Malmesbury Victoria F.C.

Malmesbury Victoria
Full name Malmesbury Victoria F.C
Nickname(s) The Vics
Founded 1896 (as Malmesbury Town)
Ground The Flying Monk Ground,
Malmesbury
Chairman Phil Exton
Manager Wayne Kibble
League Wiltshire Premier League
Website Club home page

Malmesbury Victoria F.C. is a football club based in Malmesbury, England and playing in the Wiltshire Premier League at the Flying Monk Ground. The club is affiliated to the Wiltshire Football Association

History

The club was formed in 1896 as Malmesbury Town.[1] The club played football until 1936, when with support dwindling it closed down.[2] The club reformed after the Second World War in 1947 and changed their name to Malmesbury Town Football Club.[2] In 1968 they changed their name again to Malmesbury United.[2] For the 1975–76 season when they merged with local Swindon side Swindon Victoria the club became known by its present name of Malmesbury Victoria.[2]

Before Swindon Victoria was merged with Malmesbury United their greatest success was reaching the final of the FA Amateur Cup in the 1920–21 season where they lost to Bishop Auckland.[3] The club also played in the Western Football League for a couple of seasons during the 1920s, and made their debut in the FA Vase in the 1974–75 season.[4] In the 1973/4 season, the club won both Wiltshire divisions. Div 1 and Div 2. The first club ever to achieve this. This was due in no small part to the signing of two players from Chippenham town and promoting three reserve players to the first team squad, and adopting the sweeper and the triangle passing systems. Winning both divisions did not mean promotion. Instead the club merged with Swindon Victoria, and thereby gaining the promotion they had originally been entitled too.

Malmesbury Victoria in their first season as an amalgamated club, the 1975–76 campaign, continued where Swindon Victoria left off and continued to play in the FA Vase.[5] The following season the club became founder members of the Wiltshire Football League when the Wiltshire Combination and Wiltshire Leagues merged, and joined the Senior Division.[6] The club continued to play in the Fa Vase until the end of the 1981–82 season.[5] The 1999-00 campaign saw the club win the Wiltshire Football League and gain promotion to the Hellenic Football League.[7]

The club then spent the next nine seasons in division one west, during which time they resumed competing in the FA vase in 2004, and at the end of this period after finishing as runners-up were promoted to the Premier Division under manager Ken Regan for the start of the 2009–10 season.[5][8] Ken Regan then left the club in February 2010 with the club struggling near the bottom of the table, and was replaced by the caretaker duo of Martin Woodhouse and Kev Coles.[9] However the management duo could not save the club, and the club was relegated back to Division One, after a single season in the top Hellenic football league division.[10] The club then appointed new boss Ken Turner during the summer of 2010, but he could only last till September before he was relieved for "irreconcilable differences" and was replaced by Mike Hartley.[11] However Mike Hartley only lasted till the end of the 2010–11 season, due to him emigrating to Australia and was replaced by Simon Winstone.[11]

Ground

Malmesbury Victoria play their home games at the Flying Monk Ground, Gloucester Road, Malmesbury.

The Flying Monk Ground, on the bank of the Tetbury Avon in the northern outskirts of the town, takes its name from a demolished public house which in turn took its name from Eilmer of Malmesbury.[7]

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

† Swindon Victoria FC honour

Records

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.
England Andy Sandell

References

  1. ↑ "Malmesbury Victoria | Home Page". Webteams.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Malmesbury Sports Clubs". Athelstanmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
  3. ↑ "The FA Amateur Cup". Ayresome Park. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  4. 1 2 SWINDON VICTORIA at the Football Club History Database
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 MALMESBURY VICTORIA at the Football Club History Database
  6. 1 2 3 "History". Wiltshirefootballleague.com. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
  7. 1 2 "History – Malmesbury Victoria Football Club". thevics.net. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  8. ↑ "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Malmesbury Victoria News | Season 2008/09". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  9. ↑ "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Malmesbury Victoria News | Season 2009/10". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  10. ↑ "Hellenic League 1995–2011". Nonleaguematters.net. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  11. 1 2 "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Malmesbury Victoria News | Season 2010/11". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  12. 1 2 "1920: Swindon Victoria Football Club 1920–1921, County Ground (Postcard) | Flickr – Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
  13. ↑ "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Club Details | Malmesbury Victoria". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-20.

External links

Coordinates: 51°35′23″N 2°06′09″W / 51.58972°N 2.10250°W / 51.58972; -2.10250

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