Chippenham Town F.C.

Chippenham Town Football Club is a football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and play their games at Hardenhuish Park.

Chippenham Town
Full nameChippenham Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bluebirds
Founded1873
GroundHardenhuish Park, Chippenham
Capacity3,000 (300 seated)[1]
ChairmanNeil Blackmore
ManagerMike Cook
LeagueNational League South
2019–20National League South, 14th of 22
WebsiteClub website

History
See also: List of Chippenham Town F.C. seasons

The club was established in 1873.[2] They joined the new Wiltshire League in 1901, and finished joint top of the table with Warminster Town, but lost the championship play-off replay 1–0, following a 1–1 draw in the first match.[3] They joined Division Two of the Western League in 1904, but also continued to play in the Wiltshire League. The 1904–05 season saw them finish bottom of the Western League and second in the Wiltshire League.[3][4] At the end of the 1905–06 season the club withdrew from the Western League,[4] and went on to win the Wiltshire League in 1907–08 and 1908–09, before finishing as runners-up in 1909–10.[3] They were runners-up again in 1912–13, 1921–22 and 1922–23, before winning the league in 1928–29.[3]

In 1930 Chippenham rejoined Division Two of the Western League.[4] The league was reduced to a single division in 1939, and the club were runners-up when the league resumed in the 1945–46 season.[4] The 1951–52 season saw them win the Western League for the first time, and they also reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 3–0 at Leyton.[4] They were Western League runners-up again in 1954–55.[4] However, they left the Western League at the end of the 1964–65 season,[4] dropping back into the Wiltshire League.[2] In 1968 the club joined the Premier Division of the Hellenic League, where they played until rejoining the Western League in 1973.[2] When the league gained a second division in 1976, the club were relegated to the new Division One.[4] They were Division One champions in 1980–81, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[4] In 1999–2000 the club reached the final of the FA Vase, eventually losing 1–0 to Deal Town at Wembley Stadium.[4]

After finishing as runners-up in 2000–01, Chippenham were promoted to Division One West of the Southern League. Their first season in the division saw them finish as runners-up, resulting in promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.[4] In 2004–05 they were Premier Division runners-up, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Bedford Town 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw in the semi-finals, they lost the final 1–0 to Hednesford Town.[5] The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, eventually losing 1–0 at Worcester City in a replay.[4] They also qualified for the promotion play-offs again after finishing fourth, beating King's Lynn 3–1 in the semi-finals before losing 3–2 to Bedford Town in the final.[6] Another fourth-place finish in 2007–08 led to another play-off campaign, this time ending with a 2–1 defeat to Halesowen Town in the semi-finals.[7] In 2009–10 the club finished third, and after beating Hednesford Town 2–0 in the play-off semi-finals, lost the final 2–1 to Nuneaton Town.[8]

In 2016–17 Chippenham won the Southern League's Premier Division with a league record 103 points, earning promotion to the National League South. They reached the first round of the FA Cup again in 2019–20, losing 3–0 at home to Northampton Town.

Ground

The club moved to Hardenhuish Park in 1919, having previously played at at least four other grounds.[9] A main stand was erected and subsequently added to on several occasions.[9] A new clubhouse was opened in 1979 and floodlights were installed in 1986.[9] Covered standing is provided behind one goal and along the opposite side of the pitch to the main stand. This was built in 1993, replacing an earlier stand that had been damaged by storms.[9] The pitch at Hardenhuish Park has a noticeable slope, downwards towards the Bristol Road end.[9] The ground currently has a capacity of 3,000, of which 300 is seated and 1,000 covered.[10]

Current squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  ENG Will Puddy
— GK  ENG Ben Hughes
— DF  ENG George Rigg
— DF  ENG Kieran Parselle
— DF  ENG Spencer Hamilton
— DF  ENG Eddie Jones
— DF  ENG Danny Greenslade
— DF  ENG Jay Foulston (on loan from Taunton Town)
— MF  ENG Luke Russe
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ENG Matt Buse (on loan from Torquay United)
— MF  ENG Joe Hanks
— MF  SCO Callum Gunner
— MF  WAL Alex Bray
— MF  ENG Ross Stearn
— FW  ENG Bradley Ash
— FW  ENG Chris Zebroski
— FW  ENG Marlon Jackson
— FW  ENG Jack Stevens (on loan from Oxford United)
As of 8 January 2021[11]

Honours
  • Southern League
    • Premier Division champions 2016–17
  • Western League
    • Premier Division champions 1951–52
    • Division One champions 1980–81
    • League Cup winners 1999–2000, 2000–01
  • Wiltshire League
    • Champions 1907–08, 1908–09, 1928–29
  • Wiltshire Premier Shield
    • Winners 1965–66, 1986–87, 1988–89, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2017–18

Records

See also
  • Chippenham Town F.C. players
  • Chippenham Town F.C. managers

References
  1. Chippenham Town Non-League Club Directory
  2. Club History Chippenham Town F.C.
  3. Wiltshire League 1901-1955 Non-League Matters
  4. Chippenham Town at the Football Club History Database
  5. 2004-05 Southern League Football Club History Database
  6. 2005-06 Southern League Football Club History Database
  7. 2007-08 Southern League Football Club History Database
  8. 2009-10 Southern League Football Club History Database
  9. Chippenham Town Pyramid Passion
  10. Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p460 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  11. "The Team". pitchero.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.

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