Bognor Regis Town F.C.
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| Nickname(s) | The Rocks | ||
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| Founded | 1883 (as Bognor F.C.) | ||
| Ground | Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis | ||
| Capacity | 4,500 (350 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Dominic Reynolds | ||
| Manager | Jamie Howell | ||
| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||
| 2014–15 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 14th | ||
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Bognor Regis Town Football Club are an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The club is an FA Chartered Standard Community club affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association.[1] They currently compete in the Isthmian Premier Division.
Contents
History
Bognor F.C. were founded in 1883 and the club became founding members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896, joining the Senior Division.[2] They won the championship of this league for five successive years in the early 1920s, after which they joined the Brighton & Hove District League in 1926. Just one year later, however, they joined the Sussex County League where they were to remain until 1972. The club became Bognor Regis F.C. in 1929 after King George V added the suffix 'Regis' to the seaside resort.
The club won the Sussex County Division One championship in the 1948–49 season. At the end of that season, they added "Town" to their name so as not to be confused with the local rugby club.
At the end of the 1969–70 season they were relegated, but won Division Two at the first attempt. The club won the Division One championship title the following season and were promoted to Division One South of the Southern League. In 1972–73 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 6–0 at Colchester United. In 1976 Jack Pearce became manager at the age of just 26, and went on to hold the position until 2007.
In 1981 the club were transferred to Division One of the Isthmian League, and were promoted at the end of the 1981–82 season after finishing second. In 1984–85 they reached the first round of the FA Cup again, beating Swansea City 3–1 in a replay after a 1–1 draw at the Vetch Field. In the second round they lost 6–2 at Reading. They reached the second round again the following season, beating Enfield in the first round, before losing 6–1 at Gillingham. They went on to reach the first round again in 1986–87 (losing 1–0 in a replay to Slough Town) and 1987–88 (losing 3–0 at home to Torquay United). In 1988–89 they beat Football League opposition again, defeating Exeter City 2–1, before losing to Cambridge United.
In 1991–92 Bognor finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved after Dagenham and Redbridge Forest merged. However, the following season they finished bottom of the Premier Division, and were relegated to Division One. In 1995–96 they reached the second round of the FA Cup for a fourth time, before losing 4–0 at Peterborough United.
In 2002–03 they finished second in Division One South, and were promoted back to the Premier Division. After finishing tenth the following year, the club were placed in the newly established Conference South. They were relegated back to the Isthmian League Premier Division at the end of the 2008–09 season, and were relegated again the following season.
Season 2010–11 saw the club compete in the Isthmian League Division One South and they missed out on promotion back to the Premier Division by the tightest of margins. Having finished with a club record total of 96 points, they lost out in the title race to Metropolitan Police on goal difference by just one goal, having led the table by two points, going in to the last fixture. As a result, they found themselves having to participate in the end-of-season play-offs, where they lost at home to Dulwich Hamlet who had finished 31 points behind.
In 2011–12 they again finished second in Division One South. They won the end-of-season play-offs, defeating Godalming Town in a thrilling semi-final, before beating Dulwich Hamlet 1–0 in the final, and thus gaining promotion to the Premier Division. The 2012-13 season saw them finish in 14th place in the Ryman Premier. The 2013-14 season started slowly with just one point from the opening four matches. However they soon rose up the table, eventually finishing in third place and qualified for the end of season play-offs, although this ended in defeat in the semi-final at home to Lowestoft Town.
Stadium
The club play at Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis, PO21 2TY. The ground has a capacity of 4,000, of which 350 are seated. There is covered accommodation on three sides. The ground's first set of floodlights were bought from Wembley Stadium and fitted onto telegraph poles. In the 1970s the current floodlight pylons were added, with four along each touchline, before two of these were removed on each side in the early 1990s.
On 15 August 2008 a fire destroyed the clubhouse, and was suspected to be arson.[3] Work on a new social club, named 'Seasons', commenced during the summer of 2009 and opened in November the same year.
The playing surface is arguably one of the finest in non-league football and won an award for the best in all three divisions of the Conference in 2008. Season 2010/11 also saw the pitch win an award, this time voted the best in all three divisions of the Isthmian League, in a poll of referees. The club also won an award two seasons running – 2007/08 and 2008/09, for the best canteen, as voted by supporters of rival Conference South clubs.
The club's ultras, who call themselves the Green Army, are fronted by a local bearded man known as Goldie.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club management
As of 13 July 2013
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| General Club Manager | Jack Pearce |
| Head Coach | Darin Killpartrick |
| 1st Team Manager | Jamie Howell |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Lee Conway |
| Fitness Coach/Kit Manager | Neil Cockroft |
| Physiotherapist | Alan 'Fish' Robertson |
| Physiotherapist | Rachel Rees |
| Under 18s Coaches | Luke Cooper & Dan Cox |
Managers
As of 1 May 2012. Statistics below are League matches only (Sussex County/Southern/Isthmian/Conference South).
| Name | Nationality | Period | G | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darin Killpartrick |  |
January 2009–Present | 143 | 69 | 38 | 36 | 48.25% |
| Jamie Howell | |
June 2009–Present | 124 | 64 | 33 | 27 | 51.61% |
| Mick Jenkins | |
June 2008 – January 2009 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 8.70% |
| Michael Birmingham | |
October 2007 – May 2008 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 30% |
| Jack Pearce | |
June 1994 – October 2007 | 566 | 227 | 144 | 195 | 40.10% |
| Mick Pullen | |
June 1992 – May 1994 | 84 | 20 | 24 | 40 | 23.81% |
| Jack Pearce | |
March 1976 – May 1992 | 672 | 254 | 163 | 255 | 37.78% |
| Derek Edwards | |
June 1970 – March 1976 | 208 | 86 | 50 | 72 | 41.35% |
Honours
League honours
- West Sussex League Winners – 1920/21, 21/22, 22/23, 23/24, 24/25.
- West Sussex League Runners-up – 1897-98.[2]
- Sussex County League Div. 1 Winners – 1948/49, 71/72.
- Sussex County League Div. 2 Winners – 1970/71.
- Southern League Southern Division runners-up – 1980/81.
- Isthmian Division One runners-up – 1981/82.
- Isthmian Division One South runners-up – 2002/03 (promoted), 2010/11 (not promoted), 2011/12 (promoted)
Cup honours
- Sussex Senior Cup winners – 1954/55, 55/56, 79/80, 80/81, 81/82, 82/83, 83/84, 86/87.
- The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup[4]
- Winners (1): 1971–72
- Runners Up (1): 1958–59,
- Isthmian League Cup winners – 1986/87
Club records
- Record victory 24–0 v Littlehampton, West Sussex Senior League, 1913–14
- Record defeat 0–19 v Shoreham, West Sussex Senior League, 1906–07
- Record attendance 3,642 v Swansea City, FA Cup first round replay, 1984–85
- Appearances: Mick Pullen, 967, 1976–96
- Goalscorer: Kevin Clements, 216, 1978–89
- Best league performance: Ninth in the Conference South, 2004–05
- Best FA Cup performances: Second round, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1995–96. First round, 1972–73, 1986–87, 1987–88.
- Best FA Trophy performance: Last 32, 1995–96
- Most points in a season: 96 points in season 2010/2011, in the Isthmian Division One South
Team colours
The club's home strip consists of green and white, of which in the past, combinations have varied including green and white striped shirts, green and white halved shirts, green and white quartered shirts and plain green shirts with white shorts. Following King George V's decision to add the suffix 'Regis' to the town's name in 1929, the club wore a blue and gold strip for a period in the 1930s, before reverting to green and white some time later that decade. Since the mid-1970s, the strip has mostly consisted of white shirts, green shorts and white socks, as is the case in 2014. Like most clubs, away colours have varied over the years, although blue shirts (various shades) have been worn since 1998. Navy and yellow are the club's change colours for the 2014–15 season.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Season | Kit Manufacturer | Main Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1979–1980 | Adidas | Hago Plastics |
| 1980–1981 | Umbro | |
| 1981–1983 | No Shirt Sponsor | |
| 1983–1985 | Hamilton Lines | |
| 1985–1987 | New Olympic | West Sussex Contractors |
| 1987–1989 | Puma | Butlins (FA Cup ties only) |
| 1989–1991 | New Olympic | Adcocks Suzuki |
| 1991–1992 | Hall Signs | |
| 1992–1993 | Bukta | Spindlers Lamps & Lights |
| 1993–1994 | Diadora | Reynolds Furniture Store |
| 1994–1995 | ||
| 1995–1996 | ICIS | |
| 1996–1997 | Esprit Accountants | |
| 1997–1998 | Butlins Bognor Regis | |
| 1998–1999 | Vandanel Sports | Competitive Cleaning |
| 1999–2000 | Reynolds Furniture Store | |
| 2000–2001 | Spall | Finest Windows |
| 2001–2002 | Express Printing | |
| 2002–2003 | Wayne Windows | |
| 2003–2005 | GX | Aldersmead |
| 2005–2006 | homes2buy.co.uk | |
| 2006–2007 | KFC | |
| 2007–2008 | VRV Autos | |
| 2008–2009 | Apogee Corporation | |
| 2009–2010 | Erreà | |
| 2010–2011 | Keith Jay Carpets | |
| 2011–2012 | Chestnut Tree House | |
| 2012–2013 | Havant Motor Factors | |
| 2013–2014 | Viessmann | |
| 2014–2015 | FRH Machinery | |
| 2015–2016 | Gilbert & Cleveland |
See also
Category:Bognor Regis Town F.C. players
References
External links
- Club website
- Bognor Regis Town at the Football Club History Database
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