Stratford Town
Full nameStratford Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bards
Founded1941 (as Stratford Rangers)
GroundKnights Lane, Tiddington
ChairmanJed McCrory
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division Central
2022–23Southern League Premier Division Central, 14th of 22
WebsiteClub website

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.

History

The 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

Stratford 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.

Players

Current squad

As of 27 December 2022 [6]

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

Pos. Nation Player
GK England ENG Louis Beresford
GK England ENG Liam O'Brien
DF England ENG Josh Endall
DF England ENG Kynan Issac
DF England ENG Josh Kilbride
DF England ENG Paul McCone
DF England ENG James O’Neil
DF England ENG Lucas Powell
DF Wales WAL Jack Turner
DF England ENG Dan Vann
MF England ENG Will Dawes
MF England ENG Brennan Denness-Barrett
MF England ENG Will Grocott (captain)
Pos. Nation Player
MF England ENG Josh Hawker
MF England ENG Ryan Inman
MF England ENG Max Johnson
MF Northern Ireland NIR Dan Lafferty
MF England ENG Felix Miles
MF England ENG Kurtis Revan
MF England ENG Ashley Sammons
MF England ENG Dexter Walters
FW England ENG Jake Collins
FW England ENG Curvin Ellis
FW England ENG Jamie Molyneux
FW Republic of Ireland IRL Adam Rooney
FW England ENG Jack Storer

The Southern Football League does not use a squad numbering system.

Management and coaching staff

Boardroom

As of 26 May 2022 [6]
Position Name
Owner Jed McCrory

Current staff

Position Name
Manager Gavin Hurren
First Team Coaches Jon Hill
Ian Weaving
Goalkeeper Coach Kieron Williams
Physio Amanada Sibanda

Managerial history

Period Manager
1993Alan Campbell
–2005Lennie Derby
2005–2006Ian Britton
2006–2007Dennis Mulholland
2007–2009Micky Moore
2009–2010Rod Brown
2010–2012Morton Titterton
2012–2014Morton Titterton
Carl Adams
2014–2018Carl Adams
2018Darren Byfield
2018–2019Thomas Baillie
2019Tommy Wright
2019–2021Paul Davis
2021–2022Tim Flowers
2022–2023Dean Holdsworth
Gavin Hurren
2023- Gavin Hurren

See also

  • Stratford Town F.C. players
  • Stratford Town F.C. managers

References

  • Mike and Tony Williams (2006). Non League Club Directory 2006. Tony Williams Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-869833-54-6.
  1. ↑ Hughes, Ian (20 October 2021). "Football fever set to grip Stratford after Town make FA Cup history". Stratford Observer. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "BARDS FA CUP TIE VS SHREWSBURY TO BE SHOWN LIVE ON ITV4!". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Stratford Town 1-5 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 7 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Stratford Town match report Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 "Stratford Town". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2022.

52°11′38.94″N 1°40′34.90″W / 52.1941500°N 1.6763611°W / 52.1941500; -1.6763611

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