| Full name | Hailsham Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Stringers | ||
| Founded | 1885 (as Hailsham) | ||
| Ground | The Beaconsfield, Hailsham (Capacity: 2000) |
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| Chairman | Mervyn Walker | ||
| Manager | Kenny McCreadie | ||
| League | Sussex County League Division Two |
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| 2010-11 | Sussex County League Division One, 16th (demoted) |
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Hailsham Town F.C. is a football club based in Hailsham, East Sussex, England. They were established in 1885 and joined the Sussex County League in 1955 as Hailsham F.C., changing to their present name in 1970.[1][2] For the 2011-12 season, they are members of the Sussex County League Division Two.
The club are known locally as 'The Stringers', a nickname which derives from traditional industry in the town, and was adopted officially at the turn of the Millennium.
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Founded in 1885 as Hailsham Town, the club briefly played under the name of Hailsham Butchers before the First World War.[3] They would win the East Sussex Junior Cup in 1896, and also reached the final of the Sussex Senior Cup in 1902.
Hailsham joined the Southern Counties Combination League in 1972, which was a feeder for the County League. In 1975/76 the club won promotion to Division Two of the County League as champions, and finished a creditable sixth in their first season. After six seasons, during which they were one of the leading clubs in Division Two, Hailsham finally won promotion to Division One, as runners-up to Whitehawk in 1980/81.
In 1988/89, under the guidance of Trevor Wood, Hailsham finished fourth in Division One, their best ever placing, and also reached the last sixteen of the FA Vase, losing at home to Hungerford Town in front of a crowd of 1,100. In the early 1990s, the club proved itself as one of the best in the County League and, although never finishing higher than fifth, lifted the League Challenge Cup in 1995/95.
The end of the 1990s however, saw a decline in the club’s fortunes, and they were relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1998/99 season. After just two seasons however, Hailsham returned to Division One, after finishing in third place behind Southwick and Peacehaven & Telscombe.[4][5]
Hailsham Town were managed by Kenny McCreadie from 2004 until March 2009 - although in January 2008, McCreadie was suspended after allegedly throwing a punch at Eastbourne United Association player Matt Jones.[6] In his absence, Ross Scarmadella took control of the team as Caretaker Manager, assisted by Jon Purdey.[7] McCreadie returned to the club, having been found guilty,[8] on the 14th of February. McCreadie then left the club by mutual consent in March 2009.[9] Scarmadella again took charge in a temporary capacity, with the club advertising for a permanent manager at the end of the 2008/09 season.[10] In June 2009, Dave Shearing was appointed to the position.[11] However, after a poor start to the season, with the Stringers languishing second from bottom in the table, Shearing resigned after a seven match losing streak, citing an argument with the club over the availability of reserve team players.[12] McCreadie was reappointed manager in November 2009, returning to the club after a six month spell coaching at East Grinstead.[13]
Winners: 1956, 1995 Runners-Up: 1988, 1996
Winners: 2006 Runners-Up: 1988 Division 2 Runners-Up: 1980/81 Runners-Up: 1902
Winners: 1956 Runners-Up: 2000
Runners-Up: 1993, 1996[14] Notable former playersMarc Cable References
External links
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