Chasetown F.C.
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| Full name | Chasetown Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Scholars, The Chase | ||
| Founded | 1954 (as Chase Terrace Old Scholars) | ||
| Ground | The Scholars Ground, Church Street, Chasetown Burntwood | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 | ||
| Chairman |  John Donnelly | ||
| Manager | Charlie Blakemore | ||
| League | Southern League Division One Midlands | ||
| 2007–08 | Southern League Division One Midlands, 7th | ||
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Chasetown Football Club is an English football club based in the Chasetown area of Burntwood, Staffordshire. The club currently plays in the Southern League Division One Midlands and is nicknamed The Scholars, having been formed by affiliates of nearby Chase Terrace High School in the Chase Terrace area of Burntwood.
Chasetown gained national recognition in November 2005 when the BBC televised the club's FA Cup first round home tie with Oldham Athletic, in which the team held their Football League opponents to a 1–1 draw. They went on to finish the 2005–06 season as Midland Alliance champions and thereby gain promotion to the Southern League. In the 2007–08 F.A Cup they made the third round for the first time in their history after holding Port Vale to a 1–1 draw and winning the replay 1–0. They lost the third round match 3–1 to Cardiff City. In doing so, they became the lowest ever ranked club to reach as far as the third round proper of the FA Cup.[1]
History
The club was formed in 1954 as Chase Terrace Old Scholars Youth Club and initially played in the Cannock Youth League. At the start of the 1958–59 season the club joined the Lichfield and District League, where the club spent three seasons, finishing as runners-up in the league and Challenge Cup.
For the 1961–62 season the club stepped up to the Staffordshire County League before moving to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division One and adopting the new name of Chasetown F.C. in 1972.
In eleven seasons in this division Chasetown never finished outside the top four, wining the championship in 1977–78, but were prevented from gaining promotion because they were playing on a park pitch at Burntwood Recreation Centre. In 1983 the club moved to a new ground, The Scholars Ground, and gained entry to the Premier Division. Although the Scholars inititally struggled to finish outside the lower reaches of the table, the team won their first trophy in 1989–90, defeating Oldbury United to win the League Cup, soon followed by winning the Walsall Senior Cup. Chasetown beat Blakenall at the Bescot Stadium and retained the trophy in 1992–93, beating Pelsall Villa 3–1.
In the early 1990s, Chasetown won the West Midlands League Cup twice and finishing as runners-up in the twice. The Scholars were among the founder members of the newly formed Midland Football Alliance in 1994 but failed to make an impression in the early seasons.
In 2000–01 the club in a transitional period after the departure of long-serving manager Mervyn Rowe, and only escaped relegation due to the fact that no clubs were promoted from the lower division. Present manager Charlie Blakemore returned to the club in partnership with Michael Rowe, son of previous manager Mervyn, and the club's fortunes began to turn around, with two top-half finishes. In Blakemore's first full season in complete control of the first team, 2004–05, Chasetown won the Walsall Senior Cup for the third time and finished second to Rushall Olympic in the Midland Alliance.
Chasetown were placed the national spotlight in November 2005 when the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. After defeating Blyth Spartans the team took on Oldham Athletic in a match broadcast live on television. A peak audience of 3.2 million people watched the game live.[2] In front of 1,997 supporters, Chasetown took the lead through Nicky Harrison, only for veteran David Eyres to level the scores and send the game into a replay. Chasetown took 2,436 supporters to the replay but succumbed to a 0–4 defeat. As a result of this cup run the club was able to secure a shirt sponsorship deal with Richard Branson's Virgin Holidays for the 2006–07 season. Meanwhile, in the league, Chasetown rallied from 14th place at Christmas, 20 points behind leaders Malvern Town, to win the Midland Alliance championship and gain promotion to the Southern League Division One Midlands.
In 2007–08, Chasetown beat Team Bath 2–0 to reach the second round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. This set up an away tie against Staffordshire rivals Port Vale, which they drew 1–1 before winning the replay 1-0 to set up a third round match at home to Championship side Cardiff City and making Chasetown the lowest ranked club ever to make the third round of the competition. While Chasetown lost the third round match to Cardiff City 3–1, they scored the first goal, and held the lead until just before half-time.[3]
Honours
- West Midlands (Regional) League Division One
- Champions: 1978
- West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division Cup
- Winners: 1990, 1991
- Walsall Senior Cup
- Winners: 1991, 1993, 2005
- Midland Football Alliance
- Runners Up: 2004
- Winners: 2005
- Joe McGorian Cup (Midland Football Alliance Winners vs League Cup Winners)
- Winners: 2006
- Midland Football Combination - Challenge Trophy
- Winners: 2005
- Staffordshire County FA - Challenge Cup
- Runners Up: 2005
Crest
Chasetown's crest features a deer, in reference to nearby Cannock Chase, and a Stafford Knot.
Ground and supporters
The Scholars Ground has been Chasetown's home since 1983. The highest official attendances recorded at the ground for competitive fixtures are as follows:
| Attendance | Opponents | Match | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,420 | Cardiff City | FA Cup 3rd Round Proper | January 2008 |
| 2,134 | Blyth Spartans | FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round | October 2005 |
| 1,997 | Oldham Athletic | FA Cup 1st Round Proper | November 2005 |
| 1,986 | Port Vale | FA Cup 2nd Round Proper, Replay | December 2007 |
| 839 | Romulus | Midland Football Alliance | April 2006 |
| 781 | Evesham United | Southern League Midland Division | December 2007 |
Note: Significant crowds in pre-season friendly games.
- 1,184 v. Wolves XI, Pre-season friendly, July 2008
- 902 v. Aston Villa XI, Pre-season friendly, July 2006
Attendance levels in recent years have been as follows:
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average home league attendance | 108 | 243 | 305 | 434 |
| Highest home league attendance | 839 | 482 | 781 | |
| Lowest home league attendance | 77 | 207 | 271 | |
| Total home attendance (league and cup) |
11,706 (33 games) |
10,422 (35 games) |
16,754 (30 games) | |
| Average home attendance (league and cup) |
355 | 298 | 558 |
Note: 4,134 of the 2005–06 total attendance represents the games against Blyth Spartans and Oldham Athletic. 4,406 of the 2007-08 total attendance represents the games against Port Vale and Cardiff City. Attendance figures correct as 1st July 2008.
Statistics and records
National cup record
- Best FA Cup performance : Third Round Proper - 2007/08
- Best FA Trophy performance : Third Qualifying Round - 2006/2007
- Best FA Vase performance : Fifth Round Proper - 1999/2000
Team records
(1972/73 Onwards)
- Most league goals (season) : 94 (West Mids Div 1 ; 1975/76)
- Most points scored :
- Two points for a win : 64 (West Mids Div 1, 40 Games, 1975/76)
- Three points for a win : 94 (Midland Alliance, 42 Games, 2005/06)
Individual records
- Most goals scored (career) : Tony Dixon - 197
- Most goals scored (match) : Keith Birch - 11 versus Lichfield Laundry (21-1)
- Highest transfer fee received : "undisclosed" amounts for Chris Slater and Kyle Perry (both Port Vale) - both with sell-on clauses in their contracts, Ryan Young to Nuneaton Borough for a "nominal" amount plus an additional amount when he played a certain number of games for them
- Top goalscorer 2007-2008 : Dean Perrow 32 goals
- Top goalscorer 2006-2007 : Karl Edwards 16 goals
- Top goalscorer 2005-2006 : Lee Bullimore 34 goals
- Karl Edwards once scored in 10 consecutive league games - a club record
- Danny Smith was Chasetown's youngest modern day goalscorer aged 17 years and 143 days
- Chasetown became the first club from the eighth tier of the English football pyramid to reach the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in the 2007-08 season.
Players
Current Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
- Andy Turner is ranked alongside James Vaughan, James Milner, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen as a former Premiership youngest goalscorer when he was with Tottenham Hotspur, aged 17 years and 166 days.[4]
- Chris Slater and Kyle Perry signed for Football League One side Port Vale on 11th January 2008.
- On the same day another F.A Cup hero Vaughan Thomas also left to join Conference North club AFC Telford United.
Current management
- Charlie Blakemore - Manager
- Mark Swann - Assistant manager
- Kevin Sweeney - First team coach
- Andy Turner - Player/coach
- Andy Cox - Reserve team manager
- John Birt - Goalkeeping coach
- Steve Reynolds - Youth team manager
Notable managers
- J. Garbett
- Brian Baker
- M. Boot
- L. Percival
- B. Murray
- Bryn Scorey
- Paul Darby (two spells)
- Mervyn Rowe (two spells)
- Graham Smith
- Benny Brown
- Cliff Painter
- Kevin Foster
- Mick Rowe
- Charlie Blakemore
Chairmen
- Ray Derry
- A. Heath
- F. Sarsfield
- A. Stratton
- J. Selvey
- Arthur Scorey
- Graham Rollins
- Brian Baker
- John Walker
- Bryn Scorey
- Bernard Davies
- Mick Joiner
- Alan Smith
- John Donnelly
Directors
Frank Carson, the Irish comedian, is one of the directors of the club.[5]
References
- ^ "Chasetown dream on after Cup win". BBC official website. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ The FA
- ^ "Chasetown 1-3 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 5 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ footballnetwork.org
- ^ BBC