Taunton Town F.C.

Taunton Town

Full name

Taunton Town Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Peacocks

Founded

December 1947 (as Taunton F.C.)

Ground

The Viridor Stadium

Capacity

2,500

Chairman

Kevin Sturmey

Manager

Leigh Robinson

League

Southern League Division One South & West

2015–16

Southern League Division One South & West, 3rd

Website

Club home page

Home colours

Away colours

Taunton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Taunton, Somerset, England. They compete in the Southern Football League Division One South & West, and play their home matches at their Wordsworth Drive ground which they moved into during the 1953 season. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.

After being formed in 1947, they were admitted into the Western League in 1954. They struggled over the next ten years, and it was not until the 1970s that the club started to prosper. Having won the Western League in 1968–69, the club then finished as runners-up in the same league in four successive seasons from 1973. They gained promotion to the Southern League in 1977 and purchasing their ground from the local council. In the early 1980s they dropped back down into the Western League for financial reasons, but did not enjoy further success until 1989–90. The following twelve seasons saw the club win the title on four more occasions (1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01) and finish as runners-up four times (1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98 and 2001–02). In 2001 the club won the FA Vase, which it had narrowly missed out on seven years earlier. Following their string of good results, Taunton rejoined the Southern League for the 2002–03 season. After the latest re-organisation of the English football league system, the club are currently members of the Southern Football League Division One South & West.

History

In December 1947 a group of businessmen founded Taunton Football Club, and the club played its first match in Easter the following year. The club joined the Somerset Senior League, in which they played until 1953. During this year the club gained admission to the Western League for the first time. In the same year, the club also moved into their present ground on Wordsworth Drive, which they leased from Taunton Borough Council. During these early years of the club they battled financial problems and relied upon their Supporters Club. In 1968–69, the club enjoyed success for the first time, winning the Western League under the management of Doug Hillard. Over the following years Taunton Town continued to prosper on the pitch, finishing as Western League runners-up in four consecutive seasons from 1973 until 1976. During this time the club bought their Wordsworth Drive ground from the local council and installed floodlights. In 1977 they were promoted into the Southern League (Southern Section). Two years later, following the opening of the M5 motorway, they moved into the Midlands Section of the league.^[1]

In 1981, the club became a limited company, and the club's board decided that competing in the Southern League was too much of a financial burden; resulting in a drop back into the Western League for the 1983–84 season. The club finished as league champions for the second time in 1989–90 and followed this win up with further success, winning the league again in 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01. They also finished as runners-up on four occasions; in 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98 and 2001–02. Following their runners-up position in 2001–02, and the improved financial position of the club compared to twenty years earlier, the club was successful in its application to re-enter the Southern League. The club have remained in this league ever since, and after the restructuring of the English football league system, the club were placed in the Southern Football League Division One South & West.^[1]

The club reached the final of the FA Vase in 1994, where they lost in extra time to Diss Town. A second FA Vase finals appearance in 2001 resulted in greater success, Taunton Town beating Berkhamsted Town 2–1.^[1] In 2016–17 they reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for only the second time in their history.

Stadium

Wordsworth Drive

Taunton Town play their home games at The Viridor Stadium, Wordsworth Drive, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2HG

When they were formed, Taunton Town played at a variety of grounds in the Taunton area, including Mountfields, French Weir, Victoria Park and Huish Old Boys. They then moved to Denman's Park, Haines Hill where they remained until 1953. During that season the club moved to Wordsworth Drive in Taunton, where they have remained ever since. Initially they leased the ground from Taunton Borough Council, but in the 1970s the club purchased the ground from the council and installed floodlights.^[1] The ground has covered stands on all four sides of the pitch.^[2]

Current squad

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

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Lloyd Irish
		DF	Ryan Batley
		DF	Alex Hoyle
		DF	Owen Irish
		DF	Callum Martindale
		DF	Pierce Mitchell
		DF	Ed Palmer
		DF	Matt Villis
		MF	Matt Buse
		MF	Ollie Chamberlain

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Adam Kelly
		MF	Michael Meaker
		MF	James Regan
		MF	Josh Searle
		MF	Brett Trowbridge
		MF	Shane White
		FW	Jordan Rogers
		FW	Craig Veal
		FW	Matt Wright

Honours

Western League Champions: 6
- 1968–69, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
Western League Runners-up: 8
- 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02
Western League Division Two Runners-up: 1
- 1955–56
FA Vase Winners: 1
- 2000–01
FA Vase Runners-up: 1
- 1993–94
Western Football League Alan Young Cup:^[3]
- Winners (2): 1973–74, 1975–76 (shared with Falmouth Town)
Western Football League Combination Challenge cup:^[4]
- Winners (3): 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95
Western Football League Combination Subsidiary League Cup:^[5]
- Winners (3): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
Somerset Senior Cup^[6]
- Winners (1): 1969–70

Notable former players

Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
Players with full international caps.
Players that hold a club record.

Taunton Town Ladies

Taunton Town have a ladies football team; Taunton Town Ladies Football Club, who play in the South West Women's Football League Premier Division.^[7] They first played league football in 1986.^[8] In 1990–91, the ladies won the Division Two Cup of the newly formed South West Regional Women's Football League.^[9]

References

General

Taunton Town at the Football Club History Database

Specific

1 2 3 4 "CLUB HISTORY (The Peacocks)". Taunton Town Football Club. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
↑ "Taunton Town FC". Pyramid Passion. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
↑ "Western Football League Alan Young Cup Winners" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
↑ "Western Football League Combination Challenge Winners" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
↑ "Western Football League Combination Subsidiary League Cup" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
↑ "Senior Cup". SomersetFA. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
↑ "Fixtures and Results". South West Women's Football League. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
↑ "History of the League Part 1". South West Women's Football League. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
↑ "History of the League Part 2". South West Women's Football League. Retrieved 2010-10-26.

External links

Taunton Town F.C. website

Southern League

Premier Division	Banbury United Basingstoke Town Biggleswade Town Cambridge City Chesham United Chippenham Town Cinderford Town Cirencester Town Dorchester Town Dunstable Town Frome Town Hayes and Yeading United Hitchin Town Kettering Town King's Langley King's Lynn Town Leamington Merthyr Town Redditch United Slough Town St Ives Town St Neots Town Stratford Town Weymouth

Division One Central	AFC Dunstable Arlesey Town Ashford Town Aylesbury Aylesbury United Barton Rovers Beaconsfield SYCOB Bedford Town Chalfont St Peter Egham Town Farnborough Fleet Town Hanwell Town Histon Kempston Rovers Kidlington Marlow Northwood Petersfield Town Potters Bar Town Royston Town Uxbridge

Division One South & West	AFC Totton Barnstaple Town Bideford Bishop's Cleeve Bridgwater Town Didcot Town Evesham United Hereford Larkhall Athletic Mangotsfield United North Leigh Paulton Rovers Salisbury Shortwood United Slimbridge Swindon Supermarine Taunton Town Tiverton Town Wantage Town Wimborne Town Winchester City Yate Town

Seasons	1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Coordinates: 51°01′00.21″N 3°05′06.37″W / 51.0167250°N 3.0851028°W / 51.0167250; -3.0851028

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