Stratford Town F.C.

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"Stratford Rangers" redirects here. For club from Stafford, see Stafford Rangers.
Stratford Town
Stratford-Town-FC-2021.png
Full nameStratford Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bards
Founded1941 (as Stratford Rangers)
GroundKnights Lane, Tiddington
ChairmanJed McCroy
ManagerTim Flowers
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division Central
2020–21Southern League Premier Division Central (season curtailed)
WebsiteClub website
Away colours
Current season

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.[citation needed]

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 11 November 2021 [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 Liam O'Brien
DF England ENG Michael Hopkins
DF England ENG Kynan Isaac
DF England ENG Joe Magunda
DF Wales WAL Jack Turner
DF England ENG Dan Vann
DF England ENG Callum Westwood
DF England ENG Jordan Williams
DF England ENG Lewis Wilson
MF England ENG Caine Elliott
MF England ENG Bailey Fuller
Pos. Nation Player
MF England ENG Will Grocott (captain)
MF England ENG Bradley Johnson
MF Ghana GHA Ahmed Obeng
MF Northern Ireland NIR Dan Lafferty
MF England ENG Ashley Sammons
MF England ENG Jack Self
FW England ENG Jaanai Gordon
FW England ENG James Harding
FW England ENG Owen James
FW England ENG Michael Taylor
FW England ENG Harry Wakefield

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

Management and coaching staff[]

Boardroom[]

As of 3 September 2020 [6]
Position Name
Owner England Jed McCrory
Ambassador England Dean Holdsworth

Current staff[]

Position Name
Manager England Paul Davis
Assistant Manager Vacant
First Team Coach England Steve Walker
Goalkeeper Coach England Nathan Marsh

Managerial history[]

Period Manager
1993 Scotland Alan Campbell
–2005 England Lennie Derby
2005–2006 England Ian Britton
2006–2007 England Dennis Mulholland
2007–2009 England Micky Moore
2009–2010 England Rod Brown
2010–2012 England Morton Titterton
2012–2014 England Morton Titterton
England Carl Adams
2014–2018 England Carl Adams
2018 Jamaica Darren Byfield
2018–2019 England Thomas Baillie
2019 England Tommy Wright
2019–Present England Paul Davis

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 (2021-10-20). "Football fever set to grip Stratford after Town make FA Cup history". Stratford Observer. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  2. ^ James, Christian (2021-10-17). "Boston United 1-1 Stratford Town: United find bold Bards so hard to edge past". Non League Football Paper. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  3. ^ "BARDS FA CUP TIE VS SHREWSBURY TO BE SHOWN LIVE ON ITV4!". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  4. ^ "Stratford Town 1-5 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 2021-11-07.
  5. ^ Stratford Town match report Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b "Stratford Town". stratfordtownfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2021.

External links[]

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

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