Weston-super-Mare Association Football Club is a semi-professional
football club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
based in
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
,
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Nicknamed "The Seagulls", the club is affiliated to the
Somerset County Football Association and currently competes in the
Southern Premier South, the seventh tier of English football.
The club was founded in
1887
Events
January–March
* January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher.
* January 20
** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...
but disbanded twice (for the two World Wars); the current club was established in 1948. Their claim to fame was that they have had never been relegated in their history, although after their promotion to the sixth tier in 2004 they had been reprieved from relegation three times (in 2007, 2008 and 2010), they were eventually relegated for the first time in 132 years in the 2018/19 season. The team's best performance in 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 ...
came in
2003–04 when they reached the second round of the competition.
Weston-super-Mare has a modest fan base and a fierce rivalry with fellow Somerset club
Clevedon Town. However, the two clubs have not played in the same league or cup (excluding pre season) since Weston-super-Mare gained promotion to the
Southern League Premier Division
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English foot ...
in 2003.
History
Formation, reformation, and early history
Weston-super-Mare A.F.C. was formed in 1887. The team's first record of a competitive match being against near-neighbours
Clevedon Town in a "Medal Competition" organised by the
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
FA.
In 1900 they joined Division two of the
Western Football League
The Western Football League is a football league in South West England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation, so it is also known as ...
but left after two years. In 1910 they rejoined this league and played there until
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 ...
.
Between the wars, the club played in the local
Bristol and District Football League and then the
Somerset County League
The Somerset County League is a football competition based in England. The Premier Division sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. It is a feeder to the Western League Division One and has promoted a club in seven of the ...
but the club disbanded upon the outbreak of hostilities in 1939.
The club reformed in 1948 and immediately rejoined the Western League, initially in Division Two.
At this time the team played at the Great Ground in Locking Road, where initially there was no cover for spectators and the players had to change in a marquee.
A season after the club joined rejoined the Western league they made their debut in 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 ...
in the 1949–50 season losing to
Gloucester City in the preliminary qualifying round.
The team remained in the Second Division until the league consolidated to a single division in 1960.
During this time they moved to the Langford Road Ground.
In 1976 they were placed into the Western League Premier Division upon the creation of a second tier, meaning that by their centenary in 1987 they had never been promoted or relegated in their history.
Paul Bliss era
In early 1986, Paul Bliss was approached by Weston-super-Mare and he was named as the club's chairman roughly six months later.
In 1989 John Ellener was appointed manager and led the club to the Western League championship in 1991–92 and with it promotion to the
Southern League Midland Division.
They remained at this level, playing successively in the Midland, Southern, Midland (again) and Western Divisions due to the
Southern League's regular reorganisations, until 2002–03 when they finished in second place and were promoted to the
Premier Division, clinching promotion with a win away to rivals Clevedon Town.
In their first Premier Division season they finished in 10th place, enough to clinch a place in the newly formed
Conference South.
The club's most successful
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 ...
run came in the
2003–04 season, when the Seagulls reached the second round. After defeating
Dorchester Town,
Chesham United (via a replay) and
Welling United
Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football.
History
Welling United Foot ...
in the qualifying rounds, Weston secured a 1–0 away win against
Farnborough Town
Farnborough Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1967 as Farnborough Town, they are currently members of the , the sixth tier of English football and play at Cherrywood Road.
H ...
to progress from the first round. They were awarded with an away tie against
Third Division side,
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
where they were eventually beaten 4–1. In the same season, Weston would equal their best performance in the
FA Trophy, reaching the Fourth Round of the competition.
In the
2006–07 season of the Conference South the club finished in 20th position and were set to be relegated. However,
Farnborough Town
Farnborough Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1967 as Farnborough Town, they are currently members of the , the sixth tier of English football and play at Cherrywood Road.
H ...
were relegated due to going into liquidation and
Hayes and
Yeading
Yeading ( ) is a settlement in west London, forming part of the London Borough of Hillingdon, having been developed after the Second World War.
Etymology
Yeading is very early Saxon and was originally ''Geddingas'' or ''Geddinges'', meaning "the ...
merged to form
Hayes & Yeading United, leaving the
Conference South one team short, earning a reprieve for Weston. The
2007–08 season ended in similar fashion for Weston. A 20th-place finish meant the club was eligible for relegation, only to be spared by the enforced demotion of
Cambridge City, who failed a ground inspection. The 2009–10 campaign again saw the club finish in the relegation zone again when they finished 21st, however as before the club was saved by the FA, this time when
Salisbury City were demoted twice to the Southern league.
The 2010–11 season saw the club win the
Somerset Premier Cup
The Somerset Premier Cup is an association football knock-out cup competition run by the Somerset County Football Association (SFA).
According to the current rules of the competition, to enter clubs first affiliation must be with the Somerset C ...
for the first time, when they defeated
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 ...
in the final.
The club retained the cup the following season (2011–12) when they beat local rivals Clevedon Town 2–1.
In 2012–13, the club finished the season with their highest ever placing in the Conference South in 7th place with 67 points and narrowly missing out on a place in the playoffs. The 2014–15 season brought a relatively successful cup campaign as the Seagulls won three qualifying matches in the FA Cup and reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup, where they lost 4–1 at home to Doncaster Rovers in front of a record attendance of 2,949.
After a string of poor results, Micky Bell was replaced by Director of Football, Ryan Northmore at the end of November 2014 with the Seagulls at the bottom of the table. Northmore took the team on a string of unbeaten games, taking them to promotion challenging form. Unfortunately this didn't continue and after defeating Bath City at home 4–1 in a rearranged fixture the rejuvenated Seagulls didn't win another league game, which saw them finish 17th.
The 2015–16 season saw the side struggle to gain a win throughout August in the League, winning just 1 point from 18, with that point coming at home in the Somerset Derby against Bath City.
Through September and October, the side couldn't maintain a consistent run of form going and continued to lay low in the dreaded depths of the relegation zone.
However, toward the end of November, Ryan Northmore's troops managed to pull themselves up to 2nd in the league's form table by going 10 games unbeaten in the Nation League South from 21 November until 16 February. It came to an end when Weston couldn't maintain the run, eventually losing 2–0 to Hayes & Yeading at the Woodspring.
The side momentarily lost form with losses coming against St. Albans and Wealdstone however, over the Easter weekend, the side bagged an important 3 points over Ebbsfleet thanks to Captain Dayle Grubb's impressive strikes.
This was followed by a tough defeat to relegation rivals Bath City, with Scott Wilson firing in during the 91st minute, but Bath hit back with a penalty in the 92nd minute and the winner from half-way in the 94th minute.
During the last month of the season, the Seagulls once again turned on the style and ended the season with 6 unbeaten games from 7, with Scott Wilson and Dayle Grubb netting in a 2–0 win over Maidstone to spark manic celebrations from the home fans at The Woodspring knowing that the Seagulls had avoided relegation.
With the season ending in a party atmosphere in Havant on 30 April, with fan favourite Scott Wilson sliding home at the far post to ultimately send Havant down and keep Margate down.
The club revealed a new crest after the end of the 2015–16 season. Manager
Ryan Northmore was sacked by the club on 18 September 2016 after a run of seven league losses and an FA Cup exit to
North Leigh
North Leigh is a village and civil parish about northeast of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of East End and since 1932 has also included the hamlet of Wilcote. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,929.
...
Northmore was replaced by former Weston-super-Mare player and
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
caretaker manager Scott Bartlett on 3 October 2016. Bartlett left the club at the end of the 2016–17 season after having led the Seagulls to 15th in the
National League South. Former player Marc McGregor was his replacement for the new season.
McGregor's first season in charge saw the club finish in a credible 12th place with McGregor being named Manager of the Month for November. The 2018–19 season saw the club struggle for form, only picking up their first league win three months into the season with their first home league win coming nearly three months later. McGregor's time in charge came to an end in March 2019 with the club ultimately suffering the first relegation in their 137-year history finishing bottom of the
National League South. Scott Bartlett returned as the club's new manager ahead of the 2019–20 season.
The club's first two seasons (
2019–20 and
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
) back in the
Southern Football League were abandoned prematurely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The
2021–22 season saw Weston finish the season in fifth place, qualifying for the end of season playoffs but the Seagulls lost their semi-final 2–1 against
Hayes and Yeading United to confirm their continued participation in the Southern League.
Ground
Weston-super-Mare A.F.C. play their home games at the Woodspring Stadium, currently known as The Optima Stadium for sponsorship reasons, on Winterstoke Road, where the club moved to in August 2004. They previously played at Woodspring Park a short distance away. The move marked the third time in the past 40 years that Weston-super-Mare have changed venues. The capacity of the ground is 3,500 in which 2,000 is covered and 350 are seated.
[ roundtastic – The Football Grounds Magazine. GT40 – Spring 2005. Published 1 March 2005. Pages 34–37./ref>
Woodspring Park had been built almost entirely by supporters and boasted a clubhouse costing £100,000.] The Park had been the home of Weston-super-Mare since 1983 and had floodlights installed in 1986. The ground nearly had a greyhound track around the pitch, an idea which chairman Paul Bliss shot down. Weston-super-Mare sold this ground to a residential home builder when it became apparent the club was going to move the short distance to the Woodspring Stadium. The last home fixture was played in April 2004.
The ground for what is now Woodspring Stadium was formerly a sporting complex owned by Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. D ...
known as Westland Sports Ground. It was home to cricket and football in addition to social buildings. Difficult financial times forced Westland to reconsider their place in town and put the ground up for sale. The club purchased it for £270,000 in 2001. The Stadium opened 14 August 2004, with its first match against Conference South opponents Hornchurch
Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a l ...
drawing 500 people to the game.
In April 2021, the club announced plans to redevelop the stadium to include 750 additional seats and new terracing plus new club facilities and hospitality areas. The redevelopment would also allow the club to further increase capacity at the ground to 5,000 with 2,000 seats in the future. This would allow the ground to host EFL League Two matches should the club ever be promoted to that level.
The record attendance for this ground 2,949 in a match in 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 ...
against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 18 November 2014.
Current squad
''Updated 13 January 2023''
Out on loan
\
Non-playing staff
Board members
:''Updated 9 May 2022.''
First team staff
:''Updated 12 June 2022.''
Honours
League honours
* Southern League Western Division
** Runners-up (1): 2002–03
* Western League
**Champions (1): 1991–92
** Runners-up (1): 1976–77
* Bristol and District League
** Runners-up (1): 1922–23
Other honour
* Clevedon and District Charity Cup
** Winners: 1922–23
Cup honours
* Somerset Premier Cup
The Somerset Premier Cup is an association football knock-out cup competition run by the Somerset County Football Association (SFA).
According to the current rules of the competition, to enter clubs first affiliation must be with the Somerset C ...
**Winners (4): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18, 2018–19
** Runners-up (2): 1990–91, 2016–17
* Western Senior Cup
**Winners (6): 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78
*Western League Challenge Cup
**Winners (1): 1976–77
* Western Merit Cup
**Winners (2): 1976–77, 1977–78
* Western League Subsidiary Cup
** Runners-up (1): 1959–60
* Somerset Senior Cup
** Winners (1): 1926–27
* Bristol Charity Cup
** Winners (1): 1922–23
* Weston Charity Cup
** Winners (1): 1910–11
* Clevedon Charity Cup
** Runners-up (1): 1926–27
Records
*Highest League Position: 7th in Conference South 2012–13
*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 ...
best performance: Second round 2003–04
* FA Trophy best performance: Fourth round 1998–99, 2003–04
*Highest Attendance: 2,949 vs Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
– 2014–15 (F.A. 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 competiti ...
)
Former players
# Players that have played/managed at least 40 games in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Players with full international caps.
# Players that have played/managed within in another professional sport.
*Craig Alcock
Craig Alcock (born 8 December 1987) is an former English professional footballer who recently played as a defender for club Harlow Town. Having begun his career at Yeovil Town he spent time on loan at Weston-super-Mare, Taunton Town and Tivert ...
* Danny Bailey
* Michael Bell
* Jon Beswetherick
* Steve Book
* Wayne Brown
* Ray Cashley
* Billy Clark
* Jack Compton
* Steve Cowe
* Wilfried Domoraud
* Clayton Fortune
* Jon French
* Roger Gibbins
* Jerry Gill
* Charlie Comyn-Platt
* Andy Gurney
* Dayle Grubb
*Lewis Haldane
Lewis Oliver Haldane (born 13 March 1985) is a Welsh former under-21 international footballer who scored 75 goals in 414 league and cup games in a 14-year career.
A winger, he was a youth player at Southampton and Trowbridge Town, before he ...
* Ian Hamilton
* Ryan Harley
* Callum Hart
* Lewis Hogg
* Lee Jarman
*Ian Juryeff
Ian Martin Juryeff (born 24 November 1962) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward for various Football League clubs in the 1980s and 1990s. He started his career as a trainee with Southampton, but only made two s ...
*Scott Laird
Scott Benjamin Laird (born 15 May 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back and midfielder for Southern League Premier Division South club Weston-super-Mare. He is also the club's assistant manager.
Laird began his ...
* David Lee
*Barry McConnell
Barry McConnell (born 1 January 1977) is an English footballer who plays for Exmouth Town. He is primarily a right sided defender or midfielder.
Career
Born in Exeter, Devon, McConnell originally came through Exeter City's youth system in 19 ...
*Mark McKeever
Mark McKeever (born 16 November 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Northern Ireland, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationally at youth levels U19 and U21.
Career
McKeever began his foo ...
* Paul McLoughlin
*David Mehew
David Stephen Mehew (born 29 October 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Bristol Rovers, Exeter City and Walsall. He previously managed Gloucester City and Mangotsfield United.
Playing ca ...
* Rollin Menayese
* Ryan Northmore
*Gary Owers
Gary Owers (born 3 October 1968) is an English former professional footballer, and football manager. He most recently managed Torquay United. He was previously manager of Bath City and Forest Green Rovers as well as the assistant manager at Al ...
* Scott Partridge
* Ludovic Quistin
* Tommy Rudkin
* Stuart Slater
* David Stone
*Brian Tinnion
Brian Tinnion (born 23 February 1968) is an English former football player and manager. He made over 450 appearances for Bristol City, including a spell as player-manager where he is currently in the role of Academy Director. He started as a l ...
*Peter Trego
Peter David Trego (born 12 June 1981) is a former English cricketer who played primarily for Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. He is a big hitting all-rounder who is capable of taking a one-day match away f ...
* Matt Villis
*Ollie Watkins
Oliver George Arthur Watkins (born 30 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Aston Villa and the England national team.
Watkins is a product of the Exeter City academy and made his breakthrough ...
* John Williams
For those players that also played for the club but did not meet the criteria above:
Former coaches
# Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Managers/Coaches with full international caps.
* Tommy Rudkin
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weston-Super-Mare A.F.C.
Former National League (English football) clubs
Sport in Weston-super-Mare
Football clubs in Somerset
Southern Football League clubs
Football clubs in England
1887 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1887