Cinderford Town A.F.C.
Full name | Cinderford Town Association Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Town or The Foresters | ||
Founded | 1922 | ||
Ground | Causeway Ground, Cinderford | ||
Capacity | 3,500 (250 seated)[1] | ||
Chairman | Nick Simonds | ||
Manager | Matthew Driscoll | ||
League | Hellenic League Premier Division | ||
2022–23 | Southern League Division One South, 19th of 20 (relegated) | ||
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Cinderford Town Association Football Club is a
History
The modern club was formed in 1922 and joined the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League.[2] They were runners-up in 1935–36 and 1937–38, before winning the league in 1939–39.[2] They subsequently joined the Bristol Charity League, but the league closed down two weeks into the 1939–40 season due to World War II.[3] After the war the club joined Division Two of the Western League. After winning Division Two in 1956–57 they were promoted to Division One. However, the club left the league at the end of the 1958–59 season.[4]
Cinderford subsequently rejoined the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League,
The 1995–96 season saw Cinderford reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time. After beating Bromsgrove Rovers 2–1, they lost 3–0 at Gravesend & Northfleet in a second round replay.[4] The club were transferred to the Division One Midlands in 1998, and back to the renamed Division One Western in 1999.[4] In 2000–01 the club won the Gloucestershire Senior Cup, beating Bristol City 1–0 in the final.[7] They were moved back to the Division One Midlands in 2006, before returning to Division One South & West in two years later.[4] In 2015–16 they won the division and were promoted to the Premier Division.[4] The club initially tried to refuse promotion due to concerns about increased costs, but this was rejected by the Football Association.[8]
In 2016–17 Cinderford finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One West. In 2018–19 the club finished fifth in Division One South, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Cirencester Town 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–1 to Yate Town in the final. They finished second-from-bottom of the division in 2022–23 and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League.
Ground
The club initially played at the Royal Oak ground behind the eponymous
Floodlights were installed in 1991 and officially inaugurated with a friendly match against Birmingham City.[3] During the 1993–94 season the 18-foot slope from corner to corner was rectified,[3] with the club playing at Worrall Hill while the work was carried out, around five miles from Cinderford.[9] The levelling of the pitch meant banking was created behind one goal and along the side of the pitch opposite the main stand.[9] The ground currently has a capacity of 3,500, of which 250 is seated and 1,000 covered.[1]
Management
Position | Name |
---|---|
Chairman | Nick Simonds |
Manager | Matthew Driscoll |
Assistant manager | Rhys Llewellyn |
Coach | Will Morford |
Physiotherapist | Vacant |
Kit Manager | Phil Tompkins |
Head of Youth | Rich Wilkins |
Under 18's Manager | Rich Wilkins |
Honours
- Southern League
- Division One South & West champions 2015–16
- Western League
- Division Two champions 1956–57
- Hellenic League
- Premier Division champions 1994–95
- Premier Division Cup winners 1994–95
- Floodlit Cup winners 1994–95
- Division One champions 1990–91
- Warwickshire Combination
- Western Division champions 1964–65
- League Cup winners 1964–65
- West Midlands (Regional) League
- League Cup winners 1968–69 (joint)
- Midland Combination
- League Cup winners 1982–83
- Gloucestershire Northern Senior League
- Champions 1938–39, 1960–61
- Gloucestershire Senior Cup
- Winners 2000–01
Records
- Best league performance: 1st in Southern League Division One South & West, 2015–16[4]
- Best FA Cup performance: Second round, 1995–96[4]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Second round, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04[4]
- Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 1991–92[4]
- Record attendance: 4,850 vs Minehead, Western League Division Two, 1957[3]
- Biggest victory: 13–0 vs Cam Mills, 1938–39[10]
- Heaviest defeat: 10–0 vs Sutton Coldfield, 1978–79[10]
- Most appearances: Russell Bowles, 528[10]
Previous managers
Name | From | To |
---|---|---|
Jimmy Rogers | 1962 | |
Tim Harris | 1990 | 1997 |
Chris Price | 1997 | |
Mike Cook | 2004 | 2006 |
Keith Knight | 2007 | 2007 |
Paul Weeks | 2009 | 2014 |
Steve Peters | 2011 | 2014 |
David Bird (Caretaker) | 2014 | 2014 |
John Brough | 2014 | 2016 |
Chris Burns / Allan Gough | 2016 | 2016 |
Brian Burke / Rich Wilkins (Caretakers) | 2016 | 2016 |
Paul Michael | 2016 | 2020 |
Stephen Cleal | 2020 | 2021 |
Alex Sykes | 2021 | 2023 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c Cinderford Town Non-League Club Directory
- ^ a b Gloucestershire Northern Senior League 1919–1939 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c d e f g h History Cinderford Town F.C.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cinderford Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Gloucestershire Northern Senior League 1946–1968 Non-League Matters
- ^ Warwickshire Combination 1954–1967 Non-League Matters
- ^ Gloucestershire Football Club History Database
- ^ Cinderford Town forced to take promotion to Southern League Premier Division The Forester, 15 June 2016
- ^ a b c d e f Forest fliers David Bauckham
- ^ ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0