Bottesford Town F.C.
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| Full name | Bottesford Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Poachers | ||
| Founded | 1974 | ||
| Ground | Barrett Steel Stadium Scunthorpe | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 (150 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Howard Pirie | ||
| Manager | Mike Thompson | ||
| League | Northern Counties East League Premier Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Northern Counties East League Premier Division, 17th of 20 | ||
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Bottesford Town Football Club is a football club based in Bottesford, Lincolnshire, England. They are currently members of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and play at Birkdale Park in Scunthorpe.
History
[edit]The club were established in 1974 and joined the Lincolnshire League.[2] In 1977–78 they finished bottom of the Premier Division, but were not relegated as it was expanded from 14 to 16 clubs.[3] However, after finishing second-from-bottom the following season, they were relegated to Division One. In 1987 the league was reduced to a single division, which the club became members of.
In 1986–87 they won the League Cup, a feat they repeated in 1988–89 and 1989–90.[1] The latter season also saw them win the league for the first time, and they went on to retain the title for the next two seasons.[4] They were runners-up in 1993–94, and in 2000 they joined the Premier Division of the Central Midlands League. After finishing third in their first season in the division, they were promoted to the Supreme Division.[5] However, they were relegated back to the Premier Division at the end of the 2002–03 season after finishing bottom of the Supreme Division.[5]
In 2005–06 Bottesford finished third in the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Supreme Division. The following season saw them crowned league champions, resulting in promotion to Division One of the Northern Counties East League.[5] In 2015–16 they finished third, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. After beating Hallam 2–0 in the semi-finals, they won the final against AFC Emley 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw to earn promotion to the Premier Division.
Bottesford Town reached the second qualifying round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history during the 2024–25 season as one of only sixteen remaining clubs from the ninth tier to reach the second qualifying round; they lost 2–0 away against seventh tier side Bromsgrove Sporting.
Ground
[edit]The club initially played on pitches at the Frederick Gough School in Scunthorpe, before moving to Birch Park in 1983 when a lease on the site was granted by the local council.[2] It currently has a capacity of 1,000, of which 90 is seated and 300 covered.
Honours
[edit]- Central Midlands League
- Supreme Division champions 2006–07
- Lincolnshire League
- Champions 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92
- League Cup winners 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90
Records
[edit]- Best FA Cup performance: Second qualifying round, 2024-25[5]
- Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 2016–17[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Bottesford Town Northern Counties East League
- ^ a b History Bottesford Town F.C.
- ^ Lincolnshire League 1968-1988 Non-League Matters
- ^ Lincolnshire League 1988-2012 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c d e Bottesford Town at the Football Club History Database