Bilston Town F.C.

Bilston Town
Full name Bilston Town Community Football Club
Nickname(s) The Steelmen
Founded 1894
Ground Queen Street, Bilston
Ground Capacity 4,000 (300 seated)
Chairman Graham Hodson
Manager Scott Hamilton
League West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division
2015–16 West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division, 20th

Bilston Town Football Club is an English association football club based in Bilston, West Midlands. In the 2016–17 season they are playing in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division for the fourth successive season. On 23 July 2013 they confirmed their promotion to the WM(R)L Premier Division following a successful appeal to the Football Association at Wembley to uphold their 2012-13 promotion, after initially having their promotion rejected. In 2007 the club folded but was rescued by a consortium, re-formed as Bilston Town (2007) and accepted into the West Midlands (Regional) League Division Two. In 2015 the team adopted the name Bilston Town Community and is now competing in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.

History

The club was founded in 1894 after Bilston Rovers and Bilston Wanderers merged to form Bilston United In 1919 the club moved to Queen Street in Bilston. Between 1894 and 1939 the club was known as Bilston United and Bilston Borough and they played in various local cup competitions as well as the Walsall & District League and Birmingham Combination league. The club was disbanded in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War Two. The club reformed in 1946 simply as Bilston F.C. In 1954 the team joined the Birmingham & District League and won the championship in 1960–61 and again in 1972–73 (by which time the league had been renamed the West Midlands Regional League). In 1983 the club's name changed to Bilston Town F.C.

After finishing as West Midlands Regional League runners-up in 1984–85, the Steelmen were promoted to the Southern Football League, where they spent seventeen seasons in the Midland Division (later re-organised as the Western Division). Their best finish (3rd place) came in 2000–01, but the following season they could only finish 17th, after which they resigned for financial reasons and dropped three levels to the West Midlands League Division One.

After the 2006–07 season Bilston resigned from the West Midlands (Regional) League. In June the club's chairman issued a statement on the club's future:[1]

“ I have had several discussions/meetings and I am now drawing up final details with four interested parties. Three out of the four interested parties have a strong desire to continue a Bilston Town FC. I will post further details as & when a conclusion has been reached ”

Shortly after this the club's official website was shut down. The club was taken from the owners, and reformed as Bilston Town (2007) and accepted back into the West Midlands (Regional) League for the 2007–08 season, albeit in Division Two. The club finished the season in second place behind Wellington Amateurs.[2]

In 2009 the club appointed a new board and manager, with the aim of developing the club as a force within the local community and involving youth teams and leagues across the Black Country. After some mixed results, January 2010 saw Ian Broad appointed as Manager and Adrian Knight as Coach. New players joined the squad and the team finished in mid-table. Off the field the club continued to work within the community, forging strong links with the Bilston Partnership Youth Football League, and various groups working with the probation service and a local Pupil Referral Unit. In 2011 the club started a Saturday Soccer School for local youngsters, and continued its work within the local community, hosting a number of charity events to raise money for local causes. At the end of the 2011–12 season Ian Broad left the club, and was replaced by Andy Rutter as manager.

In his first season in charge Andy Rutter led the club to runners-up in division 1 and promotion was achieved,[3] while also achieving the clubs longest run in the FA Vase for over 10 years. The club also reached the quarter-finals of the Walsall Senior Cup, losing to Southern League team Sutton Coldfield Town after a penalty shoot-out.

Club records

Honours

Cups

Bilston players pictured in 1901 with the six trophies they won that season
Queen Street Main Stand
Staffordshire Senior/Junior Cup
6 wins
Winners: 1906, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1998
Runners-up: 1957, 1963, 1965, 1986, 1997
Staffordshire FA Challenge Cup
2 wins
Winners: 1922, 2003
Walsall Junior/Challenge/Senior Cup
10 wins
Winners: 1901, 1906, 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1969, 1972, 1973
Runners-up: 1909, 1920, 1977
Shared: 1933 (with Walsall Wood)
Finalists: 1934 (result unknown)
Walsall Hospital Cup
2 wins
Winners: 1901, 1902
Walsall Charity Cup
1 win
Winners: 1902
Birmingham Senior Cup
Runners-up: 1923, 1969
Birmingham Junior Cup
1 win
Winners: 1896
Runners-up: 1902, 1904
Wednesbury Charity Cup
4 wins
Winners: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985
Runners-up: 1984
West Midlands League Premier Division League Cup
1 win
Winners: 1973
Runners-up: 1966, 1974
West Midlands League First Division League Cup
1 win
Winners: 2004
The John Martin Trophy
1 win
Winners: 2010-11
Runners-up: 2011-12, 2014–15
Joint Winners: 2009-10, 2013–14
N/A: 2012-13 - Not played because of bad weather and fixture congestion.
Wolverhampton Charity Cup
4 wins
Winners: 1896, 1900, 1901, 1904
Runners-Up: 1905 (Initially Bilston United won the final 2-1 against Wednesbury Old Athletic but Wednesbury Old Athletic protested the outcome and a replay was ordered. Bilston failed to appear for the replay claiming they were unable to raise a side, so the cup was awarded to Wednesbury Old Athletic by default.)
Wolverhampton Hospital Cup
Finalists: 1905-06 (Played Willenhall Pickwick in the final but result unknown)
Staffordshire Junior Cup
1 win
Winners: 1901
Bilston Charity Cup
2 wins
Winners: 1901, 1914
Runners-up: 1906, 1910
Willenhall Nursing Institute Cup
1 win
Winners: 1909
Rugeley Charity Cup
1 win
Winners: 1966-67

League

Birmingham & District League/West Midlands (Regional) League

Bilston Town players celebrate beating Haughmond 4-1 to gain promotion to the WM(R)L Premier Division in May 2013

Walsall & District League

Birmingham Combination/Birmingham Junior League

Reserve & Youth team honours

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Premier Division

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Senior Cup: 1 win

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Jubilee Cup: 1 win

Walsall Senior League

Aston Villa Cup: 1 win

West Midlands League Division One League Cup: 1 win

Staffordshire Youth Shield

FA Cup achievements

Bilston Town have reached the FA Cup proper on two occasions, once in 1968–9 and again in 1972–73. Their FA Cup records during those two seasons are as follows:

1968-69 FA Cup

1972-73 FA Cup

Ground

The exterior of the Queen Street ground

Early in the clubs history they played at Prouds Lane, using the nearby Spread Eagle pub as their changing room. They moved to Queen Street after World War One, the opening game there was against Tamworth Castle on 27 September 1919 but several years later the club went bust and the ground was sold to the local council with the proviso that it always be used as a football ground. Within a year of going bust the club reformed and returned to Queen Street and has been playing homes games there ever since. The club house dates back to the mid fifties and floodlights were first installed in 1953.

The ground, as it exists today, can hold 4000 spectators, with 300 of them seated. Vehicles can be parked within the ground itself.

In April 2006 the BBC reported that the club's Queen Street ground had been vandalised over 120 times in six years.[7] In 2007 council officials ruled that the ground was unsafe, forcing the club to move out and play their matches in Bantock Park, a public recreation ground.[8]

In May 2008 Wolverhampton City Council announced plans to redevelop the football ground with a new hotel, restaurants and shops, allowing a complete overhaul of the pitch and terraces.[9] Work on the terraces, clubhouse and dressing rooms was completed in August 2008.[10]

Over the years Queen Street has hosted many local and youth competition finals including the JW Hunt Cup final on a few occasions. It has also been the home of Bustleholme, who ground shared with Bilston for several years. Dudley Town also shared the ground for a season in the mid-1980s after subsidence caused by old mineworkings led to the closure of their ground. Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves and Wolverhampton Wanderers women have both used the ground as a home base too. Willenhall Town will ground share at Queen Street from the 2015-16 season.

Names

Over the years the club has been known by several different names.

References

  1. ↑ Official website Archived February 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., retrieved on 28 June 2007
  2. ↑ WMRL Division Two at FA Full Time
  3. ↑ http://full-time.thefa.com/ProcessPublicSelect.do;jsessionid=C8FF4D6CB0E35BBE00B62CD6D9720A76?psSelectedSeason=380616951&psSelectedDivision=7248658&psSelectedLeague=3244788
  4. ↑ Bilston at the Football Club History Database
  5. ↑ Bilston Town at the Football Club History Database
  6. ↑ "Bilston Footballers Who Lifted Six Cups In Their Glory Year". Black Country Bugle.
  7. ↑ BBC Feature
  8. ↑ "Park 'home' for Bilston Town FC". Express and Star. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  9. ↑ Express and Star article £12m plan for football club, accessed 28 May 2008
  10. ↑ "Football club is going home". Express and Star. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2008-08-26.

External links

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