Cheadle Town F.C.

Not to be confused with Cheadle Town FC in Staffordshire.

Cheadle Town

Full name	Cheadle Town Football Club
Founded	1961 (as Grasmere Rovers)
Ground	Park Road Stadium Cheadle Stockport (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman	Chris Davies
Manager	Steve Brokenbrow
League	North West Counties Football League Division One
2010–11	North West Counties Football League Division One, 10th
Home colours Away colours

Cheadle Town F.C. are a football club based in Cheadle, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester. They were established in 1961 and joined the North West Counties Football League in 1983. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One (the new name of the "old" Division Two as of 2008–09^[1]). Their home ground is Park Road Stadium.

History

As Grasmere Rovers

Cheadle Town's history can be traced back to 1961 when a 14 year-old boy called Barrie Dean asked his neighbour, Chris Davies, to help his friends form a football team. This team was called Grasmere Rovers after the name of the street that both Dean and Davies lived on (Grasmere Road). Chris Davies took on the role of team manager and on 3 September 1961, Grasmere Rovers took to the field for the first time, losing 0–5 to Sutton Boys.

Grasmere started out in the Manchester Junior Football League - a league they would eventually win in the 1967–68 season - playing their games on a Sunday afternoon at The Mellands Playing Fields in Belle Vue. They joined the Manchester League in 1972, allowing them to play their football on the more regular Saturday afternoon. Now under the managerial guidance of Albert Pike, with Chris Davies as chairman and now playing their matches at Surrey Street in Glossop, Grasmere Rovers went from strength-to-strength; the peak of which was the 1979–80 season where they won the Manchester League, the Gilchrist Cup, the Manchester County Amateur Cup and the Derbyshire Junior Cup. In that same season striker Peter Tilley ran in 43 goals.

The team moved to their present-day home of Park Road for the 1982–83 season. Maine Road were the first ever visitors on Saturday 21 August 1982, running out 3–1 winners on the day. This would be the last season that the team would be known as Grasmere Rovers.

As Cheadle Town

The club joined the North West Counties Football League for the 1983–84 season as Cheadle Town, under the managerial guidance of Gerry Clewes. They finished their first season a lowly 15th in Division Three but were promoted "by default" at the end of the 1986–87 season when Division Three was incorporated into Division Two.

Cheadle Town have spent most of their NWCFL life in Division Two; 1998 saw the start of a three-year escape from Division Two as the club were promoted to Division One. The club struggled with lowly finishes during their three seasons and were ultimately relegated back to Division Two in 2001 after finishing bottom. They have stayed at this level ever since; the fact that Cheadle Town found themselves in Division One for the start of the 2008–09 season was merely down to a renaming of the NWCFL leagues.

The sky-blue and white striped kit used for the 2006–08 seasons

Cheadle's white-and-black kit introduced at the start of the 2008–09 season

Club colours & badge

Cheadle Town's traditional colours are white and black (as reflected on the club badge), worn in the combination of white shirts, black shorts and black stockings. However, over recent seasons they have appeared in yellow shirts, blue shorts and yellow stockings and sky blue and white striped shirts, navy blue shorts and stockings. The club returned to white-and-black for the 2008–09 season^[2].

As part of the club's 50th anniversary celebrations they have decided to revert back to the original colours of Grasmere Rovers - green and white - for the 2011–12 season along with a specially-designed Grasmere Rovers/Cheadle Town club badge.^[3]

The main stand at Park Road Stadium

The view from the Main Stand, looking towards the Tennyson Road end

Stadium

Park Road Stadium has an official capacity of 2,000; its record attendance is 1,700 for a friendly match against Stockport County in August 1994. During the 1966 World Cup it was used by the Portuguese national team as a training ground and has also had the honour of hosting a soccer school run by Brazilian legend Jairzinho during the summer of 1993.

It has a covered main stand on the west side of the pitch that can seat approximately 250 and contains the changing rooms underneath; the other three sides of the pitch are uncovered and surrounded by nothing more than a railing. Other facilities at the stadium include a clubhouse and a portable building that doubles up as the refreshments kiosk and hospitality room.

These facilities were severely damaged by a spate of vandalism during the last two weeks of June 2008. The catalogue of damage included fencing being ripped down, the away dug-out being destroyed and outside lighting being smashed.^[4] The club managed to have the damage repaired in time for the start of the 2008–09 season.

Planned refurbishment

All of the facilities mentioned above at Park Road stadium were already in a state of disrepair before the June 2008 vandalism. The club hope to make a start on their planned £1.9m refurbishment of the stadium towards the start of the 2011–12 season which will see improvements made to the main stand, a new clubhouse, new changing facilities for teams and officials, a new all-weather football pitch, two new five-a-side pitches, new perimeter fence and railings plus a new 60m x 40m grass pitch.^[5] In October 2010 members of Stockport Council's Cheadle Area Committee backed the club's proposal to purchase the ground from the council.^[6]

CTFC supporter's flags, reflecting the different colours that the team have worn over the past few seasons

Supporters

Cheadle Town's average home attendance for the 2008–09 season was 55, exactly the same as the previous season^[7]. Most of this support consists of the players' friends and families.

Playing squad

As of September 5, 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 Stephen McDonagh GK Steve Piggott GK Nick Jackson DF Scott Clarke DF Sam Hall DF Barry Cotterill DF Ben Roberts DF Adam Roberts DF Warren Gaskin DF Andy Street

No. Position Player MF Paul McCormack MF Andrew Lindon MF Dan Brokenbrow MF Aaron Riley MF Paul Walley MF Josh Taylor FW Ben Brooks FW Joe Wood FW James McDonagh FW Dale Mendum

Players who went on to play for Football League teams

(club in brackets is the one joined by player after leaving Cheadle Town)

• Ashley Ward (Crewe Alexandra)
• Dean Crowe (Stoke City)
• Colin Little (Crewe Alexandra)

Honours

As Grasmere Rovers

• Manchester & District Cup
  • Winners 1972–73

• Manchester League Division One
  • Winners 1979–80
  • Runners-up 1980–81, 1981–82

• Manchester County Amateur Cup
  • Winners 1979–80

• Gilchrist Cup
  • Winners 1979–80

• Derbyshire Junior Cup
  • Winners 1979–80

As Cheadle Town

• Lamot Pils Trophy
  • Runners-up 1990–91

• North West Counties Division Two Trophy
  • Runners-up 1995–96, 2009–10

League performances

Cheadle Town FC: Final League Positions

Season	League	Position	No. of teams	Notes
1983–84	North West Counties Division 3	15th	18
1984–85		12th	18
1985–86		7th	15
1986–87		8th	13	Division 3 merged with Division 2 at end of season
1987–88	North West Counties Division 2	12th	22
1988–89		14th	18
1989–90		6th	16
1990–91		7th	18	Lamot Pils Trophy Runners-Up
1991–92		9th	18
1992–93		12th	18
1993–94		12th	18
1994–95		11th	16
1995–96		6th	18	NWCFL Division 2 Trophy Runners-Up
1996–97		9th	20
1997–98		4th	21	Promoted
1998–99	North West Counties Division 1	17th	21
1999–2000		18th	22
2000–01		22nd	22	Relegated
2001–02	North West Counties Division 2	17th	21
2002–03		13th	19
2003–04		16th	20
2004–05		12th	19
2005–06		14th	19
2006–07		12th	18
2007–08		14th	18
2008–09	North West Counties Division 1	7th	18	Division 2 renamed to Division 1
2009–10		14th	17	NWCFL Division 1 Trophy Runners-Up
2010–11		10th	18
2011–12		–	18

Foreign tours

Despite being near the bottom of the football pyramid, Cheadle Town are famous throughout non-league football for their foreign tours. When abroad the club travels under the name of AFC Manchester and have clocked up over 200,000 airmiles, 96 games in 30 different countries, a total aggregate crowd of 312,000 and 111 goals. Opponents have included seven national teams with the club being the first and only English outfit to play in and against Cuba (in 1975) - a match that was shown on Cuban national television. They have even graced the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, playing to a crowd of 65,000 and met people such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ronnie Biggs and Rajiv Gandhi.

The club hope to play their 100th game on foreign soil in May 2011 when they travel to the Cape Verde Islands as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.^[8]

Link with Inter Cheadle JFC

Towards the end of March 2008, the club announced a mutually-beneficial association with local junior football side Inter Cheadle JFC. The partnership will allow Inter Cheadle to use the facilities at Park Road for some of their seven teams and will assist Cheadle Town's application for funding in relation to the ground's planned refurbishment^[9][10]

References

1. ^ "Welcome to the Official Website of the Vodkat League". http://www.nwcfl.co.uk/News-June.htm. 
2. ^ http://www.cheadletownfc.com/2008/07/ebony-and-ivory.html
3. ^ "New Sponsorship Deal for Cheadle Town". NWCFL. http://www.nwcfl.com/news/1463/15/New-Sponsorship-Deal-For-Cheadle-Town.htm. Retrieved 5 July 2011. 
4. ^ "Vandals threaten Cheadle Town FC - News - Stockport Express". http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/1055466_vandals_threaten_cheadle_town_fc. 
5. ^ "Cheadle Town F.C. - a new stadium?". http://iainroberts.mycouncillor.org.uk/2010/10/15/cheadle-town-fc-a-new-stadium/. 
6. ^ "Boost for Cheadle Town FC's bid to buy ground". http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/1345570_boost_for_cheadle_town_fcs_bid_to_buy_ground_. 
7. ^ "Attendances". http://www.tonykempster.co.uk/nwc2att.htm. 
8. ^ "Globe-trotting football team clock up 200,000 airmiles". http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/news/s/1313619_globetrotting_football_team_clock_up_200000_airmiles. 
9. ^ "Inter Cheadle Junior Football Club". http://www.intercheadlejfc.co.uk/cheadletown.htm. 
10. ^ "The Cheadle Town FC Blog: Official CTFC Press Release". http://www.cheadletownfc.com/2008/03/official-ctfc-press-release.html. 

• Williams, Tony (2005). The Non-League Club Directory. Tony Williams Publications. ISBN 1-869833-49-X. 
• Cheadle Town Football Club. Memories of a Local Football Team. 
• RSSSF Football Statistics
• Cheadle Town at the Football Club History Database
• Tony Kempster's English Football Site

External links

• Official Site
• The Cheadle Town FC Online Fanzine
• The North West Counties Football League

Coordinates: 53°23′31.69″N 2°12′12.18″W / 53.3921361°N 2.2033833°W / 53.3921361; -2.2033833