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Dudley Town F.C.

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Dudley Town
Dudley Town badge
Full nameDudley Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Robins
Founded1893
GroundThe War Memorial Ground
Amblecote
Stourbridge
West Midlands
ChairmanNevil Jeynes
ManagerMark Kavanagh
LeagueWest Midlands Regional
League Premier Division
2005/06West Midlands Regional League
Premier Division, 10th

Dudley Town F.C. is a football club based in Dudley, West Midlands, England. The club is one of the oldest non-league teams in the Midlands region, having been established in 1893. For the 2006-07 season, they are members of the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division, although they have reached as high as the Premier Division of the Southern League, and in 1976 reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, when a crowd of over 5,000 saw them take Second Division York City to a replay.

History

Dudley Town FC was founded in 1893, and in 1898 incorporated another club from the town, Dudley St Johns, moving onto the latter's ground at Shavers End and entering the Birmingham League. After World War I the club was dormant for a number of years, but in 1928 it was re-formed and entered the Cradley Heath and District League, before moving on to the Worcestershire Combination.

In 1932 the club moved into the Sports Ground, which had been built as part of a project to provide work for the large number of unemployed men in the borough in the inter-war years. Over 16,000 people attended the opening match at what was to remain the Robins' home for fifty years.

In the early 1930s Dudley dominated the Worcestershire Combination and soon moved up to the more prestigious Birmingham League, unfortunately the club could not bear the increased financial strain and folded shortly before World War II. After the war the club was resurrected and progressed via the Birmingham Combination to rejoin the Birmingham League, which in 1962 was re-named the West Midlands Regional League. This was the heyday of the club, with a number of successful League campaigns, leading to admission to the Southern League, as well as a memorable run to the first round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn against York City and held them to a draw at The Sports Ground before losing 4-1 in a replay. There was also substantial re-development of the ground during this period, including the installation of floodlights which were switched on by local hero Billy Wright. Reportedly Wolves even turned down a prestigious close season tour to allow Billy to perform the ceremony. Unfortunately, shortly after the club won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in 1984, the collapse of mine workings under the adjacent cricket ground saw their stadium closed down and condemned, forcing the club to ground share with a number of different local clubs.

In 1988 the club moved to a new permanent home at the Round Oak Stadium in Brierley Hill, where they celebrated a successful centenary year, however by 1996 the costs of the ground were spiralling. The club officially moved out in 1996, to a groundshare arrangement at the home of Halesowen Town, with plans to sell Round Oak. However, the proposed sale dragged on, and in 1997, facing increasing financial difficulties, the club was forced to resign its place in the Southern League and close down.

In late 1997, club president Nevil Jeynes reformed the club and they were accepted into the West Midlands (Regional) League, exactly 100 years after they had first joined its predecessor, the Birmingham League. After two years ground sharing with local rivals Gornal Athletic, the decision was taken to leave the borough of Dudley and play at The Beeches, home of Tividale. However, after a four year exile, Town returned to the borough in 2003, having signed a deal to play for the next five years at The War Memorial Ground, Amblecote, Stourbridge. Nonetheless, the club still plans to eventually return to a ground in the heart of Dudley itself, and hopes to challenge for an eventual return to the Southern League.

Honours

Club records

  • Best league performance: 12th in Southern League Premier Division, 1985/86
  • Best FA Cup performance: 1st round proper, 1976/77
  • Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round, 1984/85 and 1995/96
  • Best FA Vase performance: 1st round on three occasions, most recently in 2005/06


  • Biggest win: 8-0 v Banbury Spence, April 1965
  • Most goals in a game: 6, Bobby Watson v Tamworth, April 1967
  • Most goals in a season: 56, Frank Treagust, 1947/48

Sources

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