| Full name | Knaphill Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Knappers | ||
| Founded | 1924 | ||
| Ground | 'Redding Way', The Brookwood Country Park Football Ground, Knaphill, , GU21 2AY (Capacity: 750 Covered Seats 50) |
||
| Chairman | David Freeman | ||
| Manager | Phil Ellery | ||
| League | Combined Counties League Division One |
||
| 2010–11 | Combined Counties League Division One, 9th |
||
|
|||
Knaphill Football Club is a football club established in 1924 and based in Knaphill, near Woking, Surrey, England. In 2007, they joined Combined Counties League Division One after winning the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st and Premier Divisions in consecutive seasons. The club has 1st & Reserve teams playing in the Combined Counties League, the U18's play in the Allied Counties League; The Ladies and Ladies Reserve (U18's) teams playing in their respective leagues.
Contents |
Knaphill Football Club began its life in 1924 at Waterer's Park in Knaphill, Woking, Surrey. Waterer's Park was left to Woking Urban District Council in 1924 by Mr Anthony Waterer of Knaphill Nursery.
The Recreation Ground was originally part of the nursery called "Blue Gates Field" and the park was laid out by Woking Council between 1924 and 1928. The task took a significant length of time as the bottom part of the field was very "soggy", whilst the rest was uneven and infested with moles, conditions of which there is still evidence of, over 70 years later. Very little is known about the club history between 1924 and 1980, although it is known that the original team colours were red and white. Knaphill are also listed as winners of the Surrey Intermedite League for 1935/36.
In 1980 Knaphill were represented in the Old Woking and District League (now Guildford and Woking Alliance League) in Division 3 under Manager and now Life President, Dave Holloway. Dave helped the club to achieve promotion that took them from Division 3 through to the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western). He subsequently left Knaphill to take over Conference side Woking's reserve and youth teams.
In 1984 the late Andy Wescott took over as manager at Knaphill. Andy successfully took the Club from Division 3 to the Premier Division 1, at the same time Clive Howes was running the Reserve Team, who also won promotion from Division 3 to the Reserves Premier Division 1. Geoff Poulton then took over the running of the Reserve Team from Clive Howes.
Mick Garbutt became the Manager of Knaphill in 1990, with Paul Bambini running the Reserve Team. Mick Garbutt left the Club in 1994 to join up with Colin Lippiatt and Geoff Chapple at Woking, going on to enjoy the clubs most successful years.
After this time the club went into decline and was struggling for players, for both the first and reserve teams. The decision was taken by the present Senior Secretary, Sean Carrigy, to approach local team Heathlands, who were playing in the Guildford and Woking Alliance League. Heathlands found themselves struggling for facilities, but not players; this gave the two teams the opportunity to amalgamate.
The 1995-96 season saw the arrival of Greg Anderson as head coach, with Sean Carrigy running the Reserve Team. In 1996 Dave Freeman took over from Greg and remained first team manager until 2007, when he stepped down to assistant manager.
The Reserve Team Manager's position was handed over to Noff Diliberto in 1997, he left the club a year later, with Carl Baker taking over.
The 2002-03 season saw the arrival of two new personnel to take charge, with Mick Garbutt back in charge of the first team and Frank Walters in charge of the reserves. Garbutt was again replaced as managed when Paul Bailey took over midway through the season. Carl Barker is now in his second spell as manager of the reserves with Danny James as reserve team Coach and Dave Freeman as first team coach.
At the start of the 2003-04 season the club formed a third team, Knaphill 'A', to play in the Guildford and Woking Alliance League due to volume of players at the club. Carl Barker took over as A Team Manager with Danny James in charge of the Reserves.
The 2004-05 season brought about further changes at team management level seeing Dave Freeman retiring from playing due to injuries and being appointed as first team manager with Mick Garbutt stepping down to assistant manager. Kevin Fletcher also took over the third 'A' team, taking over from Carl Barker who became the clubs chairman. The club also moved into their new ground at Brookwood Country Park, Redding Way. The ground was a purpose built facility supplied by the developers of the Brookwood Manor housing development and owned by Woking Borough Council. With the re-development of the Waterer's Park ground, completed in April 2005, this gave Knaphill Football Club some of the best facilities in the Surrey area. The reserve team finished the season as Runners Up to Old Rutlishians and the A Team were beaten by a last gasp winner in the Junior Cup Semi-Final against Shepperton FB] with 1st Team finishing in their respective division.
In the 2005-06 season, with the first team now firmly established at its new ground at Redding Way, the A Team now reverted back to Waterer's Park upon refurbishment of the park's facilities. Dave Freeman remained in charge for the 2005-06 campaign and appointed Bob Pritchard, former professional with Bristol City and Chertsey Town manager as first team coach. Kevin Fletcher was appointed Reserve Team Manager having impressed by running the A Team the previous season. It was a particularly successful season for Knaphill, winning the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Division One title on the last day of the season against nearest rivals Virginia Water and gained promotion to the Premier Division.
The 2006-07 season continued with Dave Freeman in charge of the 1st Team and Paul Bailey re-appointed as Reserve Team Manager. The A Team management was split during the season. Martin Hobson took charge during the first few months but had to resign due to work and family commitments. Gavin Wilcox and Tim Handley then took over until the end of the season. The 1st Team claimed back to back titles by winning the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division Championship which resulted in achieving promotion to the Combined Counties Football League, the most successful period in the club’s history.
With the club entering a new era for season 2007-08, Dave Freeman, Bob Pritchard and Mick Garbutt remained in charge of 1st Team affairs; the club appointed former Ockham FC Manager Steve Hutton as Reserve Team Manager and Paul Bailey took charge of the ‘A’ Team.
New Chairman and club sponsor through Miles Estae Agents, Nick Croshaw along with Kevin Barkham brought together Knaphill FC & Knaphill Wanderers FC, the junior club providing football for boys and girls of all ages and abilities, under the umbrella of Knaphill F.C. At the same time plans were introduced to provide floodlights a stand and further improvements to the ground.
The club received the 1st Division Programme of the Year and Secretary of the Year (Bryan Freeman) at the 2007-08 end of season awards, after the club finished a creditable 7th in their first season. The 2008-09 season started with the loss of Steve Hutton to Woking & Horsell FC of the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western), along with many players. With pre-season imminent the club had only a handful of players and no Reserve team. One of the first pre-season signings was experienced player and coach Ian Savage. Ian's presence at the club attracted a great number of high ability players from both local teams and higher leagues. This led to the club obtaining one of the most experienced squads Knaphill have had in their history. The addition of Graham Pope and Iain MacLean to run the Reserve Team was the final piece of the jigsaw, however both left the club in November due to personal reasons and the Reserves side was taken over by Adie Wilson and Lee Cook. The 'A' Team is now under the control of James Taylor and Brendan Baker who received the good news at the GWAL AGM that their team is to play in the 2nd Division last season after wholesale changes in the leagues constitution.
With a reduction in League games in Division One from 38 to 34 in 2007/08, Knaphill entered two new Cup competitions. The Anagram Trophy and the Southern Combination Cup, both of which saw early exits. However the team kept a high profile in the league, staying in the top half of the table all season. They came close to becoming champions that season, had they won their last game of the season when, in a tightly bunched set of teams in the top six. Knaphill on 69 points needed to win at Farleigh Rovers to beat Staines Lammas to the title. They lost 3-2 after a tense and nailbiting game, finishing 5th in the table, just 2 points off the top.
The Reserves finished ninth in their Division with the second half of the season providing a 17-match sequence, losing just two games. Adie Wilson, having taken over in November from Graham Pope, organised his players together well and this was reflected with the improvement in results. The 'A' team won promotion to Division 1 of the GWAL, their second move up the ladder, having been promoted from Division 3 to Division 2 the previous season. A new 'B' team was also formed, starting their first season in Division 4(North).
In the close season local businessman, Terry Chapman, was voted in as the new Chairman, replacing Nick Croshaw who stood down due to work commitments after two seasons in the position. Plans for floodlights and hard standing along with a 50 seated stand at Redding Way were well advanced with the help of Woking Borough Council who continue, as in recent years, to support the club.
2009/10 saw Knaphill achieve their highest ever position in the club's history with a 'last kick of the game' goal in the final game of the season securing a 2-2 home draw against Cobham FC and providing the point needed to clinch 3rd spot in the CCL Division 1 table. A poor start to the season saw Knaphill languishing down in mid table with good away form negated by a poor home record. However a run of 12 consecutive wins after Christmas saw the Knappers close in on the top 3. Before the start of the season the 'A' & 'B' teams decided to break away and form their own club by merging with fellow GWAL side Surrey Athletic FC to form Knaphill Athletic FC.
It was agreed that the links between Knaphill FC & Knaphill Wanderers were to be dissolved and The Wanderers lined up alongside Knaphill Athletic. Over the last 5 seasons Knaphill FC have set successive improvements in their league position, and for 2010/11 a Youth Team was added to continue the development of the club for the future. On the 29 November 2010, long serving 1st Team Manager Bob Pritchard announced his resignation after a poor start to the season. Chairman Terry Chapman then appointed General Manager and former 1st team Manager Dave Freeman and former Reserve Team Manager Adie Wilson as joint Caretaker Managers until the end of the season. Their first 16 games resulted in 13 wins & 3 draws, a club record for unbeaten matches in the Combined Counties League, until a 2-1 reverse at Hartley Wintney FC on Friday 15/01/11. This started a run of 4 consecutive defeats followed by a draw (a club record, at that time, for the worst run without a win in the Combined Counties League).
From season 2011/12 Knaphill Ladies, playing in the London & SE Regonal Ladies League, will be part of the senior club after transferring from Knaphill Wanderers with a Reserve (U18) side playing in the Surrey Ladies League. On 8th May 2011 club chairman Terry Chapman announced that Dave Freeman & Adie Wilson were confirmed as the 1st team management for season 2011/12.
On 26 June 2011, it was announced that Knaphill will be the first Combined Counties League team to travel to the Channel Island of Guernsey to face the newly created Guernsey FC. The game finished 5-0 to Guernsey FC. On the 8th July 2011, Knaphill were entered into The FA Vase for the first time in their history and were drawn out of the hat with a home tie against Combined Counties League Premier Division side Horley Town FC. Knaphill will also face Horley Town FC Reserves in the Surrey FA Senior Cup and Horley Town FC's Youth team in the Surrey FA U18's Mid-week Cup.
On the 6th October Club Chairman Terry Chapman stood down and former 1st Team Manager David Freeman stepped into the role with immediate effect. Before the end of October Adie Wilson had resigned from the 1st Team Manager's position after a long run of league defeats and exits from 4 cup competitions at the first round. Phil Ellery, who has previously managed Bedfont Sports F.C., Staines Lammas FC and Chertsey Town FC, was appointed 1st Team Manager on 30th October.
On Friday 9th December 2011 a number of records were set and broken. For the visit of League Leaders Guernsey FC, a league match was played on a Friday night at Reding Way for the first time. A recored crowd of 323 (beating the previous record of 134) turned up to witness Knaphill FC's biggest ever defeat, with the visitors running out 8-0 winners. There were also no players on the pitch or bench for Knaphill FC on the night, who had made that inaugural trip to Guernsey back in August.
Redding Way or Brookwood Country Park Football Ground to give it its official title, is located at the foot of The Knap Hill and bordered by Hermitage Road, the Basingstoke Canal and Redding Way. A council owned facility, it has one of the highest regarded pitches in the local area and Knaphill FC receive favourable comments from visiting players, club & match officials and supporters alike. Redding Way has also been used by local leagues for cup finals which have proved to be well supported and will continue into the future.
Completed in April 2005 the facility is currently shared by Knaphill FC, Knaphill Ladies (now part of Knaphill FC) and Woking FC Reserves who play mid-week. The ground is enclosed by high wire fencing on three sides and a mature tree line on the fourth. There is a car park for 71 vehicles to the front of the clubhouse.
The Club House has four separate changing rooms, a match officials changing room, a medical room: ladies, gents & disabled public toilets, a clubroom with TV, pool table, darts board and with separate food preparation facilities. Further additions such as floodlights and a 50 seat stand were installed during season 2010/11 to raise the grading of the ground to Grade G, which is the required grade to play at level 6 of the non-league pyramidn in Division One of the CCL Combined Counties League. On the 20th November 2009, planning permission was granted by Woking Borough Council to add the 6 floodlight posts and site a 50 seat stand behind the 'home' goal adjacent to the clubhouse. This work was be jointly financed by The Football Foundation, Woking Borough Council & Knaphill FC and was started on 31 January 2011 with the stand in place by the 11 February 2011. The installation of the floodlights was completed and certificated on 23 March 2011. The first floodlit match played at Redding Way was between Knaphill FC U18's and Ascot United FC U18's in The Allied Counties League on March 30th 2011 (Result: 1-3 defeat). The initial 1st Team gave under lights came on 5th April 2011 against local rivals Eversley F.C. when a Matt Baker penalty in the first half decided the match. Further developments to the site by Woking Borough Council have added an additional 31 parking spaces and a new entrance from Redding Way. This has alleviated the issues regarding the access arrangements, formerly through Strathcona Gardens, for all of its users and the local residents. The work started on 26 April 2011 and was completed in early June 2011. A tarmac hardstand was put down the dug-out side of the pitch in late June 2011 to conform with the regulations for entry to The FA Vase.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Season | Division | Position | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | ||||||||||
| 2001-02 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | ||||||||||
| 2002-03 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | ||||||||||
| 2003-04 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | ||||||||||
| 2004-05 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | ||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) 1st Division | 1 | |||||||||
| 2006-07 | Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division | 1 | |||||||||
| 2007-08 | Combined Counties League 1st Division | 7 | |||||||||
| 2008-09 | Combined Counties League 1st Division | 5 | |||||||||
| 2009-10 | Combined Counties League 1st Division | 3 | |||||||||
| 2010-11 | Combined Counties League 1st Division | 9 | |||||||||
| 2011-12 | Combined Counties League 1st Division | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||