Kendal Town F.C.
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| Full name | Kendal Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Mintcakes, The Field, The Town | ||
| Founded | 1919 | ||
| Ground | Pye Motors Stadium , Parkside Road, Kendal | ||
| Capacity | 2,400 | ||
| Chairman | George Gudgeon | ||
| Manager | Dave Foster | ||
| League | Northern League Division One | ||
| 2023–24 | North West Counties League Premier Division, 6th of 24 (transferred) | ||
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Kendal Town Football Club is an English football club based in Kendal, Cumbria. The club are currently members of Division One North of the Northern Premier League and play at the Pye Motors Stadium, Parkside Road.
History
The club was established in 1919 as Netherfield AFC by employees of the K Shoes factory.[1]
In 1945 they joined the Lancashire Combination, and were runners-up in their first season. They also reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing to Barrow. They won the Lancashire Combination title in 1948–49, a season in which they again reached the first round of the FA Cup, this time losing to Gateshead. The following season they reached the second round, but lost 6–0 at Watford.[2] In 1963–64 they reached the second round again, but lost to Chesterfield in a replay. The following season they won the Lancashire Cominbation for a second time, and in 1968 they were amongst the founders of the Northern Premier League.[3] They finished bottom of the league in 1973–74 and 1976–77, but avoided relegation on both occasions. During the 1980–81 season they played seven matches against Bridlington Trinity in the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy before finally prevailing in the sixth replay. The repeated rematches cost the club £1,800, and the financial problems together with them finishing bottom of the league in 1981–82 and 1982–83 led to them moving down to the North West Counties League.[1]
The club returned to the Northern Premier League when it added a new Division One in 1987. In 1998 they were renamed Netherfield Kendal,[4] before adopting their current name two years later. In 2005–06 they finished third, qualifying for the play-offs. After defeating Stocksbridge Park Steels on penalties in the semi-finals, they beat Gresley Rovers 2–1 in the final to earn promotion to the Premier Division.[5]
In late December 2012 the Kendal Team was torn apart by the departure of the coaching staff and most of the team and were left with a mere handful of first team players and the best of the local talent from teams such as Ambleside United. Step forward Steve Edmondson and David Foster to take the vacated helm. Despite a period of readjustment with this new squad there were some notable results including back to back wins over Eastwood Town and Grantham Town and narrow losses to eventual Evostick Premier winners North Ferriby United and at the time promotion chasing Marine and Worksop Town - all by a scoreline of 3:2. Also an agonizing 2:1 loss to Hednesford Town, who were also promoted, and so many games decided by the odd goal. Even a draw or two would have made all the difference. Even a 3-game winning streak to end the season just wasn't quite enough and the lack of depth in the squad, coupled with a decimated winter period leaving the team facing 3 competitive games in less than a week on several occasions and it was just a bridge too far and on the last day of the season; Kendal were relegated.
In 2014, Kendal Town appointed former player Michael Stringfellow as manager, with Dave Foster leaving the post.
Michael took over Kendal at the start of the 2014-2015 season, Kendal were hit by a heavy defeat losing 7-0 away to Darlington. Kendal did not win a match in August. In September Kendal were knocked out in the FA Cup preliminary round replay against Newcastle Benfield losing 4-0 at home. However, things started to look up for Kendal Town in the following months beating several teams with Kendal scoring 4 goals or more in each match. Kendal Town finished mid table at the end of the 2014-2015 season despite a string of victories over the top teams.
Squad
- As of 1 September 2016.[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- Northern Premier League
- Division One play-off winners 2005–06
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions 1948–49, 1964–65
- League Cup winners 1955–56, 1960–61
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Second round, 1949–50, 1963–64[2]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Second round, 1980–81, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2004–05
- Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 1989–90[2]
- Attendance: 5,184 vs Grimsby Town, 1955–56 FA Cup[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c History Kendal Town FC
- ^ a b c Netherfield at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b Kendal Town Pyramid Passion
- ^ Netherfield Kendal at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Kendal Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ "Kendal Squad". Kendal Town official website. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.