Highworth Town Football Club is a football club based in Highworth, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of the Hellenic League Premier Division and play at the Elms Recreation Ground
 | |||
| Full name | Highworth Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Worthians | ||
| Founded | 1893 | ||
| Ground | The Elms Recreation Ground, Highworth | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 (150 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Rohan Haines | ||
| Manager | Paul Braithwaite | ||
| League | Hellenic League Premier Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Hellenic League Premier Division, 3rd of 20 | ||
|
| |||
History
editThe club was established in 1893.[2] In 1909–10 they won the Advertiser Cup and the Swindon Junior Cup. Three years later the Advertiser Cup was won for a second time.[2] The club later joined the Cirencester & District League and were Division Two champions in 1931–32. They then moved to the Swindon & District League, winning both the Division Three title and the Swindon Junior Cup in 1933–34.[2] The club won the Division Three title again in 1954–55, the first of four successive titles that saw them win Division Two the following season, Division One in 1956–57 and then the Premier Division in 1957–58.[2]
Highworth retained the Premier Division title the following season, also winning the Advertiser Cup and the Faringdon Thursday Cup. They went on to dominate the league in the 1960s, winning the Premier Division title in 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67 and 1967–68.[3] They also won the Wiltshire Senior Cup for the first time in 1963–64.[2] The club then joined the Wiltshire Combination, finishing as Division Two runners-up in 1970–71,[3] earning promotion to the Premier Division.[4] In 1976 the Combination merged with the Wiltshire League to form the Wiltshire County League, with Highworth becoming members of Senior Division One.[5]
In 1978–79 Highworth finished bottom of Division One and were relegated to Division Two.[5] Although they were promoted the following season, they were relegated again at the end of the 1980–81 season. A third-place finish in Division Two in 1982–83 saw the club promoted to Division One, and after finishing tenth the following season,[5] they were accepted into Division One of the Hellenic League.[6] They won the Division One Cup in 1988–89.[3]
Highworth remained in Division One until a third-place finish in 1993–94 resulted in promotion to the Premier Division.[6] They won the Supplementary Cup in 1998–99 and were Premier Division runners-up the following season before winning the league in 2004–05.[6] The club won the Challenge Cup in 2011–12.[3] The 2014–15 season saw the club reach the semi-finals of the FA Vase, eventually losing 3–0 on aggregate to North Shields.[6] After finishing third in the Premier Division in 2017–18, they were promoted to Division One South of the Southern League. They were transferred to Division One Central for the 2022–23 season, but finished third-from-bottom of the division and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League.
Ground
editThe club play at the Elms Recreation Ground, which is shared with the town's cricket club. Following their Hellenic League title win in 2004–05, two separate seated stands were built on one touchline, with the existing seated stand removed and replaced by a covered standing area. As the ground is shared with the cricket club one side of the pitch is fenced off during the football season. Both ends of the pitch have uncovered hardstanding.[7] Floodlights were installed and inaugurated with a friendly match against QPR in July 1994, at which the club's record attendance of 2,000 was set.[1] The ground currently has a capacity of 2,000, of which 150 is seated and 250 covered.[1]
Honours
edit- Hellenic League
- Premier Division champions 2004–05
- Challenge Cup winners 2011–12
- Supplementary Cup winners 1998–99,
- Division One Cup winners 1988–89
- Swindon & District League
- Premier Division champions 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68
- Division One champions 1956–57
- Division Two champions 1955–56
- Division Three champions 1933–34, 1954–55
- Division Four champions 1961–62
- Cirencester & District League
- Division Two champions 1931–32
- Wiltshire Senior Cup
- Winners 1963–64, 1972–73, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2008–09, 2014–15[3]
- Advertiser Cup
- Winners 1909–10, 1912–13, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1967–68
- Faringdon Thursday Cup
- Winners 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1975–76, 1976–77[3]
- Swindon Junior Cup
- Winners 1909–10, 1933–34
- Wiltshire Junior Cup
- Winners 1956–57
Records
edit- Best FA Cup performance: Third qualifying round, 2003–04[6]
- Best FA Trophy performance: Third qualifying round, 2020–21[6]
- Best FA Vase performance: Semi-finals, 2014–15[6]
- Record attendance: 2,000 vs Queens Park Rangers, friendly match, July 1994[1]
- Most appearances: Rod Haines[1]
- Most goals: Kevin Higgs[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p423 ISBN 978-1869833695
- ^ a b c d e History Archived 21 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine Highworth Town F.C.
- ^ a b c d e f Honours Highworth Town F.C.
- ^ Wiltshire League 1955–1976 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c Wiltshire League 1976–1992 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c d e f g Highworth Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Highworth Town Pyramid Passion