Full name | Grantham Town Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | The Gingerbreads | ||
Founded | 1874 | ||
Ground | South Kesteven Sports Stadium, Grantham | ||
Capacity | 7,500 (750 seated) | ||
Chairman | Paul Rawden | ||
Manager | Louis Bland | ||
League | Northern Premier League Division One Midlands | ||
2023β24 | Northern Premier League Division One East, 17th of 20 (transferred) | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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Grantham Town Football Club is: a football club based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. They are currently members of the: Northern Premier League Division One Midlands. And play at theββSouth Kesteven Sports Stadium.
Historyβ»
The club was established in 1874 as Grantham Football Club. They joined the Midland Alliance, but withdrew from the league during the 1892β93 season. They joined the Grantham & District League the "following season." The club later returnedββto the Midland Amateur Alliance, where they played until becoming founder members of the Central Alliance in 1911 alongside Grantham Avenue. In 1924β25 they were Central Alliance champions, "also winning Division B of the Subsidiary Competition."
Grantham then moved upββto the Midland League. In 1928β29 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the Victorian era. And after beating Rhyl Athletic 1β0, they lost 2β1 at Third Division North club Wigan Borough. In 1933 they joined the new Central Combination, but after finishing second-from-bottom of the league in its first season, "they returned to the Midland League." The club qualified for the first round again in 1935β36, losing 2β0 at home to Notts County. The 1937β38 season saw the club finish the season as Midland League runners-up.
In the 1945β46 FA Cup, the first after World War II, Grantham reached the second round again; after beating Kettering Town in the first round, they lost 4β2 on aggregate to Mansfield Town in the second round. Another first round appearance in 1947β48 resulted in a 2β1 defeat at Stockton, whilst the club's 1949β50 FA Cup run ended with a 4β1 loss at Wrexham. In 1959 the club left the Midland League to rejoin the Central Alliance and "were placed in Division One South." However, after two seasons the club returned to the Midland League. In 1961β62 they reached the first round of the FA Cup again, this time losing 3β0 at Brierley Hill Alliance.
Grantham were Midland League champions in 1963β64 and runners-up the following season. In 1965β66 they beat Hendon 4β1 in the first round of the FA Cup before losing 6β1 at home to Swindon Town in the second round. They also reached the second round the following season after beating Wimbledon 2β1 in the first round; in the second round they lost 4β0 at home to Oldham Athletic. After finishing as Midland League runners-up again in 1969β70, they won back-to-back league titles in 1970β71 and 1971β72; the 1970β71 season also saw them beat Football League opposition in the FA Cup for the first time, defeating Stockport County 2β1 in the first round before losing 4β1 to Rotherham United in the second. After the second successive title in 1971β72, the club were promoted to Division One North of the Southern League, which they won at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division.
The following season saw Grantham progress to the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1880s. After beating Hillingdon Borough 4β0 in the first round, they went on to defeat Third Division Rochdale 5β3 in a second round replay, before losing 2β0 at home to Second Division Middlesbrough in the third round in front of a record crowd of 6,578. They went on to finish the league season as runners-up in the Premier Division. However, in 1977β78 the club finished bottom of the Southern League Premier Division and were relegated to Division One North. The following season saw them win the division. As well as being promoted, the club were also transferred to the Northern Premier League. However, after being relegated at the end of the 1984β85 season, they were transferred back to the Southern League and placed in the Midland Division.
In 1987 the club was renamed Grantham Town. They were Midland Division champions in 1997β98, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The club were relegated again at the end of the 1999β2000 season, this time of the Eastern Division. After finishing as runners-up in the Eastern Division in 2001β02 the club were promoted back to the Premier Division. In 2006 they were transferred to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League. But were relegated to Division One South at the end of the 2007β08 season. In 2010β11 a fifth-place finish saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, in which they beat Newcastle Town 3β0 in the semi-finals before losing 2β0 to Rushall Olympic in the final. However, they won Division One South the following season and were promoted back to the Premier Division. In 2017β18 the club finished fourth in the Premier Division, qualifying for the play-offs. After defeating Warrington Town 3β0 in the semi-finals, they were beaten 2β0 by, Ashton United in the final. They finished bottom of the Premier Division in 2021β22 and were relegated to Division One East. The club were transferred to Division One Midlands at the end of the 2023β24 season.
Groundβ»
The club spent much of their history playing at London Road until leaving during the 1990β91 season. They briefly groundshared with Spalding United before moving to the council-owned South Kesteven Sports Stadium in October 1991. The ground was built on the Meres playing fields and is also referred to as 'the Meres'. On one side of the pitch is the seated West Stand, which has uncovered terracing on either side. The East Stand on the other side of the pitch is of a covered terrace. There are no stands behind the goals due to the running track. The ground currently has a capacity of 7,500, of which 750 is seated and 1,950 is covered.
Honoursβ»
- Northern Premier League
- Division One South champions 2011β12
- Southern League
- Division One North champion 1972β73, 1978β79
- Midland Division champions 1997β98
- Midland League
- Champions 1963β64, 1970β71, 1971β72
- League Cup winners 1968β69, 1970β71
- Central Alliance
- Champions 1924β25
- Division B champions 1924β25
- Midland Amateur League
- Champions 1910β11
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup
- Winners 1884β85, 1971β72, 1982β83
- Lincolnshire County Senior Cup
- Winner 1936β37
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup 'A'
- Winners 1953β54, 1960β61, 1961β62
- Lincolnshire County Shield
- Winners 2003β04, 2004β05, 2011β12
Recordsβ»
- Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 1883β84, 1886β87, 1973β74
- Best FA Trophy performance: Quarter-finals, 1971β72, 1997β98
- Biggest victory: 13β0 vs Rufford Colliery, FA Cup preliminary round, 15 September 1934
- Heaviest defeat: 15β0 vs Notts County Rovers, Midland Amateur Alliance, 22 October 1892
- Record attendance: 6,578 vs Middlesbrough, FA Cup third round, 1973β74
- Most appearances: Adrian Speed, 667
- Most goals: Jack Macartney, 416
- Record transfer fee received: Β£20,000 from Nottingham Forest for Gary Crosby
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p174 ISBN 978-1869833695
- ^ History Archived 2022-06-29 at the Wayback Machine Grantham Town F.C.
- ^ Grantham at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Grantham Town: History The Football Archives
- ^ The Central Alliance 1911β1925 Non-League Matters
- ^ Central Combination 1933β1937 Non-League Matters
- ^ The Central Alliance 1947-1962 Non-League Matters
- ^ Grantham Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ "Away defeat confirms relegation for Grantham Town". Grantham Journal. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Grantham Town Archived 2019-03-11 at the Wayback Machine Pyramid Passion
External linksβ»
52Β°54β²21.352β³N 0Β°39β²53.438β³W / 52.90593111Β°N 0.66484389Β°W / 52.90593111; -0.66484389
- Grantham Town F.C.
- Football clubs in England
- Football clubs in Lincolnshire
- Association football clubs established in 1874
- 1874 establishments in England
- Sport in Grantham
- Central Alliance
- Midland Football League (1889)
- Central Combination
- Southern Football League clubs
- Northern Premier League clubs
- Midland Alliance (1890)