Gloucester City A.F.C.
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Gloucester City Association Football Club is a semi-professional
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in Hempsted,
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, England. The club is affiliated to the
Gloucestershire County Football Association The Gloucestershire County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Gloucestershire FA'' or ''GFA'', is the sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in the county of Gloucestershire. It was formed in 1886. ...
and, as of the 2021–22 season, plays in the
National League 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 ...
, at the sixth tier of the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. The club traces its history back to
1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...
, when a club simply named Gloucester was founded. This club changed its name to Gloucester City in 1902, then folded in 1910. The current club was established at that time, originally called Gloucester YMCA before becoming Gloucester City in 1925. It spent a record 70 years within the
Southern Football League 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 fo ...
from 1939 until 2009, when it secured promotion to the National League system after a
play-off final The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
win against
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
. Gloucester City played its home games at
Longlevens Longlevens, originally Longleavens, is a suburb of Gloucester, in the unparished area of Gloucester, in the Gloucester district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It developed from a farmstead during the twentieth century, the name ma ...
from 1935 to 1964, at Horton Road Stadium from 1964 to 1986, and at Meadow Park from 1986 to 2007. In July 2007, countrywide flooding left Meadow Park under of water. From then until 2020, the club played home games at Forest Green Rovers' New Lawn stadium in Nailsworth, Cirencester Town's Corinium Stadium, Cheltenham Town's
Whaddon Road Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing. T ...
, and Evesham United's Jubilee Stadium. The club returned to a rebuilt Meadow Park in December 2020.


History


Formation and the early years

The club was formed on 5 March 1883 as Gloucester, but the first recorded match came during 1883–84 when a scratch team representing Cheltenham played a match against the new Gloucester side.Clark & Kujawa (2009), p1 However, that first Gloucester team folded in 1886. The club re-formed in September 1889. Gloucester's first competitive game in October 1889 was a Gloucestershire FA Junior Challenge Cup 1st Round tie beating Clifton Association Reserves 10–0 at Budding's Field. The club became members of the Bristol and District League which subsequently became the Western League. During this era the club was noted as 'The Gloucestrians' and 'The Citizens' in local media. The club were renamed 'Gloucester City' in 1902 and later merged with St. Michael's at the beginning of the 1906–07 campaign. This club then folded in September 1910. A different team, Gloucester YMCA, formed at the same time and most of the players who had been with City joined Gloucester YMCA. By 1925 this latest club had assumed the name of Gloucester City once more and had become founder members of the
Gloucestershire Northern Senior League The Gloucestershire Northern Senior League is a football competition based in England founded in 1922. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA. It has two divisions, Division One and Division Two, with Division One sitting at ...
. In 1934–35, after winning both the Cup and League, City turned semi-professional, and joined the
Birmingham Combination The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The ...
, as well as moving to a new stadium in Longlevens where the club stayed for the next 26 years. They won the Tillotson Cup for being the best club in the Birmingham Combination, and then had former Chelsea and
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
striker
Reg Weaver Reg Weaver is an American labor leader who served as president of the National Education Association. He is vice president of Education International. A graduate of Danville High School in Illinois, he holds degrees from Illinois State Universit ...
blow away all records with his stunning tally of 67 goals in the 1937–38 season.


Southern League entry and cup success

In 1939 the club played in the
Southern Football League 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 fo ...
for the very first time, albeit in a restricted wartime competition, as they took part in the west section. After the war City rejoined the Southern League and went on to become the league's longest serving members. For three consecutive seasons, 1948–51, the club reached 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 ...
, each time losing to
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 ...
opponents:
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
(1–4 away), Norwich City (2–3 home) and
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
(0–4 away). The club's all-time attendance record was set at Longlevens in 1952 when Stan Myers and Peter Price scored to beat
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
2–1 in front of 10,500 spectators, a side which included the superstars of the day such as future World Cup winner
Alf Ramsey Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...
,
Ted Ditchburn Edwin George Ditchburn (24 October 1921 – 26 December 2005) was an English professional football goalkeeper who played for Northfleet United, Tottenham Hotspur, Romford, Brentwood Town and represented England on six occasions at international ...
,
Charlie Withers Charlie Withers (6 September 1922 – 7 June 2005) was a professional footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Boston United and represented the England B team. Football career Withers joined the Spurs as a junior and signed as a profess ...
and
Les Medley Leslie Dennis Medley (3 September 1920 – 22 February 2001) was an English footballer who played as a left winger. Born in Edmonton, London, aged 11 he gained a scholarship place at the Latymer School in Edmonton. He played for the schoo ...
. It took until the 1955–56 season for Gloucester to taste their first success in the Southern League. A famous Southern League Cup final win against
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 which City had lost the first leg 4–1, only to beat Yeovil 5–1 in the second leg, won the club their first major honour.


Horton Road era

In 1964 the club moved grounds again, from Longlevens to the massive Horton Road Stadium, closer to the centre of
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, which could possibly hold over 30,000 people if full. Although Gloucester City were promoted to the Southern Football League Premier Division in the 1968–69 season, it was generally a barren spell. In the 1981–82 season a sixth-place finish was enough to clinch a place in the reformed Premier Division. They were also runners-up in the League Cup, going down 1–2 to Wealdstone, who included future England captain
Stuart Pearce Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. ...
in their ranks. Despite Kim Casey scoring 40 goals, the club were relegated to the Midland Division in 1984–85, after three seasons in the Premier Division.


Meadow Park and a famous FA Cup run

In 1986 the club moved once more, this time to Meadow Park. The Horton Road ground became a housing estate which now boasts the names of City legends: (Stan) Myers Road, (Dicky) Etheridge Place and (Ron) Coltman Close amongst others. Former
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
player
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
was appointed manager in 1988 and thus heralded an era of success. Players such as Lance Morrison,
Steve Talboys Steven John Talboys (18 September 1966 – 31 July 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He notably played in the Premier League for Wimbledon and in the Football League for Watford, prior to this period he ha ...
, Wayne Noble, Chris Townsend and Brian Hughes took to the Southern League Midland Division title in 1989, clinching the crown at home against Grantham Town. The League trophy was presented to the club at
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
's The Walks Stadium on the last day of a tough campaign. The next big achievement of the Godfrey years was the famous
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 in 1989–90 which has still not been matched. Mangotsfield United (4–0), Barry Town (2–2,2–0),
Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...
(1–0) and
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 ...
(1–0) all came and went before City suffered heartbreak in the replay against
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
after being 2–0 up at Ninian Park with just five minutes to go. The club were beaten 1–0 in the replay at Meadow Park, missing out on an encounter with First Division side Queens Park Rangers. In the winter of 1990,
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
saw its worst snow in a century and when the thaw came the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
overwhelmed all local flood plains. The knock-on effect of the flood saw incredible scenes at Meadow Park as the pitch was submerged under of water, and the whole ground was out of commission for over a month. The first game back at Meadow Park, however, saw City defeat
Gosport Borough Gosport Borough Football Club is a professional football club based in Gosport, Hampshire, England. The club is affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association and is an FA Charter Standard Community Club. They are currently members of the an ...
9–0.


Last minute promotion heartbreak and debt

The 1990–91 season was one of the most exciting ever seen at the club. Godfrey added several quality players to his squad as City challenged for the league title. As the season climaxed, the Tuesday before the end of the season Gloucester City had needed to beat VS Rugby at home to go top of the table, but could only manage a 2–2 draw, so it was all on the last day of the season at the Victoria Ground, the home of
Bromsgrove Rovers Bromsgrove Rovers F.C. was a non-League football club from the town of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. The peak of the club's success was in 1993 when Rovers finished runner-up in the Football Conference. They went into administration during the ...
.
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
headed up to Atherstone needing to win, and went 0–1 down to the delight of the thousand travelling City fans. In the final minutes, substitute John Freegard got his head to a long free kick had put The Tigers ahead. In the meantime Farnborough had scored, as City fans were on the pitch celebrating the Championship and promotion to the
Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...
, but all they had heard were premature radio reports from Atherstone;
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
had actually scored a winner three minutes before the end of the game and they were promoted instead. In July 1991, the club became the first British football club to venture to the newly independent country of Georgia for a summer tour, playing second division side Napareuli, Mesxti and Umaglesi Liga outfit Shevardeni. The club hosted European sides at Meadow Park during this period, such as Dinamo Minsk from
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
and
Gornik Zabrze Gornik may refer to one of the following. * Gornik, Pleven Province, a village in Chechen Republic *April Gornik, an American painter *Górnik (means "Miner" in Polish) is a common name of Polish sports teams: **Górnik Konin **Górnik Łęczna *** ...
from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. Into the 1991–92 season, the bombshell hit City that Chairman Les Alderman had left the club. The squad was ripped apart: major players were released for derisory sums, some went unpaid and took the club to the FA, and forced a transfer embargo.
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
was sacked and replaced by his assistant Steve Millard. Millard only lasted three months in what was a disastrous spell. In February
Godfrey Godfrey may refer to: People * Godfrey (name), a given name and surname * Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor Places In the United States * Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Godfrey, Illinois, a village * Godfrey, Kansas, an ...
was re-appointed to the hot seat and started to turn things around again. The club survived the next few seasons under the guidance of Chairman George Irvine. The club had crippling debts and were about to fold when Keith Gardner stepped in.


The glory years and FA Trophy run

Gardner brought razzmatazz to the club and appointed former
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
boss John Murphy as the club entered the most exciting period in their history. Gardner wanted to make the whole 'Meadow Park' area into a footballing centre, with all-seater stadium, a leisure centre, ice rink and an all-weather pitch. His ambitions were matched on the field too, after seeing the club get by with local players, talent was brought in from further afield and the Tigers became a force to be reckoned with. A memorable game during the period was when Dave Porter scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over rivals
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
at
Whaddon Road Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing. T ...
in 1994. It soon became apparent that Murphy didn't have what it took to turn a good side into Champions and was sacked in March 1996. Former West Ham United striker
Leroy Rosenior Leroy De Graft Rosenior (born 24 August 1964) is a football coach and pundit. He is a former footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (for whom he appeared as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup Final), Bristol City and Wes ...
took over and had to virtually rebuild the team from scratch after most of the players walked out in the wake of Murphy's dismissal.
Dale Watkins Dale Allan Watkins (born 4 November 1971) is an English former footballer who played as a forward. Career Watkins began his career with Sheffield United. In 1991, Watkins signed for hometown club Peterborough United. At Peterborough, Watkins ...
, Adie Mings and record signing David Holmes formed one of the most potent front lines in
non-league football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
and it was no surprise to see the Tigers battling on all fronts. Despite having to play manager Leroy Rosenior in goal against
Kingstonian Kingstonian Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London which currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was founded in 1885 by YMC ...
in their first game in 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 ...
, City managed to reach the semi-final before being beaten by
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
after a dramatic replay. The cup run proved to be a thorn in the side for City as they had to play three games a week to claw back games in hand and eventually lost out to
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
in the race for second spot (after Champions
Gresley Rovers Gresley Rovers Football Club is an English association football, football club from Church Gresley, South Derbyshire. Gresley is a member of the and plays home games at the Moat Ground. They were known as Gresley Rovers until 2009, when they we ...
ground was deemed ineligible for promotion).


Relegation and almost bankrupt

The failure to secure promotion crippled the club as City struggled to keep their heads above water. A managerial merry-go-round ensued. Brian Hughes tried his luck, but a diminishing playing budget and poor performances meant the club was relegated. To exacerbate the situation, just before Christmas 2000 Meadow Park was struck another hammer blow when the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
burst its banks for the second time in a decade, the flood water did more damage than before because it reached just under high, and also managed to get inside the changing rooms, ruining whatever stood in its way. The club was unable to hold matches at the ground for more than six weeks. The lack of revenue for the club almost saw it go under and it meant that due to non-payment of players several walked out on the club Tommy Callinan took over in a player-manager role, and left at the end of the 2000–01 season. Next to try his hand was Chris Burns, who was tempted back from Forest Green Rovers and brought with him a largely untried bunch of young players to fit in with the limited wage structure. In November 2001, ex-director Colin Gardner returned to the club to take over the chairmanship. Working hand in hand with the Supporters' Club, together they steadied the ship. On the pitch things were looking up with new manager Chris Burns moulding his former City youth team into a force to be reckoned with.


Bouncing back

The 2002–03 season saw the club bounce back. Off the field, a deal was struck between the club and local entrepreneur Eamonn McGurk, who bought the ground and took on the majority of the club's debts. Financially, the club made a trading profit for the first time and were within reach of wiping out all of the historical debts. To add to the upturn, on the field Burns' young team upset a lot of the more fancied challengers and reached the quarter 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 ...
. The run included memorable victories away at league leaders
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 ...
, then two wins at Conference sides
Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
and Southport. Aylesbury United of the Isthmian League proved to be too big of a challenge, however, and City bowed out. In the league, a fifth-placed finish was a remarkable achievement. The 2003–04 season saw further progress with the Tigers finishing second in the Western Division and gaining promotion to the Premier Division. At the end of the season, Colin Gardner stepped down as the highly respected chairman. Chris Burns resigned as manager in January 2006,
Neil Mustoe Neil John Mustoe (born 5 November 1976) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He last played for Conference North side Gloucester City. He first signed for City at the start of the 2002–03 season but left in January 200 ...
took over as caretaker-manager until the permanent appointment of Tim Harris from
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 ...
was made.


Flooding, promotion and exile

In July 2007, Gloucester City's home, Meadow Park, was affected by the Gloucestershire flooding that engulfed the county. The club was hit with almost of water, almost submerging the crossbar. An astonishing picture, featured in '' The Sun'', on ''
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
'' and on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
, shot the club to national attention both in the media and among football supporters across the country. It caused many of the club's supporters to start a donation fund to help the club. The club's first season in exile was at Forest Green Rovers New Lawn Stadium, despite the loss of a stadium and revenue stream the club finished a creditable 6th in the league, just outside the Playoffs. The club's second season in exile at
Cirencester Town Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium. History The club was establ ...
proved to be one of the greatest in its history. The club finished 3rd in the
Southern Premier League Southern Premier League may refer to: Association football * Southern Football League, premier division, in England * Southern Championship, formerly known as the Southern Premier League, in Tasmania, Australia * FootballSouth Premier League, also k ...
thus qualifying for the Playoffs. In the Southern League Playoff semi-final Cambridge City were beaten 3–1 at the Corinium Stadium. They went on to play
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
in the final at
Cherrywood Road Cherrywood Road, known as the Saunders Transport Community Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the ground of Farnborough F.C. and the former home of Farnborough Town F.C. before the club went out of business in 2007. It lies in the town of ...
and won 1–0 with Matt Rose scoring the crucial goal, ending a 70-year continuous association with the
Southern Football League 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 fo ...
, and gaining promotion to
Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
Football for the first time. A quite remarkable achievement considering the club's predicament. In a controversial decision, the F.A. placed Gloucester City in the Conference North for the 2009–10 season. The reason given was that
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...
, despite being considerably further north than both
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
and Cirencester, was given a guarantee after being moved to the
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
the previous year against its will that it would not be moved back to the North for three seasons without its consent. Worcester City refused to consent to an early move back to the North, thus forcing Gloucester to take their place. The club finished
18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
in its maiden Conference North season. Near the end of the club's maiden Conference North season, new F.A. ground regulations meant that
Cirencester Town Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium. History The club was establ ...
's Corinium Stadium would not be suitable for use in the following season meaning if the club failed to find a suitable new home, it would be forcibly relegated. It was announced in March 2010 that the club would be groundsharing with major rivals
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
for the forthcoming two seasons. Gloucester City Council provided £20,000 towards helping this agreement, heralding a new era in co-operation between the club and the council, and with
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
. On 21 November 2010, against Chelmsford City, midfielder Tom Webb became the club's all-time appearance holder, beating Stan Myers who had broken the record 50 years previously. In 2012–13, the club reached 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 ...
1st Round proper for the first time in 23 years, drawing
Football League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
outfit Leyton Orient at home. They eventually lost 2–0 to two late goals. The club repeated this success the following season, drawing
Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
at home, they also lost that one 2–0. For the 2017–18 season, the club was moved back to the National League South. Manager Tim Harris and Chairman Mike Dunstan both expressed their disappointment at the decision. Furthermore, the club was forced to play home games outside
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
for the first time in their history. After the conclusion of the groundshare deal with
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
, the club's only viable option was to groundshare with Southern League side Evesham United, in
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
, whilst construction on the new stadium continued at the old Meadow Park site. On 30 November 2017, manager Tim Harris resigned from his position citing that the club "needs some investment, some structure and business acumen if it is to maintain any hope of returning home at this level." Harris was soon followed by Chairman Mike Dunstan, first team assistant manager Marc Richards, the kit man, the media officer and the club accountant who all cited the same reasons for leaving as Harris. Player/coach Will Morford became acting manager until 15 December 2017 when former player and assistant manager Marc Richards returned and was appointed manager, with Morford becoming player/assistant manager. Under Richards, City pushed away from the relegation zone and the club went on to mount a small playoff push earning Richards the February Manager of the Month award before finishing a respectable 14th. On 2 October 2018, it was announced that Marc Richards was to leave the club by mutual consent. He would later join former City manager Tim Harris at
Hereford F.C Hereford Football Club is an English association football club from the city of Hereford. They were founded in 2014 as a phoenix club for Hereford United, and inherited their Edgar Street stadium. They are nicknamed 'The Whites' after their pre ...
along with assistant manager Will Morford and the club's performance analyst. Tom Webb and Mike Green took the joint role of caretaker manager. As the search began for a new manager, on 5 October 2018, club legend and record appearance holder Tom Webb announced his retirement from his playing career. Webb made 719 appearances for the club in a career spanning 18 years. On 10 October 2018, the search was over and Chris Todd was announced as the new first team manager following a 3 nil FA Cup win away at
Dorking Wanderers Dorking Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club based in Dorking, Surrey, England. Affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association, they are currently members of and play at Meadowbank. History The club was formed in 1999 ...
. On 3 January 2019 however, Todd left the club by mutual consent after a spell of 15 games without a win. On 8 January 2019, City appointed former player Mike Cook as manager. He was joined by other ex-Tigers Karl Bayliss and Andy Hoskins, whilst Tom Webb and Mike Green were retained to complete the coaching staff. Results picked up and a dramatic 3–2 win against Chippenham Town confirmed Gloucester's National League status again. On 18 April 2019, the club announced a change to the badge moving away from the Tiger logo and instead to a new logo encompassing the Gloucestershire coat of arms,
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
,
Gloucester Docks Gloucester Docks is an historic area of the city of Gloucester. The docks are located at the northern junction of the River Severn with the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. They are Britain's most inland port. The docks include fifteen Victoria ...
and the City skyline. The kit colour will also change from yellow and black back to a predominantly red kit from the 2019/2020 season onward. On 16 November 2019, manager Mike Cook was sacked as Gloucester City manager with the club lying mid-table in the
National League 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 ...
. A replacement was swiftly appointed in the form of ex- West Ham United coach James Rowe, who became the first full-time appointed manager of the club. Work began on the new stadium on 5 January 2020 with an expected completion date being the start of the 2020–21 season. The 2019–20 season would end up becoming one of the most historic in the history of the game of football as 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 identif ...
swept the world and football ground to a halt. The season was cut short in March 2020 and, at the time of the decision, City were lying in 19th position but would eventually jump up to 17th as the season was decided on points per game. City's final game in exile was a 2–1 home win at Evesham against
Farsley Celtic Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015.
. Meanwhile, work continued in the off season on the new stadium and it was ready in time for the 2020–21 season. It is interesting to note that when the history of the club is writ this period of ‘exile’ would have been bookended by disaster. The 2007
flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
and the 2020
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
.


Return to Gloucester

After 13 years in exile, City returned to
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
in time for the 2020–21 season. In the off season, manager James Rowe added further to his squad which was now packed with
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 ...
experience. Unfortunately, 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 identif ...
, the restart of the season was thrown into doubt. Due to the
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
obtaining 'Elite' status in order to complete the playoffs for the season previous, there was now an issue, as was the case with all 'Elite' sport, that spectators were not allowed to attend matches and clubs needed this revenue stream in order to survive. After a financial package was agreed with the government, the season was able to start. The first competitive game at New Meadow Park was on 6 October 2020 as City hosted
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
in a behind closed doors league game with City running away 3-1 winners and the honour of first competitive goal at the new stadium going to
Alex Whittle Alex Whittle (born 15 March 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for York City. He has played for Dunfermline Athletic, AFC Fylde, Southport, York City, Forest Green Rovers, Southport, Boston United, Gloucester C ...
. City flew out of the blocks at the start of the 2020–21 season recording 7 wins and 2 draws in their opening 9 league matches, which was the best start to a league campaign since the
Second World War 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 ...
. On 24 November 2020, following interest from ex-Football League club
Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Chesterfiel ...
, James Rowe left for The Spireites and took
Akwasi Asante Akwasi Asante (born 6 September 1992) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for club Chesterfield. Asante began his senior career in England with Birmingham City. He made his first-team debut in the Europa League play-off round second ...
with him to the
Technique Stadium Technique Stadium (formerly known as b2net Stadium and Proact Stadium) is an all-seater football stadium in Whittington Moor, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on the site of the former Dema Glassworks. It is the home of Chesterfield FC, replacing th ...
. The search for a new First Team Manager was then conducted by club legends Adie Mings and Tom Webb.
Jake Cole Jake Stanley Cole (born 11 September 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Gloucester City. He previously played for Queens Park Rangers, Hayes, AFC Wimbledon, Farnborough Town, Oxford United, Barnet, Plymou ...
took temporary charge of first team duties until Paul Groves was appointed on 8 December 2020. The
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
campaign ground to a halt in February 2021 with City sitting top of the league. Following a vote amongst clubs, it was announced that step two of non-League football will cease with immediate effect after a vote of 24–19 in favour of ending the current campaign as the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic continue to take their toll at the levels of the football pyramid below the EFL.


Grounds

Throughout its history, the club has played at many grounds in
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, the surrounding region of
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
and
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
. In the late 19th century the club played at Buddings Field near the city centre for 16 non-consecutive seasons, they then moved to the Avenue Road Ground on
Tuffley Tuffley is a suburb in the city of Gloucester and one of the fifteen wards of the English city of Gloucester. The ward, which is non-parished and situated near Robinswood Hill toward the south of the city, has services including schools, shops ...
Avenue for another non-consecutive 6 seasons. During this period the club also played at Co-operative Ground on India Road. In 1910, Gloucester YMCA played at the Llanthony Ground in Hempsted for, believed to be only a stone's throw from Meadow Park. During this period the club played multiple games at
Gloucester R.F.C. Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
and the
Kingsholm Stadium Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where ...
. In 1928 the club moved to Sutgrove Park, which is now the site for the
Ribston Hall High School Ribston Hall High School is a selective grammar school with academy status in Gloucester, England, for girls between the ages of 11 and 18. It was founded in 1921. Admissions It also has a sixth form for both girls and boys. It is situated sout ...
. They moved once again in 1934 to the Bon Marche Ground on Estcourt Road for two seasons. In 1935, the club moved to The Ground in
Longlevens Longlevens, originally Longleavens, is a suburb of Gloucester, in the unparished area of Gloucester, in the Gloucester district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It developed from a farmstead during the twentieth century, the name ma ...
. It spent the next 26 seasons at the stadium, where the club's all-time record attendance was set: 10,500 at home to
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
in a friendly. In 1964 the club moved to the massive Horton Road Stadium, a huge bowl which if fully developed could've held over 35,000 spectators. The club stayed here until 1986 until the move to Meadow Park in Hempsted. The club had played at Meadow Park since 1986. The ground had a total capacity of 4,500 with a 560-seat stand. Following the floods of summer 2007, on 22 July, Meadow Park was almost 8 feet under water. A combination of a lack of insurance due to previous flooding - this being the third time in seventeen years that the stadium had been flooded - and contamination by sewage water, the club had no choice but to abandon the ground for the foreseeable future.


Exile from Gloucester

During the club's exile period away from the City it played at Forest Green Rovers' ground
The New Lawn The New Lawn, also known as The Bolt New Lawn for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It has been the home stadium of League One club Forest Green Rovers since 2006. During the 2007–08 season the stadium ...
in Nailsworth for one season. They spent the following two seasons at Cirencester Town's ground The Corinium Stadium. The club's attempts to relocate back to the city were scuppered on multiple occasions. A groundshare with Northern Senior League division two side Quedgeley Wanderers, who play around 4 miles outside the city boundaries in
Quedgeley Quedgeley is a suburban town of Gloucester, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of the city centre, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. A thin strip of land between the Severn and the Gloucester Ship Canal occupies the west, and the ...
, was rejected in November 2007 after the Wanderers' board and the local parish rejected the proposal. Hopes of any groundshare with Gloucester Rugby Club's Kingsholm stadium were deemed too expensive. Gloucester Rugby Club had also earlier rejected plans to move to a new purpose built 15,000 capacity community stadium in a derelict area of the city nicknamed "The Triangle" near to the railway station. Both the rugby and football club were earmarked to use the facility and it could have been extended to hold 25,000 people. An option spoken about for a ground was at Blackbridge, a former athletics ground in an area around 3 miles outside the City centre called
Podsmead Podsmead is a district of Gloucester approximately one mile from the historic city centre. With the development of Quedgeley and Kingsway Village, Podsmead was becoming absorbed by the city in the early 21st century. The population of this Glouc ...
. Any news regarding this possible switch soon went quiet, with the main area of concern being poor access roads and a spate of vandalism already occurring in that district. Another option was a shared new purpose-built stadium in Javelin Park, an area in-between
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
and
Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...
off Junction 12 of the M5 motorway. The ground was to be used by the football club and Stroud Rugby Club. However, in the end the rugby club decided not to pursue the proposal and the area is now being lined up to have an incinerator instead. In November 2008, local MP and supporter Parmjit Dhanda spoke in the House of Commons regarding the search for a new home for the club in the city in the hopes of finding a successful outcome. After the one season stay at Forest Green Rovers, the club moved to
Cirencester Town Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium. History The club was establ ...
and spent two seasons there, culminating in promotion to the Conference North. For the 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, the club played its home games at rivals
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
's
Whaddon Road Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing. T ...
stadium, due to
League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
legislation meaning
Cirencester Town Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium. History The club was establ ...
's Corinium Stadium was not up to a good enough standard. Not finding a stadium suitable would have meant immediate relegation for the Tigers. Plans to return to Meadow Park were now the frontrunner for the club's return to
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
. On 16 February 2011 it was announced that the club would be applying for planning permission in early March 2011 for a brand new stadium at Meadow Park, incorporating flood defence measures and an adjacent business park. On 29 December 2011 Gloucester City Council formally validated plans for a new stadium in Gloucester, but the scheme collapsed in September 2012 when the Council advised it could not approve the plans without more detailed flood risk assessments. This was deemed too costly by the club and with the exile away from the City getting longer the club decided to abandon the plans. For the 2014–15 season, the club once again played in Cheltenham. However, new plans had since been drawn up, using the same architects who designed AFC Telford United's and Forest Green Rovers' new stadium. The plans were for a "Category A" 4,000 capacity stadium. Outline planning was submitted to Gloucester City Council in June 2014. On 7 October 2014, after seven years in exile, the club plans for a new stadium at Meadow Park were approved by Gloucester City Council subject to completing 45 planning conditions. After a long push for a return home, confirmation that outline planning permission had been granted by the council came on 22 September 2015. This was followed by a full reserved matters application for a 3,060 capacity category B stadium being validated by the council on 26 May 2016. The plan incorporated an additional phase of work to take the stadium to over 4,000 capacity and meet FA category A requirements to enable the club to take part in the National League. Finally, the club received full planning permission from Gloucester City Council to build the stadium on 4 October 2016. Prior to construction work beginning on the new stadium, work was carried out to raise the level of the ground away from any possible future flooding. After the conclusion of a seven-year groundshare agreement with
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
for seasons 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20, Gloucester ground-shared with Evesham United at the Jubilee Stadium, Evesham. This was the first time the club played its home fixtures outside Gloucestershire and uniquely made them the only club at National South level or higher playing outside its own County until Truro City's announcement of a groundshare at Torquay occurred in July 2018. On 5 October 2018, the club also released revised plans for the new stadium. The new scaled down plan gave the club a view to making the project deliverable for 2020. The plans included the retention and conversion of Arriva House, the construction of two 350-seat covered stands, provision of an enlarged T-End and the existing open terraced stand currently located in at Evesham United. These amended plans were approved by Gloucester City Council in May 2019.


Honours

*
Southern Football League 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 fo ...
** Premier Division Playoff Winners: 2008–09 ** Premier Division Runners-up: 1990–91 **Midland Division Champions: 1988–89 **Western Division Runners-up: 2003–04 ** Southern League Cup: 1955–56 ** Southern League Cup Runners-up: 1981–82 **Merit Cup Winners: 1968–69 *
Birmingham Combination The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The ...
Tillotson Shield **Winners: 1935–36 *
Gloucestershire Northern Senior League The Gloucestershire Northern Senior League is a football competition based in England founded in 1922. The league is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA. It has two divisions, Division One and Division Two, with Division One sitting at ...
**Champions: 1933–34 **Runners-up: 1925–26, 1932–33, 1934–35 *North Gloucestershire League **Division One Champions: 1907–08,1908–09 *Gloucester and District League **Division One Champions: 1897–98, 1899–1900, 1903–04 **Division One Runners-up: 1898–99, 1906–07 *Cheltenham and District League **Division One Champions: 1906–07 **Division One Runners-up: 1909–10 *Mid Gloucestershire League **Champions: 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1900–01 *Gloucester City Hurrans Cup League ar-time League**Runners-up: 1942–43 *
Gloucestershire FA The Gloucestershire County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Gloucestershire FA'' or ''GFA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Gloucestershire. It was formed in 1886. History The Gloucestershire County Footb ...
Senior Professional Cup **Winners (18 Times) : 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1993, 1996. **Runners-up (35 Times): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2018 *
Worcestershire FA The Worcestershire County Football Association, also simply known as ''Worcestershire FA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Worcestershire, England. It was founded in 1879, under the auspices of the Birmingham County Football As ...
Senior Professional Cup **Runners-up: 1983–84 *
Gloucestershire FA The Gloucestershire County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Gloucestershire FA'' or ''GFA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Gloucestershire. It was formed in 1886. History The Gloucestershire County Footb ...
Senior Amateur Cup **Winners: 1931–32 **Runners-up: 1929–30, 1932–33 *
Gloucestershire FA The Gloucestershire County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Gloucestershire FA'' or ''GFA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Gloucestershire. It was formed in 1886. History The Gloucestershire County Footb ...
Junior Cup **Winners: 1902–03 **Runners-up: 1892–93, 1906–07 *Godsman Cup ar-time Cup**Runners-up: 1942–43 *City Cup ar-Time Cup**Finalist: 1942–43 *Severn Sport Shield **Winners: 2018–19


Club records

*Best League position: 2nd in
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 ...
, 1990–91 (Level 6 in
Football Pyramid In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
) *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: 2nd Round replay, 1989–90 v
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
*Best
Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...
performance: Quarter-final replay, 1958/59 v
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
*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-final replay, 1996–97 v
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
*Record fee paid: £25,000, Steve Fergusson,
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...
1990–91 *Record fee received: £25,000 Ian Hedges,
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
, 1989–90 *Record Attendance: **Longlevens: 10,500 v
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
, friendly, 1952 **Horton Road: 7,500 v
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 * ...
, friendly, 1966 **Meadow Park: 4,500 v
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
,
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 ...
Semi-Final, April 1997 *Record Victory: 16–0 v Army 'G', February 1942. (Wartime), 12–1 v Bristol Saint George, April 1934. (Non Wartime) *Record Defeat: 0–14 v Brimscombe F.C., January 1923.


Player records


Most appearances

''(Bold = Presently at club)''


Most goals

''(Bold = Presently at club)''


Seasons

''For a full list, please visit List of Gloucester City A.F.C. seasons.''


Players


Current squad

''(On loan from
Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
)'' ''(On loan from QPR)'' ''(On loan from Forest Green Rovers)'' ''(On loan from
Maidenhead United Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. They are currently members of and have played at York Road since 1871, making it the 'oldest senior football ground continuously ...
)'' ''(On loan from
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
)'' ''(On loan from
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
)''


Out on loan

''(On loan at
Swindon Supermarine Swindon Supermarine Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in South Marston, near Swindon, England. The club plays in the and is affiliated to the Wiltshire Football Association. The club plays at Webbswood Stadium on the nor ...
)'' ''(On loan at
Highworth Town Highworth Town Football Club is a football club based in Highworth, Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset ...
)'' ''(On loan at
Highworth Town Highworth Town Football Club is a football club based in Highworth, Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset ...
)'' ''(On loan at
Bishops Cleeve Bishop's Cleeve is a large village and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham. The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds. Bishop's Cle ...
)''


Notable former players

''For details on former players, see :Gloucester City A.F.C. players.''


Former international players

*
Nathaniel Jarvis Nathaniel Stephen Jarvis (born 20 October 1991) is a Welsh-born Antigua and Barbuda international footballer who plays as a striker for Taunton Town. He was previously with Cardiff City as a youngster. Early life As a teenager, Jarvis grew ...
– Eight caps, two goals, for Antigua and Barbuda. *
Jonte Smith Jonte may refer to: * Jonte (river), a tributary of the Tarn in Southern France ;People * Jonté Buhl (born 1982), a professional Canadian football cornerback free agent * Jonte Willis (born 1983), an American heavyweight boxer * Antonio Álvarez Jo ...
– 15 caps, two goals, for Bermuda. * Hayden Turner – Two caps for
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. *
Jeff Blockley Jeffrey Paul Blockley (born 12 September 1949) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He made over 300 Football League appearances and was capped by the England national football team. Blockley was born in Leicester but be ...
– One cap for England. *
Adolf Hanson Adolph Jonathan "Alf" Hanson (27 July 1912 – October 1993) was a football player for Liverpool, Chelsea, South Liverpool, Shelbourne, Ellesmere Port Town and Tranmere Rovers. Life and playing career Born Bootle, Lancashire, Hanson playe ...
– One war-time cap for England. *
Douglas Hunt Douglas 'Doug' Hunt (19 May 1914 – 30 May 1989) was a professional footballer whose career lasted from 1934 to 1948. Hunt was a centre forward who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient. Hunt lost some o ...
– One war-time cap for England. * Frank Saunders – One cap for England. * Joe Wollacott – Seven caps for
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. * Jake Gosling – 12 caps, 2 goals for
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
. *
Dejon Noel-Williams Dejon George Franklin Noel-Williams (born 22 September 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Isthmian League club Potters Bar Town. Born in England, he represents the Grenada national team. Professional career A youth p ...
– Six caps for
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
. *
Keanu Marsh-Brown Keanu Marqheal Marsh-Brown (born 10 August 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Jaro. He began his professional career with Fulham in the Premier League but failed to make a first team appearance, spending time on loa ...
– 16 caps, 1 goal, for
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. *
Tré Mitford Tré may refer to: *Tré Cool, drummer for the American band Green Day *''¡Tré! ''¡Tré!'' (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Green Day. It is the third and final installment in the ''¡Uno!'' ''¡Do ...
– 2 caps for
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. *
Tommy Casey Thomas Casey (11 March 1930 – 13 January 2009) was a Northern Ireland international footballer, coach and football manager, whose career in professional football spanned 30 years. In 1965, he played abroad in the Eastern Canada Professional ...
– 17 caps for
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
including at
1958 World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. *
Shabir Khan Shabir Khan (born 10 November 1985) is a footballer who plays for Worcester City, as a defender. He has spent his entire career at Worcester, having progressed through their youth system. He joined Gloucester City on a one-month loan deal in ...
– Nine caps, 1 goal, for
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. *
Omari Sterling-James Omari Shaquil Jabari Sterling-James (born 15 September 1993) is a footballer who plays as a winger or forward for club Ebbsfleet United and the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team. He previously played in the Football League for Cheltenham ...
– 10 caps, three goals, for Saint Kitts and Nevis. *
Leroy Rosenior Leroy De Graft Rosenior (born 24 August 1964) is a football coach and pundit. He is a former footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (for whom he appeared as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup Final), Bristol City and Wes ...
– One cap for
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
. *
Marcus Browning Marcus Trevor Browning (born 22 April 1971) is a football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made five appearances for the Wales national team. Club career Browning was born in Bristol and began his career ...
– Five caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Trevor Ford Trevor Ford (1 October 1923 – 29 May 2003) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward for Swansea Town, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV, Newport County and Romford, as well as for the Wales national tea ...
– 38 caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
– Three caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. * Dai Jones – Seven caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. * Robert Mills-Roberts – Eight caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
*
Eddie Parris John Edward Parris (31 January 1911 – 27 February 1971) was a Welsh international footballer, who played for Bradford Park Avenue, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Luton Town, Bath City, Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town. He was the firs ...
– One cap for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, first black player to play for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Neil Slatter Neil Slatter is a Welsh former professional footballer, who played at left back. He began his career with Bristol Rovers in 1980, where he remained for five years before moving on to Oxford United. He also had a loan spell with AFC Bournemouth in ...
– 22 caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Gareth Taylor Gareth Keith Taylor (born 25 February 1973) is a football manager and former player who is the head coach of Manchester City Women. He began his career as a defender at Bristol Rovers, having left the Southampton youth team in 1991. After loan ...
– 15 caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Rod Thomas Rod Thomas (born 11 January 1947) is a Welsh former professional footballer who represented Wales at International level. During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City, Swindon Town, Derby County, Cardiff City, Gloucester for a second ...
– 47 caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. *
Tony Villars Anthony Keith Villars (24 January 1952 – 9 September 2020) was a Welsh international footballer. Career Born in Pontypool, Villars was a member of the youth set-up and groundstaff at Newport County but quit the job because the pay was so poor. ...
– Three caps for
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.


Notable other internationals

*
Gilbert Jessop Gilbert Laird Jessop (19 May 1874 – 11 May 1955) was an English cricket player, often reckoned to have been the fastest run-scorer cricket has ever known. He was Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1898. Career Jessop was born in Cheltenham, Gl ...
– 18 caps for England Cricket * Grahame Parker – Two caps for England Rugby * Frank Stout – 14 caps for England Rugby *
Percy Stout Percy Wyfold Stout Distinguished Service Order, DSO, OBE (20 November 1875 – 9 October 1937) was an English international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Gloucester Rugby, Gloucester and Richmond F.C., Richmond. Stout also played i ...
– Five caps for England Rugby


Notable other sportsmen

* C.E Brown – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. * Trevor Halls – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. * Edward James – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
*
Arthur Jepson Arthur Jepson (12 July 1915 – 17 July 1997) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire before becoming an umpire. In addition to cricket he was also an accomplished football goalkeeper who played over 100 games in t ...
– Cricket Test Match Umpire and played cricket for Nottinghamshire CCC. * Don Meadows – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. *
Geoffrey Morton Geoffrey Dalgleish Morton (22 July 1922 – 28 January 2000) was an English professional footballer, cricketer, umpire and sports coach. He was best known for his achievements as a goalkeeper in the Football League, and as both a medium-fast b ...
– played cricket for Middlesex CCC. * William Murch – played cricket for
Gloucestershire CCC Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
. * Phil Neale – played cricket for Worcestershire CCC. * Trevor Powell – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. *
Thomas Rust Thomas Henry Rust (3 March 1881 – 9 August 1962) was an English cricketer. Rust was a right-handed batting (cricket), batsman. He was born at Gloucester, Gloucestershire. Rust made a single first-class cricket, first-class appearance for G ...
– played cricket for
Gloucestershire CCC Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
. *
Cyril Sewell Cyril Otto Hudson Sewell (19 December 1874 – 19 August 1951) was a Colony of Natal-born English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Gloucestershire and the Marylebone Cricket Club between 1895 and 1919. A ...
– played cricket for
Gloucestershire CCC Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
. * Eric Stephens – played cricket for
Gloucestershire CCC Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
and rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. * Walter Taylor – played rugby for
Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...
. * Ronald Turner – played cricket for
Gloucestershire CCC Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Gloucestershire. Founded in 1870, Gloucestershire have always ...
. * George Sutton Watson – played cricket for Kent CCC and
Leicestershire CCC Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the count ...
.


Management


Football Management Team


Club Staff


Managerial history

''Pre 1931, the term Manager was interchangeable with the term Secretary, thus the difference is noted.''


Secretaries

''Listed according to when they became Secretary for Gloucester City:'' * 1883 W.H. Clarke * 1884 A.J. Smith * 1888 Algernon S. King * 1889 Rev. Henry L. Brereton * 1890 William H. Benfield * 1893 Henry T. Robins * 1897 James G. Washbourn * 1898 Randolph Lewis * 1902 Henry W. Arkell & Henry Sherwood * 1903 Frank R. Crawley & Henry Sherwood * 1906 J.E. Palme * 1909 Oliver J.A. Carter * 1910 A.J. Hayward * 1911 H. Barry * 1919 Lemuel A. Beddis


Managers

''Listed according to when they became managers for Gloucester City:'' ''(C)'' – Caretaker ''(T)'' – Temporary ''(I)'' – Interim * 1931 Maurice Hukin * 1938
Albert Prince-Cox Captain Albert James Prince-Cox (8 August 189026 October 1967) was an English football manager, player and referee, boxer, boxing promoter and a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. Prince-Cox became the Secretary-manager of Bristol Ro ...
* 1938 Joseph Selby Thomas * 1940 William S. Blunn * 1946 Cyril Dean * 1948 Jack F. Whiting & Bill Carver * 1948
Douglas Hunt Douglas 'Doug' Hunt (19 May 1914 – 30 May 1989) was a professional footballer whose career lasted from 1934 to 1948. Hunt was a centre forward who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient. Hunt lost some o ...
* 1952 Jimmy Buist * 1954 Harry Ferrier * 1959 Ollie Norris * 1960 Frank Tredgett * 1960 Phillip Friel ''(T)'' * 1960 Maurice Hukin ''(2nd)'' * 1962 Ron Humpston * 1963
Tommy Casey Thomas Casey (11 March 1930 – 13 January 2009) was a Northern Ireland international footballer, coach and football manager, whose career in professional football spanned 30 years. In 1965, he played abroad in the Eastern Canada Professional ...
* 1965 Robert Grant * 1966
Cyril Williams Cyril Edward Williams (17 November 1921 – January 1980) was an English footballer who played as an inside left. He made over 360 Football League appearances in the years after the Second World War. Career When on song Cyril Williams, known ...
* 1967 Dick Etheridge * 1967 Harold Fletcher * 1968 Ian McIntosh * 1970 Rob Coldray * 1970 Dick Etheridge ''(2nd)'' * 1970 John Preece * 1971 Ian McIntosh ''(2nd)'' * 1972 Dick Etheridge ''(3rd)'' * 1973
Bobby Etheridge Bobby Etheridge (25 March 1934 – 4 March 1988) was an English footballer who played for Gloucester City, Bristol City and Cheltenham Town. A wing half, Etheridge made over 250 Football League appearances. Career Etheridge started his car ...
* 1976 Colin Moulsdale * 1977 Bob Mursell * 1980 Dick Etheridge ''(4th) (C)'' * 1980 Bobby Campbell * 1982 John Layton * 1982 Bob Murcell ''(2nd)'' * 1984 Tony Freely * 1985
Bobby Etheridge Bobby Etheridge (25 March 1934 – 4 March 1988) was an English footballer who played for Gloucester City, Bristol City and Cheltenham Town. A wing half, Etheridge made over 250 Football League appearances. Career Etheridge started his car ...
''(2nd)'' * 1985 Paul Richardson * 1985 Steve Scarrott * 1987
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
* 1991 Steve Millard * 1992
Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey (1 May 1940 – 11 February 2010) was a Welsh professional footballer. Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960. ...
''(2nd)'' * 1994 Garry Goodwin & Brian Hughes * 1994 John Murphy * 1996
Leroy Rosenior Leroy De Graft Rosenior (born 24 August 1964) is a football coach and pundit. He is a former footballer whose clubs included Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (for whom he appeared as a substitute in the 1986 League Cup Final), Bristol City and Wes ...
* 1998 Brian Hughes ''(2nd)'' * 2000 Tommy Callinan * 2001 Chris Burns * 2006
Neil Mustoe Neil John Mustoe (born 5 November 1976) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He last played for Conference North side Gloucester City. He first signed for City at the start of the 2002–03 season but left in January 200 ...
& Adie Harris ''(C)'' * 2006 Tim Harris * 2008
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 ...
* 2014 Tim Harris ''(2nd)'' * 2017 Will Morford (C) * 2017 Marc Richards * 2018 Tom Webb & Mike Green ''(C)'' * 2018 Chris Todd * 2019 Tom Webb & Mike Green ''(C)'' * 2019 Mike Cook * 2019 James Rowe * 2020
Jake Cole Jake Stanley Cole (born 11 September 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Gloucester City. He previously played for Queens Park Rangers, Hayes, AFC Wimbledon, Farnborough Town, Oxford United, Barnet, Plymou ...
''(C)'' * 2020 Paul Groves * 2021 Lee Mansell * 2022 Steven King


Rivalries


Cheltenham Town

The near proximity of
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
to
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
has led to the rivalry with
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
being competed for more than a century, in local and regional divisions. The first of these matches were played in 1898 and since then 212 matches have been contested between the clubs. However, the most recent league game between the two was in 1997 and since then, competitive matches between the clubs have stopped due to
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
's rise up the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. This could have been Gloucester City if they had beaten
Salisbury City Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
on the final day of the 1996–97 season, however City lost 3–1 and Cheltenham were promoted due to champions
Gresley Rovers Gresley Rovers Football Club is an English association football, football club from Church Gresley, South Derbyshire. Gresley is a member of the and plays home games at the Moat Ground. They were known as Gresley Rovers until 2009, when they we ...
' ground not being to a sufficient standard for Conference football. From 2010 to 2017, Gloucester City ground-shared at
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
's
Whaddon Road Whaddon Road, known as the Completely-Suzuki Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cheltenham, England. It is the home ground of Cheltenham Town F.C. It has a total capacity of 7,066, with a mixture of seating and terracing. T ...
stadium.


Forest Green Rovers

The rivalry between with Forest Green Rovers has only become a recent phenomenon. For the majority of both club's history, Gloucester City were in a higher league. In 1998, Forest Green Rovers achieved promotion to the Football Conference after only a couple seasons in the Southern League. However, in 2007, Gloucester City began groundsharing at Rovers' New Lawn Stadium, which ended acrimoniously between the clubs, forcing the Tigers further into exile at
Cirencester Town Cirencester Town Football Club is a football club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, the club are currently members of the and play at the Corinium Stadium. History The club was establ ...
. In 2014, the club's met 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 ...
; their first competitive meeting in a generation.


Worcester City

Gloucester City and
Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...
contest the Severn Derby, as the game has recently been named. The rivalry has blossomed in the 2000s due to both clubs participating in the Conference North and the close proximity between the two cathedral cities. The two sides have met 104 times during their history.


References


Further reading

Clark, Timothy R. D in collaboration with Kujawa, Rob (2009). The Complete Record of Gloucester City AFC 1883–2009. (566 pgs) Tiger Timbo Publications. .


External links

* {{Football Conference National League (English football) Football clubs in Gloucestershire Southern Football League clubs Sport in Gloucester Association football clubs established in 1883 1883 establishments in England Football clubs in England Sports clubs founded by the YMCA