History
The club was founded by Peter De-Sisto in 1993 after the demise of Petersfield United (founded 1889). [2] The previous club folded after being denied permission to switch from the Isthmian League to the Wessex League and had serious debts. [3] The newly formed club took their place in Division One (now Premier Division) of the Wessex League, under the management of former England player Gary Stevens. [2]
For the first four seasons the club stayed in the Wessex League before being relegated to Division One of the Hampshire League. [4] The club only lasted one season in Division One and were relegated again to Division Two, where they stayed for a further season finishing as runners-up, however when the league was re-organised they were effectively promoted twice, as they now found themselves in the newly formed Premier Division. [5]
The club stayed in the Premier Division of the Hampshire League until the start of the 2004/05 season, when the Wessex League expanded and the club joined the newly formed Division Two. [6] The club remained in this Division - which was now called Division One, until the 2013/14 season when Petersfield Town became Wessex League Division One Champions. [7]
Under the stewardship of Ian Saunders, the club won the Wessex League Premier Division in 2014/15, becoming the first club to win back to back championships in the Wessex League and thus earned promotion to the Southern Football League. [8] [9]
Numerous 'Team of the Month' awards were claimed during the campaign, with midfielder Ed Dryden catching the eye, earning a move to Stoke City. [10]
Season 2015/16 was another year of firsts for Petersfield – it was the first time they had played in the Southern League and they went on to finish in 13th place in Division One Central.
They played in the FA Trophy [5] for the first time too and had their best ever run in the FA Cup to date – reaching the third qualifying round before losing to National League South side St Albans City.
Saunders left the Rams a little over a week before the start of the 2016/17 campaign and Andy Neal and Gary Lines had short spells in charge of first team matters before John Robson was appointed manager in October 2016.
However, he could not reverse what had become a disastrous season and the Rams finished bottom of Division One Central, gaining only nine points all season.
It wasn't all doom and gloom though – the first team reached the final of the Portsmouth Senior Cup at Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth FC, and the reserve team won the Wyvern League's Division One East title and the Wyvern League Challenge Cup.
In the summer of 2017, Jim Macey was appointed first team manager and the Rams were placed back in the Wessex Premier Division following their relegation from Step 4 football. After a poor start to the campaign Macey resigned and Mark Summerhill took the helm. He worked tirelessly but could not turn around the season, and the club finished bottom of the Premier Division for a second successive relegation.
Back in Wessex Division One, the goal in 2018/19 was to stabilise the club both on and off the field, and this was achieved as Summerhill took the team to a 15th-place finish on 40 points, plus a quarter-final appearance in the Russell-Cotes Cup.
Further progress was made in 2019/20 with the team on course for a top half of the table finish when the season was terminated due to COVID-19.
There was also cup success, the highlights being the club's best ever run in the FA Vase reaching the second round proper, [5] and the third round of the Hampshire Senior Cup.
The pandemic once again brought season 2020/21 to a premature end, however the club was once again enjoying a solid campaign.
After the two curtailed seasons the club concluded 2021/22 in twelfth place.
A partnership with Gosport Borough saw Pat Suraci and Joe Lea join as Joint Managers, with Mark Summerhill becoming Head of Football. [11]
They brought instant success to the club with promotion back to the Wessex Premier Division via the Division One play-offs [12] defeating New Milton Town, while also reaching the Wessex League Cup final. [13]
Their tenure was unfortunately short-lived with the trio departing for Privett Park in the summer of 2023, [14] however it gave opportunity for captain, Connor Hoare to step into the Manager's role for 2023/24, assisted by Callum Glen. [15]
Their appointment coincided with an exciting new era at Love Lane, following a summer merger with the highly successful Petersfield Town Juniors. [16]
Together, they formed one unified club to secure a bright and sustainable future for football in Petersfield, enabling player pathway at all age groups; the emergence of a Ladies side, and an increased volunteer workforce to take the club forward off the pitch.
