Bletchley Town
Full nameBletchley Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Gladiators, The Moles
Founded1914
2005 (refounded)
Dissolved1974 (became Milton Keynes City F.C.)
2013
GroundManor Fields,
Fenny Stratford
ChairmanJohn Snead
LeagueSpartan South Midlands League
Division Two
2011–12Spartan South Midlands League
Division Two, 8th

Bletchley Town F.C. was a football club based in Fenny Stratford near Bletchley, a constituent town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. The business was dissolved on 29 January 2013.[1] For the 2012–13 season, the first team was a member of the Spartan South Midlands League Division Two.

History

The first Association Football club to represent Bletchley was formed in 1914 as Bletchley Sports, and after the first world war the club became Bletchley Sports Club.[2] The club joined the Bedfordshire and District County League in the 1927–28 season, which became the South Midlands League two seasons later.[3] At the start of the 1930–31 season the club again changed its name, this time to Bletchley Town Sports.[2][4] The club stayed in the South Midlands league until the end of the 1933–1934 season, when they finished bottom of division one and left the league.

After the Second World War, "Bletchley L M S" took over the Bletchley colours, operating from 1947 to 1960 but gaining competition from 1952 from "Bletchley B B O B" (later called "Bletchley United") which played until 1976.

Meanwhile, Bletchley Town resumed competing in the South Midlands League in 1948[5] before transferring to the Spartan League Division One for the 1952/3 season. They gained promotion to the Premier Division as champions in only their first season. From 1954/5 (the last season of their first period in the Spartan League) they played under the name of "Bletchley & Wipac Sports Club" and two seasons later, for the 1956–57 campaign, changed their name to "Bletchley & WIPAC" by which time they had joined the Hellenic League.[6][7] The club became Bletchley Town F.C. again a season later, and stayed in the Hellenic league until the end of the 1958–59 season after which they played for a season back in the Spartan League before becoming members of the United Counties League.[8] They moved leagues again when they joined the Metropolitan League in the 1968–69 season, but three years later they switched leagues again by joining the Southern Football League, spending the next few seasons switching between Division one North and south.

Once again the club changed its name, this time to Milton Keynes City[lower-alpha 1] at the beginning of the 1974–75 season. The club continued in the southern league until the 1984–85 season, when the club folded, with their only notable achievement winning the Berks and Bucks cup in the 1979–80 season.[9][10][11]

2005 to 2014

However once again the club was reborn and as per usual with a change of name, 'Bletchley Town F.C.', for the 2005–06 season. The club started life in the North Bucks & District Football League and two seasons later were in the Spartan South Midland league.[2][8]

By March 2014, the club had disbanded.[12]

On 21 October 2014, its name was (re?)registered as a private limited company.[13]

Previous clubs representing Bletchley

With the many club name changes there have been several teams that also have represented Bletchley over the years that may be confused with Bletchley Town.

  1. Bletchley L M S (1947 to 1960)[14]
  2. Bletchley B B O B (1952 to 1957 then changed name to Bletchley United)[15]
  3. Bletchley United (1957 to 1976)[16]

Ground

Bletchley Town played their games at Manor Field, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire MK2 2HX. In 2010 the club put in a proposal to the council to construct a 2600 capacity playing arena.[17]

Club honours

  • United Counties League :[8]
    • Runners-up: 1967–68
  • South Midlands League Premier Division:[18]
    • Winners: 1955–56
  • Berks and Bucks Senior Cup:[10]
    • Winners: 1979–80

Current club honours

  • North Bucks & District League Division one :[19]
    • Runners-up: 2007–08
  • North Bucks & District Division two trophy :[19]
    • Runners-up: 2005–06

Club records

For all Bletchley Town teams.

  • Highest League Position:[8] 9th in Southern League Division One South 1972–73
  • F.A Cup best Performance:[8] Fourth qualifying round 1964–65, 1965–66
  • F.A Trophy best Performance:[9] Second qualifying round 1977–78, 1978–79
  • F.A. Vase best performance:[9] Fourth round 2001–02

Former players

For all Bletchley Town teams.

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.

References

  1. ↑ BLETCHLEY TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED Company number 06938270 Archived 14 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Companies House record
  2. 1 2 3 history Archived 21 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Bletchley Town F.C.
  3. ↑ South Midlands league 1922–30 Non-league Matters
  4. ↑ South Midlands league 1930–1939 Non-league Matters
  5. ↑ The Spartan Football League, Volume 3, 1950/51 – 1974/75 Compiled by Mike Wilson
  6. ↑ BLETCHLEY & WIPAC SPORTS at the Football Club History Database
  7. ↑ BLETCHLEY & WIPAC at the Football Club History Database
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 BLETCHLEY TOWN at the Football Club History Database
  9. 1 2 3 MILTON KEYNES CITY at the Football Club History Database
  10. 1 2 "1871 – the ultimate Reading FC website: Berks & Bucks Senior Cup History". Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  11. ↑ History of Football in MK Archived 13 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine MK Dons Supporters Association
  12. ↑ Agenda - Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Bletchley Town Football Club Limited
  14. ↑ BLETCHLEY L M S at the Football Club History Database
  15. ↑ BLETCHLEY B B O B at the Football Club History Database
  16. ↑ BLETCHLEY UNITED at the Football Club History Database
  17. ↑ Bletchley FC's bold stadium dream Published on Thursday 15 April 2010 10:43 Milton keynes Citizen
  18. ↑ South Midlands League 1954–1961 Non-league Matters
  19. 1 2 Clubs | Goalrun Spartan South Midklands football league
  1. ↑ Note that the name Milton Keynes City F.C. was revived again fourteen seasons later for the 1998–99 season, when an existing team called Mercedes-Benz Football Club, named after the factory where many of the players worked, changed their name. The club was playing in the Spartan South Midlands Football League and moved to Wolverton Park, which had been the home of Wolverton A.F.C. until they had collapsed six years earlier. As with Bletchley, City's directors believed that they could build their club up to be accepted as representing Milton Keynes as a whole, however they never achieved this. Following the departure of the directors in June 2003, the team folded in July, unable to secure the investment needed to continue. For details, see Milton Keynes City.
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