Hungerford Town
Full nameHungerford Town Football Club
Nickname(s)Crusaders
Founded1886
GroundBulpit Lane, Hungerford
Capacity2,500 (170 seated)[1]
ChairmanAlan O'Donohue
ManagerDanny Robinson
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division South
2022–23National League South, 24th of 24 (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

Hungerford Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Hungerford, Berkshire, England. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association, they are currently members of and play at Bulpit Lane.

History

The club was established in 1886, initially playing friendlies as there were no local league or cup competitions.[2] After two practice matches in October 1886, the first game against another club was played on 6 November, a 6–2 defeat to Earley.[3] In 1904–05 they won their first honours, the Newbury Challenge Cup, by beating Newbury Union Jack 2–1 in the final.[2] They won the trophy again in 1908–09 with a 2–1 win over Thatcham in the final.[2] The club was now playing in the Hungerford League, but later joined the Newbury League. They won the Newbury League in 1912–13, retaining the title the following season.[2] After World War I the club won the title again in 1919–20 and for a fourth time in 1921–22.[2] They later joined the Swindon & District League.[1]

In 1958 Hungerford moved up to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League.[4] The club won the Hellenic League Benevolent Cup in 1960–61.[5] They finished bottom of the division in 1964–65, resulting in relegation to Division One. In 1970–71 the club won the Division One Cup and the Division One title, earning promotion back to the Premier Division.[4][5] In 1975–76 and 1976–77 they reached back-to-back finals of the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, losing to Chesham United and Slough Town respectively.[5] In 1977–78 they won the Hellenic League's Challenge Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase, eventually losing 3–1 to Barton Rovers in a replay after the original two-legged tie had ended 3–3 on aggregate.[6][4] Their cup exploits and a third-place finish that season was enough to earn promotion to Division Two of the Isthmian League.[4]

In their first season in the Isthmian League Hungerford reached their third Berks & Bucks Senior Cup final, losing to Wycombe Wanderers.[5] In 1979–80 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 3–1 to Slough Town in the first round proper.[4] The club also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase again, this time losing 5–3 to Guisborough Town.[4] In 1981 they were one of four British clubs to compete in the Anglo-Italian Talbot Challenge Cup, which included a 1–0 defeat away to Modena in front of 20,000 fans who had stayed after an Italy under-21 match.[5] The 1981–82 season saw them finally win the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup, beating Wycombe Wanderers 1–0 in the final.[6] Between 1979–80 and 1981–82, they had finished third in the league for three consecutive seasons, missing out on promotion by one place.[5] League restructuring in 1984 led to Hungerford being placed in Division Two South. They again just missed out on promotion in 1984–85, finishing fourth.[5] Another FA Vase semi-final appearance in 1988–89 saw a record attendance of 1,684 in the first leg against Sudbury Town, which finished in a goalless draw.[1] However, they lost 6–0 in the second leg at Sudbury.[4] Further league reorganisation in 1991 saw them return to Division Two.[4]

At the end of the 2002–03 season Hungerford finished fifth in Division Two of the Isthmian League, but dropped back into the Premier Division of the Hellenic League.[4] The club won the Hellenic League's Supplementary Cup in 2004–05 and the Challenge Cup in 2006–07 and 2007–08. They were Premier Division champions in 2008–09, earning promotion to Division One South & West of the Southern League. A fifth-place finish in 2011–12 saw the club qualify for the promotion play-offs, losing 2–1 to Poole Town in the semi-finals.[4] They were Division One South & West runners-up the following season, again qualifying for the play-offs; after beating Paulton Rovers 4–2 in the semi-finals, they defeated Merthyr Town 3–1 in the final to secure promotion to the Premier Division.

The 2014–15 season saw Hungerford finish fourth in the Premier Division. In the subsequent play-offs they lost 1–0 to Truro City in the semi-finals. However, after another fourth-place finish the following season, they defeated Hitchin Town 3–2 in the semi-finals before beating Leamington 2–1 in the final, earning promotion to the National League South.[4] The club finished bottom of the National League South in 2022–23, resulting in relegation to the Premier Division South of the Southern League.

Ground

The club initially played at Hungerford Marsh, before moving to Bulpit Lane after World War I.[6] Floodlights were installed in 1975.[6] The ground currently has a capacity of 2,500, of which 170 is seated.[1]

Current squad

As of 15 January 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Ryan Clarke
2 MF England ENG Jack Alexander
4 MF England ENG Bradley Hooper
5 DF England ENG Ramarni Medford-Smith
6 DF England ENG Matthew Berry-Hargreaves
7 MF England ENG Adulai Sambu (on loan from Cheltenham Town)
10 FW England ENG Conor McDonagh
14 FW England ENG Elis Watts
16 DF England ENG Louie Paget
17 DF England ENG Jack Stanley
19 MF England ENG Joe Shepherd
23 DF England ENG Rhys Tyler
24 MF England ENG Callum Gunner
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF England ENG Owain Wheeler
26 FW England ENG Toby Thorp
— MF England ENG Sam De St. Croix
— DF England ENG Luke Softley
— FW Portugal POR Fábio Lopes
— FW England ENG Great Evans
— MF England ENG George Smith
— DF England ENG Mike Baker
— DF England ENG Jack Wright
— DF England ENG Baboucarr Jarra
— GK England ENG Nick Harvey
— MF England ENG Jacob Gardiner-Smith

Non-playing staff

As of 6 October 2023[8]

PositionStaff
First-Team ManagerDanny Robinson
Assistant ManagerStuart Davis
First-Team CoachMatthew Styles
Goalkeeping CoachIan Hobbs
Sports TherapistNina Parkin
PhysiotherapistNatalie Stearn
Trainee PhysiotherapistJason Golding
Head of Recruitment & Player ScoutingLuke Bunn
Kit Co-ordinatorSteve Robinson
Kit Co-ordinatorHolly Robinson
Kit Co-ordinatorSteve Tyler

Honours

  • Hellenic League
    • Premier Division champions 2008–09
    • Division One champions 1970–71
    • Division One Cup winners 1970–71
    • Challenge Cup winners 1977–78, 2006–07, 2007–08
    • Supplementary Cup winners 2004–05
    • Benevolent Cup winners 1960–61
  • Newbury League
    • Champions 1912–13, 1913–14, 1919–20, 1921–22
  • Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
    • Winners 1981–82
  • Basingstoke Senior Cup
    • Winners 2012–13, 2014–15
  • Linaker Brokers Challenge Cup
    • Winners 2006–07, 2007–08
  • Newbury Challenge Cup
    • Winners 1904–05, 1908–09
  • Hungerford Cup
    • Winners 2003–04

Records

  • Best FA Cup performance: First round, 1979–80[4]
  • Best FA Trophy performance: Fifth round, 2022–23[4]
  • Best FA Vase performance: Semi-finals, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1988–89[4]
  • Record attendance: 1,684 vs Sudbury Town, FA Vase semi-final, 1988–89[1]
  • Most goals: Ian Farr, 268[1]
  • Record transfer fee paid: £4,000 to Yeovil Town for Joe Scott[1]
  • Record Transfer fee received: £3,800 from Barnstaple Town for Joe Scott[1]

See also

  • Hungerford Town F.C. players
  • Hungerford Town F.C. managers

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p130 ISBN 978-1869833695
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 History-2 Hungerford Town F.C.
  3. ↑ History 5 Hungerford Town F.C.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hungerford Town at the Football Club History Database
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hungerford Town Football Club Potted History", Sudbury Town Football Club F.A. Vase Semi-Final 2nd Leg Programme, 1 April 1989
  6. 1 2 3 4 History 1 Hungerford Town F.C.
  7. ↑ Hungerford Town first team Hungerford Town F.C.
  8. ↑ Contact Hungerford Town F.C.

Further reading

  • Edmonds, Robert (1994). The Story of Hungerford Town Football Club: A Personal Recollection. Self-published.
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