Welton Rovers F.C.
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| Full name | Welton Rovers Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Rovers | ||
| Founded | 1887 | ||
| Ground | West Clewes, Midsomer Norton (Capacity: 2,400 (300 seated)) |
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| Manager | Graham Colbourne (Caretaker Manager) | ||
| League | Western Football League Division One |
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| 2010–11 | Western Football League Premier Division, 19th (relegated) |
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Welton Rovers Football Club is an English non-league football club who play at West Clewes, North Road, Midsomer Norton, Somerset in the Western Football League Division One. The club is affiliated to the Somerset County FA.
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[edit] Early club history
Founded in 1887, Welton Rovers provided the opportunity for the mining community of Midsomer Norton and Radstock to play and watch football. One of a number of long-established clubs in the North Somerset coalfield, their ground, West Clewes, is the oldest in the area.
Welton Rovers joined the Western League in 1903-04, along with near neighbours Radstock Town and in 1906-07 they won the Somerset Senior Cup for the first time. They also won the league title for the first time in 1911-12, losing only two games and finishing four points ahead of Barry District. In 1911-12 they won the Somerset Senior Cup for the second time, a trophy they retained for the next two seasons.
On their return to football after the Great War, Welton won their fifth Somerset Senior Cup but unfortunately in 1922-23 after finishing as runners up by two points to Weymouth, went into liquidation. The ground at West Clewes was sold to the Miners Welfare and it was only the generosity of local miners contributions that enabled the club to stay in existence.
The club rejoined the League in 1924-25 and throughout the remainder of the 1920s achieved high league placings without adding another championship. They did, however, win the Somerset Senior Cup in 1924-25 and again the following season.
The 150 seat grandstand at West Clewes was built just before the Second World War but when football resumed afterwards, Welton finished bottom of the single division league in 1945-46. The following season was notable for the havoc caused by the weather with only two of the 31 clubs in the League completed their fixtures. Welton, in Division One, completed only 20 games out of 34 and were relegated. They remained in Division Two until 1959-60, when they finished as champions, four points ahead of Stonehouse. In 1960-61 they again won the Somerset Senior Cup, and retained it for the following two seasons. In 1961-62 Rovers played all their home games at nearby Radstock Town, while the pitch at West Clewes was levelled.
[edit] Return to professionalism
The return to professional status and the arrival of former Huddersfield Town and Bristol City striker Arnold Rodgers as manager led to a period of unprecedented success in the mid 1960s. They won the Championship on three successive occasions: in 1964-65 they finished three points ahead of Bideford; in 1965-66 they finished eleven points clear of Portland United; and in 1966-67 they were five points ahead of Minehead.
In 1964-65 Welton also reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, losing to Weymouth after a replay. In 1965-66 Welton Rovers were unbeaten for the entire league season, Ian Henderson scored a club record 53 goals (including six hat-tricks) and on 11 September 1965 Welton won 10-0 at Dorchester Town.
The following season Welton again reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, losing 3-0 at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. However financial problems affected the club and Rodgers departed to Bath City, followed by ten players. With the decline of the coal industry at this time (the last coal was mined in 1975), the Miners Welfare donated the ground to the local authority for continued use for football and since then, Welton have leased West Clewes from the local council.
After a number of mid table finishes, in 1973-74 the club, now managed by former Bristol Rovers player David Stone, won their fifth championship by a single point from Taunton Town. However, a long period of decline followed, culminating in relegation at the end of the 1981-82 season and it took six years to regain their Premier Division status. This was achieved when Steve Coles led the club to the First Division championship in 1987-88, finishing a single point ahead of Chard Town.
Their status was lost again with relegation in 1991-92 until 1999-2000 when, under manager Adrian Britton, Welton returned to the Premier Division, finishing as runners up to unbeaten Devizes Town. Since then they have maintained their status and with new manager Chris Mountford, 2005-06 was the most successful season since the 1970s, ending with a fourth place finish. In June 2007 part of the main stand was damaged by fire.
At the end of the 2007-08 season, Chris Mountford left the club and was replaced by a new managerial team at the helm of Welton Rovers, of Mark Harrington (ex-Bath City and Paulton Rovers) and assistant Graham Colbourne. After rebuilding the squad with the addition of 11 new players Welton finished the season a commendable 8th in the league table while reaching the semi-finals of two cup competitions.
In anticipation of the 2009/10 season, Harrington made wholesale changes to the first-team squad with Gary Banks, Lee Bryant, Timmy Thompson, Danny Maye and Ollie Edwards joining the club to assist with Welton's push for improvement.
The 2009/10 season saw the first team compete in the top 3 for a large proportion of the season when injuries and suspensions took their toll in early March resulting in a 5th place finish in the league. In the Les Philips League Cup Welton lost 1-0 to an extra time goal in the semi finals to the eventual winners Hallen.
The pinnacle of the 2009/10 season saw Welton win the Somerset Premier Cup for the first time in the club's history, overcoming Paulton Rovers, Chard Town, Wellington and Yeovil Town on the way to beating Bridgwater Town in the final. The final, at Yeovil Town's Huish Park on Tuesday 4th May 2010, saw the team win 4-2 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes and extra time.
On May 19th 2010, after a successful season in 2009/10, manager Mark Harrington handed in his resignation as 1st team coach to the bemusement of supporters at the club.
[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] Honours
- Western League Champions 1911-12, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1973-74
- Western League Division One Champions 1959-60, 1987-88
- Somerset Premier Cup Winners - 2009-10
- Somerset Senior Cup Winners - 1906-07, 1911-12, 1912-13, 1913-14, 1919-20, 1924-25, 1925-26, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63
- Somerset Senior League Division One Champions 1999-00 (reserves)
[edit] Sources
Miller, Kerry: The History of Non-League Football Grounds (1996)
Webb, Doug & Sandie: A View From The Terraces: One Hundred Years of the Western Football League 1892-1992 (1992)
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 51°17′21.96″N 2°28′52.43″W / 51.2894333°N 2.4812306°W
