Southwick F.C.

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Southwick
Full name Southwick Football Club
Nickname(s) The Wickers
Founded 1882
Ground Old Barn Way, Southwick
Chairman Alan Petken
Manager Lloyd Saunders
League Sussex County League
Division Three
2012-13 Sussex County League
Division Two, 14th (demoted)
Home colours
Away colours

Southwick F.C. is a football club based in Southwick, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1882 and was among the founding members of the Sussex County League. It has won the Sussex County League title six times in its history.

Southwick play in red and black stripes with black shorts and socks. They enjoy a fierce, if good natured, rivalry with near neighbours Mile Oak.[1]

History

Founded in 1882, the club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896.[2][3] They became the first winners of the league, and successfully defended the title the following season.[3] In 1920 they joined the Sussex County League as one of its founder members.[2] They went on to win the championship four times between 1923 and 1948, and finished runners-up on a further four occasions.[2]

In 1952 the club left the league for two seasons to compete in the Metropolitan & District League but, after finishing bottom in 1954, rejoined the County League.[4] The following season saw Southwick relegated to Division Two. John Shepherd took over as player manager in 1964–65 and the club were promoted to Division One after finishing as runners-up (on goal average) to Sidley United.[5] In 1968, Shepherd led the club to victory in the Sussex Senior Cup, beating Athenian League Horsham 5–3 in front of a crowd of 4,261 at the Goldstone Ground, and the following season they finished as Division One Champions.

In the 1974–75 season, they reached the FA Cup first round for the first and only time in its history.[4] Under Ray McCarthy in 1982–83 it was Division One runners-up and runners-up in the County Challenge Cup.[6][7]

In 1984 Southwick left the County League to join the Combined Counties League. The following year the Wickers were promoted to Division Two (South) of the Isthmian League after finishing as runners-up.[8] At the end of the 1985–86 season, Southwick were promoted to Isthmian League Division One as champions.[9] Two successive relegations from 1990–91 and they opted to rejoin the County League for a third time in 1992–93, taking their place in Division Two.[4]

Charismatic chairman Roy Pollard arrived promising "A brave new world" in 1993. He installed Barry Noonan as his right hand man, but a succession of managers came and went including Russell Bromage and Paul Hubbard. Pollard left in 1997 moving to Southern Spain leaving Noonan at the helm. Southwick finished bottom of Sussex County Football League Division One in 2005–06 and was relegated to Division Two.[4]

New managers Lloyd Saunders and Roger Feest took charge for the 2010–11 season.[2]

Ground

The Club play at Old Barn way, Southwick, BN42 4NT.

The ground used to have a stand but this was lost to a fire in the late 1990s.[5] The club was also the first in the Sussex County league to get Floodlights back in 1968.[5]

A £100,000 grant from the Football Stadia Improvement Trust in 2003 enabled the club to build a new changing room block. The new building incorporated a Directors' and Officials' Lounge, with windows fronting on to the pitch, and a brick-built press box.[5]

Honours

League honours

  • Isthmian League Division Two South[4]
    • Winners (1): 1985–86
  • Combined Counties Football League[4]
    • Runners Up (1): 1980–81
  • Sussex County League[4]
    • Winners (6): 1925–26, 1927–28,1929–30, 1947–48, 1968–69, 1974–75
    • Runners Up (9): 1923–24, 1928–29, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83
  • Sussex County League Division Two[4]
    • Winners (1): 2000–01
    • Runners Up (2): 1964–65, 1993–94
  • West Sussex Football League Senior Division[3]
    • Winners (2): 1896–97, 1897–98

Cup honours

  • Sussex Senior Challenge Cup[10]
    • Winners (10): 1896–97, 1910–11, 1912–13, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1936–37, 1947–48, 1967–68
    • Runners Up (7): 1893–94, 1894–95, 1895–96, 1923–24, 1928–29, 1948–49, 1976–77
  • Sussex County League John O'Hara League Challenge Cup[11]
    • Winners (2): 1965–66, 1977–78
    • Runners Up (6): 1945–46, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84
  • The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup[12]
    • Winners (11): 1896–97, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1937–38 (shared with Horsham), 1976–77, 2002–03
    • Runners Up (6): 1897–98, 1922–23, 1936–37, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1983–84
  • Sussex County League Division Two Cup[13]
    • Runners Up (1): 1962–63

Records

  • Highest League Position:[4] 3rd in Isthmian League Division one South: 1989–90
  • FA Cup best performance:[4] First Round: 1974–75
  • FA Trophy best performance:[4] Second Qualifying Round: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
  • FA Vase best performance:[4] Third Round: 1979–80, 1985–86
  • Highest Attendance:[5] 72 vs Mile Oak FC: 2006–07

Former players

  1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Players with full international caps.

References

  1. ↑ "Southwick Football Club – Latest news". Southwickfc.teamexpert.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-01-17. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Southwick Football Club – History". Southwickfc.teamexpert.co.uk. 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Shoreham F.C. – Early football in Shoreham and the 'Glory Years". Shoreham History Portal. Retrieved 2013-04-16. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 SOUTHWICK at the Football Club History Database
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Southwick FC". Sussexcountyfc.milbint.com. 2003-07-26. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  6. ↑ "SUSSEX COUNTY FOOTBALL LEAGUE 1982–83". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2013-01-17. 
  7. ↑ "The John O'Hara League Challenge Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2013-01-17. 
  8. ↑ "Official CCFL Web Site". Combinedcountiesleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-01-17. 
  9. ↑ "Isthmian League 1980–1990". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2013-01-17. 
  10. ↑ "The Sussex Senior Cup". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  11. ↑ "The John O'Hara League Challenge Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  12. ↑ "R.U.R. Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football Association". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 
  13. ↑ "SCFL Division 2 Cup – Sussex County Football League". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11. 

External links

Division One
Division Two
Division Three
Reserves Premier
Reserves East
Reserves West
Seasons

Coordinates: 50°50′03.64″N 0°13′33.28″W / 50.8343444°N 0.2259111°W / 50.8343444; -0.2259111

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