Year founded: 1880 Nickname: The Magpies Chairman: Matthew Lucas
Website: www.dorchestertownfc.com Stadium: The Avenue Stadium
Previous Meetings: 2014/15 Dorchester 1-1 St Neots
the semi-finals. Following four more victories in the Dorset Senior Cup, the club entered the Southern League (Division One South) in 1972. They first tasted success in this division when they finished runners-up to Margate in 1977/78, going unbeaten in the final 16 matches of the season, with manager David Best utilising his links with old club AFC Bournemouth to attract former first-teamers such as John O’Rourke, Jack Howarth and Harry Redknapp to the Avenue. The formation of the Alliance League (now the Football Conference) unfortunately meant the Magpies ended up back in the reformed Southern Division a year later, but the club celebrated its centenary by winning the Southern Division in 1979/80 by a one point margin over Aylesbury. Stuart Bell succeeded David Best as manager during the season, and the Magpies went unbeaten in the last 14 games to clinch the title. Relegated at the
end of the 1983/84 season following a severe financial crisis, the club only just avoided dropping out of the league altogether the following year. However, a remarkable turnaround followed, and Dorchester returned to the Premier Division as champions at the end of the 1986/87 season, taking the title following a goalless draw at runners-up Ashford on the final day of the season. The following seasons were a mixture of highs-and-lows, flirting with relegation on a number of occasions, facing Oxford United in the 1st Round of the FA Cup, reaching the last 16 of the FA Trophy for only the second time, and finishing fourth in the Premier Division in 1997/98. Unfortunately the club was relegated to the Eastern Division at the end of the 2000/01 season, despite a strong FA Cup run culminating in a 3–1 First Round defeat at Wigan Athletic’s impressive 25,000 all-seater JJB Stadium. They regained their
Premier Division status within two years, defeating King’s Lynn on the final day of the 2002/03 season to take the Eastern Division title ahead of Eastbourne Borough, having won 16 of their last 17 matches and scoring 114 goals in their 42 league games.
St Neots
6-5
Dorchester
A season earlier the Magpies had picked up the Southern League Cup for the first time, again defeating King’s Lynn in a 4–0 aggregate victory in the final. The first season back in the Premier Division was a difficult one but the club succeeded to reach the end-of-season play-offs, where two fine victories over Bath City and Tiverton Town saw Dorchester become a Conference club for the first time in the newly formed Conference South division. After eleven years at Step Two Dorchester were relegated back to the Premier Division of the Southern League.
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