Bilston Town F.C.

History

The club was founded in 1894 after Bilston Rovers and Bilston Wanderers merged to form Bilston United In 1919 the club moved to Queen Street in Bilston. Between 1894 and 1939 the club was known as Bilston United and Bilston Borough and they played in various local cup competitions as well as the Walsall & District League and Birmingham Combination league. The club was disbanded in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War Two. The club reformed in 1946 simply as Bilston F.C. In 1954 the team joined the Birmingham & District League and won the championship in 1960–61 and again in 1972–73 (by which time the league had been renamed the West Midlands Regional League). In 1983 the club's name changed to Bilston Town F.C.

After finishing as West Midlands Regional League runners-up in 1984–85, the Steelmen were promoted to the Southern Football League, where they spent seventeen seasons in the Midland Division (later re-organised as the Western Division). Their best finish (3rd place) came in 2000–01, but the following season they could only finish 17th, after which they resigned for financial reasons and dropped three levels to the West Midlands League Division One.

After the 2006–07 season Bilston resigned from the West Midlands (Regional) League. In June the club's chairman issued a statement on the club's future:

Shortly after this the club's official website was shut down. The club was taken from the owners, and reformed as Bilston Town (2007) and accepted back into the West Midlands (Regional) League for the 2007–08 season, albeit in Division Two. The club finished the season in second place behind Wellington Amateurs.

In 2009 the club appointed a new board and manager, with the aim of developing the club as a force within the local community and involving youth teams and leagues across the Black Country. After some mixed results, January 2010 saw Ian Broad appointed as Manager and Adrian Knight as Coach. New players joined the squad and the team finished in mid-table. Off the field the club continued to work within the community, forging strong links with the Bilston Partnership Youth Football League, and various groups working with the probation service and a local Pupil Referral Unit. In 2011 the club started a Saturday Soccer School for local youngsters, and continued its work within the local community, hosting a number of charity events to raise money for local causes. At the end of the 2011–12 season Ian Broad left the club, and was replaced by Andy Rutter as manager.

In his first season in charge Andy Rutter led the club to runners-up in division 1 and promotion was achieved, while also achieving the clubs longest run in the FA Vase for over 10 years. The club also reached the quarter-finals of the Walsall Senior Cup, losing to Southern League team Sutton Coldfield Town after a penalty shoot-out.

Club records

Best league performance: 3rd in Southern League Western Division, 2000–01

Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round proper, 1972–73

Best FA Trophy performance: 4th round, 2000–01

Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 1992–93

Most cup wins in a single season: 6 - 1900-01

Record victory: 12-0 Vs Norton Wood, 15 February 1936

Record defeat: 19-1 vs Worcester City, 21 November 1931 (A record win for Worcester City)

Highest scoring draw: 5-5 vs Bromsgrove Rovers, 10 February 2001

Most league games won in a season: 33, 1960–61

Fewest league games won in a season: 5, 1929–30

Most drawn league games in a season: 18, 1999-2000

Most league games lost in a season: 24, 1929–30

Fewest league games lost in a season: 1, 1937-38 (from only 17 games. On 4 occasions Bilston have lost only 2 games in a season after playing many more league games than 1937-38 in: 1900-01, 1956–57, 1972–73 and 2002–03)

Most league goals scored in a season: 149, 1960–61

Fewest league goals scored in a season: 34 1929-30

Most league goals conceded in a season: 112, 1929–30

Fewest league goals conceded in a season: 17, 1970–71

Most league points in a season (2 for a win): 71, 1960–61

Most league points in a season (3 for a win): 90, 2000–01

Most goals overall by a single player in a single season: George Travers 87 goals (1904–05)

Most league goals by a single player in a single season: Ron McDermott 77 goals, 1960-61 (Still a WM(R)L individual goal scoring record)

Highest competitive game attendance: 4,300 - FA Cup First Round vs Halifax Town, 16 November 1968.

Floodlights: They were first used in a game where 8,000 Bilston Town fans came out to see them at Queen Street vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 10 March 1953 - Wolves won 4-2. The attendance of 8,000 fans is an all-time record for Queen Street in all games.

Cups

Staffordshire Senior/Junior Cup

6 winsWinners: 1906, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1998Runners-up: 1957, 1963, 1965, 1986, 1997

Staffordshire FA Challenge Cup

2 winsWinners: 1922, 2003

Walsall Junior/Challenge/Senior Cup

10 winsWinners: 1901, 1906, 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1969, 1972, 1973Runners-up: 1909, 1920, 1977Shared: 1933 (with Walsall Wood)Finalists: 1934 (result unknown)

Walsall Hospital Cup

2 winsWinners: 1901, 1902

Walsall Charity Cup

1 winWinners: 1902

Birmingham Senior Cup

Runners-up: 1923, 1969

Birmingham Junior Cup

1 winWinners: 1896Runners-up: 1902, 1904

Wednesbury Charity Cup

4 winsWinners: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985Runners-up: 1984

West Midlands League Premier Division League Cup

1 winWinners: 1973Runners-up: 1966, 1974

West Midlands League First Division League Cup

1 winWinners: 2004

The John Martin Trophy

1 winWinners: 2010-11Runners-up: 2011-12, 2014–15Joint Winners: 2009-10, 2013–14N/A: 2012-13 - Not played because of bad weather and fixture congestion.

Wolverhampton Charity Cup

4 winsWinners: 1896, 1900, 1901, 1904Runners-Up: 1905 (Initially Bilston United won the final 2-1 against Wednesbury Old Athletic but Wednesbury Old Athletic protested the outcome and a replay was ordered. Bilston failed to appear for the replay claiming they were unable to raise a side, so the cup was awarded to Wednesbury Old Athletic by default.)

Wolverhampton Hospital Cup

Finalists: 1905-06 (Played Willenhall Pickwick in the final but result unknown)

Staffordshire Junior Cup

1 winWinners: 1901

Bilston Charity Cup

2 winsWinners: 1901, 1914Runners-up: 1906, 1910

Willenhall Nursing Institute Cup

1 winWinners: 1909

Rugeley Charity Cup

1 winWinners: 1966-67

League

Birmingham & District League/West Midlands (Regional) League

Premier Division champions: 1960-61, 1972–73

Premier Division runners-up/Keys Cup winners: 1922-23, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1984–85

Division One champions: 1956-57

Division One runners-up: 2012-13

Division Two runners up: 2007-08

Division One (South) runners-up: 2002-03

Walsall & District League

Winners: 1895-96, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1947–48

Runners-Up: 1898-99, 1902–03, 1937–38

Subsidiary Competition Section 2 Winners: 1936-37

Birmingham Combination/Birmingham Junior League

Runners-Up: 1907-08, 1953–54

Reserve & Youth team honours

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Premier Division

Winners: 1960-61, 1961–62

Runners-up: 1959-60

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Senior Cup: 1 win

Winners: 1961-62

Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance Jubilee Cup: 1 win

Winners: 1961-62 (outright winners)

Walsall Senior League

Runners-up: 1921-22

Aston Villa Cup: 1 win

Winners: 1960-61

West Midlands League Division One League Cup: 1 win

Winners: 1976

Runners-up: 1967

Staffordshire Youth Shield

Runners-up: 1938-39

FA Cup achievements

Bilston Town have reached the FA Cup proper on two occasions, once in 1968–9 and again in 1972–73. Their FA Cup records during those two seasons are as follows:

1968-69 FA Cup

1st Qualifying Round: Dudley 0-2 Bilston

2nd Qualifying Round: Bilston 3-0 Lower Gornal Athletic

3rd Qualifying Round: Bilston 3-2 Stafford Rangers

4th Qualifying Round: Bilston 2-0 Matlock Town

1st Round: Bilston 1-3 Halifax Town

1972-73 FA Cup

1st Qualifying Round: Halesowen 1-4 Bilston

2nd Qualifying Round: Bilston 3-2 Stourbridge

3rd Qualifying Round: Bromsgrove Rovers 1-1 Bilston

3rd Qualifying Round Replay: Bilston 1-0 Bromsgrove Rovers

4th Qualifying Round: Bilston 3-0 Brierley Hill Alliance

1st Round: Barnstaple Town 0-2 Bilston

2nd Round: Barnet 1-1 Bilston

2nd Round Replay: Bilston 0-1 Barnet

Ground

Early in the clubs history they played at Prouds Lane, using the nearby Spread Eagle pub as their changing room. They moved to Queen Street after World War One, the opening game there was against Tamworth Castle on 27 September 1919 but several years later the club went bust and the ground was sold to the local council with the proviso that it always be used as a football ground. Within a year of going bust the club reformed and returned to Queen Street and has been playing homes games there ever since. The club house dates back to the mid fifties and floodlights were first installed in 1953.

The ground, as it exists today, can hold 4000 spectators, with 300 of them seated. Vehicles can be parked within the ground itself.

In April 2006 the BBC reported that the club's Queen Street ground had been vandalised over 120 times in six years. In 2007 council officials ruled that the ground was unsafe, forcing the club to move out and play their matches in Bantock Park, a public recreation ground.

In May 2008 Wolverhampton City Council announced plans to redevelop the football ground with a new hotel, restaurants and shops, allowing a complete overhaul of the pitch and terraces. Work on the terraces, clubhouse and dressing rooms was completed in August 2008.

Over the years Queen Street has hosted many local and youth competition finals including the JW Hunt Cup final on a few occasions. It has also been the home of Bustleholme, who ground shared with Bilston for several years. Dudley Town also shared the ground for a season in the mid-1980s after subsidence caused by old mineworkings led to the closure of their ground. Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves and Wolverhampton Wanderers women have both used the ground as a home base too. Willenhall Town will ground share at Queen Street from the 2015-16 season.

Names

Over the years the club has been known by several different names.

1894-1932 - Bilston United

1932-1939 - Bilston Borough

1946-1983 - Bilston

1983-2007 - Bilston Town

2007-2014 - Bilston Town (2007)

2014–present - Bilston Town Community