 | ||||
| Full name | Bishop's Stortford Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Blues | |||
| Founded | 28 January 1874 | |||
| Ground | Woodside Park,Bishop's Stortford | |||
| Capacity | 4,525 (525 seated)[1] | |||
| Chairman | Ian Kettridge | |||
| Manager | Steve Castle | |||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | |||
| 2024–25 | Southern League Premier Division Central, 15th of 22 | |||
| Website | bsfc.co.uk | |||
Bishop's Stortford Football Club is afootball club based inBishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently members of theSouthern League Premier Division Central and play at Woodside Park.
The club was established at the Chequers Hotel on 28 January 1874.[2] Initially playing in crimson and green, their first match was played two weeks later, losing 2–1 toEast of England Nonconformist Grammar School.[2] In 1885 they were founders of theHertfordshire County Football Association, and subsequently started playing in local leagues in the 1890s.[2] They joined the Stansted & District League, winning it in 1910–11 and 1912–13, and also entered a team in the Saffron Walden & District League during the same era, winning it in 1911–12, 1912–13 and 1913–14.
AfterWorld War I, Bishop's Stortford won both the Stansted & District League and the East Hertfordshire League in 1919–20. In 1921, they joined the North-Eastern Division of theHertfordshire County League. In 1923, the league was reduced to a single division, and it disbanded entirely in 1925, making a brief comeback in 1926–27, when Stortford were one of only six clubs to play in it. In 1929, they joined the new Division Two East of theSpartan League, which they went on to win in 1931–32, earning promotion to Division One.[3]
FollowingWorld War II, the league resumed in 1945, with Bishop's Stortford in the Eastern Division.[4] Despite finishing in last place in 1945–46,[4] they were placed in the Premier Division the following season.[5] However, after finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 1948–49,[4] they were relegated to Division One. In 1951, the club were founder members of theDelphian League, which they won in1954–55.[6] After the league was disbanded in 1963, they joined Division Two of theAthenian League, winning Division One in1965–66 and the Premier Division in1969–70.[6]
In the1970–71 season, Bishop's Stortford reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 6–1 atReading.[6] In 1971, the club joined to theIsthmian League, and in 1973 they reached the second round of theFA Cup, losing 3–1 atPeterborough United after a replay.[6] They also reached the semi-finals of theFA Amateur Cup, losing 1–0 toSlough Town. However, the following season they won thefinal edition of the cup, beatingIlford 4–1 atWembley.[6] In1974–75, they reached the FA Cup first round again, but lost 2–0 atLeatherhead in a replay. Thefollowing season they reached the second round again, losing 2–0 atAldershot.[6]
In 1977–78, Bishop's Stortford finished bottom of the Isthmian League Premier Division, and were relegated to Division One. They returned after winning Division One in1980–81, a season in which theyalso won theFA Trophy with a 1–0 win overSutton United at Wembley,[6] becoming the first club to win both the FA Amateur Cup and the FA Trophy.[7] In1982–83, the club beatFootball League opposition in the FA Cup for the first time, winning 2–1 at Reading in the first round. After beating Slough Town 4–1 in the second round, they held Second DivisionMiddlesbrough to a 2–2 draw atAyresome Park, before losing 2–1 at home. They reached the first round again in1984–85,1985–86, and1986–87, but failed to progress on each occasion, with the club losing toBrentford, Peterborough United, andColchester United respectively.[6]
Bishop's Stortford finished bottom of the Premier Division in1991–92, and were relegated back to Division One. They returned as champions in1993–94, but were relegated again in1998–99. After a second-place finish in2001–02, the club returned to the Premier Division, and after finishing eleventh in2003–04, were placed in the newly formedConference South. The2003–04 season also saw them reach the FA Cup first round again, eventually losing 6–0 atMansfield Town. In2006–07, another first round appearance resulted in a 5–3 defeat toKing's Lynn.Rushden & Diamonds' expulsion from theFootball Conference led to the club being transferred to theConference North in 2011.[8] In2012–13, they reached the FA Cup first round for the twelfth time, losing 2–1 at home toHastings United. At the end of the season, they were transferred back to the Conference South,[6] and thefollowing season saw another FA Cup first round appearance, a 2–1 defeat at home toNorthampton Town.[6]
Stortford were relegated to the Premier Division of theSouthern League at the end of the2016–17 season after finishing second-from-bottom of the renamed National League South. The club were transferred to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League a year for the2018–19 season. In2020–21, they reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing 3–2 on penalties atBrackley Town after a 3–3 draw.[9] The2021–22 season saw the club finish as runners-up in the Premier Division, before losing 3– toCheshunt in the play-off final. They went on to win the Premier Division title in2022–23, earning promotion to theNational League North.[10][11] However, they finished bottom of the division thefollowing season and were relegated to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League.[12]
The club initially played home matches at Silver Leys, which they shared with thepolo club.[13] In 1897 they moved to the playing fields of the Grammar School on Hadham Road, remaining there until moving to Havers Lane in 1900 and Laundry Field on Dunmow Road in 1903.[2]
FollowingWorld War I, local businessman Joe Brazier allowed the club to start playing at a piece of land near South Road, which became known as Brazier's Field and later the Town Ground. The ground was opened on 4 October 1919 with a match againstWare in front of a crowd of 400, which saw Stortford win 2–1.[13] A wooden pavilion was later erected on site, having been moved from Silver Leys.[13] In 1927 the club bought the land from Brazier, and a wooden stand was built in 1931.[13]
Covered terracing was installed behind both goals in the 1950s,[13] and a new 250-seat main stand was built in 1961.[7] Some uncovered terracing was added alongside the main stand in 1968.[14] Floodlights were installed in 1967,[13] and the following year saw the ground renamed the George Wilson Stadium after a former chairman,[7] although by then the ground was commonly known as simply Rhodes Avenue.[13] Due to financial problems, the club sold the ground in 1997, with the last match played against Ware in December that year. Mirroring the result in the first-ever game at the ground, Stortford won 2–1.[13]
After eighteen months groundsharing atBoreham Wood,Dagenham & Redbridge,Hitchin Town,St Albans City and Ware, the club returned to Bishop's Stortford in 1999 when Woodside Park was completed. The first match was played on 17 July 1999, a friendly againstNorwich City.[7] There are seated stands on either side of the pitch, with covered terracing at each end.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Steve Castle |
| Assistant Manager | Dan Evans |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Ian Kettridge |
| Club Secretary | Fred Plume |
| Directors |
|
| General Manager | Vacant |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
51°52′21″N0°11′31″E / 51.87250°N 0.19194°E /51.87250; 0.19194
