![Bedford Town vs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Bedford_Town_vs._Arsenal_1956_FA_Cup.jpg)
Bedford Town Football Club is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in the
Borough of Bedford
The Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based in Bedford, its namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire. The bor ...
, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Eyrie in
Cardington, a village on the outskirts of
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
. They are full members of
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
and affiliated to the
Bedfordshire County Football Association
The Bedfordshire Football Association, also simply known as ''Bedfordshire FA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Bedfordshire, England. Founded in 1894, the Bedfordshire FA run a number of cups at different levels for teams a ...
.
History
Pre-war
A Bedford Town Football Club was in existence by 1884, although it changed its name to Bedford Association in 1887.
[ As there were no leagues at the time, the club played friendly matches in cups, including the Kettering Charity Cup and the Luton Charity Cup, before disappearing in 1891.][ The name Bedford Town reappeared in 1894 when Swifts, a club founded in 1890, were renamed.][ They absorbed Bedford Rovers in 1896, and although local leagues had been formed, the club continued to play only cup matches and friendlies.][ However, the club disappeared around the turn of the century.][
On 31 July 1908 a new Bedford Town was formed at the Association Rooms on Harpur Street.][Earliest days, before 1908]
Bedford Old Eagles They joined Division One of the Northamptonshire League, finishing bottom of the table in their first two seasons, but avoiding relegation to Division Two.[Northamptonshire League 1895-1934]
Non-League Matters They went on to finish as runners-up for three consecutive seasons between 1911–12 and 1913–14 before the league closed down due to World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.[ They also won the ]Northamptonshire Senior Cup
The NFA Hillier Senior Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Northamptonshire, England and the surrounding area. It is a County Cup competition of the Northamptonshire Football Association and involves senior non-league t ...
in 1912–13.[Records, 1908-82]
Bedford Old Eagles
After the war the club continued in the league, finishing as Division One runners-up in 1929–30 before winning the title in 1930–31. The following season saw them finish in second place again, after which they won back-to-back titles in 1932–33 and 1933–34.[ The league was then renamed the ]United Counties League
The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''Uhlsport United Counties League'') is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire and most of Leicestershire as well as parts of Buckinghamshi ...
, with Bedford finishing as runners-up in 1934–35 and reaching the first round of the FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time, losing 3–2 at home to Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
.[ They finished as runners-up again in 1936–37, remaining in the league until ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[United Counties League 1934-1970]
Non-League Matters
Southern League and cup success
In 1945 Bedford joined the Southern League. They reached the first round of the FA Cup several times in the early 1950s, losing 2–0 at Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
in 1951–52, 4–0 at Weymouth in 1953–54 and 2–0 at Dorchester Town
Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England. They currently play in the .
The club is affiliated to the Dorset County Football Association and is a FA chartered Standard club. They ...
in 1954–55. In 1955 they applied for election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
to the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
after finishing eighteenth in the Southern League, but received no votes.
The 1955–56 season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup again, and for the first time they progressed to the next round after beating Leyton
Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...
3–0. The second round saw them defeat Football League opposition for the first time as they won 3–2 against Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
, before being drawn against Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the third round. The first match at Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was situ ...
ended 2–2, with Arsenal winning the replay 2–1.[ They applied for election to the Football League again following a third-place finish in the Southern League, but again failed to receive a vote.
In the following season the club again beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup, defeating ]Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
4–2 at Carrow Road
Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum.
N ...
before losing 1–0 at Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
. They finished as runners-up in both 1956–57 and 1957–58, again applying unsuccessfully for Football League membership, although they received one vote in 1957 and two in 1958. The Southern League was split into North-West and South-East divisions for the 1958–59 season, with Bedford winning the South-East section and going on to beat North-West champions Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
2–1 in a championship play-off at Edgar Street
Edgar Street is a football stadium in Hereford and was the home of Hereford United Football Club from the club's formation in 1924 until December 2014, when the club was wound up. It is now the home of Hereford FC, a phoenix club formed to rep ...
.Champions Locking Horns In Decider
Southern League Despite winning the Southern League, they failed to receive a single vote in the 1959 Football League elections.
The following season saw further league re-organisation, with Bedford placed in the new Premier Division;[ their FA Cup campaign ended with a 4–0 first round defeat at home to Gillingham. However, the mid-1960s was an extremely successful period for the club in the cup; in 1962–63 they reached the second round where they were again beaten by Gillingham, this time away. The following season saw them beat non-League opposition in the first and second round before being drawn against Second Division ]Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
in the third round. A trip to St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
resulted in a 2–1 win for Bedford, before they were defeated 3–0 by Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
in the fourth round in front of a then-record crowd of 17,858.[ The club were prevented from applying for Football League membership that year as they had signed players from the league without paying transfer fees.][ The 1965–66 season saw them reach the fourth round again, beating ]Exeter City
Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
2–1 in the first round, Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
2–1 in a second replay in the second round. Hereford United were then defeated 2–1 in the third round, before a fourth round tie saw them lose 3–0 at home to Everton in front of a record crowd of 18,407.[ Another cup run in 1966–67 resulted in a second round win over ]Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
before a 6–2 defeat at home to Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
in the third round.[
However, that season saw them finish second-from-bottom in ]the league
''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football league ...
, resulting in relegation to Division One. The following season saw them promoted in third place, but they were relegated again in 1968–69. However, a second immediate return to the top division was secured when they won Division One in 1969–70.[ Bedford were relegated again at the end of the 1973–74 season, but won Division One North at the first attempt to return to the Premier Division, also reaching the semi-finals of the ]FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
, eventually losing 6–2 on aggregate to Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
.[ The club had continued to apply for Football League membership every season between 1965 and 1973, and after a hiatus in 1974, made their eighteenth and final bid for Football League membership in 1975, but were again unsuccessful, leaving them with the second-highest number of unsuccessful applications after Yeovil Town.][Dave Twydell (2001) ''Denied F.C.: The Football League election struggles'', Yore Publications, pp42–43, 182] An FA Cup first round appearance in 1975–76 resulted in defeat to Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
in a second replay.[ The 1977–78 season resulted in another relegation to Division One North. League reorganisation in 1979 saw them placed in the Midland Division. They reached the first round of the FA Cup for a thirteenth time in 1981–82, losing 2–0 at ]Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
. However, the club was disbanded at the end of the season after their lease at Queens Park was terminated and a planned new stadium at Barkers Lane fell through.[History of Bedford Town FC]
Bedford Town F.C.
1989 re-establishment
The club were reformed in 1989,[ and joined Division One of the ]South Midlands League
The South Midlands League was a association football, football league covering Bedfordshire and some adjoining counties in England. It was founded in 1922 as the Bedfordshire County League and merged with the Spartan League in 1997 to form the ...
for the 1991–92 season. After finishing fourth in their first season, they won Division One in 1992–93, before going on to win the Premier Division the following season, earning promotion to Division Three of the Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
.[ A third-place finish in their first season in the league saw them promoted to Division Two. In 1998–99 they were Division Two champions, earning promotion to Division One, and after finishing as runners-up in 2000–01, were promoted to the Premier Division.][ The following season saw their first appearance in the FA Cup first round since reforming and resulted in a 2–1 defeat at Peterborough United in a replay.
After finishing fifteenth in 2003–04 Bedford entered the play-offs for the final positions in the newly created ]Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
and South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
. They beat Hitchin Town
Hitchin Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They are currently members of the . Founded in 1865 and known as 'The Canaries', Hitchin Town have been based at Top Field since their fou ...
3–1 in the semi-finals, but lost the final 5–4 to St Albans City. Instead, the club was transferred to the Premier Division of the Southern League for the 2004–05 season. A fifth-place finish in 2005–06 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs. Following a 1–0 win at Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
in the semi-finals, they beat Chippenham Town 3–2 in the final to earn promotion to the Conference South.[ However, they lasted only one season, finishing bottom of the division, and were relegated back to the Southern League.][
The 2013–14 season saw Bedford finish second-bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation to Division One Central.][
In 2021–22 the club were Division One Central champions, earning promotion back to the Premier Division.
]
Ground
The original Bedford Town played at London Road in 1886, before playing most of its matches at Bedford Park between 1887 and 1890.[ They then moved to a ground located off London Road.][
After being reformed in 1908, the club started playing at a site off London Road, before moving to the Queens Park football ground in Queens Park during October.][Bedford Town Grounds, 1908-39]
Bedford Old Eagles The pitch was originally between Havelock Street and Lawrence Street, before they moved to one at the end of Nelson Street.[ There were initially no spectator facilities, with ]duckboards
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...
only put down in November 1911.[ During ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the ground was used by the Army, and it was still in use in 1919 when the club started playing again. As a result, they played on the playing fields of County School until being able to return to Queens Park in December 1919.[
The club started to develop the ground in the 1920s, with banking created and a new 300-seat stand installed on the western side of the ground in 1922 at a cost of £250.][ With the extension of the roof, the seating capacity was later increased to about 400.][ However, players still changed in the nearby Horse and Groom pub. A covered terrace was installed in 1930 and dressing rooms built the following year.][ Another covered stand was installed at the Ford End Road end of the ground in 1935, which was replaced by a more modern stand in 1953.][ The capacity had reached at least 6,000, and a new record attendance of 5,667 was set for the FA Cup match against Dartford in 1934–35.][ The roof of the stand built in 1930 was destroyed in late 1938 and was replaced by the start of the 1939–40 season.][ Further ground developments in the 1950s raised the capacity to 18,500,][The Eyrie in photographs]
Bedford Old Eagles with the record attendance of 18,407 set for an FA Cup game against Everton in 1965–66.[
In 1982 the club's lease on Queens Park was terminated and after a proposed new ground in the Barkers Lane area failed to come to fruition, the club folded.][ When the club re-formed in 1989, they initially played on public pitches in Queens Park, before finding a site in Cardington to build a new ground. The New Eyrie opened on 6 August 1993 with a friendly match against Peterborough United attracting what remains the ground's record attendance of 3,000.][Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p452 ] It has a capacity of 3,000, of which 300 is seated and 1,000 covered.[ The ground is located next to McMullen Park, the home ground of local rivals ]Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
.
Current squad
Management and coaching staff
Boardroom
Current staff
Honours
*Southern League
**Champions 1958–59
**South East Division champions 1958–59
**Division One champions 1969–70
**Division One North champions 1974–75
**Division One Central champions 2021-22
**League Cup winners 1980–81
*Isthmian League
**Division Two champions 1998–99
**Vandanel Trophy winners 1997–98[
*South Midlands League
**Premier Division champions 1993–94
**Division One champions 1992–93
*United Counties League
**Division One champions 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34
**War League champions 1939–40
*Eastern Professional Floodlit Competition
**Champions 1970–71
*Northamptonshire Senior Cup
**Winners 1912–13
*Bedfordshire Premier Cup
**Winners 1924–25, 1926–27, 1928–29][
*Bedfordshire Professional Cup
**Winners 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66][
*Huntingdonshire Premier Cup
**Winners 1951–52, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1966–67][
*Bedfordshire Invitation Cup
**Winners 1938–39, 1953–54][
*North Bedfordshire Charity Cup
**Winners 1910–11][
]
Records
*Best FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Fourth round, 1963–64, 1965–66
*Best FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
performance: Semi-finals, 1974–75
*Best FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
performance: Fifth round, 1998–99
*Most appearances: David Skinn[
*Most goals in a match: Joe Chamberlain, 9 goals vs Rushden Fosse, December 1911][
*Biggest win: 9–0 vs Weymouth, Southern League, 1954–55; vs ]Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
, 1958–59;[ vs Ickleford, vs Cardington][
*Heaviest defeat: 10–0 vs ]Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
, 1950–51; vs Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
, 1960–61[
*Record attendance:
**At Queens Park: 18,407 vs Everton, FA Cup, 1965–66][
**At the New Eyrie: 3,000 vs Peterborough United, friendly match, 6 August 1993][
]
See also
*Bedford Town F.C. players
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst th ...
* Bedford Town F.C. managers
References
External links
Official website
Bedford Old Eagles
{{coord, 52, 07, 43.56, N, 0, 24, 49.95, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Sport in Bedford
Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Bedfordshire
Association football clubs established in 1908
1908 establishments in England
Association football clubs disestablished in 1982
1982 disestablishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1989
1989 establishments in England
United Counties League
Southern Football League clubs
South Midlands League
Isthmian League
National League (English football) clubs