Croydon F.C.
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| Full name | Croydon Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Trams | ||
| Founded | 1953 (as Croydon Amateurs) | ||
| Ground | Croydon Arena Croydon (Capacity: 8,000) |
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| Chairman | Dickson Gill | ||
| Manager | John Fowler | ||
| League | Combined Counties League Premier Division | ||
| 2010–11 | Combined Counties League Premier Division, 20th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Croydon F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in Croydon, Greater London, England. Until 2006, they played in the Isthmian League, but lost their place in that league as part of the 2006 re-structuring of non-league football, and now play in the Combined Counties League. They play at Croydon Sports Arena in South Norwood. The club was founded in 1953 as Croydon Amateurs.
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[edit] History
The club was founded in 1953 as Croydon Amateurs FC, the club spent their first 10 years in the Surrey Senior League but failed to win the championship. In 1963-64, they joined the Spartan League, winning the league title in their only season in the competition. 1964 saw them join the Athenian League where they spent the next ten years, winning the Second Division title in 1965-66, being relegated four years later and then gaining two successive promotions to the Premier Division as runners-up to Herne Bay (1970–71) and Harlow Town (1971–72) under Jimmy Rose. 1973 saw the suffix Amateurs dropped due to the impending changes to the status of players and a year later, under the management of Ted Shepherd, election to the expanding Isthmian League.
Two seasons later, after an unbeaten 1975-76 campaign, the club gained promotion to the Isthmian's top division - initially titled Division One but then retitled the Premier Division where they spent twelve seasons before deserved relegation to the First Division in 1989. A further relegation followed in 1994, but following reorganisation, they were promoted back to Division One within two seasons. The club's first Isthmian League title - champions of Division One followed in 2000, before relegation back two years later.
The non-league scene was reorganised at the end of the 2005-06 season and this restructuring saw them placed in the Kent League where following a third place finish in 2006-07, the club has finished in mid-table the last two years. 2008-09 culminated with success in the Kent League Cup after a penalty shootout win over Erith Town.
That turned out to be the club's final Kent League fixture as they have now shuffled sideways into the Combined Counties League (a competition which evolved from the Surrey Senior League) for the 2009-10 season, effectively back where they spent their first ten years.
[edit] Current squad
Squad as of 9 January 2012. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Nickname
The club's nickname "The Trams" was adopted around 2000 when the Croydon Tramlink system was installed and runs round the back of the ground, Arena being the closest stop less than 2 minutes walk from the turnstiles.
[edit] Club honours
- Isthmian League Division One Winners: 1999-00
- Isthmian League Division Two Runners Up: 1975-76 (undefeated) (retitled Division One 1977-78), 1995–96
- Isthmian League Cup Finalists: 1974-75, 2000–01
- Isthmian League Full Members Cup Winners: 1999-00
- London Senior Cup Winners: 2001-02 - Finalists: 1977-78
- Surrey Senior Cup Winners: 1981-82 - Finalists: 1976-77, 1999-00
- Kent League Cup Winners: 2008-09
- Kent League Challenge Shield Winners: 2009
- Athenian League Division One Runners Up: 1971-72
- Athenian League Division Two Winners: 1965-66 - Runners-Up 1970-71
- Spartan League Champions: 1963-64
- Surrey Senior League Runners Up: 1956-57, 1960–61, 1962–63
- Surrey Senior League Cup Winners 1960-61, 1962–63 - Finalists: 1953-54, 1959–60, 1961–62
- Surrey Senior League Charity Cup Winners: 1962-63 - Finalists: 1957-58 Shared with Dorking: 1953-54
[edit] Club records
- Record attendance:
- At The Arena - 1 November 1975 - 1450 v Wycombe Wanderers (FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round)
- At Selhurst Park - 15 December 1979 - 9809 v Millwall (FA Cup Second Round)
- Record Goalscorers - Fred Morris (1959-64 - 159 goals), Tony Luckett (1962-73 - 125 goals), Peter McCluskey (1953-63 - 124 goals), Alec Jackson (1977-88 - 111 goals)
- Record Appearances - Alec Jackson (1977-88 - 441 plus 9 as sub), Tony Luckett (1962-73 - 409 plus 1 as sub)
- Record Win - 21 January 1961 home v Banstead Athletic 11-0 Surrey Senior League
- Record Defeat - 19 March 1994 away v Staines Town 0-14 Isthmian League, 2 April 1994 away v Berkhamsted Town 1-14 Isthmian League
- Best league position: 4th in Isthmian League, Premier Division (then level 6), 1985–86
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1979–80
- Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round, 1981–82, 1982-83
[edit] References
- Croydon at the Football Club History Database
[edit] External links
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