Second Division Middlesbrough to a 2-2 draw at Ayresome Park, before losing 2-1 at home. The club reached the first round again in 1984-85, 1985-86 and 1986-87, but failed to progress on each occasion.
In 1991-92 they finished bottom of the Premier Division, and were relegated back to Division One. They returned as champions in 1993-94, but were relegated again in 1998-99. After a second-place finish in 2001-02 the club returned to the Premier Division, and after finishing eleventh in 2003-04, were placed in the newly-formed Conference South, where they remained until 2011 when they were transferred to the Conference North after Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Football Conference.[1]
Bishop`s Stortford announced former Braintree Town boss Rod Stringer as their new manager on December 13 2011, following the departure of previous boss Ian Walker by mutual consent. With the club third from bottom in the Conference South table.[2]
The club currently play at the 4,000-capacity Woodside Park on the eastern edge of the town. The ground was opened in 1999 with a match against Norwich City. There are seated stands on either side of the pitch, with covered terracing at each end.
Previously the club played at Rhodes Avenue, also known as the George Wilson Stadium.
Ahead of the 2011/2012 season Football 365's online TV show The Dugout Podcast chose Stortford as their adopted team. Interviews with manager Ian Walker, player Dwight Gayle and a tour of Woodside Park have already been filmed.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Rod Stringer |
| First team coach | Fraser Skimmings |
| Physio | Colin Taylor |