 | |||
| Full name | Banbury United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | ThePuritans | ||
| Founded | 1931 | ||
| Ground | Spencer Stadium,Banbury | ||
| Capacity | 3,116[1] | ||
| Chairman | Wayne Farrell | ||
| Manager | Kelvin Langmead | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | ||
| 2024–25 | Southern League Premier Division Central, 12th of 22 | ||
| Website | banburyunitedfc.co.uk | ||
Banbury United Football Club is afootball club based inBanbury,Oxfordshire, England. They are currently members of theSouthern League Premier Division Central and play at the Spencer Stadium.
The club was established in 1931 asSpencer Sports Club, aworks team of the Spencer Corsets factory.[2] They initially played friendly matches, with their first match against St John's of the Oxfordshire Junior League played on 29 August 1931 and resulting in an 8–2 win for St John's.[3] In 1933 they joined the Banbury division of the Oxfordshire Junior League, at which point they were renamedSpencer Villa.[2] Later in the season they were renamedBanbury Spencer,[2] and went on to win the league title in their first season. They then joined theOxfordshire Senior League for the 1934–35 season. After winning the league at the first attempt,[4] they were elected to theBirmingham Combination,[5] also entering a team into theCentral Amateur League for the 1935–36 season.[6]
AfterWorld War II the club turned professional. The 1947–48 season saw them finish as runners-up in the Combination and reach the first round of theFA Cup for the first time, where they lost 2–1 atColchester United.[5] In 1954 the Combination folded, with its remaining clubs joining theBirmingham & District League; Banbury were placed in the Southern Division, and after finishing fourth in 1954–55, won a place in Division One for the 1955–56 season.[5] The league was reduced to a single division in 1960, and became theWest Midlands (Regional) League in 1962. The1961–62 season had seen the club reach the FA Cup first round again, this time losing 7–1 atShrewsbury Town.[5]
In 1965 the club was renamed Banbury United after a change in ownership,[4] and at the end of the 1965–66 season they transferred to Division One of the Southern League.[7] When Division One was split into two divisions in 1971, the club was placed in Division One North.[7] In1972–73 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for a third time, this time losing 2–0 at home toBarnet. Thefollowing season saw them repeat the feat, this time losing 3–2 atNorthampton Town in a replay after a 0–0 draw at home.[7]
Banbury were placed in the Southern League's Midland Division in 1979 after league reorganisation, and remained in the division until being relegated to the Premier Division of theHellenic League at the end of the1989–90 season. After winning the Premier Division in1999–2000, Banbury were promoted to Division One East of the Southern League.[7] An eighth-place finish in2003–04 was enough to be promoted to the Premier Division after the creation of theConference North andSouth led to several clubs being moved up a division. The season also saw the club win theOxfordshire Senior Cup for a fifth time.[8]
In 2014–15 Banbury won the Oxfordshire Senior Cup for a sixth time defeatingNorth Leigh 4–3 on penalties in the final. However, they were also relegated to Division One South and West at the end of the season. In August 2015, a supporter-ledCommunity Benefit Society took formal control of the club.[9] Theirfirst season in Division One South and West saw them finish as runners-up and qualify for the promotion play-offs.[7] After beatingWinchester City 1–0 in the semi-finals,[10] they defeatedTaunton Town 2–0 in the final to earn promotion back to the Premier Division.[11] The club were placed in the Premier Central division at the end of the2017–18 season as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid.
The2020–21 season saw Banbury reach the first round of the FA Cup for the fifth time, going on to lose 2–1 at home toCanvey Island.[12] They reached the first round again thefollowing season, where they were beaten 4–0 at home byBarrow; the season also saw them win the Southern Premier Division Central title, earning promotion to theNational League North.[13][14] However, they were relegated back to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League at the end of the2023–24 season after finishing third-from-bottom of the National League North.
The club has played at the Spencer Stadium (currently known as the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium for sponsorship purposes) on Station Approach since the start of the 1934–35 season, having originally played at Middleton Road.[4] When the club joined the Southern League in 1966, floodlights were installed and a new clubhouse was built to replace the railway carriages that the club had used for changing rooms.[15]
Financial problems led to the ground deteriorating, and the main stand was closed in 1985 before being demolished in 1990.[15] A new stand was built on the north-eastern touchline in the summer of 2000, but towards one end of the pitch rather than near the half-way line.[15] Both ends of the ground had uncovered terracing installed, with the other touchline having terracing along half its length.[15] The ground currently has a capacity of 6,500, of which 250 is seated and covered.[8] A new flood defence scheme was completed in 2012 to protect the stadium, the local railway station and nearby housing.[16]
52°3′24.451″N1°19′32.920″W / 52.05679194°N 1.32581111°W /52.05679194; -1.32581111
