Paulton Rovers F.C.
| 120px Official crest | |||
| Full name | Paulton Rovers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Rovers | ||
| Founded | 1881 | ||
| Ground | Athletic Field, Winterfield Road, Paulton | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 (253 seated) | ||
| Chairman | David Bissex | ||
| Manager | Andy Jones | ||
| League | Southern League Division One South and West | ||
| 2008–09 | Southern League Division One South and West, 10th | ||
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Paulton Rovers Football Club are an English football club based at the Athletic Field on Winterfield Road in the village of Paulton near Bristol. They were established in 1881 and currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West.
History
Paulton Rovers were formed in 1881 and first played competitive football in the Western Football League, which they joined in 1900. They left the league in 1904, rejoined a year later, left again in 1922, only to once again rejoin a year later, and left for a third time in 1926, this time not rejoining for three years.
After World War II, Rovers were placed in the top division of what was now a two-division league but were relegated to Division Two in 1953. In 1960 Division Two was scrapped and for the next fourteen years the team played in the Somerset County Football League, but they eventually rejoined the Western League in 1974. When the league expanded back to two divisions in 1976 they were placed in the Premier Division but were relegated in 1981, only to bounce back three years later. A series of strong finishes in the late 1990s and early 2000s eventually saw them promoted to the Southern League in 2004, where they now play in the newly re-organised Division One South and West.
Paulton Rovers reached the Division One South and West play-off semi-finals in 2006-07, but lost 1-4 at home to Taunton Town.
Having defeated Chippenham Town 3-0 at home in the 4th qualifying round of the 2009-10 FA Cup, Paulton were drawn at home against League One Norwich City.[1] FA has confirmed Paulton Rovers will host Norwich City at home on 7th November with 12.45pm kick off. Paulton rovers' local football firm will be attending. Chants expected. Also it is being hosted live on ITV.
Stadium
The club's records do not detail exactly how long Rovers have played at Winterfield Road, although it is certainly known that several previous grounds were used in their early days, including the Chapel Field, the Cricket Ground, and the Recreation Ground in the village.
The ground as it is now began to take shape in 1967, when the club bought an old RAF hut and re-erected it on the ground. Plans were drawn up to obtain a mortgage to fund the building of bigger premises, which included a skittle alley. To achieve this necessitated rotating the pitch through 90 degrees to its present position and relocating the clubhouse.
A new changing room block was built in 1972 and the clubhouse further extended. More recently the club have been able to add a new stand and covered terracing, along with training facilities which include a floodlit court and two mini soccer pitches for youth football.
The highest attendance at the ground is believed to be 2,000 for an FA Cup match against Crewe Alexandra in 1906, where they lost the game to a Charlie Irani header.
Club records
- Best league performance: 2nd in Southern League Division One South & West, 2006–07
- Best FA Cup performance: 1st round proper, 2009/10
- Best FA Trophy performance: 1st round proper, 2004/05
- Best FA Vase performance: 5th round, 1989/90
Sources
- Paulton Rovers at the Football Club History Database
External links
Template:Southern League South and West 51°18′09.03″N 2°29′43.88″W / 51.3025083°N 2.4955222°W