| Full name | Wootton Bassett Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Bassett | ||
| Founded | 1882 | ||
| Ground | Gerrard Buxton Sports Ground, Rylands Way, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire (Capacity: 2000) |
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| Chairman | Paul Harrison | ||
| Manager | Dave Turner | ||
| League | Hellenic League Division One West | ||
| 2010-11 | Hellenic League Premier Division, 15th (demoted) | ||
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Wootton Bassett Town Football Club are an English football club based in the town of Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire.
The club has three senior, one ladies, 15 youth and mini soccer and one girls teams and is affiliated to the Wiltshire County Football Association. The record match attendance was 2,103 versus Swindon Town in July 1991. The club's first team are currently members of the Hellenic League Division One West at level ten of the English football league system.
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Situated in the small market town six miles west of Swindon, Wootton Bassett Town have been playing football since 1882, making the club one of the oldest in the county of Wiltshire. For the majority of its existence, the club has played at its present home – the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground at Rylands Way. The ground was donated by local dignitary Gerard Buxton for sporting activities within the town in the 1930s.
Progress made in the Swindon & District League culminated in the side entering the Wiltshire County League in 1903/04, a year after the club made the finals of both the Advertiser Cup and the Wiltshire Senior Cup.
Bassett were to reach the final of the Senior Cup once again during their first year playing at county level, but once again lost, this time to Swindon Town Reserves.
The prestigious County League featured clubs such as Melksham Town, Devizes Town F.C. and Chippenham Town as well as – from further afield - Bath City and Yeovil Casuals (now Yeovil Town F.C.). Bassett had mixed fortunes during their spell in this division, coming rock bottom in 1904/05 before finishing runners-up a year later. During this period, the club’s home games took place at ‘The Close’, upon which Tanners Close now stands, whilst the club was based at ‘The Royal Oak’ public house – now the site of a supermarket and bank.
The club unfortunately resigned from the Wiltshire County League in the summer of 1908 as a result of their failure to comply with the regulations which insisted players must reside within a specific radius of the town – the majority of the Bassett side at the time resided in Swindon.
Years in the wilderness followed, thanks partly to the First World War – during which The Royal Oak was used as a barracks for German prisoners of war - and the presence of the extremely successful Swindon Victoria, who for many years played their games in the town
At the start of the 1930s, Bassett – playing their matches firstly at Littlemeads and then Showfield before the move to their current home at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground - were revived and dominated the Calne & District League, which featured teams from numerous surrounding villages such as Clyffe Pypard, Bushton and Lyneham – a stark contrast to the sides they were competing against three decades earlier.
Re-election to the now expanded Wiltshire League followed, but Bassett were no match for the likes of Westbury United, Devizes and Purton F.C.
Fortunes began to change following the conclusion of the Second World War, and Bassett twice came close to reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Amateur Cup – in the 1946/47 season they were the last Wiltshire club standing, but were thrashed 9-0 at Cornish side St Austell F.C. in the final qualifying round.
Bassett steadily rose up the Wiltshire League Division One table during the 1950s, and after throwing away the title two seasons earlier, they were finally crowned champions in 1958/59. A year later – now playing in the Wiltshire Premier Division - Bassett enjoyed even more success as they embarked on an epic nine game FA Amateur Cup run that saw them yet again come agonizingly close to reaching the First Round Proper.
The club generally found the going tough in their new league surroundings though. However, they were up against some quality opposition, which included numerous clubs from outside the county, namely Somerset sides Paulton Rovers, Radstock Town F.C., Frome Town F.C., Clandown F.C. and Peasedown, as well as Stonehouse Town F.C. from Gloucestershire.
Restructuring of the County League came at the end of the 1960s. This saw Bassett enter the Wiltshire Combination, which pitted them against more local sides. During the eight years of this competition, Bassett’s best finish was fifth in 1969/70.
Further realignment followed in 1976, with the establishment of the Wiltshire County Football League. Bassett lasted just two seasons in the top division before relegation to Division Two. They bounced straight back up a year later, but immediately went back down.
Steady progress eventually led to Bassett winning the Division Two title in 1984/85. In Division One, under the stewardship of Micky Woolford, Bassett made an almost immediate impact, winning the league – and promotion to the Hellenic League – in 1987/88. That same year they once again finished runners-up in the final of the Wilts Senior Cup.
Woolford remained in charge until 1995, overseeing a spell in which Bassett established themselves as Hellenic League Division One mainstays, and one which saw them reach the Hellenic League Division One Cup three times, winning it twice.
Bassett won their first Senior Cup title in 1998/99 and a year later they gained promotion to the Hellenic Premier Division, having finished third – their highest ever finish.
In their first season at this level, Bassett finished in a comfortable mid-table position, as well as winning the Senior Cup for a second time. A year later the club reached the First Round of the FA Vase for the first time, losing at home to Cornish side St Blazey A.F.C. However, in the league, Bassett became involved in numerous battles against the drop, eventually seeing their run as escape-artists being ended in the 2004/05 season.
A fresh start in Hellenic League Division One West saw the club almost bounce back immediately, following a three month unbeaten spell from the end of January. However, a 1-0 defeat at rivals Trowbridge Town in the penultimate game of the year condemned Bassett to a fifth place finish, one point and one goal shy of that lucrative third place spot.
Underachievement followed during the following two years, although season 2007/08 saw Bassett advance to the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup after upset wins over local rivals Highworth Town F.C. and Southern League side Bracknell Town.
A 15th place finish in that season was Bassett’s lowest ever in the Hellenic League, but a year later they were once again battling for promotion and having success on the cup scene. Bassett went further than ever before in the FA Vase, reaching the Second Round Proper, where they were defeated 4-0 at 1992 winners Wimborne Town. Throughout the year, Bassett were in amongst the promotion chasing pack, but defeat at Trowbridge again with the season winding down meant Bassett finished fourth.
A return to the Hellenic Premier Division was finally secured in 2009/10 as Bassett – losing just three games all year – finished runners-up to Slimbridge F.C. on goal difference. There was also success in the FA Cup to begin the season as Westbury United were defeated in a replay, before 2007/08 conquerors Brockenhurst F.C. denied the club a return to the First Qualifying Round.
Bassett had another excellent FA Cup run in the 2010/11 season. It began with a replay victory against Bradford Town, who were beaten 4-3 on penalties in a replay. In the Preliminary Round they beat Western League side Almondsbury UWE, who were making their first entrance into the FA Cup 1-0 to book a place in the First Qualifying Round for the second time in the club's history. They were knocked out at that stage, however, by Hamble ASSC in a replay. In the league, a good start - which saw wins against Highworth and eventual champions Wantage Town - soon faded, with the club engaged in a battle against relegation for the majority of the campaign. However, Bassett wound up finishing a commendable 15th. Yet the club were eventually demoted after the Rylands Way ground was deemed not to have met ground grading criteria. Bassett's under 18 Senior team, managed by Danny Groom, enjoyed an extremely successful season, finishing runners-up in the Wiltshire Youth Cup, while becoming the first side in club history to win the Wiltshire Youth Floodlit League.
Over the last decade and a half the club has grown exponentially, with the establishment of a thriving Youth Section and – in more recent times – a Ladies Section, and the club now operates twenty teams ranging from under 8s upwards. This growth led to the club being awarded Charter Development Club status by the FA before this was upgraded to Community Club status later that year; Bassett were the first club in Wiltshire to achieve this. International ties have also been cultivated, with three youth section teams touring Holland annually. This has led to a thriving relationship with amateur side FC 's-Gravenzande, who are based near The Hague.
Exciting plans are also in place to see the club relocate – along with the other members of the Wootton Bassett Sports Association – to a much larger purpose built site on the edge of town. This will allow the club to accommodate its sides on one state-of-the-art facility, something which is currently not possible. Work is set to begin on this facility in 2012.
| Year | Division | Position | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | Division One | 5/15 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 50 | 41 | 40 |
| 1989-90 | Division One | 7/16 | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 52 | 35 | 47 |
| 1990-91 | Division One | 8/16 | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 36 | 41 |
| 1991-92 | Division One | 12/17 | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 45 | 59 | 38 |
| 1992-93 | Division One | 12/16 | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 40 | 53 | 30 |
| 1993-94 | Division One | 9/18 | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 65 | 57 | 53 |
| 1994-95 | Division One | 9/20 | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 67 | 68 | 59 |
| 1995-96 | Division One | 10/18 | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 50 | 64 | 45 |
| 1996-97 | Division One | 11/17 | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 37 | 50 | 35 |
| 1997-98 | Division One | 10/17 | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 67 | 58 | 42 |
| 1998-99 | Division One | 5/17 | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 64 | 43 | 58 |
| 1999-00 | Division One | 3/15 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 54 | 32 | 52 |
| 2000-01 | Premier Division | 13/20 | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 60 | 52 |
| 2001-02 | Premier Division | 19/22 | 42 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 39 | 75 | 42 |
| 2002-03 | Premier Division | 15/21 | 40 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 36 | 70 | 40 |
| 2003-04 | Premier Division | 16/22 | 42 | 11 | 5 | 26 | 38 | 73 | 38 |
| 2004-05 | Premier Division | 21/22 | 42 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 30 | 85 | 27 |
| 2005-06 | Division One West | 5/18 | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58 | 30 | 61 |
| 2006-07 | Division One West | 11/18 | 34 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 64 | 62 | 47 |
| 2007-08 | Division One West | 15/18 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 43 | 66 | 36 |
| 2008-09 | Division One West | 4/17 | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 61 | 30 | 60 |
| 2009-10 | Division One West | 2/16 | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 74 | 34 | 67 |
| 2010-11 | Premier Division | 15/22 | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 55 | 87 | 46 |
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