Rothwell Town F.C. was a football club based in
Rothwell in the north of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
. They were founding members of the
Northamptonshire League in 1895, and played in 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 ...
Division One until
2011–12.
History
The club was formed as Rothwell Town Swifts in 1895 and the club were founder members of the
Northamptonshire League. The club's nickname, the Bones, derives from the bone crypt in the town's Holy Trinity Church, one of only two medieval
ossuaries
An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...
in the country; the other being at St Leonards, Hythe, Kent.
Although financial difficulties led to the club switching between senior and junior football on several occasions, they did manage to achieve several runners-up positions during their stay in the Northants League. In 1933 the club dropped down to the Kettering League, which they won in 1937. In 1948 they returned to senior football, spending two seasons in the
Leicestershire Senior League
The Leicestershire Senior League (currently sponsored by Everards Brewery) is a football competition based in Leicestershire, England.
History
The league was formed in 1896, had a two-year hiatus between 1901 and 1903, and has run continuously ...
before becoming founder members of 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 ...
in 1950.
During their time in the United Counties League Rothwell achieved five runners-up finishes and finally claimed the league title in 1992–1993, a feat which they repeated the following year. Following their second title win, the club stepped up to the
Southern League. In 1997 Rothwell finished second in the Midland Division and were promoted to the Premier Division, where they spent three seasons. Since their relegation from the Premier Division in 2000 they played in the Eastern Division, the Western Division, and from 2006 the newly formed Division One Midlands, until resigning from the League at the end of the 2009–2010 season. They rejoined the United Counties League in Division One.
The club appointed former
Corby Town
Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park.
History
The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team ...
manager Rob Dunion as their new manager in June 2008.
Season 2009–2010 saw Rothwell struggle both on and off the pitch. In the league they finished in the bottom four and financial crisis kicked in with the club's main stream of revenue—the social club becoming unavailable for public use. In the summer of 2010 Rothwell resigned from the Southern League and applied to join 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 ...
in which they were successful. Rob Dunion left as manager and former Rothwell favourite Dave Williams took over once again as manager.
The club folded at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Local rivalries
Local rivals included:
Kettering Town (
Conference National),
Corby Town
Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park.
History
The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team ...
(
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 Syst ...
),
Desborough Town and
Rothwell Corinthians (both
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 ...
).
Honours
*United Counties League
**Premier Division Champions: 1992–93, 1993–94
**Division One Winners: 1899–1900
**Division Two Champions: 1952–53, 1953–54
**Knockout Cup Winners: 1991–92, 1992–93
**Division One Knockout Cup Winners: 1955–56, 1970–71, 1971–72
**Division Two Knockout Cup Winners: 1952–53, 1953–54
**Benevolent Cup Winners: 1992–93, 1993–94
*Northamptonshire Senior Cup Winners: 1899–1900, 1923–24, 1956–60, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2002–03
*Northamptonshire Maunsell Cup Winners: 2003
Records
*Best league performance: 16th in Southern League Premier Division, 1997–98
*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: 4th qualifying round, 1999–2000
*Best
FA Trophy performance: 3rd round, 1999–2000
*Best
FA Vase performance: 5th round, 1992–93
Former players
1. Players that have played/managed in the Football League or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.
*
Paul Birch
*
Ricky Miller
Ricky Howard Miller (born 13 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Risborough Rangers.
Miller spent time in the youth systems at Charlton Athletic and Woking, before making his senior debut with ...
References
External links
Official website
{{coord, 52, 25, 32.84, N, 0, 48, 04.62, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Defunct football clubs in England
Defunct football clubs in Northamptonshire
Southern Football League clubs
1895 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1895
2012 disestablishments in England
Association football clubs disestablished in 2012
Rothwell, Northamptonshire