Chippenham Town F.C.

Chippenham Town
Full name Chippenham Town Football Club
Nickname(s) The Bluebirds
Founded 1873
Ground Hardenhuish Park, Chippenham
Ground Capacity 3,000 (300 seated)[1]
Chairman Neil Blackmore
Manager Mark Collier
League National League South
2016–17 Southern League Premier Division, 1st of 24 (promoted)
Website Club website

Chippenham Town Football Club is a football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and play their games at Hardenhuish Park.

History

The club was established in 1873.[2] They joined the new Wiltshire League in 1901, and finished joint top of the table with Warminster Town, but lost the championship play-off replay 1–0, following a 1–1 draw in the first match.[3] They joined Division Two of the Western League in 1904, but also continued to play in the Wiltshire League. The 1904–05 season saw them finish bottom of the Western League and second in the Wiltshire League.[3][4] At the end of the 1905–06 season the club withdrew from the Western League,[4] and went on to win the Wiltshire League in 1907–08 and 1908–09, before finishing as runners-up in 1909–10.[3] They were runners-up again in 1912–13, 1921–22 and 1922–23, before winning the league in 1928–29.[3]

In 1930 Chippenham rejoined Division Two of the Western League.[4] The league was reduced to a single division in 1939, and the club were runners-up when the league resumed in the 1945–46 season.[4] The 1951–52 season saw them win the Western League for the first time, and they also reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 3–0 at Leyton.[4] They were Western League runners-up again in 1954–55.[4] However, they left the Western League at the end of the 1964–65 season,[4] dropping back into the Wiltshire League.[2] In 1968 the club joined the Premier Division of the Hellenic League, where they played until rejoining the Western League in 1973.[2] When the league gained a second division in 1976, the club were relegated to the new Division One.[4] They were Division One champions in 1980–81, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[4] In 1999–2000 the club reached the final of the FA Vase, eventually losing 1–0 to Deal Town at Wembley Stadium.[4]

After finishing as runners-up in 2000–01, Chippenham were promoted to Division One West of the Southern League. Their first season in the division saw them finish as runners-up, resulting in promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.[4] In 2004–05 they were Premier Division runners-up, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Bedford Town 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw in the semi-finals, they lost the final 1–0 to Hednesford Town.[5] The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, eventually losing 1–0 at Worcester City in a replay.[4] They also qualified for the promotion play-offs again after finishing fourth, beating King's Lynn 3–1 in the semi-finals before losing 3–2 to Bedford Town in the final.[6] Another fourth-place finish in 2007–08 led to another play-off campaign, this time ending with a 2–1 defeat to Halesowen Town in the semi-finals.[7] In 2009–10 the club finished third, and after beating Hednesford Town 2–0 in the play-off semi-finals, lost the final 2–1 to Nuneaton Town.[8] In 2016–17 they won the Premier Division with a league record 103 points, earning promotion to the National League South.

Ground

The club moved to Hardenhuish Park in 1919, having previously played at at least four other grounds.[9] A main stand was erected and subsequently added to on several occasions.[9] A new clubhouse was opened in 1979 and floodlights were installed in 1986.[9] Covered standing is provided behind one goal and along the opposite side of the pitch to the main stand. This was built in 1993, replacing an earlier stand that had been damaged by storms.[9] The pitch at Hardenhuish Park has a noticeable slope, downwards towards the Bristol Road end.[9] The ground currently has a capacity of 3,000, of which 300 is seated and 1,000 covered.[10]

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 Jared Thompson (on loan from Chelsea)
England GK James Rae
England GK Jason Matthews
England DF Greg Tindle
England DF Nuno Felix
Wales DF Rhys Baggridge
England DF Dan Bowman
England DF John Beeden
Wales DF Will Richards
No. Position Player
England MF Matt Smith
England MF James Guthrie
England MF Alex Ferguson
England MF Dean Evans
England FW Andy Sandell
Republic of Ireland FW Alan O'Brien
England FW Dave Pratt
England FW Jake Andrews (on loan from Bristol City)

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
England DF Mark Cooper (on loan to Melksham Town F.C.)
England MF Chris Allen (on loan to Melksham Town F.C.)
England FW Josh Morgan-Williams (on loan to Bitton F.C.)

Honours

Records

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chippenham Town Non-League Club Directory
  2. 1 2 3 Club History Chippenham Town F.C.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wiltshire League 1901-1955 Non-League Matters
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Chippenham Town at the Football Club History Database
  5. ↑ 2004-05 Southern League Football Club History Database
  6. ↑ 2005-06 Southern League Football Club History Database
  7. ↑ 2007-08 Southern League Football Club History Database
  8. ↑ 2009-10 Southern League Football Club History Database
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Chippenham Town Pyramid Passion
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p460 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0

Coordinates: 51°27′56.182″N 2°7′43.540″W / 51.46560611°N 2.12876111°W / 51.46560611; -2.12876111

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