Retford United F.C.

Retford United
Full name Retford United Football Club
Nickname(s) The Badgers
Founded 1987
Ground 'The Jones & Co Stadium',Cannon Park, Retford
Capacity 2,000 (300 covered)
Chairman Bill Wyles
Manager Paul Ward
League Northern Counties East League
Premier Division
2013–14 Northern Counties East League
Premier Division, 9th

Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.

History

The team was founded in 1987, originally playing in the Gainsborough League. After a spell in the Nottinghamshire Alliance, the club was accepted as members of the Central Midlands League in 2001, and three years later stepped up again to the Northern Counties East League.

The success continued, finishing as runners-up in the Northern Counties East League Division One in 2005–06, gaining promotion to the Premier Division, which they won at their first attempt. They were then promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One South, which they won two years running, gaining promotion to the Premier Division in 2009. In all, between 2000 and 2009, they won a total of six championships, of various leagues and divisions, in nine seasons.[1]

However, at the end of the 2010–11 season they finished bottom and were relegated to the Northern Premier League Division One South. Due to financial constraints, the club opted to resign from the Northern Premier League and now compete in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division where they again won the title in the 2011/12 season under the management of Brett Marshall (now Chairman of Clipstone FC) but they rejected promotion opting instead to continue in NCEL.

Retford reached the fifth round (last 16) of the FA Vase in the 2006–07 season, while their best run in the FA Cup has consisted of one appearance in the fourth qualifying round, in the 2008–09 season, but they were defeated 3–1 by Alfreton Town Their first season in the FA Trophy in 2007–08 took them to the first round where they were defeated 5–2 by Histon.

Origins and youth structure

Retford United FC was founded in 1987 and at the time consisted of one Senior team that competed in the Gainsborough League and one Youth Under 10s team in the Retford & Worksop Leagues. In 1989, the Club's Director of Coaching Dave Hickin introduced a 2nd Youth team as U10s and, along with the U12s, began United’s association with the Mid Lincs Youth League.

The Club place a massive importance on Youth football and ever since 1989 the Club have introduced a new Under 10s team each season. With the FA's introduction of small-sided football in 1999, the club now consists of 27 youth teams ranging from Under 8s to Under 16s, an Under 18s, 19s and three senior teams (first team, reserve team and ladies team) all of which wear the club’s black and white stripes. This includes 2 girls teams.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Jody Barford
England DF Danny Smith
England DF Brett Lucas
England DF Rob Sanderson
England DF Andy Walkden
England DF Greame Severn
England DF Matt Hassett
England MF James O'Neill
England MF Craig Aspinall
England MF Bobby Johnson
No. Position Player
England MF Craig Fisher
England MF Gavin Cooper
England MF Kyle Hadley
England MF Steve Owen
Poland MF Jake Stannard
England MF Connell Tunnard
England FW Liam Slack
England FW Richard Medcalf
England FW Reece Thompson
England FW Lee Holmes
England FW Liam Wilkin

Honours

Records

References

  1. ↑ Retford United at the Football Club History Database

External links