Mangotsfield United F.C.
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| Full name | Mangotsfield United Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Field, The Mangos | ||
| Founded | 1951 | ||
| Ground | Cossham Street Mangotsfield South Gloucestershire (Capacity: 2,500 (300 seated) |
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| Chairman |  Mike Richardson |
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| Manager |  Phil Bater |
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| League | Southern League Division One South and West | ||
| 2010–11 | Southern League Division One South and West, 3rd | ||
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Mangotsfield United F.C. is an English football club based in Mangotsfield, near Bristol, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA and Somerset County FA.
The club's traditional nickname is The Field, although in recent times they have been referred to as The Mangos. The home strip is Maroon/Sky Blue, and the away kit is Yellow/Black.
Mangotsfield United play their home games at Cossham Street, which has also played host to Bristol Academy W.F.C. home games in the past.
There are reserve and youth teams affiliated with Mangotsfield United. The reserves play in the Somerset County League, the youth team play in the Somerset Youth Floodlit League Premier Division and there are various junior teams playing in the Avon Schoolboys League.
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[edit] History
The 2010–11 season is Mangotsfield's 11th campaign as a Southern League club. Last season saw a 9th place finish in Division One South & West after four seasons at Premier Division level which saw the club finish 10th, 9th, 14th and 22nd. The board of directors - with Mike Richardson at the helm, long standing servant Roger Gray as CEO, and new vice chairman Chris Stone have been forced to address the financial structure of the club as the recession has tightened its grip.
There has been football in the village since 1888 and four years later, Mangotsfield F.C. became a founder member of the Bristol & District League (later to become the Western Football League in 1895) but the club folded after 10 years after finishing bottom of the Amateur Section, Division 1 in 1898. From 1898 until the 1950s, Mangotsfield FC was disbanded and subsequently reformed on several occasions.
In January 1951, the parent club dispensed with the Reserve XI for financial reasons leaving many local players without a team to play for. These players decided to form a new club in the village and at the start of the 1951-52 season, the newly-established Mangotsfield United FC was entered into the Bristol & District League, Division VII. They achieved five successive promotions and gained entry to the Bristol & District Premier Combination in 1957. The club remained there until 1972-73, when it was accepted in to the Western League.
The club became established in the Western League during the 1970s and despite being relegated to the first division in 1981-82, 'The Field' as they were affectionately known, bounced straight back the following season under the guidance of the charismatic Ralph Miller, who as Chairman undertook the task of improving the ground and its facilities. The club then went on to re-establish themselves in the Premier Division over the next few seasons mainly featuring in the leading positions.
In 1991, the club, managed by Harold Jarman and assisted by Terry Rowles achieved regional glory by taking the (then) Great Mills League Premier Division title, ahead of runners-up Torrington. Disappointingly, they were denied promotion to the Southern League as the ground failed to meet the grading requirements and there followed several lean seasons as the team broke up. However under newly-elected Chairman Richard Davis, off the pitch, things were improving.
Terry Rowles returned to manage the club himself in 1995 and kept them in the spotlight by consistently finishing in the top three/four in the Great Mills/Screwfix League and an appearance in the FA Vase semi-final (losing to Clitheroe), but their ambitions of promotion and Southern League football were always thwarted by the continual success of Taunton and Tiverton Town. It was considered very important to establish a sound working base, improve ground facilities and secure a long-term tenure on their Cossham Street ground.
In earlier years, the Roger Pullin/Richard Davis partnership has seen many improvements take place, with the installation of Conference-style floodlights and at the end of the 2003–04 season, the Cossham Street end of the ground was covered, together with new toilet blocks and social club improvements. Ex player Andy Black returned to the club as Manager in 1999 and guided the club to promotion to the Dr. Martens Southern League and three successful campaigns which saw the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup reached on two occasions as well as an appearance in the fourth round of the FA Trophy. During this period the GFA Senior Trophy was also won for the first time in the club's history. The 2003–04 campaign did not go too well and just before Christmas, Black and his assistant Shaun Penny where replaced by Martin Grimshaw. Towards the end of the campaign, Nigel Webb came in as his Assistant, but the club could only finish in 13th place, which was not high enough for the planned re-structuring of the Pyramid.
The Management duo made promotion their priority in 2004–05 and the club headed the table for most of the campaign, eventually taking the Division One West title with a 21 match unbeaten run. After 28 seasons at Western League level, the club had spent just five campaigns in Southern League Division One West before reaching the Premier Division.
The 2005–06 campaign, the club's first at step three of the pyramid, saw a creditable tenth place achieved. The club have looked for financial stability in recent years with the need to reach out to the community and attract a broader fan-base and local sponsorship.
Sometimes now referred to as "The Mangos", the club started the 2009–10 campaign under the leadership of ex Bristol Rovers' player Phil Bater and together with his Assistant Manager Andy Eisentrager they are halfway through a three year plan which they hope will financially stabilise the club and consolidate its position in the Zamaretto Southern League with a view to regaining Premier Division status.
[edit] Club records
- Biggest home win: 17–0 v Hanham Sports, 3 January 1953, Bristol and District League Division 6
- Biggest home defeat: 3–13 v Bristol City United, 14 March 1964, Bristol and District Premier Combination Division 1
- Biggest away win: 14–0 v Dawlish Town, 13 February 1993, Western League Premier Division
- Biggest away defeat: 0–8 v Hambrook, 31 December 1960, Bristol and District Premier Combination Division 1
- Record home attendance: 1,253 v Bath City, 1974 season.
[edit] Honours
Southern League Division 1 West champions - 2004–05
Promoted to Dr Martens League Western Division - 2000–01
FA Vase Semi Finalists - 1995–96
Great Mills Western Premier Division Champions - 1990–91
Western League Challenge Cup Winners - 1973–74
Western League Challenge Cup Finalists - 1986–87
Great Mills Western League Division 1 Runners Up - 1982–83
Somerset Premier Cup Winners - 1987–88
Somerset Premier Cup Finalists - 1988–89, 1995–96, 2005–06
Gloucestershire Senior Trophy Winners - 2002–03
Gloucestershire Challenge Trophy Winners - 1984–85, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1999–2000
Gloucestershire FA (South) Senior Amateur Cup Winners - 1968–69, 1975–76
Gloucestershire FA (South) Senior Amateur Cup Finalists - 1972–73
Rothmans National Cup Finalists - 1977–78
Hungerford Invitation Cup Winners - 1974–75
Hanham Invitation Charity Shield Winners - 1984–85, 1985–86
Somerset Senior League Premier Division Champions - 2004–05
Somerset Senior League Cup Winners - 1998–99
Somerset Senior League Division 1 Runners Up - 1982–83
Somerset Senior League Division 2 Winners - 1975–76, 1997–98
Somerset Senior League Division 3 Winners - 1974–75
Somerset Combination Cup Winners - 1974–75
Bristol & District Premier Combination Division 1 Winners - 1968–69
Bristol & District League Division 2 Winners - 1955–56
Bristol & District League Division 3 Winners - 1954–55
Bristol & District League Division 4 Winners - 1953–54
Bristol & District League Division 6 Winners - 1952–53
Bristol & District League Division 7 Winners - 1951–52
Gloucestershire FA Youth Shield Winners - 1981–82, 1984–85, 1999–2000
Gloucestershire FA Youth Shield Finalists - 1982–83
Somerset FA Floodlit Youth League Winners - 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88
Somerset FA Floodlit Youth League Winners (cont) - 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09
Somerset FA Floodlit Youth League Cup Winners - 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2007–08
Somerset FA Floodlit Youth League Cup Finalists - 2001–02, 2005–06
Somerset FA Youth Shield Winners - 1976–77
British Gas Business Youth Cup Winners 2008–09
[edit] Current squad
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] External links
Coordinates: 51°28′58.24″N 2°28′53.63″W / 51.4828444°N 2.4815639°W
