Trowbridge Town F.C.

Trowbridge Town

Full name	Trowbridge Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bees, The Trow, The Mystery Men
Founded	1880 (Reformed in 1999)
Ground	Woodmarsh, Trowbridge
Capacity	2000 (73 seated)
Chairman	Andrew Meaden
Manager	Wayne Thorne
League	Wiltshire League Premier Division
2023–24	Wiltshire League Premier Division, 5th of 16
Website	https://trowbridgetownfootballclub.co.uk/
Home colours

Trowbridge Town Football Club is a football club based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. They compete at Step 7 in the Wiltshire League Premier Division and play at Woodmarsh, on the southern edge of the town. ^[1]

History

A Trowbridge Town team was originally formed in 1880 ^[2] and became one of the founding members of the Bristol & District League in 1892, finishing as runners-up in the league's first season. ^{[3] [4]} They stayed in the Bristol league for three seasons and then joined the Western League where they stayed until 1958 apart from two occasions; firstly between 1898 and 1901 when they resigned from the league, secondly 1907–1913 when they joined the Wiltshire County League. ^[3] After success in the Western League, in 1958 they won promotion to the Southern League. ^[4] In 1981, Trowbridge won promotion to the Football Conference (then known as the Alliance Premier League) where they played for three seasons before being relegated back to the Southern League where they remained until folding in 1998. ^[4]

A new team was quickly formed and the Club joined the Wiltshire County League for the 1999–2000 season, where they won the County Intermediate League in their debut season and then joined the County Senior League following improvements to the Woodmarsh Ground. After achieving the Wiltshire League Championship and Wilts Senior Cup double in the 2003–04 season, and conducting further ground improvements, they gained promotion to the Hellenic Football League. ^[5] At the end of the 2011–12 season the club was relegated from the Hellenic league to the Wiltshire League, as despite finishing bottom of the league, the relegation was voluntary as so that the club could comply with an agreement with the FA and Hellenic League Feeder leagues to relegate a bottom placed club if the facilities did not comply with the grade required. ^[6]

The Bees won the Wiltshire Senior League in 2015 and 2023, and have finished strongly in each season they have contested since dropping down to The Wiltshire Senior League.

In 2023, sitting top of the table and unbeaten at home in nearly 2 years, and in all major competitions in 2022/23, the club announced it had applied for promotion to Step 6.

Seats have been secured ready for installation during 2024, and the club has secured floodlight planning permission which will allow progression up to step 6 football.

The club won the Wiltshire Senior League in May 2023, with a 2–0 win away at Salisbury FC Development - goals from James Rustell and L.J Watson securing the title after a difficult season, which saw the majority of players, management and the chair/vice chairman move to Bradford Town FC in November.

Ground

Trowbridge Town play their home games at Woodmarsh, Axe and Cleaver Ln, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0SA. Woodmarsh has been the home of the club since 1999.

Previously they played at Timbrell Street, the Flower Show Field, the Bythesea Road ground (1923–1934) and Frome Road (1934–1998). ^[7] The Frome Road ground hosted greyhound racing from 1976 to 1979. ^[8]

Honours

League honours

• Southern League Southern Division : ^[4]
  • Runners-up: 1990–91
• Western League Premier Division : ^[4]
  • Winners: 1939–40, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1955–56
  • Runners-up: 1921–22, 1948–49, 1956–57
• Western League Division two: ^[4]
  • Winners: 1927–28, 1929–30, 1938–39
  • Runners-up: 1919–20
• Hellenic League Division One West: ^[9]
  • Runners-up: 2004–05, 2006–07
• Wiltshire Senior League: ^[9]
  • Winners: 2003–04, 2015–16, 2022–23
• Wiltshire Intermediate League: ^[9]
  • Winners: 1999–2000

Cup honours

• Wiltshire Senior Cup: ^[9]
  • Winners (8 Times): 1894–95, 1895–96 (shared with Swindon Town),1897–98, 1921–22, 1925–26, 1933–34, 1937–38, 2003–2004
  • Runners-up(9 Times): 1886–87, 1889–90, 1892–93, 1896–97, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1912–13, 1929–30, 2002–03
• Bristol & District League: ^[4]
  • Runners-up: 1892–93
• Western Football League Cup: ^[10]
  • Winners: 1956–57
• Wiltshire Professional Shield: ^[11]
  • Winners: 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1972–73
• Western Counties Floodlit League Cup: ^[11]
  • Winners: 1980–81
• Corsham Print Senior Cup: ^[9]
  • Runners-up: 2002–03, 2003–04

Records

• Highest League position: ^[4] 17th in Alliance Premier League 1981–82
• F.A Cup best performance: ^[4] First round 1945–46, 1947–48, 1957–58, 1963–64
• F.A Trophy best performance: ^[4] First round 1970–71, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1995–96
• F.A. Vase best performance: ^[4] Semi-final 1990–91

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that have achieved success in other sports or the media

• David Pyle
• Thomas Roberts
• Rex Tilley
• Colin Tavener
• Jack Hallam
• Ken Smith
• Bernie Wright
• Jesse Whatley
• Ray Cashley
• Tony Byrne
• John Smeulders
• Lewis Haldane
• Peter Sampson
• Alois Eisenträger
• Ray Pulis
• Cecil Dixon
• James Vince
• Alfred Gard
• Steve Smith
• Vic Lambden
• Murray Fishlock
• Miah Dennehy
• Steve Harding
• Pat Godfrey
• Kevin Sheldon
• Billy George
• Lew Bradford
• Ray Mabbutt
• Danny Bartley
• David Moss
• Phil Ferns
• Don Townsend
• Paul Compton
• Bryan Bush
• John Layton
• Eric Weaver
• Ray Baverstock
• Peter Aitken
• Paul Davies
• Trevor Tainton
• Steve Talboys
• Alan Birchenall
• Richard Thompson
• Roger Smart
• Ken Skeen
• Terry Rose

References

1. "Location". Contacts & Location. Trowbridge Town Official Site. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
2. "First Team Results Season 1880–1881". The Trowbridge Town Football Club Archive. Trowbridge Town former official site (last updated May 2008). Retrieved 1 January 2011.
3. "Trowbridge Town FC Archive". www.ttfcarchivefc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
4. TROWBRIDGE TOWN at the Football Club History Database
5. "History – History 2 – Trowbridge Town FC". Pitchero.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
6. Mailer, John (6 August 2012). "Hellenic League Newsletter No 1 – Woodley Town Football Club". Pitchero.com. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
7. "Question: What is the history of Trowbridge Town Football Club and where are they now?". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council.
8. "Trowbridge Greyhound Stadium". Greyhound Racing Times.
9. "Honours – Honours 1 – Trowbridge Town FC". Pitchero.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
10. "Western Football League Cup 1955-1988" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 6 January 2013.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
11. "Honours 2". Club Info. Trowbridge Town official site. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.

External links

• Official website
• Archive site

51°18′05.51″N2°12′38.09″W / 51.3015306°N 2.2105806°W / 51.3015306; -2.2105806