Season: 2017/18
2017/18
Hednesford Town
The club was formed in 1880 by the merger of two leading Hednesford clubs, the Red & Whites and Hill Top, and after many years in local competitions joined the Southern League in 1984.
2010–11 season
The middle of 2010 saw a complete change in the playing department with both of the lethal strikeforce that turned the previous season moving on to higher levels. Macclesfield Town snapped up Tyrone Barnett while Ross Dyer signed for Forest Green Rovers, joining up with another ex-Pitman in Reece Styche.
After a mixed start to the 2010–11 season that found the Pitmen again having much greater away form than at home, on Sunday 19 September 2010 the club announced it had “parted company” with manager Bernard McNally and a successor was being sought. That replacement would turn out to be Rob Smith and he was announced as manager of the club on Monday 27 September 2010 with Larry Chambers as his assistant, the duo having previously earned league promotion success with AFC Telford United.
This appointment triggered an upturn in the team’s on field success with the Pitmen forcing themselves into the promotion race with a run of form breaking a number of club records including:
- A goalscoring run of 32 league games (5 October 2010 to 2 May 2011)[1]
- A winning run of 9 (19 February 2011 to 26 March 2011)[2]
- Highest ever league victory with a 9–0 home win over Weymouth[3](23 October 2010).
The post-Christmas league form continued in the cup competitions with the club winning the Southern League Cup beating Hemel Hempstead Town over 2 legs, 5–1 on aggregate. The team followed up the cup success by qualifying for the playoffs after finishing the league season in 2nd position behind champions Truro City. This gave the Pitmen home advantage in the semi-final against Leamington, a game they won 3–1 to progress to the playoff final (again at Keys Park) against 3rd-place finishers Salisbury City. However, the season was to end with heartbreak for the Pitmen, after a 1–1 draw in the 90 mins and Danny Quinn putting them back into the lead, Salisbury equalised with the last kick of extra time before winning the game on penalties.
2011–12 season
Hednesford were transferred to the Northern Premier League Premier Division for this season, seeing a number of local derbies return to the fixture list. A consistent start to campaign saw the Pitmen sitting in the top four for the majority of the season, with a number of memorable game to look back on: a 5–4 win over local rivals Stafford Rangers, a remarkable 6–5 win over a strong Walsall side and a 2–1 win at league leaders Chester.
The Pitmen’s strong home form deserted them from December however, failing to win again at home for the remainder of the season. Hednesford finished the league in 5th position, but nominally in 4th due to Northwich Victoria’s expulsion from both the playoffs and league itself. Hednesford were beaten at Bradford Park Avenue 5–0 in the playoff semi-final on 28 April.
2012–13 season
Hednesford were promoted from the Northern Premier League to the Conference North during the 2012–2013. During this season they also won the Staffordshire Senior Cup and the Birmingham Senior Cup. The summer of 2012 saw a rebuild at Keys Park, with a number of the squad that had been together for the previous two campaigns being moved on. Linchpins in Chey Dunkley and Chris Clements saw their talents rewarded with moves up to the top-tier of non-league football (Kidderminster Harriers and Mansfield Town respectively). This triggered a near complete overhaul of the playing squad with 5 players that ended the 2011–12 season remaining at the club at the start of the new campaign.
Despite this the Pitmen started the season brightly, with an 8-game unbeaten run that was ultimately ended in some style in a 4–0 defeat to Worksop Town at Keys Park.
The Pitmen eventually had to settle for a second-placed finish and playoff berth, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference to North Ferriby Utd. In the semi-final of the playoffs, they were drawn against AFC Fylde, a team they beat 2–1 on the final day of the regular season. After 6 goals and 120 minutes, the game went to penalties, with Hednesford prevailing 3–1. In the final, they faced F.C. United of Manchester, a team that were playing in their 3rd successive playoff final and are rivals of the Pitmen. Hednesford were victorious 2–1, in front of a record crowd of 4,412 at Keys Park, ensuring that the Pitmen will play their football in the Conference North in 2013–14.
2013–14 season
Hednesford finished fourth in the conference north and qualified for the play-offs where they faced Altrincham fc in a 2 legged semi-final. The first leg at Keys park finished 2–2 but Hednesford lost the second leg 2–1 away. Hednesford also reach the FA Cup 1st round proper where they were beaten 2–1 by league one side Crawley Town at Keys park.
2014-15 season
On 3rd March 2015 Hednesford beat AFC Fylde 2-0 at Keys park and looked likely to finish in a play-off position. However just 2 points from the final eight games saw the pitmen finish the season in a disappointing 8th place.
2015-16 season
Hednesford suffered a set back early on in the season when manager Rob Smith and his assistant Larry Chambers left the club to return to AFC Telford United. Chris Brindley took temporary charge until the club appointed former manager Bernard McNally. However McNally’s second spell at the club was short lived and he was later sacked after just one league victory. The next manager to be appointed was former Chelsea and Leicester player Frank Sinclair. After a 3-0 defeat at Stockport County in early March Sinclair offered his resignation which was accepted by the club only for him to be reinstated as manager two days later. Sinclair left club again in April after a 1-0 home defeat to Worcester and relegation looking inevitable. Despite a 2-1 away win at league champions Solihull Moors relegation was confirmed with 2 games remaining.
2016-17 season
Hednesford will play in the Evo-Stick Northern League Premier Division in the 2016-2017 season. Liam McDonald was announced as the club’s new manager on 9 May 2016, having left Redditch United FC.
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Coalville Town
Coalville Town Football Club were formed in 1926 as Ravenstone Miners Athletic, the latest in a long line of association football clubs from the village of Ravenstone. Nicknamed the Ravens, they played for many years in the Coalville & District Amateur League, and later the North Leicestershire League, where they won numerous honours. In 1991 this led to election to the Leicestershire Senior League Division One, following the construction of a new club house at their Ravenslea home. Following the local council’s refusal to grant permission for floodlights, the club took the decision to relocate to Coalville. A change of name followed to Coalville F.C., with the club becoming the first senior side in the town of Coalville since the demise of Coalville Town Amateurs in 1954.
The club’s home ground
In their second season in the Senior League the club clinched the runner-up spot and with it promotion to the Premier Division. In 2001 new manager Lee Harriman arrived and immediately led the club to the league title, a feat they repeated the following year which saw them promoted into the Midland Alliance for the 2003–04 season. In the 2004–05 season, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time ever and reached the first round proper where they narrowly lost to league side Wycombe Wanderers.[1] This feat was even more impressive given that the team had started their campaign in the extra preliminary round, making them only the second club in the entire history of the Cup to reach the first round proper from the very first stage[citation needed].
It was announced on 30 October 2006 that the club’s most successful manager, Lee Harriman, had stepped down as manager and been replaced on a temporary basis by coach Bob Stockley. On 20 November 2006, it was announced that Brendan Phillips (formerly of Nuneaton Borough, Bedworth United, Stafford Rangers and Halesowen Town) was to take over first team affairs. Phillips kept Coalville in the Alliance, but was sacked and replaced by former Coalville player Adam Stevens.
In 2010–11 Coalville reached the FA Vase final becoming the first Leicestershire team to ever achieve a place in the final. Having played in front of a capacity crowd of 1800 in the first leg and securing a 3–0 advantage over King’s Lynn, the Ravens then went on to become the first team this season to win at King’s Lynn taking the second leg 3–2 at the Walks stadium in front of 2354 fans. However, the final, 8 May 2011, ended in a 3–2 defeat to Whitley Bay in front of 8778 at Wembley. The victory secured a record third successive FA Vase title for Whitley Bay.
The week before the trip to Wembley the Ravens sealed the Midland Alliance title for the first time on goal difference from Tipton Town, both teams having finished the season on 100 points. Coalville had a goal difference of +100, superior to Tipton’s GD of +69.
The 2012–13 season saw Coalville win the Westerby Cup for the first, and to date, only time in the club’s history. The run to the cup involved 18 goals and ended with a 2–1 win against Loughborough Dynamo in the final, played at Leicester City‘s Walkers Stadium.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Adam Stevens took the decision to stand down as manager after eight years in the job.[2] Two weeks later, Jimmy Gray was confirmed manager in his place.[3]
In 2015-16 Coalville secured promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division under the management of Tommy Brookbanks after they defeated Shaw Lane Aquaforce 3-1 in the play off final.
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Workington A.F.C
Football in Workington has a very long history.[4] Close by and adjacent to the home of Workington A.F.C the folk game of “Uppies and Downies” is still an annual event. There are records about the game from 20 April 1775 in the “Cumbrian Pacquet” which is one of the earliest reports of a football match ever. This report says the match on which it is reporting is “long contended” thereby noting an even longer unwritten history of the game in this Cumbrian Town.[5]
Formation of the club
Association football was introduced to Workington in the 1860s and further popularised when a group for steel workers migrated to the town from Dronfield, Derbyshire. They were workers of the Charles Cammel and Co steel works that arrived in the town in 1884. It is estimated that 1,500 townspeople moved to Workington. ‘Dronnies’, as the people of Workington called the newcomers, formed Workington AFC in 1888.[6] This is also confirmed in a short history of the club which was produced as part of 16 page brochure in the club’s application to the Football League in 1951.[7]
The original Workington A.F.C. were one of the founder members of the Cumberland Association League in 1888 and played at Lonsdale Park. In 1894 they moved to the Cumberland Senior League, and in 1901 joined the Lancashire League. However, the league closed two seasons later, and they returned to the Cumberland Senior League. In 1904 the club were admitted to the Lancashire Combination, but in 1910 seasons they decided to economise and join the North Eastern League. However, after only one season, the club folded.
The new Workington A.F.C. was born in 1921 and immediately joined the North Eastern League. During the 1933–34 season, the club managed its best-ever FA Cup performance, reaching the 4th round, before losing to Preston North End. Later in the decade, the club moved to its present home, Borough Park. In 1951 the club was voted into the Third Division North of the Football League replacing New Brighton.[8]
The early Football League Years of Workington Reds are chronicled in a series of books entitled So Sad So Very Sad – The League History of Workington AFC part 1 (1951–58), part 2 (1958–64) and part 3 (1964–65).[9]
Football League years
Their first season in the League was a sign of things to come: the club finished rock bottom, and only improved by one place the following year.
From 6 January 1954 to 15 November 1955 the club was managed by Bill Shankly.[1][10][11] who would achieve fame between 1959 and 1974 with his success at home and abroad as manager of Liverpool.[12]
During the 1957–58 season they played the great Manchester United team known as the Busby Babes at home in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, attracting a record crowd of 21,000.[1][13] This was just a month before eight of the United players lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.[3][14] However, at the end of that season, the club dropped into the newly formed Fourth Division after a reorganisation of the Football League which saw the abolition of the regionalised Third Divisions.
Programme from the Blackburn Rovers 1 Workington 5 game on 22 October 1964 Ogilvie and Lindsey penciled in for Brown & Ower
In 1964, player-manager Ken Furphy led them to 3rd position, earning promotion to the Third Division. During both the 1963–64 and 1964–65 season, they made it to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where they lost to West Ham United and Chelsea (in a replay) respectively.[2] During the latter cup run, the club beat Lancashire neighbours Barrow 9–1, a record which remained until the mid-1980s. The club’s proudest night was at Blackburn Rovers on 22 October 1964 in a Football League Cup 3rd round replay.[15] A Workington team of seasoned professionals such as Keith Burkinshaw, Dave Carr, Ken Furphy and Kit Napier[16] and a few young upstarts, like John Ogilvie who went on to a have a long career at the club that reached 430 appearances,[17] beat the Blackburn team 5–1 at Ewood Park.[18] The Blackburn team that night were full of England internationals, such as Ronnie Clayton, Mike England, Newton, Byrom etc. This was reported in one newspaper as “Incredible Fantastic Workington rubbed Rovers elegant noses in the mud of Ewood park to produce the finest result in their 80 year history”[19]
On 3 April 1965, Workington gave a debut to one of the youngest players ever to play in the Football League: Tony Geidmintis, who was ony 15 years 247 days old.[20] Geidmintis went on to play 328 games for Workington, scoring 37 goals, and made 452 league appearances in all before retiring at the age of 31. He died prematurely from a heart condition at the age of 43.
The mid-1960s also saw Workington give a debut to one of the earliest black professional footballers in the Football League. This was Peter Foley, who played over 80 games for Workington as a forward and scored some 16 goals for the club, before moving on to Scunthorpe where he kept a young Kevin Keegan out of the team for a couple of years.[21] Later, Foley became an ambassador for racial equality in football, receiving an Order of the British Empire for his work.[22]
In 1966, Workington finished 5th, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Second Division, but the next year they finished bottom and were relegated back to the Fourth Division. Manager Ken Furphy had moved on to Watford, taking some of Workington’s key players such as Dave Carr and Dixie Hale with him. This marked the start of Workington’s downward spiral back to non-league status.
In the 1968–69 season Workington gave a Football League debut to one of the game’s legendary goalkeepers, John Burridge.[23] Burridge, born locally, made his debut against Newport County on the last day of the 1968/69 season; in an inauspicious debut, one of his very first touches saw him punch the ball into his own net from a Newport corner.
In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Workington had “Johnny Martin on the wing”, a statement that became the most popular chant for Workington supporters. A cult hero at the club, Martin was often dubbed the “poor man’s George Best”, but to older supporters with longer memories, his tricks were reminiscent of the Clown Prince of Football Len Shackleton. Martin would, for example, dribble past two or three opponents, then sit on the ball and ask who wanted it next.[24][25] Martin played 224 league and cup games for Workington, scoring 33 goals. He joined the club in 1969 and was transferred to Southport in 1974.[26]
In 1974 and 1975 the club finished second from bottom, and in 1976 they finished bottom.[2] In 1977 the club won only four games, and again finished bottom of the League with attendances falling well below the 1,000-mark. This poor run led to the club being voted out of the League in the summer of 1977, replaced by Wimbledon.[27][28] Workington were the penultimate team to fail the re-election process before it was scrapped in 1986; Southport, who were voted out the year after Workington, were the last.
The club’s appearance record for the whole period of time that Workington played in the Football League was achieved by Bobby Brown. Born in Motherwell, Brown played for Polkemmet, Motherwell and Workington.[29] Brown, who was selected for the Third Division North representative team while at Workington, made a total of 469 league and cup appearances for the club between 1956 and 1967.[30] Bobby Brown, Malcolm Newlands, Jimmy Fleming (footballer, born 1929), Dennis Stokoe and Jack Bertolini were all recognised by the Football League and represented Workington A.F.C. in the Football League Third Division North vs. South Representative Games during 1950s.
Modern Non-League years
The club dropped into the Northern Premier League (NPL), but failed to trouble the top teams, never finishing higher than 7th, before they were relegated to the NPL First Division in 1988. They continued to struggle, eventually being relegated to the North West Counties League in 1998. However, the club managed to win the League at their first attempt (This was also their first ever championship).[31] After a 2–0 defeat at Kidsgrove Athletic on 27 February 1999, manager Peter Hampton set the squad a challenge, win their last 14 games and they would win the league. Sure enough after winning the next 13 games Workington squared up to league leaders Mossley at Borough Park in front of a 2,281 spectators, a league record only beaten by the formation of F.C. United of Manchester. Workington ran out 2–1 winners with goals from Stuart Williamson and substitute Grant Holt. Workington became the first club to return to the NPL First Division at the first attempt.[7]
As a result of a 7th-place finish in 2004, the club moved up to the NPL’s Premier Division during the non-league restructuring. They then continued their upward movement by winning the first-ever NPL promotion play-offs (after finishing in 2nd place) to win promotion to the Conference North.
Following a mid-table finish in their first season in Conference North, the 2006–07 season saw Workington finish in third place and qualify for the promotion play-offs where they lost 2–1 against Hinckley United. After two mid table finishes the following seasons, Workington made the play offs again in 2009–10 this time going down 4–1 on aggregate to Alfreton Town in the semi finals.
The Club’s longest serving manager Darren Edmondson left the club in December to take over at Barrow. Former player Ian MaDonald took over as manager prior to Christmas. He was unable to save the cub from relegation as Workington finished 22nd in Conference North.
Ian MaDonald resigned as manager at the end of the 2013/14 season. Gavin Skelton was appointed as his replacement in May 2014. Derek Townsley joined the club as Skelton’s assistant.
Skelton led the Borough Park side to the Northern Premier League Play-offs in his first full season in charge, finally falling to Ilkeston Town in front of 1,500 supporters at Borough Park. Skelton left Workington in June 2015 to take a coaching role with the Dumfries club Queen of the South. Derek Townsley was appointed as his replacement a couple of weeks later.
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Whitby Town
Whitby Town Football Club is an English football club based in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Northern Premier League, the seventh tier of English football. Founded in 1880, Whitby are one of the oldest clubs from the North Riding of Yorkshire, the club has spent their entire history in the amateur and semi-professional leagues, though they have reached the second round of the FA Cup in both 1983–84 and 1985–86.
The level which the club are at now is the highest they have been throughout their history, rising up from the lower sections of non-league footballduring the 1990s, winning the Northern Premier League First Division on the way as well as the Northern League Cup six times. However, the formation of the Conference North/South Leagues at step 2 in the non-League pyramid effectively relegated Town back to step 3. Whitby most prestigious honour is arguably the FA Vase, which they won in 1996–97 after defeating North Ferriby United at Wembley Stadium.
Whitby play their home games at the 3,500 capacity Turnbull Ground on Upgang Lane. The club’s colours are somewhat distinct in English footballand are intentionally similar to Italian side Sampdoria[1] wearing a blue shirt with a touch of white, black and red.
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Sutton Coldfield Town
The club was founded in 1879 and played its first match against the 2nd XI of Birmingham F.C. (no connection to the modern Birmingham City) on 1 February of that year. In their early years they played in Sutton Park and competed in the Central Birmingham League, Aston and District League, Small Heath League and Suburban League. In the 1930s, now playing at Coles Lane, they competed in the Birmingham Alliance and Birmingham Combination, but met with little success.
After World War II the club, at the time playing under the name Sutton Town (a name which lasted until 1964) played in the Walsall League and Birmingham Combination before joining the Birmingham & District League (soon to be renamed the West Midlands (Regional) League) in 1954. During the next decade they struggled in the league, with financial problems caused by a devastating fire at their ground forcing them to field only amateur players, before switching leagues to the Worcestershire Combination (soon to be renamed the Midland Football Combination) in 1964. They were champions of this league on two occasions before rejoining the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1979, where they were champions at the first attempt. In 1982, after a second-place finish, they stepped up to the Southern League. At the very first attempt they were promoted to the Premier Division but were relegated straight back to the second tier where they remained until the end of the 2009-10 season, before being transferred to the Northern Premier League Division One South. In 2015 they won promotion via the play-offs to the Premier Division.
On 10 May 2011 Sutton Coldfield took part in their first ever Birmingham Senior Cup Final which they won with a 1–0 win over Nuneaton Town. During the summer of 2011 the club installed a new third generation (3G) football pitch.[clarification needed]
After 12 years at the helm Chris Keogh resigned as manager on 15 September 2012. Within 48 hours Keogh’s assistant Neil Tooth was promoted to the manager’s role.
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Stourbridge
The club was founded in 1876 and was originally known as Stourbridge Standard. By the late 1880s it is known that that they had changed its name to simply Stourbridge and competed in the Birmingham and District League, where reasonable success was achieved without actually gaining the league title, although the Worcestershire Senior Cup was won on three occasions.
The 1923–24 season was one of the best in the club’s history, as they clinched the Birmingham League championship and also won the Worcestershire Senior Cup yet again.
After World War II, The Glassboys enjoyed their greatest period of success in non-league football, as they carried off the Birmingham Combination Championship in 1952 and also won the Birmingham, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Senior Cups. The club returned to the Birmingham League in 1954 on the disbanding of the Birmingham Combination and were runners-up in 1955–56. The Birmingham Senior Cup was won for a second time in 1958–59 and the 1967–68 season saw the club achieve their own “double” in lifting both the Worcestershire and Birmingham Senior Cups.
Into the Southern League
In 1971 the club was elected to the expanding Southern League and met almost instant success under manager Alan Grundy in the 1973–74 season, with the Division 1 (North) title and the Merit Cup (for the league’s highest goalscorers) coming to Amblecote. Twin strikers Ray Haywood and Chic Bates each notched 50 goals that season and were transferred to Shrewsbury Town, where Bates served 13 years as both player and manager. Another highlight in 1973–74 was a tremendous run in the Welsh Cup, in which the team disposed of both Swansea City and Wrexham on their own grounds and then faced Cardiff City in a two leg final. A record crowd of 5,726 saw the Glassboys lose the home leg 1–0 and they also lost 1–0 at Ninian Park.
Stourbridge spent ten seasons in the Premier Division of the Southern League between 1974 and 1984, two centre-forwards were also sold in the 70s, Steve Cooper to Torquay United and Tony Cunningham to Lincoln City. Finishing reularly in the top six and under the management of Tony Freely, they won the Worcestershire Senior Cup for the 9th time with a victory over close rivals Kidderminster Harriers in 1981 with the Stourbridge born Brendan Drummond getting the winning goal in the second leg away to the Harriers to win 2–1 on aggregate. Stourbridge were one of the first English semi-professional clubs to tour the South East of the USA in the early Eighties.
Subsequent Midland Division form was mediocre too, despite three good FA Cup runs, and a disastrous run of results in 1987–88 led to a relegation spot, however fortune was on the club’s side and they were re-elected to the League in the close season. Stourbridge then went on from strength to strength, culminating in winning the Midland Division championship in 1991, although Southern League officials refused promotion due to the shared use of the ground by the local cricket club.
October 1997 saw a new Chairman at the club and his early enthusiasm in refurbishing the social club continued with many signings for the 1998–99 season under the guidance of new manager, Steve Daniels. The Glassboys spent much of the early part of the season in the top 3 whilst also reaching the FA Cup 4th qualifying round for the first time in 15 years, but the success was short lived as budget cutbacks saw many of the more experienced players moving on. In 2000 a new owner came to the club, and swiftly appointed Mark Serrell as chairman, along with FA Qualified coach and ex-Birmingham City player Mark Harrison as manager. Despite an influx of new players, continued poor results meant Stourbridge’s 29-year spell at Southern League level ended with defeat in the last game of the season at Hinckley United in May 2000.
Re-grouping in the Midland Alliance
The club house end of the ground
The club began its first ever spell in the Midland Football Alliance by finishing in fifth place and claiming the League Cup by defeating Bridgnorth Town following a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the final had finished in a 1–1 draw. The 2001–02 season began well with the lifting of the Joe McGorian Cup after a 2–1 victory at league champions Stourport Swifts, however in November 2001 the club parted company with Mark Harrison, with the former Bilston Town boss Joe Jackson taking over as manager. On the final Saturday of the season, the Glassboys were crowned champions in dramatic fashion as a last gasp stoppage time goal by Brian Gray earned the point needed at Stafford Town to pip Bromsgrove Rovers to the title. Although Serrell left the club the following January, to be succeeded as chairman by Stephen Hyde, Jackson once more led the club to the Midland Football Alliance championship in 2002–03, although promotion was refused due to the ground grading regulations in place at the time.
Jackson declined to try for a hat trick of titles in 2003–04 and was replaced by well-known local duo, Jon Ford and Gary Hackett, who had enjoyed two successful seasons in charge at Bromsgrove Rovers. With many players moving on, the new management team had to rebuild the side from scratch, but an encouraging second half of the season saw the Glassboys finish a creditable 9th. The following season saw a memorable run in the FA Vase, culminating in a quarter-final defeat at A.F.C. Sudbury in the quarter-final before finally succumbing to a 4–1 defeat after extra time. In May 2005 Hackett took sole charge of the team after Ford decided to step down due to work and family commitments. With the likely re-organisation of the non-league pyramid at Step 4 level, the club looked to mount a strong push for promotion, however a mixed start to the campaign left Stourbridge lying in mid-table by December. After a poor start, a run of 14 league games unbeaten was enough to clinch a runners-up spot and with it promotion back to the Southern League. Victories over Burton Albion and Moor Green also saw the team reach the Birmingham Senior Cup Final for the first time in 30 years, although they succumbed to a 1–0 defeat to Willenhall Town.
Back in the Southern League
Stourbridge’s first season back in the Southern League Midlands Division in 2006–07 saw them finish in seventh place. The team also reached the final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup, but following a goal-less draw at Amblecote in the first leg of the final against Evesham United, they were beaten 2–1 after extra time away in the second leg to again suffer cup final disappointment.
The 2007–08 season saw Stourbridge seal a third-place finish in the Midlands Division to reach the play-offs. A narrow 1–0 win at home to Sutton Coldfield Town took Stourbridge through to the final away at second placed Leamington and in front of a crowd of 1,634, a goal from Leon Broadhurst four minutes from the end of extra-time sealed a 2–1 victory to earn Stourbridge a second promotion in three seasons and a return to the Premier Division of the Southern League after a gap of 24 years.
After a difficult start to life in the Premier Division which saw Stourbridge lie at and around the foot of the table, they eventually acclimatised to life at the higher level and secured another season in the Premier Division with a final placing of 16th. Stourbridge also reached their third senior cup final in four seasons in a Birmingham Senior Cup run which included a 4–3 home win after extra-time over Wolverhampton Wanderers and a semi-final victory on penalties at Tamworth after a goal-less 120 minutes. However Stourbridge once again suffered heartbreak in the final as Hednesford Town defeated the Glassboys 2–0 at Burton Albion‘s Pirelli Stadium.
In the 2009–10 season, Stourbridge reached the FA Cup first round for the first time in their 133-year history and were drawn at home to Walsall. The game ended in a 1–0 defeat for Stourbridge in front of 2,014 fans (the biggest gate at Amblecote for 35 years).[1]
In the 2010–11 season, Hackett guided the club to eighth in the league after a solid season, and also the final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup, where they defeated Worcester City 2–0 at Aggborough Stadium. In the 2011–12 season, the club won their way through four qualifying rounds to again reach the first round of the FA Cup.[2] They were drawn away to League Two side Plymouth Argyle where they drew 3–3 at Home Park to earn themselves a replay and a place in the second-round draw.[3] The replay at the War Memorial Ground was chosen for live coverage by ESPN, netting the club over £33,000. Two temporary stands were erected and a highest crowd for 37 years of 2,519 attended the game that saw Stourbridge win 2–0 thanks to goals from Paul McCone and Sean Evans.[4] The victory meant it was the first time the club had reached the Second Round of the competition, and the club were dealt a home tie against League One club Stevenage.[5] The game ended 3–0 to Stevenage, with the game being played in front of 3,067 following the erection of a third temporary stand.[6][7] In the 2012–13 season, Stourbridge had excellent league form throughout the season and finished 2nd behind champions Leamington, but there was heartbreak in the playoff semi-final when they lost to Gosport Borough 2–1 at home. In the 2013–14 season, Stourbridge were the lowest ranked team in the second round proper of the season’s FA Cup. They produced a strong showing in the league, and although the heights of the previous season were not reached, 5th place was achieved and Stourbridge once again had a shot at promotion in the end of season playoffs. This time, Chesham United defeated The Glassboys 2–1 in the semi-final to again dash hopes of promotion.
During the close season, Stourbridge were moved across to the Northern Premier League from the 2014–15 season.
In the 2015–16 season, Stourbridge again made their way through four qualifying rounds, to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup for the fourth time in seven seasons. Along the way they beat rivals Kidderminster Harriers 3–0 at home in the fourth qualifying round. In the first round of the FA cup they were drawn away to Dover Athletic, the game finished 2-1 in the Glassboys’ favour. The second round draw gave them a home tie against Eastleigh, which Stourbridge lost 2-0.
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