Dorchester Town F.C.

Dorchester Town

Full name	Dorchester Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Magpies
Founded	1880
Ground	The Avenue Stadium, Dorchester (Capacity: 5,009 (710 seated))
Chairman	Shaun Hearn
Manager	Ashley Vickers
League	Conference South
Home colours Away colours

Dorchester Town Football Club are a semi-professional football club, based in Dorchester, Dorset, England, and currently playing in the Blue Square Bet South. They play at the Avenue Stadium, on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and are currently at the highest standard they have ever reached.

History

Founded in 1880, Dorchester Town Football Club were Dorset Senior Cup finalists in 1888 and 1890 before joining the Dorset League in 1896. Despite being founder members of the league, the club had little success before winning the championship in 1937/38 with a 2-0 victory at Sherborne on 25th April 1938.

The club joined the Western League in 1947, winning promotion from Division Two in 1950, and going on to take the league championship in 1954/55. The fifties proved to be a successful decade for the Magpies, winning the Dorset Senior Cup for the first time, and having a number of good runs in the FA Cup facing the likes of Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle. In 1954, Dorchester reached the 2nd Round before eventually losing out to York City in front of 5,500 fans at the old Avenue ground, in a season where York went on to reach the semi-finals.

Following four more victories in the Dorset Senior Cup, the club entered the Southern League (Division One South) in 1972. They first tasted success in this division when they finished runners-up to Margate in 1977/78, going unbeaten in the final 16 matches of the season, with manager David Best utilising his links with old club AFC Bournemouth to attract former first-teamers such as John O'Rourke, Jack Howarth and Harry Redknapp to the Avenue.

The formation of the Alliance League (now the Football Conference) unfortunately meant the Magpies ended up back in the reformed Southern Division a year later, but the club celebrated its centenary by winning the Southern Division in 1979/80 by a one point margin over Aylesbury. Stuart Bell succeeded David Best as manager during the season, and the Magpies went unbeaten in the last 14 games to clinch the title. A young Trevor Senior impressed alongside ever-present top scorer Paul Thorne, whilst Graham Roberts joined neighbours Weymouth early in the campaign for £6,000 before going on to star for Tottenham Hotspur and England.

Senior stayed with Dorchester for a further two seasons, before signing for Portsmouth during the 1981/82 season for £35,000, going on to play for Watford, Middlesbrough and Reading, where he broke the Berkshire club's all-time goalscoring record. Before leaving the Magpies, Senior helped the club reach the 2nd Round of the FA Cup again before losing out to AFC Bournemouth in a replay at Dean Court in front of a crowd of 8,700. A goal four minutes from the end of extra time was enough to end Dorchester's dreams of a place in the third round - a feat they have still yet to achieve.

Relegated at the end of the 1983/84 season following a severe financial crisis, the club only just avoided dropping out of the league altogether the following year. However, a remarkable turnaround followed, and Dorchester returned to the Premier Division as champions at the end of the 1986/87 season, taking the title following a goalless draw at runners-up Ashford on the final day of the season.

The return to the top southern division has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Dorchester fans. Having been a mid-table team for a number of years, a brush with relegation came at the start of the nineties, and Stuart Morgan was introduced as manager in 1993. In his first full season, Morgan took the club to sixth in the league, followed by the sale of Darren Garner to Rotherham United for £30,000 during the summer.

The following seasons were a mixture of highs-and-lows, flirting with relegation on a number of occasions, facing Oxford United in the 1st Round of the FA Cup, reaching the last 16 of the FA Trophy for only the second time, and finishing fourth in the Premier Division in 1997/98.

Unfortunately in the following seasons, the Magpies were unable to rekindle the same form, and following a number of close-shaves at the wrong end of the table, the club were relegated to the Eastern Division at the end of the 2000/01 season, despite a strong FA Cup run culminating in a 3-1 First Round defeat at Wigan Athletic's impressive 25,000 all-seater JJB Stadium.

Under the guidance of manager Mark Morris, Dorchester's young squad regained their Premier Division status within two years, defeating King's Lynn on the final day of the 2002/03 season to take the Eastern Division title ahead of Eastbourne Borough, having won 16 of their last 17 matches and scoring 114 goals in their 42 league games. A season earlier the Magpies had picked up the Southern League Cup for the first time, again defeating King's Lynn in a 4-0 aggregate victory in the final.

The first season back in the Premier Division was a difficult one but the club succeeded to reach the end-of-season play-offs, where two fine victories over Bath City and Tiverton Town saw Dorchester become a Conference club for the first time in the newly formed Conference South division. A season later the Magpies almost saw further play-off glory, but missed out on another promotion opportunity on the final day of the season, going down 7-3 at Bognor Regis Town.

A mid-table finish the following year ended with the resignation of Mark Morris - arguably the club's most successful manager in recent history - with Mick Jenkins taking charge of the first team. His reign, however, was short-lived. Despite the club's tenth success in the Dorset Senior Cup, the team narrowly avoided relegation by finishing 17th in the league, and Jenkins was sacked just a month later in the wake of Eddie Mitchell taking over the ownership of the club.

Mitchell's arrival at the helm saw former Dorchester midfielder Shaun Brooks installed as Director of Football, and the club announced it would be making the step up to full-time football ready for the 2007/08 season.

Colours and badge

The club have a long tradition of playing in black and white striped shirts with black shorts and socks at home. For the 2005–06 season, to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary the home club sported a black and white quartered shirt, similar to the original strip the club was founded in. The away kit is currently all yellow, the clubs traditional third colour; but has in the past been sky blue, white and red kits.

The club's current badge is circular, with the words 'Dorchester Town F.C.' and 'The Magpies' on a white outer rim, in black text. The central area contains two magpies on a brown branch in front of a sky blue background. Above them is a design based upon the town's Coat of arms, a purple circle containing a castle, upon which is a shield.

Stadium

Main article: Avenue Stadium

The Avenue Stadium is located near to a branch of Tesco on the outskirts of Dorchester. Opened in 1990, it consists of one main stand, which is all-seated, and three small banks of terracing, which is all-standing. A railway line runs along the back of the stadium. Whilst the capacity of the stadium is 5,009, Dorchester tend to attract crowds of around 500–600. Although, during the 1990s the club regularly achieved 900/1000 strong attendances. The local derby against rivals Weymouth tends to attract crowds much nearer capacity. Indeed, the record attendance at the Avenue Stadium came in the 1999 derby, in front of a crowd of 4,159.

Current squad

First Team

As of 21 October 2011.

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

No. Position Player GK Simon Evans GK Alan Walker-Harris DF Harrison Bell DF Gary Bowles (on loan from AFC Bournemouth) DF Kyle Critchell DF Neil Martin DF Nathan Peprah-Annan DF Jake Smeeton DF Lewis Tallack (on loan from Portsmouth) DF Nathan Walker

No. Position Player MF Nick Crittenden MF Steve Devlin MF Jamie Gleeson (Vice-Captain) MF Mark Jermyn (Captain) MF Ashley Nicholls MF Jamie Symes FW Ben Dickenson FW Ryan Dovell FW Ryan Moss FW Rico Wilson

On Loan

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

No. Position Player FW Chris Flood (On Loan At Eastleigh)

Reserve Team

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

No. Position Player GK Dan Floyd GK Sam Unsworth DF Lloyd Beals DF Aston Butcher DF George Kimber DF Steve Walker DF Danny Way MF Dan Austin

No. Position Player MF Calvin Brooks MF Antony Carlile MF Adam Taylor FW Alex Godfrey FW Matt Goodland FW Josh Tennant FW Jack Vaillier

Club staff

Club officials

President: S.Legge

Chairman: S.Hearn

Vice Chairman: D. Martin

Directors: D.Diaz, A.Robertson, P.Harris

Associate directors

Dan Fuge

Dave Read

Dave Ring

John Harrington

Kate Taylor

Lloyd Spracklen

Mark Cope

Matt Lucas

Football staff

First Team Manager: Ashley Vickers

Assistant Manager: Phil Simkin

First Team Coach: Andy Harris

Goalkeeping Coach: Chris Wilson

Reserve Team Manager: Robbie Taylor

Reserve Assistant Manager: Dave Kiteley

U18 Manager: Neil Mackie

U18 Assistant Manager: TBC

A Team Manager: Kevin Hillier

A Team Coach: Simon Harrison

Development Centre Director: Matt Lucas

Development Centre Coach: John Godbold

Physiotherapist: Damion Maston

Kit Manager: Derek Taylor

Assistant Kit Manager: Dan Fuge

Honours

• Southern League Eastern Division
  • 2003/04 Champions

• Southern League Southern Division
  • 1979/80 & 1986/87 Champions
  • 1977/78 Runners up

• Southern League Cup
  • 2001/02 Winners
  • 1991/92 Runners up

• Southern League Challenge Trophy
  • 2002/03 Winners

• Western Football League|Western League Division One
  • 1954/55 Champions
  • 1960/61 Runners up

• Western Football League Professional Cup
  • 1960/61 & 1961/62 Runners up

• Dorset Senior Cup
  • 1950/51,1960/61,1967/68,1968/69,1971/72,1993/94,1995/96,2000/01,2002/03,2006/07,2010/11 Champions

Club records

Points in a season

• Most - 93 in 42 games (2.21 points/game). (Southern League Division One East, 2002–2003)
• Least - 20 in 38 games (0.53 points/game). (Southern League Premier Division,1983–1984)

Wins in a season

• Most - 28 in 42 games. (Southern League East, 2002–2003)
• Least - 4 in 38 games. (Southern Premiership, 1983–1984)

Draws in a season

• Most - 18 in 46 games. (Southern League South, 1981–1982)
• Least - 2 in 36 games (Twice). (Western League Division 1, 1958–1959 and 1959–1960)

Defeats in a season

• Most - 27 in 40 games. (Southern League South, 1985–1986)
• Least - 5 in 42 games. (Southern League East, 2002–2003)

The same number of drawn games occurred in the Western League Division Two, 1949–1950, but the club played only 30 games.

Goals in a season

• Most scored - 115 in 40 games (2.88 goals/games). (Western League Premier Division, 1960–1961)
• Most conceded - 96 in 34 games (2.82 goals/game). (Western League Second Division, 1948–1949)
• Least scored - 35 in 40 games (0.88 goals/game). (Southern League South, 1985–1986)
• Least conceded - 30 in 34 games (0.88 goals/game). (Southern League Division One South, 1976–1977)

Notable former players

Listed according to when they debuted for Dorchester Town F.C. (year in parentheses):

• 2000s: Phil Walsh
• 2000s: Kevin Hill
• 2000s: Alex Browne
• 2000s: Juan Ugarte
• 2000s: Matty Holmes
• 1990s: Owen Pickard
• 1990s: Craig Taylor
• 1990s: Darren Garner
• 1980s: Trevor Senior
• 1980s: David West
• 1970s: Graham Roberts
• 1970s: Harry Redknapp
• 1950s: Dennis Curtis

External links

• Official website
• Official supporters trust website