Stratford Town Football Club is a football club representing the town of Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England, but currently based in nearby Tiddington. They are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division Central and play at Knights Lane.
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| Full name | Stratford Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Bards | ||
| Founded | 1941 (as Stratford Rangers) | ||
| Ground | Knights Lane, Tiddington | ||
| Chairman | Jed McCrory | ||
| Manager | Gavin Hurren | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | ||
| 2023–24 | Southern League Premier Division Central, 6th of 21 | ||
| Website | http://www.stratfordtownfc.co.uk/ | ||
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History
editThe club was formed in 1941 as Stratford Rangers, changing their name in 1949. After playing in various local leagues they joined the Worcestershire Combination (which later became the Midland Football Combination) in 1954. In 1957 they switched to the Birmingham and District League, which became the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1962, but rejoined the Combination in 1970. In 1975 they took the unusual step of joining the Hellenic League, which does not normally include teams from Warwickshire. After two unsuccessful seasons they rejoined the Midland Combination once again, where they remained until becoming founder members of the Midland Football Alliance in 1994.
The club entered financial difficulty in 1998 and were reformed to become Stratford Town F.C.
On 20 April 2013, a 1–1 draw with Stourport Swifts sealed the Midland Alliance title and promotion to the Southern Football League for the first time in the club's history, where they initially played in Division One South & West. After two seasons in the Division One South & West, Stratford Town earned promotion to the Premier Division via the play-offs with a 3–2 win against Larkhall Athletic on 4 May 2015. They successfully retained their status the following season.
The 2021–22 season saw The Bards reach the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, defeating National League North side Boston United 3–2 in a fourth qualifying round replay after an initial 1–1 draw at the Boston Community Stadium.[1][2] Stratford were drawn at home to League One side Shrewsbury Town, with the match televised on ITV4.[3] Despite scoring first, they were eventually defeated 5–1 in front of a sell-out 2,800 spectators at Knights Lane.[4]
Stadium
editStratford Town moved into the Knights Lane ground, Tiddington in the 2007–08 season. They played their first league match there against Barwell on 16 February 2008, losing 1–0 to a Stuart Spencer goal.[5]
The record attendance is 2,800 for the FA Cup first round match against Shrewsbury Town on 7 November 2021.[citation needed]
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 17 August 2024 [6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The Southern Football League does not use a squad numbering system.
Management and coaching staff
editBoardroom
edit- As of 26 May 2022 [6]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jed McCrory |
Current staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gavin Hurren |
| First Team Coaches | Jon Hill Ian Weaving |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Kieron Williams |
| Physio | Amanada Sibanda |
Managerial history
edit| Period | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Alan Campbell |
| –2005 | Lennie Derby |
| 2005–2006 | Ian Britton |
| 2006–2007 | Dennis Mulholland |
| 2007–2009 | Micky Moore |
| 2009–2010 | Rod Brown |
| 2010–2012 | Morton Titterton |
| 2012–2014 | Morton Titterton Carl Adams |
| 2014–2018 | Carl Adams |
| 2018 | Darren Byfield |
| 2018–2019 | Thomas Baillie |
| 2019 | Tommy Wright |
| 2019–2021 | Paul Davis |
| 2021–2022 | Tim Flowers |
| 2022–2023 | Dean Holdsworth Gavin Hurren |
| 2023- | Gavin Hurren |
See also
editReferences
edit- Mike and Tony Williams (2006). Non League Club Directory 2006. Tony Williams Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-869833-54-6.
- ^ Hughes, Ian (20 October 2021). "Football fever set to grip Stratford after Town make FA Cup history". Stratford Observer. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ James, Christian (17 October 2021). "Boston United 1-1 Stratford Town: United find bold Bards so hard to edge past". Non League Football Paper. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "BARDS FA CUP TIE VS SHREWSBURY TO BE SHOWN LIVE ON ITV4!". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Stratford Town 1-5 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 7 November 2021.
- ^ Stratford Town match report Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Stratford Town". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2022.