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Barnstaple Town F.C.

Coordinates: 51°4′57.223″N 4°4′6.946″W / 51.08256194°N 4.06859611°W / 51.08256194; -4.06859611
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For the former railway station, see Barnstaple Town railway station.

Barnstaple Town F.C.
Official crest
Full nameBarnstaple Town Football Club
Nickname(s)Barum
Founded1904
GroundMill Road, Barnstaple
Capacity5,000 (250 seated)[1]
ChairmanBill Wilson
ManagerBen Watson
LeagueWestern League Premier Division
2023–24Western League Premier Division, 5th of 18

Barnstaple Town Football Club is a football club based in Barnstaple, Devon, England. They are currently members of the Western League Premier Division and play at Mill Road.

History

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The club was established in 1904 as Pilton Yeo Vale, and were founder members of the North Devon League in the same year.[2][3] They played in the league's first match, hosting Ilfracombe on 1 October; the visitors won 4–2 with several hundred in attendance.[3] However, that was to be the only defeat all season in the league and club went on to win the inaugural league title.[3] At the end of the season they adopted their current name.[2]

After winning a second North Devon league title in 1908–09,[4] they club switched to the Exeter & District League, where they remained until World War I. After the war they returned to the North Devon League, before rejoining the Exeter & District League. They won the league title in 1946–47 and were runners-up the following season,[5] before joining Division Two of the Western League in 1948.[6]

In 1949–50 Barnstaple won Division Two, earning promotion to Division One.[6] In 1951–52 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 5–2 to Folkestone in a replay.[6] The club were league champions in 1952–53, and reached the first round of the FA Cup again in 1954–55, losing 4–1 at home to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in front of a record crowd of 6,200.[6][1] They reached the first round of the FA Cup for a third time in 1959–60, losing 4–0 at Exeter City.[6]

The league was reduced to a single division in 1960, and the club reached the FA Cup first round again in 1972–73, before losing 2–0 at home to Bilston. The league expanded back to two divisions in 1976, with Barnstaple placed in the Premier Division.[6] In 1979–80 they won their second Western League title, and finished as runners-up in the following two seasons.[6] After finishing second-from bottom in 1990–91, Barnstaple were relegated to Division One. Three seasons later they won Division One, earning promotion back to the Premier Division.[6]

They remained in the Premier Division until being relegated again at the end of the 2012–13 season, which saw them finish bottom of the Premier Division. However, they made an immediate return to the top division after winning Division One in 2014–15. The following season saw the club finish as runners-up in the Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One South & West of the Southern League.[7] In 2021–22 they finished bottom of Division One South, resulting in relegation back to the Premier Division of the Western League. In 2023–24 the club finished fifth in the Premier Division and qualified for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 3–1 to Falmouth Town in the semi-finals.

Ground

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The club have played their home games at Mill Road in Barnstaple since the late 1930s. It has a capacity of 5,000, of which 250 is seated and 1,000 covered.[1] The record attendance at Mill Road was set in the 1954–55 season when a crowd of 6,200 watched an FA Cup first round tie against Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. Floodlights were installed in 1988 and inaugurated with a friendly match against Aston Villa on 15 November 1988, with the lights switched on by Villa manager Graham Taylor.

Honours

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  • Western League
    • Champions 1952–53, 1979–80
    • Division One champions 1949–50, 1993–94, 2014–15
  • Exeter & District League
    • Champions 1946–47
  • North Devon League
    • Champions 1904–05, 1908–09
  • Devon Pro Cup
    • Winners 1952–53, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81[8]
  • Devon St Lukes Cup
    • Winners 1987–88

Records

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  • Best FA Cup performance: First round, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1959–60, 1972–73[6]
  • Best FA Trophy performance: Second round, 1971–72[6]
  • Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 1994–95[6]
  • Record attendance: 6,200 v Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, FA Cup first round, 1954–55[1]
  • Biggest win: 12–1 vs Tavistock, FA Cup third qualifying round, 1954[8]
  • Heaviest defeat: 0–11 vs Odd Down, Western League, 25 April 2013[9]
  • Record transfer fee paid: £4,000 to Hungerford Town for Joe Scott[8]
  • Record transfer fee received: £6,000 from Bristol City for Ian Doyle[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p825 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. ^ a b History Archived 22 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Barnstaple Town F.C.
  3. ^ a b c 1904-05 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine North Devon League
  4. ^ 1908-09 Archived 29 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine North Devon League
  5. ^ Exeter & District League 1946–1972 Non-League Matters
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnstaple Town at the Football Club History Database
  7. ^ Barnstaple Town confirmed for Southern League Archived 25 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine North Devon Gazette, 13 May 2016
  8. ^ a b c d Honours Archived 22 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Barnstaple Town F.C.
  9. ^ Barnstaple Town suffer club record Western league defeat to Odd Down Archived 11 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine North Devon Journal, 2 May 2013
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51°4′57.223″N 4°4′6.946″W / 51.08256194°N 4.06859611°W / 51.08256194; -4.06859611

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