Didcot Town F.C.

Didcot Town Football Club are a football club based in Didcot in Oxfordshire, England. The club is affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association[1] They won the FA Vase in 2005 and are currently members of Division One Central of the Southern League, having been relegated from the Premier Division in 2010–11.[2]

Didcot Town
Full nameDidcot Town Football Club
Nickname(s)Diddy, The Railwaymen, The Artillerymen, The Gunners
Founded1907
GroundLoop Meadow Stadium, Didcot
Capacity3,000 (350 Seated)
ChairmanJohn Bailey
ManagerJamie Heapy
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division South
2022–23Southern League Division One Central, 3rd of 19 (promoted via play-offs)

The first team is currently managed by Jamie Heapy and his assistant manager Paul Bedwell.

History

The club was founded in 1907 and in their early days competed in the North Berks League from the 1910–11 season.[3][4] They left the North Berks league at the end of the 1927–28 campaign and later joined the Reading League and then the Metropolitan League. They then became founder members of the Hellenic League in 1953, where they won the championship at the first attempt.[5] Although they returned to the Metropolitan League for the 1957–58 season they rejoined the Hellenic League Premier Division in 1963.[5][6]

They spent the next thirteen seasons in the premier division before being relegated to Division one at the end of the 1975–76 season, the same season they made their debut in the FA Cup; however, they bounced back up as champions of Division one the next season.[2] They moved between the Hellenic League's two divisions on two more occasions before they established themselves for the rest of their time in the top flight of the Hellenic league from the 1995–96 season.[2] In 2004–05, under manager Stuart Peace, they were only denied the title due to the deduction of one point for fielding an ineligible player in a 1–1 draw at Tuffley Rovers at the start of the season, but made up for it by beating A.F.C. Sudbury to claim the FA Vase.[7][8][9] The following season they finally claimed the league title, becoming the first team in Hellenic League history to accrue 100 points in a season, and were thus promoted to the Southern League Division One South & West.[7]

In May 2009 they gained promotion to the Southern Football League Premier Division, when they beat AFC Totton 2–1 after extra time in the play-off final.[10] Didcot reached the play-offs after finishing fifth in the league and, in consecutive matches, beating the first- (Truro City), second- (Windsor and Eton) and third-placed (AFC Totton) teams, all away from home.[11][12][13] The 2010–11 season saw long-term manager Stuart Peace leave the club in January, to be replaced by Ady Williams; however, he could not save them from relegation.[14]

Williams resigned in May 2011 to be replaced by Francis Vines, but he only stayed until September 2011, after a poor start to the season.[15][16][17] He was replaced with Dave Mudge, who guided the club to the first round of the FA Trophy for the first time, but resigned at the start of the 2012–13 season for personal reasons to be replaced by Gary Elkins.[18][19]

Elkins was replaced by former Didcot FA Vase winners Ian Concannon and Jamie Heapy, who were appointed as joint managers in November 2013 .[20]

The football club gained nationwide attention when it reached the FA Cup first round proper in season 2015–16 and was awarded a home tie with Exeter City, which was shown live on BT Sport.[21] At the end of the 2018-19 season, Didcot reappointed Jamie Heapy as their first team manager after Andy Ballard resigned.[22]

Stadium

Didcot have played at Loop Meadow on the town's Ladygrove estate after the sale of their former Station Road ground in 1999.[3] The ground boasts a main pitch and a training pitch, with the main pitch having a 150-seat main stand and a covered standing area. Their previous ground is now the site of a large car park for the town's recently built shopping centre. Loop Meadow attracted its biggest crowd of 2,707 in 2015 when League Two side Exeter City visited in the FA Cup first round.

The ground has been upgraded to meet FA Ground Specifications. Two 175 standing terraces have been erected to the Railway End and 100 seats have been added into the Main Stand.

Honours

League honours

Cup honours

Records
  • Highest League Position:[2] 15th in Southern League Premier Division 2009–10
  • FA Cup best performance:[2] First round 2015–16
  • FA Trophy best performance:[2] First round 2011–12, 2014-15
  • FA Vase best performance:[2] Winners 2004–05
  • Highest Attendance for Competitive match:[1] (FA Cup):[1] 2707 vs Exeter City 8 November 2015
  • Highest Attendance for Competitive Cup match (FA Cup):[1] 2707 vs Exeter City 8 November 2015

Former players

Former coaches
  1. Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Managers/Coaches with full international caps.

See also

References
  1. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Club Details | Didcot Town". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  2. Didcot Town at the Football Club History Database
  3. "Away Day Rough Guide to …….. Didcot Town Reserves | Bracknell Town Football Club". Bracknelltownfc.com. 5 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  4. "North Berks Football League". Nbfl.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  5. "Hellenic League 1953–1972". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  6. "Metropolitan & District League 1949–1971". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  7. "Hellenic League 1995–2011". Nonleaguematters.net. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  8. "The FA Vase History and Previous Winners". Napit.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  9. "BBC Sport – Football – Stuart Peace resigns as Didcot Town boss". BBC News. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  10. "BBC SPORT | Football | Non League | Peace to stay as Didcot manager". BBC News. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  11. "BBC SPORT | Football | Non League | Truro City 2–4 Didcot Town". BBC News. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  12. "BBC SPORT | Football | Non League | Didcot through to play-off final". BBC News. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  13. "BBC SPORT | Football | Non League | Didcot victory seals promotion". BBC News. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  14. "BBC Sport – Didcot Town relegated from Zamaretto Premier Division". Bbc.co.uk. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  15. "BBC Sport – Ady Williams resigns as Didcot Town manager". Bbc.co.uk. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  16. "BBC Sport – Didcot Town appoint Francis Vines as new manager". Bbc.co.uk. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  17. "BBC Sport – Francis Vines resigns as Didcot Town manager". Bbc.co.uk. 25 September 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  18. "BBC Sport – Football – New Didcot Town manager Dave Mudge wants improvements". BBC News. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  19. "FOOTBALL: Boss Mudge quits in Didcot bombshell (From Oxford Mail)". Oxfordmail.co.uk. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  20. "FOOTBALL: Legends Concannon & Heapy take charge of Didcot Town (From Herald Series)". Heraldseries.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  21. "Highlights: Didcot Town 0-3 Exeter City". BT Sport. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  22. Jamie Heapy appointed as manager pitchero.com/clubs/didcottown, 12 April 2019
  23. "Honours". Didcot Town FC. 18 May 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  24. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2000 – 2001". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  25. "Football Club History Database – Berks & Bucks County Cups". Fchd.info. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  26. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2003–2004". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  27. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2004–2005". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  28. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2005–2006". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  29. "The History of Didcot Town Football Club". Didcot Town FC. 18 May 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  30. "Uhlsport Hellenic Football League | Statistics | Season 2002–2003". Hellenicleague.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

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