Hengrove Athletic v Devizes Town

“THE GROVE” Matchday programme of Hengrove Athletic Football Club

Toolstation Western League Division One Devizes Town Saturday 16th October 2021 3.00pm

Hengrove Athletic Football Club Founded 1948

The AVB Stadium, Norton Lane, Whitchurch, Bristol BS14 0BT Main club sponsor for season 2021-22 - AVB Commercial Vehicle Repairs

Club Officials Chairman Treasurer Secretary/Media Groundsmen Manager Asst. Manager Coaches Physiotherapist Kit Manager U18 Management U18 Secretary Committee Alan Burton Mike Greatbanks Paul Hynam Giorgio Mancini Pete Stenner

Club Honours Mike Greatbanks Mike Greatbanks Martin McConachie Nigel Gray Dave Fear Jamie Hillman Jon Berry Ian Jones Mike Stone Pat Quirke Pete Stenner Paul Fortt & Mike Stone Martin McConachie Jon Berry Dave Fear Jamie Hillman Ian Jones Martin McConachie Mike Stone

Web: www.hengroveathletic.com Email: secretary@hengroveathletic.com

Alf Bosley Cup winners 1958/59, 1963/64 Somerset Junior Cup winners 1964/65 Somerset League Cup winners 1979/80 Somerset Senior Cup winners 1979/80 Promoted to Somerset County Prem.

1995/96 Somerset Senior Cup runners-up 2003/04, 2004/05 Somerset County Premier winners 2005/06 Western League Div 1 runners-up 2012/13, 2016/17 Les Phillips Cup winners 2015/16 FA Vase Third Round 2015/16 Phone: 07884 492217 (chairman) Phone: 07432 614494 (secretary)

Good afternoon everyone, Today, we offer a warm welcome to the players, officials & supporters of visitors Devizes Town as well as our match officials too. We hope that they all enjoy their brief stay in the village and have a safe journey home too!

Seven points from our last four league games has lifted the mood recently at the club although to be fair, it was pretty good anyway. Jamie’s rebuilding of the first team squad continues and gradually the results are being seen on the pitch which is pleasing to see. Off the pitch, plans are also moving on to improve the club and take it forward to the next level but also to retain the warm, friendly nature that the club is renowned for.

The new competition of the Hengrove 100 kicks off this weekend and it’s not too late to join in the fun. The first competition ended last weekend with the prize winners notified of their success; for more details, please see the advert a little further on in the programme.

Our under-18’s had another good result on Sunday when they hosted Saltford Stars and won 4-0. It took until the 52nd minute to open the scoring but once one went in, more followed. That’s a healthy seven points from three games and nine goals scored too, well done lads! This weekend, they are at home to Thornbury Town, 2pm KO here and it would be great to see as many of you come along to give them your backing.

Finally, we have secured a couple of new sponsors who have pledged to have some advertising boards within the ground, one of them being a very well-known name which is fantastic news for a club of our size, more details later. In the meantime, we would ask you to consider using the services of our kind sponsors featured in the matchday programme and also the advertising boards. If you do so, please could you mention that you saw their advert on your visit here to the AVB Stadium.

Many thanks and enjoy the match Martin McConachie, Club Secretary

THE HENGROVE 75 In August 2023, Hengrove Athletic Football Club will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Formed shortly after the war by a group of demobbed soldiers, “The Grove” initially played down in Whitchurch then relocated to its current base here at Norton Lane in 1964, gradually moving up the leagues too. We’ve now been a Western League club for fifteen years!

To celebrate our 75th birthday, we have put together a group of projects from around the club to take us to the next level on & off the pitch. Four categories; pitch, clubhouse, grounds and structure have been identified and various projects will be repaired, rebuilt, renewed and restored over the next two seasons & we’ve started the tasks already by refurbishing the bar area during the winter.

The aim is to make the club more sustainable, more welcoming, smarter, fresher and an even greater place to watch the beautiful game. There’s so many more jobs, large and small, that we will be getting on with including painting, hammering, nailing, building & clearing. There are plans to re-introduce at least one more Hengrove team, bring in several new sponsors, build a new car park and possibly get a big friendly for the anniversary day.

If you can offer a service, a pair of hands or your expertise, please see a committee member (listed in front of programme) and let them know. As much of the work as is possible will be done by volunteers & we’d love to see the AVB Stadium look as good as possible ahead of the anniversary. Thank you in advance.

1948

2023

The Hengrove

Like pontoon, but with a twist!

Entry costs just £1 per team per week (£10) Each competition runs for 10 matches First prize - £250 – highest scoring team Second prize - £100 – second highest scoring team Wooden spoon - £50 – lowest scoring team

Teams randomly selected Teams that don’t play awarded two goals Second competition starts 15th October 2021, Next two competitions - 26th December 2021 & 4th March 2022 Entry fees must be paid in advance

Hengrove Athletic Player Stats 2021/22 season (maximum 16 games) Player Carter BAILEY Luca BAILEY Will BANKS Ben BRITTON Jackson BROWN Regan BURTON Carl BUSH Ricky BUSH Danny CONSTABLE Jack COUSINS Luke CREWE Frankie DICKS Danny DODIMEAD Rich DUFFY Jimmy FORTT Sam JACKSON Jack JONES Harry LUCAS Giorgio MANCINI Jude McCARTHY Mickey PARSONS Sam PAYNE Luco PONSILLO Pete SHEPPARD Gary SHORNEY Harry TEMPLEMAN Will THOMAS Adrian THOMPSON Bailey TURNER Billy VAUGHAN Craig WHITE Kyle WIDGER

Starts

2 1 11 9 14 7 7 10 12 1 11 1 1 2 4 3 9 10 9 1 3 10 9 6 2 5 3 7 6

Sub On

Total

1 1

1 1 2 1 11 10 14 8 7 12 13 3 12 1 1 4 6 6 9 11 10 1 7 10 11 1 7 2 9 10 9 6

1 1 2 1 2 1

2 2 3 1 1 4 2 1 1 4 7 2

Goals

MOM

1

1

1 2

10

3

2 1 1 1

2 3

2

1

1

184 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 2DL

GAMEWEEK SEVEN STANDINGS 1st

Ashley Lloyd

474 points

2nd

Mo

467 points

3rd

Blake Lloyd

461 points

4th

Jason Jarvis

423 points

5th

Giorgio Mancini

417 points

6th

Tony Rich

405 points

7th

Martin McConachie

391 points

8th

Ryan Clark

390 points

9th

James Healey

374 points

10th

Alec Rich

369 points

1.

2.

3.

To join , please email secretary@hengroveathletic.com Arrange to pay your £10 entry fee by BACS, PayPal or cash You’re in and good luck! All money goes to prize funds.

The Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund is a small Bristol based charity, independent of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which aims to help those who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis in their daily lives and enhance their quality of life. It was founded in 1991 by a small group of people from the Bristol Children’s Hospital following a bequest by a grandfather. In his will he stipulated the money should be used to benefit patients with Cystic Fibrosis to help them manage their own lives.

There were originally two Trustees from the Children’s Hospital, a senior nurse, and a clinical nurse specialist, two parents, and a lecturer in physiotherapy. The Fund grew from there and it became a registered charity in 1993.

Cystic Fibrosis is one of the UK's most common, life-limiting, inherited diseases. Cystic Fibrosis affects the internal organs, especially the lungs & digestive system, by clogging them with thick sticky mucus.

This makes it hard to breathe and digest food. Those affected are born with CF and approximately 1 in every 2,500 babies born in the UK will inherit the condition. Improvements in care and treatment mean that more & more babies born with CF will become adults. However, their life expectancy is shortened.

This is a charity supported closely by Andy Stone (Stoner) from AS_FootyReview on Twitter where all profits from his merchandise is donated to the charity to continue helping and raising awareness to a charity close to his heart following the death of his close friend Sam “Syd Brimson” Thank you and enjoy the game!

For more information, please visit our website at www.cfcomfort.co.uk

THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD SPONSORS

Top To Toe Physiotherapy

Abacus Waste Management

D C Windows

The Three Lions

Ben’s Reclamation & Demolition

E R & B Print

AVB Commercial Vehicle Repairs

Avon Hydraulics (UK) Ltd

Belvedere Building & Plumbing

A D L Garage Doors

Apollo Cleaning Solutions

If you would like to join our board sponsors, please call Martin McConachie on 07432 614494 or email secretary@hengroveathletic.com for further details.

The cost is £200 for the first year (including a one-off manufacture cost of £100) then £100 per year thereafter. Includes adverts on our website and in the programme.

www.hamdonmedia.co.uk e: martin@hamdonmedia.co.uk Tel: (0117) 373 6706 or 07432 614494

BRISTOL U18 FOOTBALL COMBINATION NEWS & TABLE

We are delighted to announce that this season, Hengrove Athletic will be running an under-18 side for the first time in six years.

The team will be managed by Paul Fortt & Mike Stone and will compete in the Bristol under-18 Football Combination League; we have been placed in the First Division. As a club, we would like to welcome Paul, Mike, all of the players and the families to the AVB Stadium and hope they enjoy a long, happy & successful time with the club.

Pos. Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

4 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 1 2 3 3

3 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 1 1

1 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 0 1 2 2

17 9 8 9 11 9 6 8 4 1 5 10

9 2 4 6 10 7 7 18 4 4 10 16

8 7 4 3 1 2 -1 -10 0 -3 -5 -6

9 7 7 7 7 3 3 2 1 1 1 1

Bath City Hengrove Athletic Stoke Lane Mangotsfield United Keynsham Town Rockleaze Rangers Downend Saints Saltford Stars Chipping Sodbury Thornbury Town Clifton United Backwell Athletic

BRISTOL U18 FOOTBALL COMBINATION NEWS & TABLE

BRISTOL U18 FOOTBALL COMBINATION FIXTURES

Sun 26 Sep

H

Keynsham Town

2.00pm

D 2-2 Grinnell, Impey

Sun 3 Oct Sun 10 Oct Sun 17 Oct Sun 24 Oct Sun 31 Oct

A H H A H

Downend Saints Eagles Saltford Stars Thornbury Town Clifton United Hawks Backwell Athletic

2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm

W 3-0 Grinnell (2), Tucker W 4-0 C Bailey (2), Impey, og

Sun 7 Nov Sun 14 Nov Sun 21 Nov Sun 28 Nov

A H A H

Rockleaze Rangers Stoke Lane Athletic Lions Saltford Stars Bath City

2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm

Sun 5 Dec Sun 12 Dec

H A

Chipping Sodbury Town Keynsham Town

2.00pm 2.00pm

Sun 9 Jan Sun 16 Jan Sun 23 Jan Sun 30 Jan

H H A H

Downend Saints Eagles Mangotsfield United Thornbury Town Clifton United Hawks

2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm

Sun 6 Feb Sun 13 Feb Sun 20 Feb

A H A

Backwell Athletic Rockleaze Rangers Stoke Lane Athletic Lions

2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm

Sun 13 Mar Sun 20 Mar Sun 27 Mar

A A A

Bath City Youth Chipping Sodbury Town Mangotsfield United

2.00pm 2.00pm 2.00pm

BRISTOL U18 FOOTBALL COMBINATION FIXTURES

TODAY’S Hengrove Athletic Green shirts, Green shorts, Green socks Carl BUSH Carter BAILEY Luca BAILEY Will BANKS Jackson BROWN Regan BURTON Ricky BUSH Danny CONSTABLE Jack COUSINS Luke CREWE Danny DODIMEAD Sam JACKSON Jack JONES Harry LUCAS Giorgio MANCINI Jude McCARTHY Mickey PARSONS Sam PAYNE Pete SHEPPARD Gary SHORNEY Will THOMAS Bailey TURNER Billy VAUGHAN Craig WHITE Manager Asst. Manager Coaches Physio

Jamie HILLMAN Jon BERRY Ian JONES Mike STONE Pat QUIRKE

Referee Daniel BUGG

LINEUPS Devizes Town Red & Black Shirts, Black Shorts, Black Socks

Jack CROSS Adam WALTERS Saviour OKECHUKUU IWOLA Leo RENDELL Jack SWAN Matt LEVER Jovan COSENTINO Josh COLE Ben TYLEE Stuart WINDSOR Dylan JONES Logan CASSIDY Danny BOWYER Caleb HOLLOW Isaac WAIN Jack FARION Zac BASKERVILLE Josh BRIGHAM

Joint Managers Assistant Manager

Trevor RAWLINGS Alex BLAKE Graham LEARMONTH

Physiotherapist

Gemma JEFFEREY

Assistants Kevin WATKINS Matt BAIRD

Focus on....

DEVIZES TOWN FC Football in Devizes was recorded to have been first played in 1876 when Devizes Rangers played out a goalless draw against local rivals Holt. In those days, the games were played under both Association Football and Rugby Union rules. Devizes Rangers existed in tandem with Devizes Football Club (Rugby) and the two clubs swapped players as well as codes, until Rangers disbanded in the late 1880s.

The origins of Devizes Town Football Club itself stretch back to 1884 when Southbroom Football Club was formed by the members of Southbroom Cricket Club as a winter activity.

Games were played in a field behind the vicarage in Brickley Lane until 1886 when the 'blues' as they were known joined forces with the cricket and tennis clubs and formed Devizes Recreation Club based in London Road. In 1896 the club tasted success for the first time in winning the Wiltshire League Championship.

In 1898 Southbroom and other smaller clubs amalgamated to form a much larger club, and so Devizes Town Football Club was born. The new club leased a playing field in Quakers Walk and in their first season won the Wiltshire League as well as reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Amateur Cup and the Wiltshire Cup Final. The elusive Wiltshire Cup finally came to Devizes in 1908 when they defeated Trowbridge 3-1 to lift the trophy for the first time.

In the aftermath of the Second World War the club had to find a new ground to play, thankfully due to the generosity of the Jennings family they were offered a free 21-year lease on a ground at Nursteed Road. The first competitive game there was against Purton in 1945. In 1949 the Wilts League Championship came to Nursteed Road for the third time, and then the following year this was followed by the capture of the Wiltshire Senior Cup for the first time since 1908 in front of a crowd of over four thousand. The late 1950s and 60s were a golden period for the club with numerous league and cup triumphs, including several good runs in the FA Amateur Cup - the most notable bring reaching the Third Round Proper in 1958. In the Wiltshire Senior Cup, the team appeared in every final between 1956/7 and 1962/3 winning six out of the seven finals.

Roger Hunt joined the club in 1958 and formed a lethal partnership with prolific striker Tony Edge. Roger Hunt went on to become one of the most celebrated players of his age - playing for Liverpool and the World Cup Winning England side. . 'Edgey' the goal machine was in line to represent Great Britain in the 1960 Olympics because of his prolific goal scoring talents for Town, before he was persuaded to join Bristol Rovers in 1959. He returned to Town though and in 1961-62 scored ninety-two goals in the treble winning season. He managed the side in 1967 and the following year was honoured by the club for achieving the amazing record of five hundred goals in five hundred games.

The 1961/2 treble winning season was remarkable as Town collected the County Senior Cup, Premier League Championship, and the League Subsidiary Cup. Walthamstow Avenue visited in 1965 to officially re-open the Nursteed Road Ground which had been purchased by the club after six years demanding work. 1967 brought a new era for the club as they joined the Western League, with the new ground facilities being completed the following year with Roger Hunt returning to officially open them. The season 1972/3 saw the club managed by former Bath City player Ken Owens clinch the Western League Championship and the Subsidiary Cup, as well as having good runs in the FA Cup and Amateur Cup.

Focus on....

DEVIZES TOWN FC Ted Chivers, chairperson, and benefactor of the club for 24 years, retired in 1974 and was honoured with a club presentation to thank him for his unstinting support of the club.

Three years after achieving the Western League Championship the club suffered their first ever relegation. However, the stay in Division One was short lived and in 1980 under Paul Lloyd the club returned to the Western League Premier as Division One Runners-up. The following year Lloyd led the side on their greatest run in the FA Vase reaching the quarterfinals - where they were beaten by Whickham in freezing conditions in the North-East. Success continued with Town winning the Wiltshire Premier Shield in 1983 in a hard fought victory over Trowbridge Town.

However, all changed with Paul Lloyd's resignation in 1984 - playing fortunes declined and once again Town found themselves relegated to Division One the following year. The late 1980s and 1990s were inauspicious times for the club with increasing financial pressures which were only partially eased by the sale of the Nursteed Road ground to neighbours LINPAC in 1991 in return for a lease deal securing the ground for 99 years.

Having survived some years of crisis the season 1999-2000 was the most outstanding in the club’s history. Manager Brian Newlands had over the last four years been building a talented squad and they repaid his faith by winning the Division One title with a remarkable run of thirty -two unbeaten league games to gain promotion back to the premier after 15 years. The season ended with an emphatic 8-0 demolition of Chard Town where Andy Coombes stepped up to receive the Division One trophy. The following season the success continued with Town enjoying an excellent FA Cup run that took them to a Fourth Qualifying Round tie against Conference side Kingstonian and a chance of reaching the First Round. Unfortunately, in wet and windy conditions the cup run ended with a 5-2 defeat to the Conference side.

After seven successful years Newlands resigned at the start of the 2002-3 season. After a brief 15 weeks stay in-charge by ex-Chippenham player Ray Baverstock, former Town stalwart Peter Tripp was appointed. He was to lead Town on another epic FA Vase run that took them once again to a quarter-final appearance, this time against Maldon Town. This was their ninth game in the competition and as in 1981 Town failed on the day, being beaten 3-0 by the Eastern Counties League outfit.

The start of the 2003-4 season saw major changes in the structure of the club with a new committee being appointed and a rigorous financial structure bringing much needed stability to the club. Since then, there has been a major investment in the facilities at the club with a new Members' Bar (named after Jack Goodship, a stalwart of the club for over 25 years who passed away in 2003) and ongoing plans for refurbishment throughout the clubhouse and grounds. On the pitch results have been variable and the club has flirted with relegation. On the managerial front Dave Hopkins, Mark Godley and Nathan Sheridan all tried to bring success but results were variable, and the club flirted with relegation. In 2005/6 the Under 18's side under Gary Hopper won their section of the league with some style and then only narrowly lost to Malmesbury in the play-off final. In the summer of 2006 Nathan Sheridan was relieved of his position and former player Paul Thompson appointed as first team player/ manager. He enjoyed a successful two years as manager before departing towards the end of the 2007/8 season

Focus on....

DEVIZES TOWN FC Also departing earlier in the season was popular Chairman Phil Rossiter who had led the club out of one of its darkest periods. Phil was given Life Membership in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the club. For the 2008/9 season former Reserve Team managers Shaun Moffat and Kev Whitbread took the reins but with injuries, suspensions, and loss of playing budget were unable to save the club from finishing bottom of the league and so ending their 8 years stay in the topflight.

In the close season Shaun took on the role of Chairman and Kev took over full control of the side, being joined as Joint First Team Manager by former boss Paul Thompson. The club had another difficult campaign but managed to retain their Western League status, finishing in penultimate place in Division One. Kev stepped down at the end of the season and Tommy Dryden, the former Malmesbury & Calne Town manager took over as Team Manager, with Trevor Vowles taking over the Wiltshire League side. It was change again by the end of September with Tommy Dryden deciding to step down for personal reasons, former Wroughton and Shrivenham manager Mark Love took over until the end of the year.

The club decided to appoint Jamie Bayes from the reserves to cover the first team and will work closely with the reserve’s manager Scott Clark and his assistant Bud Walters in bringing back the local players to play for Devizes Town at Nursteed Road, in 2012-13 Mark Love returned to the club but did not reach the expectation we had hoped and decided to step down at the end of the season due to work commitments.

We appointed Bud Walters and Justin Webster as first team managers at the start of the season 2013-14 season they were together until the end of the year when through work commitments Justin stepped down. In 2014-15 we saw Bud Walters and Tom Perkins take the helm together who continued in their roles until 2108-19 when they finally felt they had taken the club as far as they could and needed to step away and look to spend some time with their families but still be involved at the club.

We went out to look for a new management team and have found father and son Rob and Dan Broadbank from Swindon they worked hard to get the players to work together with Swindon based players but in early October it didn’t feel right so they left by mutual consent the deadly duo of Bud and Perks have returned again to steady the ship and hopefully to stop some players leaving their hometown club, in early January Bud and Perks advised the club they would end the caretaker roles and the club appointed Nigel Tripp as First Team Manager who is keen to keep the squad assembled of local talent and get the club back where it belongs in the Toolstation League but despite his efforts with his management team and Covid he parted company from the club.

We were looking forward now to a new season and new beginnings at Nursteed Road under a new management team of Stewart Swan, Ollie Gee, Dave Jenkins and Dan Sloan all very experienced at this level they were hoping to be mixing Devizes Town based players with some quality from outside of SN10 but we were comfortable with that…unfortunately the move did not work out and Swannie, Ollie and Dave moved on……..we have now appointed Trevor Rawlings and Alex Blake as joint managers and also brought in Graham (Leo) Learmonth into the management team…….they are all very experienced at this level and the coaching will be top class with the three of them in the dugout but they need to steady the ship for such a great club as Devizes Town FC.

WESTERN LEAGUE RECORD SEASON BY SEASON 2006-07 TO PRESENT No.

Season

Div

Pos.

1.

2006-07

1

2.

2007-08

3.

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

10th 42

17

7

18

58

64

-6

58

1

6th

40

20

9

11

83

61

+22

69

2008-09

1

6th

38

19

4

15

57

52

+5

61

4.

2009-10

1

7th

38

20

8

10

75

43

+32

68

5.

2010-11

1

10th 36

13

7

16

52

58

-6

46

6.

2011-12

1

10th 36

12

10

14

53

59

-6

46

7.

2012-13

1

2nd 40

29

4

7

93

34

+59

91

8.

2013-14

P

21st 40

8

4

28

33

87

-54

28

9.

2014-15

1

12th 42

15

10

17

75

75

0

55

10.

2015-16

1

7th

40

21

7

12

57

37

+20

70

11.

2016-17

1

2nd 42

27

7

8

105

37

+68

88

12.

2017-18

P

9th

16

8

14

73

60

+13

56

13.

2018-19

P

19th 38

5

6

27

40

102

-62

21

14.

2019-20*

1

14th 25

9

4

12

24

48

-24

31

15.

2020-21** 1

15th 9

3

3

3

10

12

-2

12

16.

2021-22*** 1

16th 14

3

3

8

25

40

-15

12

237

101

220

913

869

+44

812

AGG (to date)

P

38

558

* - season declared null & void

** - season curtailed

Bold type - promoted

Italic type - relegated

*** - current

ONE OF my football bugbears centres around the FA Cup. More specifically, about The Magic of the Cup (TM). In a few months time, the Premier League and Championship clubs will enter at the third round proper stage and The Magic of the Cup (TM), will be raised. When did it go? Where did it go?

Why has it gone? Remember when the FA Cup used to have magic? There will be lower league clubs who do well, held up as the poster boys with lines such as…”think the FA Cup has lost its magic, tell that to (insert club here)…”

But, from what I see every season, there is plenty of the sparkling dust flying around and there always has been. We’ll see it this weekend, with a brilliant fourth round qualifying draw — the follow-up reaction could have filled the whole paper itself last week. While a lot of the national attention won’t turn to the competition until the first round proper, here in Non-League we all know the romance has been burning bright since the start of August.

Shocks have been served up, record cup runs achieved, big Non-League names have fallen and dreams are still alive. In the case of Kettering Town, records have been reclaimed. The Poppies are back on top of the competition’s goal charts following last week’s 2-0 win over Leamington. That made it 901 FA Cup goals throughout their history and inched them back in front of Premier League Tottenham Hotspur.

Poppies boss Paul Cox knows a thing or two about the romance of the FA Cup — he had the trophy at his wedding just a few days before his Mansfield side played Liverpool, then featuring a striker called Luis Suarez. Wonder what happened to him! Of course, Marine played Spurs in last year’s third round proper. Residents fortunate enough to have gardens that back onto the Marine Travel Arena were able to peer over their fences to get a glimpse of Jose Mourinho’s side. They were the lucky ones, with the game behind closed doors because of the Covid-19 situation at the time.

Not that Neil Young’s side are settling for one run. They upset Step 3 Atherton Collieries in their replay to set-up a home date with National League big-spenders Wrexham. The Mariners’ crowds are booming – I spoke to manager Neil Young last week and he explained the place is booming, with last year’s FA Cup run a big catalyst. It catapulted the club into the living rooms of people — and seems to have inspired many to get along to a game. Creating memories and lasting legacy is what the FA Cup is all about. This weekend’s fourth round qualifying will have all the feel of those magical first round occasions. Bromsgrove Sporting hosting National League leaders Grimsby Town. Chertsey Town off to the club Grimsby dropped out of the EFL with, Southend United.

Marske United hosting a north-east derby with Gateshead. Pontefract Collieries hosting high-flying FC Halifax Town. Former League side Kidderminster Harriers take a trip to Step 4 Bedfont Sports, while Stamford are off to Stockport County. There are plenty of other intriguing ties across the country, with the first round proper at stake and the entry of some of the most famous names in English football like Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town. No doubt in the coming months, we will see top flight managers using the FA Cup to rotate their squads and complain about the number of matches they have to play. It’s the same every year. But, just as it is each season, the FA Cup will produce some lifelong memories. And that’s pretty magical in my book.

HAMDON MEDIA

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Website Management Football Administration

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New book out in summer 2022 - “Team Of My Life” tel: 07432 614494

twitter: @HamdonMart

email: martin@hamdonmedia.co.uk web: www.hamdonmedia.co.uk

Hengrove Athletic Club History

Hengrove Athletic F.C was formed in 1948 from players who were demobbed from National Service.

As a footnote, there is also wartime history to the club colours of green and white. With rationing and many shortages, football shirts were virtually unobtainable, so all of the members of Hengrove Athletic F.C donated an ordinary white shirt and a mother of one of the players kindly dyed them green in the bath at her Knowle home. The colour green had no symbolic meaning. It was the only colour available at the time! The founding fathers of Hengrove Athletic F.C then agreed to retain these colours for the new club.

A successful application was made to join the Bristol and Suburban League and they were placed in Division 3 for the start of 1948/49 season. A Reserve XI was established in 1950 and in the same year Hengrove Hall was rented for club meetings and social gatherings. The club continued to expand and the ‘A’ XI started in 1953, followed by the 30-plus XI in 1959.

These four football teams made Hengrove Athletic F.C the largest club in the Bristol and Suburban League at the time – after just eleven years. A ‘B’ XI replaced the 30 plus in 1962.

The long search for a ground came to fruition on Sunday 7 June 1964 when Norton Lane was officially opened and Hengrove Athletic F.C took up residence.

The first XI was accepted by the Somerset Senior League for the 1974/75 season, where they remained until 2005/06 when they were runaway, unbeaten, Premier Division Champions and joined the Western League for the start of the 2006/07 season. Our Floodlights and Stand were installed at the ground in 2007/08 to achieve the necessary ground grading of the Western League. The EWW Stand was installed at the ground in 2012/13 to achieve the necessary ground grading of entry into the FA Cup and future possible promotions.

The first XI finished runners-up in Western League Division One in 2012/13, achieving promotion to the Premier Division. They also lifted the Les Phillips League Cup (Western League) in 2015/16 before winning promotion to the Premier Division again the following season. In 2017/18 under new manager John Durbin, the club finished ninth in the Premier Division, their highest ever position and as a result, were also the highest placed Bristol side in the division. However, this was followed by relegation back to Division One in 2018/19.

Jamie Hillman returned for a third spell as manager in the summer of 2019 but the next two seasons failed to play to a finish due to the COVID pandemic. In both seasons, the Grove finished in mid table.

A guide to away games this season in Toolstation Western League Division One AEK Boco

Greenbank Road, Hanham, Bristol BS15 3RZ

6.5 miles

Almondsbury

The Field, Gloucester Rd, Almondsbury. BS32 4AA

17.9 miles

Bishop’s Lydeard

Darby Way, Bishop’s Lydeard, Taunton. TA4 3BA

45.9 miles

Bishop Sutton

Lakeview, Wick Road, Bishop Sutton. BS39 5XN

7.7 miles

Bristol Telephones BTRA Ground, Stockwood Lane, Bristol BS14 8SJ

1.2 miles

Cheddar

Bowden's Park, Draycott Road, Cheddar BS27 3RL

19.4 miles

Devizes Town

Nursteed Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 3DX

35.5 miles

Gillingham Town

Woodwater Lane, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 4WL

34.5 miles

Lebeq United

Oaklands Park, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4AA

17.9 miles

Longwell Green

Shellards Road, Longwell Green, Bristol BS30 9AD

5.8 miles

Odd Down

Combe Hay Lane, Odd Down, Bath, BA2 8PA

10.4 miles

Oldland Abbots

Castle Road, Oldland Common, Bristol BS30 9SZ

6.4 miles

Portishead Town

Bristol Road, Portishead, Bristol BS20 6QG

14.2 miles

Radstock Town

Southfield Rec. Ground, Southfields, Radstock BA3 3NZ

12.0 miles

Sherborne Town

Raleigh Grove, Terrace PF, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NS

41.2 miles

Tytherington Rocks

Hardwicke PF, Tytherington, South Gloucs GL12 8UJ

19.5 miles

Warminster Town

Weymouth Street, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 9NS

27.2 miles

Wells City

Rowdens Road, Wells, Somerset BA5 1TU

17.6 miles

Welton Rovers

West Clewes, North Rd, Midsomer Norton BA3 2EW

10.4 miles

Wincanton Town

Sports Ground, Moor Lane, Wincanton BA9 9EJ

29.1 miles

Fixtures & Results 2021/2022 Date

Opponents

Ven. Res.

Att.

Scorers

Sat 31 Jul

Sherborne Town

A

L 1-6 152

McCarthy

Tue 3 Aug

Odd Down (Bath)

H

D 2-2 89

Burton, Sheppard

Sat 7 Aug

Wincanton Town

H

W 4-1 76

Dodimead (2), Sheppard, Mancini

Sat 14 Aug

Welton Rovers

A

L 0-1 110

-

Tue 17 Aug

Cheddar

H

L 2-4 80

Dodimead (2)

Sat 21 Aug

Radstock Town

A

D 1-1 77

Dodimead

Sat 28 Aug

Bristol Telephones H

L 1-4 90

Vaughan

2021

Mon 30 Aug Oldland Abbots

A

L 0-3 77

-

Sat 4 Sep

Warminster Town

H

L 0-3 76

-

Sat 11 Sep

Ascot Utd (FAV)

H

L 0-2 70

-

Tue 14 Sep

AEK Boco

H

L 1-4 107

Jones

Sat 18 Sep

Odd Down (Bath)

A

W 2-0 52

Dodimead, Cousins

Sat 25 Sep

Warminster Town

A

L 6-7 82

Dodimead (2), Banks, Vaughan, Ponsillo, Jackson

Sat 2 Oct

Lebeq United

H

W 4-3 37

Dodimead (2), Ponsillo, Jackson

Tue 5 Oct

Bishop’s Lyd. (SPC) H

L 1-3 48

Sheppard

Sat 9 Oct

Wells City

A

D 1-1

Cousins

Sat 16 Oct

Devizes Town

H

Sat 23 Oct

Gillingham Town

A

Sat 30 Oct

Oldland Abbots

H

Wed 3 Nov

AEK Boco

A

Sat 6 Nov

Bishop’s Lydeard

A

Sat 13 Nov

Lebeq United

A

Fixtures & Results 2021/2022 Date

Opponents

Ven. Res.

Sat 4 Dec

Gillingham Town

H

Sat 11 Dec

Portishead Town

H

Sat 18 Dec

Bristol Telephones A

Mon 27 Dec Bishop Sutton

Att.

Scorers

A

2022 Mon 3 Jan

Almondsbury

H

Sat 22 Jan

Portishead Town

A

Sat 29 Jan

Sherborne Town

H

Sat 5 Feb

Tytherington R

H

Sat 19 Feb

Almondsbury

A

Sat 26 Feb

Radstock Town

H

Sat 5 Mar

Wincanton Town

A

Sat 12 Mar

Bishop’s Lydeard

H

Sat 19 Mar

Longwell Green

A

Sat 26 Mar

Tytherington R

A

Sat 2 Apr

Welton Rovers

H

Sat 9 Apr

Cheddar

A

Fri 15 Apr

Bishop Sutton

H

Mon 18 Apr Longwell Green

H

Sat 23 Apr

Devizes Town

A

Sat 30 Apr

Wells City

H

Key FAV - FA Vase

LPC - Les Phillips Cup

SPC - Somerset Premier Cup