Pickering Town F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Pickering Town


fullname = Pickering Town Community Football Club
nickname = "The Pikes"
founded = 1888
ground = Mill Lane,
Pickering
capacity = 2000 (200 seated)
chairman = flagicon|England Tony Dunning
manager = flagicon|England Mark Wood
league = Northern Counties East Football League
Premier Division
season = 2007–08
position = Northern Counties East Football League
Premier Division, 3rd
shirtsupplier= KoolSport
shirtsponsors= Flamingo Land
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leftarm1=0000E1|body1=0000E1|rightarm1=0000E1|shorts1=0000E1|socks1=0000E1
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFF00|body2=FFFF00|rightarm2=FFFF00|shorts2=FFFF00|socks2=FFFF00

Pickering Town Football Club are an English football club based in Pickering, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1888 and are currently in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division. The club are currently managed by Ex-Assistant coach Mark Wood after former Ipswich Town player Alex Mathie resigned on 6 January 2007.

History

Pickering Town Football Club were first established in 1888, for many years the club competed in the local football leagues. One of the local leagues they competed in was the York Football League which they joined Division Two, in 1953-54. They were promoted to the league's top division after only one season.

In the early 1950s, the York League was heavily contended between York Railway Institute, Market Weighton and Pickering Town. Indeed these were the teams in the top three when Pickering Town first won the York League in 1955-56.

The club dropped in form for the rest of the decade in comparison (although they did always finish in the top eight). During the 1959-60 season, they finished as league runners-up to Dringhouses.

Yorkshire and Northern Counties Leagues

Pickering eventually joining the Yorkshire Football League Division Three in 1972. They started well in the league, and during their second season were promoted to Division Two as champions. Pickering Town finished as runners-up to Bridlington Town in the 1974-75 season and thus were promoted to the top division of the Yorkshire League [ [http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/PICKERIT.HTM FCHD.co.uk] ] .

They dropped in form a couple of seasons later, getting relegated in two successive seasons for the rest of the decade Pickering lingered around the mid parts of the Yorkshire League Division Three. In 1982 they became founding members of the Northern Counties East Football League and were in the NCE Premier Division from 1992. It was around this time that the club first entered the FA Challenge Cup, they knocked out Penrith before losing to North Yorkshire rivals, Northallerton Town in the next round.

A few seasons later in 1996-97, they knocked out Pontefract Collieries 2-1 in the competition, but lost to Bishop Auckland in the next round. In terms of the draw, the club has had very bad luck in the competition, as everytime they reached the 1st Qualifying Round round, they were forced to play away from home. In 1999 Pickering were relegated to the NCE First Division. This was to last only two seasons and promotion back to the Premier Division came in 2001.

Jimmy Reed transformation

The club underwent a great transformation with manager Jimmy Reid and his assistant Steve Brown in charge. Reid was a former player with St. Johnstone and York City and Brown a former "Pikes" player and coach at the Leeds United Academy. At the end of 2001-02 season Jimmy Reid left the club and Steve Brown took control.

At the start of the 2002-03 season 5 first team regulars were lost for a variety of reasons which left the club struggling for much of the season. The hard work and dedication of Brown, his management team and the players was rewarded towards the end of the season as it all started to come together and with only 4 defeats in the last 15 league games the club finished the season in 13th position.

2003-04 season was an exciting one for the club as they were in the top half of the league table all season and for much of it, with games in hand, looked possible championship contenders. However with a glut of fixtures, and possibly with the knowledge that promotion to the re-structured Northern Premier League was not an option due to ground grading, at the season’s end the club were not able to capitalise and finished in a creditable 5th position.

Early into the season 2004-05 owing to ever increasing business commitments Steve Brown stepped down as Manager to be replaced by ex-Ipswich Town and Newcastle United striker Alex Mathie, veteran of over 200 league games and 20 years as a professional.

After much ground improvement work in recent years, including the erection of floodlights, a new 120 seater stand, covered standing accommodation and more recently an additional 100 seater stand behind the "scoreboard end" goal, the club now possess one of the best grounds in the league.

Recent events

In the 2005-06 season the club reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase the furthest in the club's history. The team eventually lost out to Nantwich Town.

After an encouraging start in the 2006-07 season, results took a turn for the worse over the winter period, and a run of one win in eleven games led to the resignation of Mathie as manager on January 6 2007. Within a week, the board announced they had appointed ex-Pickering player and Mathie's assistant Mark Wood as the new manager.

The 2007-08 season saw the club finish in their highest league position in over a decade. Off the pitch the club saw significant change and Pickering applied for promotion to the UniBond League. The club erected a removable fence for the cricket pitch side and improved the existing exterior toilet facilities.

The 2008-09 season has been met with great optimism as the club has obtained several big sponsorship deals and the performance of the team in pre-season has been excellent. Ground development has continued with the club resurfacing and floodlighting the car parking facilities, adding new goals, corner flags and dugouts and improving the drainage of the pitch.

They reached the Second Round Qualifying of the FA Cup 3 times (1999-00, 2001-02 and 2003-04).

Current squad 2008-09 Season

Ground

The Mill Lane ground seats 200, with a total capacity of around 2,000. It incorporates the Pickering Recreation Club clubhouse. The pitch has one of the most pronounced slopes of any ground in English non-league football.

Honours

*Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division
**Runners-up: 1992-93

*Northern Counties East Football League Division One
**Runners-up: 1991-92, 2000-01

*Northern Counties East Football League Division Two
**Champions: 1987-88

*Yorkshire League Division Two
**Runners-up: 1974-75

*Yorkshire League Division Three
**Champions: 1973-74

*York Football League
**Champions: 1955-56, 1966-67, 1969-70
**Runners-up: 1959-60

*York Football League Division One
**Champions: 1953-54, 1975-76

*Scarborough and District Football League Division One
**Champions: 1950-51
**Runners-up: 1946-47, 1949-50

*Scarborough and District Football League Division Two
**Champions: 1930-31

References

External links

* [http://www.pickeringtownfc.co.uk/ Official website]