Long Melford F.C.

Long Melford
Full name Long Melford Football Club
Nickname(s) The Villagers
Founded 1868
Ground Stoneylands, Long Melford
Chairman Colin Woodhouse
Manager Jules Mumford
League Eastern Counties League
Division One
2013–14 Eastern Counties League
Division One, 11th

Long Melford F.C. is an English football club based in Long Melford, Suffolk. The club are currently members of Eastern Counties League Division One and play at Stoneylands. The club is affiliated to the Suffolk County FA.

History

The existence of the club was first recorded in 1868, when they won a match against Ipswich Rangers 5–1 on Church Green. William Cobbold played for the club in their early years, and was later capped by England.[1]

During the 1887–88 season the club played fifteen games, winning all but two. Following their success, they challenged Ipswich Town to a match. Although Ipswich declined, claiming that it would be injurious to their prestige if they play "little village teams", the two clubs met in the Suffolk Senior Cup semi-final, with Long Melford winning 2–1 before going on to beat Woodbridge 1–0 in a replay in the final. The club won the Senior Cup in 1895, beating Saxmundham 2–1 and again in 1909, beating Bury Town 1–0 in a replay, a score repeated in the 1921 final. They won the Senior Cup again in three consecutive seasons between 1953 and 1955.

The club played in the Essex & Suffolk Border League, winning the Premier Division on five occasions, and the League Cup three times. In the summer of 2002 the club upgraded their Stoneylands ground, installing a new 106-seat stand, and were promoted into Division One of the Eastern Counties League. At the end of the 2002–03 season they won Senior Cup for a sixth time, beating Stanton 5–0.

Honours

References

  1. ↑ History and Honours Long Melford FC

External links

Coordinates: 52°04′33.84″N 0°42′45.90″E / 52.0760667°N 0.7127500°E