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= Gedling Town F.C. =
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Introduction
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Gedling Town Football Club was a semi-professional football club based
in Stoke Bardolph, Nottinghamshire, England. Founded in 1985 as R
& R Scaffolding, the works team of a construction firm from
Netherfield, the club played its first four seasons in the Notts
Amateur League before adopting the Gedling Town name in 1990. Gedling
joined the nationwide league system in 1992. At the time of its
dissolution in 2011 due to insolvency, the team competed in the East
Midlands Counties Football League (EMCFL) Premier Division at the
tenth tier of the English football pyramid.
Gedling played its home matches at the Riverside Stadium from at least
1990. Before transferring to the EMCFL in 2008, the club competed in
the Northern Counties East Football League (NCEL) Division One and
three Central Midlands Football League (CML) divisions. At its height,
Gedling played at the ninth tier between 2000 and 2004. National
tournament records included reaching the third qualifying round of the
FA Cup in 2003-04 and the fourth round of the FA Vase in 2003-04,
2004-05 and 2005-06. The team were nicknamed "The Ferrymen", and their
colours were primarily yellow and blue.
Notts Amateur League, 1985–1990
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Gedling Town was founded in 1985 as R & R Scaffolding, the works
team of a construction firm from Netherfield. Beginning in Division
Three of the Notts Amateur League, the team opened the 1985-86 season
with a 5-1 win over SSR. Positive results were consistent throughout
the campaign; according to Nottingham's 'Football Post', the team
"thrashed" Celtic Athletic 9-1, while Santos "were no match" after
losing to them 4-0. After being promoted to Division Two, R & R
Scaffolding reached the final of the league's Junior Cup in 1986-87.
The team lost on penalties to Clifton Town after their opponents
equalised with the last kick of the game to make it 3-3 after extra
time.
Prowess in the cup was matched by success in the league, and the team
delivered on their slim promotion hopes to ascend to Division One
ahead of 1987-88. Despite prolific goal-scoring from individual
players, the club was not promoted after its first campaign in the
division. In 1988-89, R & R Scaffolding contested the final of the
league's Senior Cup but lost 1-0 to Pelican Reserves after enjoying
most of the possession. The team were promoted as champions to the
league's Premier Division ahead of 1989-90, their last season in
amateur football.
Central Midlands Football League, 1990–2000
=============================================
For 1990-91, the R & R Scaffolding team changed its name to
Gedling Town and entered the Central Midlands Football League (CML)
Division One. Becoming champions at the first attempt, Gedling then
competed in the CML Premier Division (South) in 1991-92. The team led
the league for much of the season before finishing runners-up to Slack
& Parr. However, the club was still promoted to the CML Supreme
Division at the tenth level of the English football league system.
During the campaign, Gedling enjoyed what would remain its
biggest-ever victory with an 11-0 win against Radford. The 1992-93
season saw Gedling host Football League First Division club Notts
County in a friendly. Staged in November "under gruelling conditions",
the match ended with a 2-1 defeat for the home side. Manager Mel
Oliver stood down in February and was replaced by Dave Sands. Gedling
finished seventh in the league and captured the CML's Wakefield
Floodlit Cup in May with a 2-0 win over Sheffield Aurora.
Before 1993-94, Gedling again met Notts County in a friendly; they
lost 8-0, with Notts forward Gary McSwegan netting four. A month
later, the club entered the FA Vase for the first time, eventually
losing 3-0 in a preliminary round replay to Walsall Wood. By November,
the team had lost just one of their nine previous league games and
went on to top the table in the new year. Results slipped thereafter,
and Gedling finished in fifth. This season marked the arrival from
Arnold Town of full-back Gary Ball, a player who later held the
all-time club record for appearances with 216. The 1994-95 campaign
proved difficult; the team were eliminated from title contention by
January, and manager Dave Sands was sacked to be replaced by Ray
Sully. Gedling closed the season in tenth.
Gedling lacked squad depth for 1995-96 but under Sully enjoyed a
seven-match unbeaten run by December. After falling out with his
players, Sully was replaced in the new year by his assistant, Jamie
Brodie, who became player-manager. A mid-table finish in tenth
followed. The club again reached the final of the Wakefield Floodlit
Cup, but went down 3-1 to Harworth Colliery in both fixtures of a
two-legged tie. Under the joint management of Brodie and Andy Kirk,
Gedling earned a positive 1-1 draw in a friendly against Notts County
before 1996-97. After what Brodie deemed a "shameful display" against
Dunkirk in March, the team found form by the following month, going on
to finish fourth. Gedling became champions of the CML Supreme Division
in 1997-98 by finishing 16 points above the runners-up. In the
process, forward Robbie Orton set an unsurpassed club record for goals
in a season with 42.
Despite winning the division, the club was not promoted due to
inadequate facilities. Brodie and new assistant Everton Marsh
strengthened the squad in pre-season, recruiting former Football
League forward Gary Lund. Although the club was aiming for
back-to-back championships, 1998-99 saw Gedling knocked off the top of
the table in October. Poor results ensued; a 6-1 loss at Hucknall Town
would remain the club's biggest-ever competitive defeat. In March,
Brodie and Marsh resigned to be replaced by caretaker player-managers
John Flint and John Humphries for the rest of the season. The club had
a disappointing sixth-place finish. Paul Elrick and assistant Junior
Glare were appointed managers for 1999-2000. Shortly after, the team
"lost out narrowly" 2-1 to Football League First Division side Grimsby
Town in a pre-season friendly. Finding good league form in December
but dogged by injuries, Gedling finished in fourth. However, the club
took the CML League Cup with a 3-2 win over South Normanton Athletic.
Northern Counties East Football League, 2000–2008
===================================================
Gedling transferred to the Northern Counties East Football League
(NCEL) Division One at tier nine for 2000-01, and the team finished
fifth in their first season. Reaching the final of both the
Nottinghamshire Senior Cup and the NCEL League Cup, Gedling also made
its inaugural appearance in the FA Cup before losing 3-0 to Hinckley
United in the first qualifying round. The team won the league in
2001-02, but as in 1997-98, promotion was not obtained after the NCEL
deemed the club's ground inadequate. Gedling did, however, capture the
Nottinghamshire Senior Cup by beating Southwell City 1-0 at Meadow
Lane. Darren Davis and assistant Gary Haywood were appointed managers
for 2002-03, presiding over a sixth-place finish.
Haywood led Gedling into 2003-04 without Davis, only to be replaced in
the new year by player-managers Mark Clarke, Paul Jepson and Craig
Maddison. Closing the season in fifth, the club enjoyed record runs in
both national tournaments. A fourth round tie in the FA Vase ended
with a 3-2 defeat to Leighton Town, while Gedling bowed out 1-0 to
Stalybridge Celtic in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup.
Additionally, in February, the club received a fee of £5,000 for
forward Steve Scoffham, who joined Notts County of the Football League
Second Division.
During 2004-05, Gedling matched its previous FA Vase run before losing
3-0 to Tipton Town. Tournaments hampered form in the league, however,
and the club missed promotion by finishing in fifth. The same tension
frustrated Jimmy Albans and Graham Harrod as joint-managers for
2005-06; a 2-1 loss to Squires Gate at the same stage of the FA Vase
accompanied a fourth-place finish, missing promotion by three points.
Albans and Harrod resigned at the end of the season over the club's
failure to provide funds to recruit players. Much of the team also
departed.
Gary Hayward and Andy Freeman led Gedling into 2006-07 before being
dismissed on disciplinary grounds in December. Player-manager James
Jepson and assistant Devon White subsequently took charge. The team
recruited throughout the season, signing young prospects alongside
former Football League midfielder Shaun Murray. Suffering from injury,
Jepson was replaced in February by his father, Paul, as Gedling closed
in fourteenth. Lee Wilson became manager for 2007-08, with Jimmy
Albans returning as assistant. Wilson and Albans oversaw a winning
start to the campaign before leaving for Shepshed Dynamo in November,
a move that saw John Humphries return to management for the rest of
the season, joined by assistant Tony Cox. Challenged by low
attendances and a meagre transfer budget, a "disastrous run in" saw
Gedling finish in sixth.
East Midlands Counties Football League, 2008–2011
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Gedling was a founder member of the tenth-tier East Midlands Counties
Football League (EMCFL) and its sole Premier Division for 2008-09.
Under the new management of Duncan Broad and Mark Allison, the club
enjoyed a seven-match unbeaten run in the early part of the campaign
before finishing in fourth. In the August of 2009-10, chairman Roland
Ash warned that Gedling could fold if not better supported by the
community, citing low attendances exacerbated by the Great Recession
and the pull of nearby professional clubs. Broad and Allison stood
down in January and were replaced by Mick Galloway, who oversaw an
upturn in results despite an eventual ninth-place finish after a
three-point deduction by the league. This season included
participation in the EMCFL League Cup final, in which Gedling beat
Dunkirk 2-1 after extra time.
The club's future was jeopardised in October 2010 when Gedling issued
a statement "confirming that the Club has folded with immediate effect
and will be withdrawing from the East Midlands Counties League and
associated competitions". Despite colleagues' attempts to persuade him
otherwise, Ash decided to close Gedling for "personal reasons". Four
days later, a deal was announced that saw Ash relinquish his
chairmanship to Tony Griffith, allowing the club to postpone
resignation from the Nottinghamshire Football Association and fulfil
its fixtures until the end of 2010-11. Once again, three points were
deducted by the EMCFL, and Gedling closed in eighteenth. The club
withdrew from the league in June and afterwards ceased to exist. In
January 2012, the Football Supporters' Federation listed Gedling among
13 English "clubs in crisis", with each threatened or collapsed by
"insolvency events".
Season-by-season record from 1990–91
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Season !! Division !! Level !! Position !! FA Cup !! FA Vase !!
Post-season notes
1990-91 Central Midlands Football League Division One - 1st/13 - -
Promoted as champions
1991-92 Central Midlands Football League Premier Division (South) -
2nd/16 - - Promoted as runners-up
1992-93 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 7th/16 -
-
1993-94 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 5th/17 -
PR
1994-95 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 10th/17
- 1R
1995-96 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 9th/17 -
1QR
1996-97 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 4th/16 -
3R
1997-98 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 1st/16 -
2QR Promotion denied due to inadequate facilities
1998-99 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 6th/19 -
1R
1999-2000 Central Midlands Football League Supreme Division 10 4th/19
- 2R Transferred to Northern Counties East Football League Division
One at level nine
2000-01 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 9 5th/16
1QR 3R
2001-02 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 9 1st/16
PR 1R Promotion denied due to inadequate facilities
2002-03 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 9 6th/17
EPR 3R
2003-04 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 9 5th/18
3QR 4R Division dropped one level by default due to creation of
Conference North at level six
2004-05 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 10 5th/16
PR 4R
2005-06 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 10 4th/16
1QR 4R
2006-07 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 10
14th/17 2QR 3R
2007-08 Northern Counties East Football League Division One 10 6th/17
2QR 3R Transferred to East Midlands Counties Football League Premier
Division at level ten
2008-09 East Midlands Counties Football League Premier Division 10
4th/18 PR 2QR
2009-10 East Midlands Counties Football League Premier Division 10
9th/20 EPR 2R
2010-11 East Midlands Counties Football League Premier Division 10
18th/20 EPR 2R Withdrew from League and disbanded
|align=left colspan=7|Sources:
Club identity
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Gedling played in a home kit of yellow and blue. Between 2002 and 2010
at least, this comprised a yellow and blue (once specified as navy
blue) shirt, yellow and blue shorts (or all blue or all navy blue) and
yellow and blue socks (or all yellow or all blue). The team's away kit
was all red between 2002 and 2005 at least, after which it changed to
red and white. In 2008, it comprised a red and white shirt, red and
white shorts and red socks.
The club's first badge, used from 1997 at least, was also yellow and
blue and wrapped by the club name. It depicted a football that
contained a crest featuring three heraldic knots above a tree. The
club's next and final badge, introduced in or after 2008, depicted the
club name, a football and a representation of Gedling's nickname"The
Ferrymen". This moniker derived from the location of the team's home
ground, the Riverside Stadium, which was situated behind The Ferry
Boat Inn pub. Prior to this rebranding, Gedling lacked a nickname
altogether. The club's principal local rivalry was with Arnold Town,
exchanging players and competing with varying frequency in league and
tournament fixtures. It also shared rivalries with Arnold Rovers and
Pelican in the Notts Amateur League, Dunkirk and Sneinton in the CML,
and Radford in the EMCFL.
Riverside Stadium
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From 1990 at least, Gedling competed at the Riverside Stadium behind
The Ferry Boat Inn pub in Stoke Bardolph. Floodlights were installed
by 1993, and accidental damage to these in 1997 left the ground in
darkness during a match against Heanor Town. Another issue occurred a
year earlier when the team were stopped from playing at home to
Thoresby Colliery Welfare because of a mud-churned goalmouth. Later,
in 2001, a match against Pickering Town was cancelled due to Gedling's
waterlogged pitch. From 2002 onwards, the ground's amenities included
a clubhouse with a licensed bar serving hot and cold food and drink.
The stadium initially had a capacity of 2,000 with no seating but
overhead cover for 500. Some 500 seats were added in 2005, but these
were stripped back to 200 with overhead cover in 2007.
Gedling announced in July 2007 that it had received "an excellent
report regarding our set-up" after visits by The Football Association
and the BBC. These facilities were used by Notts County for training
purposes during its 2008-09 campaign. In assessments made by local
authorities after the club's collapse, the stadium comprised two
pitches within 2.79 hectares of land. In August 2012, Real United, a
Nottingham-based football team aiming to keep young people away from
drugs and gang culture, took over the ground and renamed it the
Inspire Stadium.
Proposed Victoria Park development
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By February 1995, the club, partnered with the Nottinghamshire
Schools' Football Association and Gedling Borough Council, planned to
build a new stadium near Victoria Park in Netherfield. The intended
site was formerly a marshalling yard owned by British Rail. Initially
estimated to cost up to £2.3 million, the proposed complex was to
include a bar, clubhouse (with three changing rooms and a clubroom),
executive boxes, gym, indoor training equipment, kitchen, office,
sports injury clinic and store room. A 100-seater terrace would have
standing areas either side of it and overlook three floodlit pitches;
one full-size, another for five-a-side and the last made all-weather
for alternative sports such as hockey. Borough councillors approved
plans for the stadium in October 1995 and applied for £290,000 from
the National Lottery on the project's behalf. However, the Lottery
rejected the bid on the basis that it would duplicate other facilities
in Nottingham. The club's own bid for £225,000 was likewise
unsuccessful.
In response to these failures, the Borough Council scaled down its
plans in January 1997. Now they would only provide for changing and
social facilities, as well as the three pitches. Seating and covered
standing room for spectators could be added later. Councillors again
approved the initiative in April after consultations with the
Environment Agency, Highways Agency, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
and Railtrack. By then, the projected cost of the stadium was reduced
to £600,000. The Borough Council pledged £190,000 to meet this total,
while efforts were also made by the concerned parties to attract the
remaining £410,000 from the Sports Council.
Around 200,000 recycled bricks were set aside for the stadium in
February 1999, the same month that the Borough Council launched its
second National Lottery bid, hoping to secure 35% of the overall
funds. The estimated cost had risen to £1 million by the time of a
third application in June. Meanwhile, the Borough Council earmarked a
further £24,000 and planned another approach to the Sports Council for
£556,600. As late as March 2007, with the plans not realised, the club
was attempting to re-establish its partnership with the Borough
Council to again appeal to the Sports Council for assistance. The
project never materialised.
Honours
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Honour !! Year(s)
|**Notts Amateur League** Division One champions
|1988-89
|**Central Midlands Football League** Division One champions
|1990-91
|**Central Midlands Football League** Wakefield Floodlit Cup winners
|1992-93
|**Central Midlands Football League** Supreme Division champions
|1997-98
|**Central Midlands Football League** League Cup winners
|1999-2000
|**Northern Counties East Football League** Division One champions
|2001-02
|**Nottinghamshire Senior Cup** Winners
|2001-02
|**East Midlands Counties Football League** League Cup winners
|2009-10
National tournament records
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Record !! Year(s)
|**FA Cup** Third qualifying round
|2003-04
|**FA Vase** Fourth round
|2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedling_Town_F.C.