TODAY’S VISITORS
BEDWORTH UNITED Back at the Premier Plus Stadium just two weeks after their FA Trophy visit the Greenbacks are still struggling in the relegation zone. A very special welcome for our next engagement in the EvoStik Southern League Premier Division with Bedworth United.
Since then Bedworth has completed major improvement work at The Oval constructing new changing facilities and becoming one of the first Southern League clubs to install a 3G pitch.
Our two sides met very recently in the FA Vase here at St Neots but also way back on 18th August in a Southern League match on the smart 3G facility at The Oval where our lads looked perfectly ‘at home’ on the artificial surface running out handsome 6-0 victors.
CLUB HISTORY The first Bedworth Town football club is believed to have been formed in 1895 when several matches were played against other local teams. They became founder members of the Nuneaton and District League in 1898, but by 1900 the club had disbanded. Another team, Bedworth Evening Combination School became forerunners of the second Bedworth Town club five years later in 1905 finishing runners up in the Second Division of the Coventry and North Warwickshire League in 1904/5 season.
Two goals for Tom Meechan and one apiece for Connor Hall, Tom Ward, Peter Clark and Guiy Mailancol (the latter two Southern League debut goals) saw us lift ourselves into the play off zone for the only time so far in what has been an increasingly difficult season. However Bedworth have too had their problems spending much of August and September at the foot of the table before a home victory over Kings Lynn gave them only their second win of the current campaign. However they have recently defeated near neighbours Leamington in a first round Birmingham Senior Cup tie where goals from Daniel Creaney and Harry Walker-Donovan gave them a morale boosting 2-1 victory and a place in the second round. They also progressed to the second round of the Red Insure Cup with a victory over Evesham United where they once again had to travel to Leamington (result of that encounter not known at the time these notes were penned). Bedworth’s other previous visit to St Neots was on 12th January 2013 when our lads recorded a closely fought 3-2 victory with Lewis Hilliard (2) and Ben Mackey on the scoresheet for us.
The ECS changed their name to Bedworth Town on winning promotion and stayed in existence until the early 1920’s. A third club came on the scene in 1925, when Collycroft United, formed in 1916 became the third team to name themselves Bedworth Town. This was the most successful of the pre-war clubs, they were members of the Coventry and North Warwickshire League and spent one season in 1936/7 in the Central Amateur League. They played as Bedworth Central for the 1938/39 seasons but unfortunately folded in 1940. The last club to become Bedworth Town was formed in 1947 and as a semi-pro club secured membership of the Birmingham Combination league winning the Championship in successive seasons 1948/49 and the 1949/50 seasons. In 1951/52 they had their best FA Cup ever. After defeating Nuneaton the 3rd Qualifying round they lost to Kettering when a victory
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would have given them an away tie at Bristol Rovers. A lack of success and problems off the field saw Bedworth TOWN change their name to Bedworth UNITED in 1968. In 1972 they obtained membership of the Southern League Division One North floodlights having been erected at The Oval in 1970/1. The club made rapid strides into the Premier Division when the league was reformed in 1982 and they finished 5th in 1982 and were stable in that division until a poor run saw them relegated at the end of the 1988/9 season. Since becoming Bedworth United the Club has won the Birmingham Senior Cup on three occasions and were runners-up when they lost to WBA in the 1987/8 season. However club decline occurred and Bedworth United were relegated to the Midland Division. A new lease is shortly to be signed with the erection of new floodlights, work on the pitch and modification and building of more facilities for player and spectator to follow. Bedworth has established a wellrespected Youth and Junior set up offering a wide variety of age group football for the Bedworth area. An important milestone was winning the play offs in the Central Division in 2011/12 to earn promotion to the EvoStik Southern Premier Division. That season Bedworth finished bottom but one and were relegated but placed in the Northern League pyramid but one season later they were back in the Southern League winning a playoff place in the Central League and going on to beat Aylesbury (away) and Barton Rovers (home) to win back their Premier Division berth.