 | |||
| Full name | Stratford Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Bards | ||
| Founded | 1941 (as Stratford Rangers) | ||
| Ground | The Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane,Tiddington | ||
| Chairman | Jed McCrory | ||
| Manager | Paul Davis | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | ||
| 2024–25 | Southern League Premier Division Central, 8th of 22 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Stratford Town Football Club is afootball club representing the town ofStratford upon Avon,Warwickshire,England, but currently based in nearbyTiddington. They are currently members of theSouthern League Premier Division Central and play at Knights Lane.
The club was formed in 1941 asStratford Rangers, changing their name in 1949. After playing in various local leagues they joined the Worcestershire Combination (which later became theMidland Football Combination) in 1954. In 1957 they switched to the Birmingham and District League, which became theWest Midlands (Regional) League in 1962, but rejoined the Combination in 1970. In 1975 they took the unusual step of joining theHellenic League, which does not normally include teams from Warwickshire. After two unsuccessful seasons they rejoined the Midland Combination once again, where they remained until becoming founder members of theMidland Football Alliance in 1994.
The club entered financial difficulty in 1998 and were reformed to become Stratford Town F.C.
On 20 April 2013, a 1–1 draw withStourport Swifts sealed the Midland Alliance title and promotion to theSouthern Football League for the first time in the club's history, where they initially played in Division One South & West. After two seasons in the Division One South & West, Stratford Town earned promotion to the Premier Division via the play-offs with a 3–2 win againstLarkhall Athletic on 4 May 2015. They successfully retained their status the following season.
The2021–22 season saw The Bards reach the first round proper of theFA Cup for the first time in their history, defeatingNational League North sideBoston United 3–2 in a fourth qualifying round replay after an initial 1–1 draw at theBoston Community Stadium.[1][2] Stratford were drawn at home toLeague One sideShrewsbury Town, with the match televised onITV4.[3] Despite scoring first, they were eventually defeated 5–1 in front of a sell-out 2,800 spectators at Knights Lane.[4]
Stratford Town moved into the Knights Lane ground,Tiddington in the 2007–08 season. They played their first league match there againstBarwell on 16 February 2008, losing 1–0 to a Stuart Spencer goal.[5]
The record attendance is 2,800 for the FA Cup first round match againstShrewsbury Town on 7 November 2021.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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TheSouthern Football League does not use a squad numbering system.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jed McCrory |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Paul David (caretaker) |
| First Team Coaches | Dale Belford |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Kieron Williams |
| Physio | Amanada Sibanda |
| Period | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Alan Campbell |
| –2005 | Lennie Derby |
| 2005–2006 | Ian Britton |
| 2006–2007 | Dennis Mulholland |
| 2007–2009 | Micky Moore |
| 2009–2010 | Rod Brown |
| 2010–2012 | Morton Titterton |
| 2012–2014 | Morton Titterton Carl Adams |
| 2014–2018 | Carl Adams |
| 2018 | Darren Byfield |
| 2018–2019 | Thomas Baillie |
| 2019 | Tommy Wright |
| 2019–2021 | Paul Davis |
| 2021–2022 | Tim Flowers |
| 2022–2023 | Dean Holdsworth Gavin Hurren |
| 2023-2024 | Gavin Hurren |
52°11′39″N1°40′35″W / 52.19417°N 1.67639°W /52.19417; -1.67639
