Thatcham Town F.C.
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| Full name | Thatcham Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Kingfishers, Blues | ||
| Founded | 1894 | ||
| Ground | Waterside Park, Thatcham (Capacity: 1,500) |
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| Chairman | Eric Bailey | ||
| Manager | Gary Ackling | ||
| League | Southern League Division One South & West | ||
| 2010–11 | Southern League Division One South and West, 5th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Thatcham Town Football Club are an English football club based in Thatcham, Berkshire. They are currently members of Division One South and West of the Southern League and play at Waterside Park.
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[edit] History
Thatcham Town Football Club was founded in 1894, and, for the first two seasons only, friendly matches were played at "The Marsh", Dunston Green, before the Club joined the Reading Temperance League in 1896 where they remained for the next fifty-seven years. Steady, if not remarkable, progress, was made winning Division Two in 1905–06, as well as the Berks & Bucks Junior up in 1935–36. During this period Thatcham also won the Reading Town Senior Cup and were runners-up in the Reading & District Premier League.
After playing on two more sites in Thatcham, at Brownsfield, home of the Cricket Club, and at Station Road, the Club purchased eleven acres of land off Northfield Road in 1949. This became known as Lancaster Close. Early in 1970, seven acres were sold and the proceeds used to finance the construction of a new clubhouse and dressing rooms. In 1953, Thatcham became founder members of the Hellenic League and won the Championship in 1958–59, 1964–65, and 1972–73, winning the First Division Cup in the latter season.
The Club's most successful season was in 1974–75, when, in addition to winning the Hellenic League Championship and the Premier Division Cup, Thatcham also reached the Final of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup where they lost to Wycombe Wanderers. They were, however, awarded the Cup by default because of a dispute between Wanderers and the Berks & Bucks FA.
By 1983 floodlights had been erected and were first used when Thatcham entertained Fulham at Lancaster Close in January of that year. After a short stay in the Athenian League, which was disbanded in 1984, they spent two seasons in the London Spartan League before joining the newly formed Wessex League in 1986, also reaching the last sixteen in the FA Vase that season.
In 1989 Thatcham reached the last eight in the FA Vase, having been drawn away in all six rounds before eventually losing to local rivals Hungerford Town.
In order to provide improved facilities, the Club moved to a new ten acre site at Waterside Park during 1992–93. A record gate for the new stadium was set when 1400 saw Thatcham lose by a single goal to Aldershot Town in the 1993–94 FA Vase.
The ultimate success came in 1995–96 when Thatcham won the League Title and the following season saw the Club's best ever FA Cup run, reaching the Fourth Qualifying Round after defeating highly placed Southern Premier Gloucester City and Southern Division Bashley. In 1997 Thatcham reached the Final of the Wessex League Cup for the sixth time in eight years, and won the Cup for the fourth time.
In 2002–03, Thatcham was awarded the FA Community Standard Charter, the first club at this level in Southern England to earn this award. Two seasons later, under the guidance of Jason Braidwood, in his debut season as a manager, the Club reached three local Cup Finals, winning two of them, and finished third in the League. in the 2005–06 season, the Club went one better and were Runners-up to Winchester City, and, with the Club meeting FA ground-grading requirements, the superb efforts of everyone involved with the Club meant that Thatcham Town made for the first time in its history, its debut at Regional Level. The Club finished an impressive 6th place in 2006–07 missing out on the playoffs by a single point. The Club is now under new management with Gary Ackling taking over from John Goddard and Lee Tillen towards the end of the 2007–08 Season.In the 2008–09 season in his first full season in charge Gary Ackling guided the club to an impressive 6th place,finishing just outside the play-off places. The club also won the Basingstoke Senior Cup.
In the 2009–10 season despite an early exit in the FA Cup against Cirencester Town, Thatcham started the season well and on October 10, 2009 hit top spot in the Southern League Division One South & West with a 3–1 home victory against Uxbridge. Then came an exit in the FA Trophy away at Truro City and a run of league defeats followed. There were some memorable games during the season an entertaing 0–0 draw at home to eventual league winners Windsor & Eton and The Berks & Bucks Cup Semi Final against Maidenhead when although going down 4–2 after extra time and down to 9 men it was a game and a performance to remember. Thatcham eventually finished in 12th position in the Southern League Division One South & West and now look forward to their 5th season in the league.
In June 2010 Thatcham appointed the highly-rated Colin Millard as the club's new manager. With over half of the squad departed, many to local rivals Hungerford Town and a reduction in the club's playing budget, Millard had the difficult task of rebuilding the squad for the 2010–11 season. Millard left the club in October 2010, and Ackling returned to manage the club.
In April 2011 Thatcham Town beat Tadley Calleva Fc 4–1 to win The Basingstoke Senior Cup Final. This was played at the ground at Andover New Street.
[edit] Former players
Probably the best known player to have played for Thatcham is Lawrie Sanchez. Sanchez was born in London to a Northern Irish mother and an Ecuadorian father, but when it came to selecting which country to represent at international level in his playing career, he chose Northern Ireland. He only played for Thatcham three times before moving on to Reading.
Burnley FC stiker Charlie Austin used to play for Thatcham.
[edit] Ground
Having previously played at The Marsh in Dunston Green, Brownsfield (the home of the local cricket club) and Station Road, the club moved to a new 10-acre (40,000 m2) site at Waterside Park in 1992. The record attendance at their current home is 1,400 for the visit of Aldershot Town in the FA Vase in the 1993–94 season.
[edit] Club records
- Best league performance: 5th in Southern League Division One South & West, 2010–11
- Best FA Cup performance: 4th Qualifying Round, 1996–97
- Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd Qualifying Round, 2008–09
- Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 1988–89
[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] Sources
- Thatcham Town at the Football Club History Database
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 51°23′28.97″N 1°14′32.68″W / 51.3913806°N 1.2424111°W
