Bognor Regis Town F.C.
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| Nickname(s) | The Rocks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1883 (as Bognor F.C.) | ||
| Ground | Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis | ||
| Capacity | 4,000 approx (350 seated) | ||
| Chairman |  Dominic Reynolds | ||
| Manager | Darin Killpartrick | ||
| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||
| 2008-09 | Conference South, 21st[1] (relegated) | ||
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Bognor Regis Town F.C. is a football club based in Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. They were established in 1883 and have reached the second round of the FA Cup four times in their history. They currently play in the Conference South and were managed for 31 years by Jack Pearce, until his decision to step down in October 2007. The club's nickname of The Rocks stems from a formation of rocks which lie about a mile from the beach at Bognor Regis.
History
Bognor F.C. was founded in 1883 and joined the West Sussex League in 1896. They won the championship of this league for five successive years in the early 1920s, after which they joined the Brighton & Hove District League in 1926. Just one year later, however, they joined the Sussex County League where they were to remain until 1972. The club became Bognor Regis F.C. in 1929 after King George V added the suffix 'Regis' to the seaside resort. In 1948 Bognor Regis F.C. added "Town" to their name so as not to be confused with the local rugby club. In the following campaign the club won the Division One championship for the 1948-49 season. It wasn't until twenty-one years later in the 1969-70 season that they were relegated.
The Jack Pearce years
In 1970 a 21-year-old full back called Jack Pearce arrived in time for the 1970-71 season. That season the Rocks bounced back at the first attempt, followed the next season by winning the Division One championship title, which was rewarded with a step up to the Southern Football League. In 1976 Pearce took on the manager’s job at the age of just 26. Bognor were bottom of the Southern League and were struggling to survive financially and had lost all their best players but Jack Pearce managed to turn things around and as a result the job was his. This began a period of 31 years of success. They played in this league until 1981 when they switched to the Isthmian League, where promotion to the Premier Division was achieved at the first attempt.
The highlight of Pearce's management career was on the 17 November 1984 when Bognor Regis beat a Swansea City side including Dean Saunders and Gerry Francis in a first round FA Cup replay. Swansea had been in Division One just two years before. In the first tie at the Vetch Field they were unlucky to be held 1-1 but in the return leg at Nyewood Lane they won 3-1 in front of 22,500. They repeated the feat the following year and again in 1988 when they knocked out Division Four outfit Exeter City in the first round. Pearce led Bognor to the second round in 1995 and guided the club to the first round on two other occasions during their heyday in the Eighties.
In 1991-92 they finished in 21st place but escaped relegation due to Dagenham withdrawing from the league, but the following year they finished rock bottom and dropped into Division One. In 2002-03 they finally won promotion back to the Premier Division, and a 10th place finish the following season was enough to claim a place in the newly-formed Conference South where they have remained since. The best league performance came in the 2004-05 season when they finished 9th in the Conference South. In October 2007, Pearce stood down after 31 years [2] to look after the administration of the club.
Life after Pearce
Michael Birmingham, Pearce's assistant manager took over as player manager in October 2007 and managed to save the club from relegation with an 18th place finish. He stepped down at the end of the season in May 2008 and was succeeded by ex Havant & Waterlooville and Dorchester Town manager Mick Jenkins and his assistant Andy Awford in June 2008. After a run of adverse results they resigned on 3 January 2009. Darin Kilpatrick took over as caretaker manager with assistant Kevin Braybrook. Within days the club were deducted 7 points for playing an unregistered player. Despite an improvement in results under Kilpatrick, Bognor were officially relegated on 4 April 2009 following a 4-1 defeat to Welling United. This ended a remarkable season which saw a financial crisis, a player exodus, an arsonist burn the clubhouse down, Jack Pearce fighting cancer, a 7 point deduction, 3 managers and over 54 players. Braybrook has since announced he will be leaving the club but Kilpatrick is expected to stay.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Club records
- Best league performance: 9th in Conference South, 2004-05
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round proper, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1995-96
- Best FA Trophy performance: 3rd round, 2000-01, 2001-02
References
- ^ Bognor Regis Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2007/10/22/244238.html