Ellesmere Rangers F.C.
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| Full name | Ellesmere Rangers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Rangers | ||
| Founded | 1969 | ||
| Ground |
Beech Grove Ellesmere Shropshire | ||
| Capacity | 1250 | ||
| Chairman | Neil Williams | ||
| Manager | Delwyn Humphreys | ||
| League | West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division | ||
| 2012–13 | Midland Football Alliance, 22nd (relegated) | ||
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Ellesmere Rangers F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire. For the 2013–14 season they are members of the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.
History
The club in its present form was founded in 1969, although there had been football teams in the town since the early 1900s. These early teams played their games on the Wharf Meadow, which at that time was within the grounds of the local dairy. The Railway pub in the town was the venue for the first meeting of the club, which was dubbed Railway Rangers. A rummage sale was held and the sum of £125 was raised to purchase a kit and all the other equipment necessary to get started. A field just outside the town at Newton was donated by president Mike Edwards. The players set to and did the necessary work to turn it into a pitch which enabled them to enter the Oswestry and District League for their first season. That year the team was managed by a committee, and the season also marked the debut for the club and what has turned out to be unbroken service of future chairman Neil Williams. His father Bert Williams was also heavily involved and was the first club chairman.
The club moved its headquarters to the Market Hotel in 1974 and the club name was changed to Ellesmere Rangers. They remained in the Oswestry & District League until the following season when they gained promotion into the Shrewsbury and West Shropshire League. During the 1979 season a goalscoring record was established by Alan Millard who scored 52 goals in the season, but this record was surpassed by Danny Barton during the promotion year of 2009–10. The Rangers' first major honour was in 1981 when, managed by John Edge, the club lifted the Shropshire Junior Cup at Gay Meadow, home of Shrewsbury Town after beating Weston United 2–1.
Rangers continued to progress and by 1988–89 were in the Shropshire County League. In July 2000 former League of Wales manager Geoff Graham came to the club. In the 2004–05 the club was promoted from the Shropshire County League to the West Midlands (Regional) League Second Division where back to back promotions were achieved, with 2005–06 being celebrated as Rangers secured the First Division championship at the first attempt. Rangers quickly adapted to life in the Premier Division and recorded a mid-table finish in their first season at level six of the National League System.
In the 2008–09 season manager Matt Burton arrived at the club and a strong challenge for promotion was mounted. This was narrowly missed by a couple of points with Rangers having to settle for fourth position, putting the team in a strong position for the following season. This season also saw Rangers compete in the FA Cup for the first time in their history. The 2009–10 year saw the club debut of Andy Mulliner as goalkeeper and assistant manager. His record of 20 clean sheets and only 16 league goals conceded in a season helped the club towards promotion to the Midland Football Alliance, and the Rangers beat Northern Premier League side Market Drayton Town (two leagues higher) to win the Shropshire Challenge Cup. The following season saw the club reach the final of the Walsall Senior Cup at Bescot Stadium.
The end of the 2011–12 season saw the resignation of Matt Burton as manager due to work commitments, to be replaced by a management team in Richard Brown and Richard Gardner, but following early exits in the FA Cup and FA Vase, combining with a run of eleven league games without a win, Brown and Gardner were dismissed. Former Kidderminster Harriers and England C player Delwyn Humphreys was appointed first team manager.
Ground
The Beech Grove ground, and in particular its unusual large metal dugouts with lockable doors, was featured in David Bauckham's book Dugouts.[1] There is hard standing on all four sides of the ground which offers cover for 100 supporters and a seated area for 125 spectators. The total capacity is 1250.
Club records
- Best league performance: 13th in Midland Football Alliance 2010/11
- Best FA Cup performance: First qualifying round 2008–09
- Best FA Vase performance: Second round proper 2011/12
- Record attendance: 250 v Ludlow Town Reserves - WMRL First Division April 2006
- Fastest goal; 20 seconds, scored by Tom Ward away at Tividale 2 January 2013
See also
- Football in Shropshire
References
External links
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Coordinates: 52°54′23.58″N 2°54′22.25″W / 52.9065500°N 2.9061806°W