Gloucester City A.F.C.

Formation and the early years

The club was formed on 5 March 1883 as Gloucester, but the first recorded match came during 1883–84 when a scratch team representing Cheltenham played a match against the new Gloucester side. Gloucester's first competitive game in October 1889 was a Gloucestershire FA Junior Challenge Cup 1st Round tie beating Clifton Association Reserves 10–0 at Budding's Field.

The club became members of the Bristol and District League which subsequently became the Western League. During this era the club was noted as 'The Gloucestrians' and 'The Citizens' in local media.

After the end of the First World War in 1918 most of the players who had been with City joined Gloucester YMCA. By 1925 they had assumed the name of Gloucester City once more and had become founder members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. In 1934–35, after winning both the Cup and League, City turned semi-professional, and joined the Birmingham Combination, as well as moving to a new stadium in Longlevens where the club stayed for the next 26 years.

They won the Tillotson Cup for being the best club in the Birmingham Combination, and then had former Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Reg Weaver blow away all records with his stunning tally of 67 goals in the 1937–38 season.

Southern League entry and Cup success

In 1939 the club played in the Southern Football League for the very first time, albeit in a restricted wartime competition, as they took part in the west section.

After the war City rejoined the Southern League and went on to become the League's longest serving members. For three consecutive seasons, 1948–51, the club reached the First Round of the FA Cup, each time losing to Football League opponents: Mansfield Town (1–4 away), Norwich City (2–3 home) and Bristol City (0–4 away). The club's all-time attendance record was set at Longlevens in 1952 when Stan Myers and Peter Price scored to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 in front of 10,500 spectators, a side which included the superstars of the day such as Alf Ramsey, Ted Ditchburn, Charlie Withers and Les Medley.

It took until the 1955–56 season for Gloucester to taste their first success in the Southern League. A famous Southern League Cup final win against Yeovil Town in which City had lost the first leg 4–1, only to beat Yeovil 5–1 in the second leg, won the club their first major honour.

Horton Road era

In 1964 the club moved grounds again, from Longlevens to the massive Horton Road stadium, closer to the centre of Gloucester, which could possibly hold over 30,000 people if full. Although Gloucester City were promoted to the Southern Football League Premier Division in the 1968–69 season, it was generally a barren spell.

In the 1981–82 season a sixth-place finish was enough to clinch a place in the reformed Premier Division. They were also runners-up in the League Cup, going down 1–2 to Wealdstone, who included future England captain Stuart Pearce in their ranks.

Despite Kim Casey scoring 40 goals, the club were relegated to the Midland Division in 1984–85, after 3 seasons in the Premier Division.

Meadow Park and a famous FA Cup run

In 1986 the club moved once more, this time to Meadow Park. The Horton Road ground became a housing estate which now boasts the names of City legends: (Stan) Myers Road, (Dicky) Etheridge Place and (Ron) Coltman Close amongst others.

Former Aston Villa and Wales player Brian Godfrey was appointed manager in 1988 and thus heralded an era of success.

Players such as Lance Morrison, Steve Talboys, Wayne Noble, Chris Townsend and Brian Hughes took to the Southern League Midland Division title in 1989, clinching the crown at King's Lynn's The Walks Stadium on the penultimate day of a tough campaign.

The next big achievement of the Godfrey years was the famous FA Cup run in 1989–90 which has still not been matched. Mangotsfield United (4–0), Barry Town (2–2,2–0), Folkestone (1–0) and Dorchester Town (1–0) all came and went before City suffered heartbreak in the replay against Cardiff City after being 2–0 up at Ninian Park with just five minutes to go. The club were beaten 1–0 in the replay at Meadow Park, missing out on an encounter with First Division side Queens Park Rangers.

In the winter of 1990, Gloucester saw its worst snow in a century and when the thaw came the River Severn overwhelmed all local flood plains. The knock-on effect of the flood saw incredible scenes at Meadow Park as the pitch was submerged under four feet of water, and the whole ground was out of commission for over a month. The first game back at Meadow Park, however, saw City defeat Gosport Borough 9–0.

Last minute promotion heartbreak and debt

The 1990–91 season was one of the most exciting ever seen at the club. Godfrey added several quality players to his squad as City challenged for the league title. As the season climaxed, the Tuesday before the end of the season Gloucester City had needed to beat VS Rugby at home to go top of the table, but could only manage a 2–2 draw, so it was all on the last day of the season at the Victoria Ground, the home of Bromsgrove Rovers.

Farnborough headed up to Atherstone needing to win, and went 0–1 down to the delight of the thousand travelling City fans. In the final minutes, substitute John Freegard got his head to a long free kick had put The Tigers ahead. In the meantime Farnborough had scored, as City fans were on the pitch celebrating the Championship and promotion to the Conference National, but all they had heard were premature radio reports from Atherstone; Farnborough had actually scored a winner three minutes before the end of the game and they were promoted instead.

In July 1991, the club became the first British football club to venture to the newly independent country of Georgia for a summer tour, playing second division side Napareuli, Mesxti and Umaglesi Liga outfit Shevardeni.

Into the 1991–92 season the bombshell hit City that Chairman Les Alderman had left the club. The squad was ripped apart: major players were released for derisory sums, some went unpaid and took the club to the FA, and forced a transfer embargo. Brian Godfrey was sacked and replaced by his assistant Steve Millard. Millard only lasted three months in what was a disastrous spell. In February Godfrey was re-appointed to the hot seat and started to turn things around again. The club survived the next few seasons under the guidance of Chairman George Irvine. The club had crippling debts and were about to fold when Keith Gardner stepped in.

The glory years and FA Trophy run

Gardner brought razzmatazz to the club and appointed former Cheltenham Town boss John Murphy as the club entered the most exciting period in their history. Gardner wanted to make the whole 'Meadow Park' area into a footballing centre, with all-seater stadium, a leisure centre, ice rink and an all-weather pitch. His ambitions were matched on the field too, after seeing the club get by with local players, talent was brought in from further afield and the Tigers became a force to be reckoned with. A memorable game during the period was when Dave Porter scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over rivals Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road in 1994.

It soon became apparent that Murphy didn't have what it took to turn a good side into Champions and was sacked in March 1996. Former West Ham United striker Leroy Rosenior took over and had to virtually rebuild the team from scratch after most of the players walked out in the wake of Murphy's dismissal.

Dale Watkins, Adie Mings and record signing David Holmes formed one of the most potent front lines in non-league football and it was no surprise to see the Tigers battling on all fronts. Despite having to play manager Leroy Rosenior in goal against Kingstonian in their first game in the FA Trophy, City managed to reach the semi-final before being beaten by Dagenham & Redbridge after a dramatic replay.

The cup run proved to be a thorn in the side for City as they had to play three games a week to claw back games in hand and eventually lost out to Cheltenham Town in the race for second spot (after Champions Gresley Rovers ground was deemed ineligible for promotion).

Relegation and almost bankrupt

The failure to secure promotion cripped the club as City struggled to keep their heads above water. A managerial merry-go-round ensued as first Brian Hughes tried his luck, but a diminishing playing budget and poor performances meant the club was relegated.

To exacerbate the situation, just before Christmas 2000 Meadow Park was struck another hammer blow when the River Severn burst its banks for the second time in a decade, the flood water did more damage than before because it reached just under seven feet high, and also managed to get inside the changing rooms ruining whatever stood in its way. The club was unable to hold matches at the ground for more than six weeks. The lack of revenue for the club almost saw it go under and it meant that due to non-payment of players several walked out on the club

Tommy Callinan took over in a player-manager role, and left at the end of the 2000–01 season. Next to try his hand was Chris Burns, who was tempted back from Forest Green Rovers and brought with him a largely untried bunch of young players to fit in with the limited wage structure.

In November 2001, ex-director Colin Gardner returned to the club to take over the chairmanship. Working hand in hand with the Supporters' Club, together they steadied the ship. On the pitch things were looking up with new manager Chris Burns moulding his former City youth team into a force to be reckoned with.

Bouncing back

The 2002–03 season saw the club bounce back. Off the field, a deal was struck between the club and local entrepreneur Eamonn McGurk, who bought the ground and took on the majority of the clubs debts. Financially, the club made a trading profit for the first time and were within reach of wiping out all of the historical debts. To add to the upturn, on the field Burns' young team upset a lot of the more fancied challengers and reached the quarter finals of the FA Trophy. The run included memorable victories away at league leaders Merthyr Tydfil, then two wins at Conference sides Woking and Southport. Aylesbury United of the Isthmian League proved to be too big of a challenge, however, and City bowed out. In the league, a fifth-placed finish was a remarkable achievement.

The 2003–04 season saw further progress with the Tigers finishing second in the Western Division and gaining promotion to the Premier Division. At the end of the season, Colin Gardner stepped down as the highly respected chairman. Chris Burns resigned as manager in January 2006, Neil Mustoe took over as caretaker-manager until the permanent appointment of Tim Harris from Merthyr Tydfil was made.

Flooding, promotion and exile

In July 2007, Gloucester City's home, Meadow Park, was affected by the Gloucestershire flooding that engulfed the county. The club was hit with almost 8 feet of water, almost submerging the crossbar. This astonishing picture, featured in The Sun, Sky News and the BBC shot the club to national attention both in the media and football supporters across the Country. This caused many of the club's supporters to start a donation fund to help the club.

The club's first season of exile was at Forest Green Rovers New Lawn Stadium, despite the loss of a stadium and revenue stream the club finished a creditable 6th in the league, just outside the Playoffs.

The club's second season of exile at Cirencester Town proved to be one of the greatest in the history of the club. The club finished 3rd in the Southern Premier League thus qualifying for the Playoffs. In the Southern League Playoff semi-final Cambridge City were beaten 3–1 at the Corinium Stadium. They went on to play Farnborough in the final at Cherrywood Road and won 1–0 with Matt Rose scoring the crucial goal, ending a 70-year continuous association with the Southern Football League, and gaining promotion to Conference Football for the first time. A quite remarkable achievement considering the club's predicament.

In a controversial decision, the F.A. placed Gloucester City in the Conference North for the 2009–10 season. The reason given was that Worcester City, despite being considerably further north than both Gloucester and Cirencester, was given a guarantee after being moved to the Conference South the previous year against its will that it would not be moved back to the North for three seasons without its consent. Worcester City refused to consent to an early move back to the North, thus forcing Gloucester to take their place. The club finished 18th in its maiden Conference North season.

Near the end of the club's maiden Conference North season, new F.A. ground regulations meant that Cirencester Town's Corinium Stadium would not be suitable for use in the following season meaning if the club failed to find a suitable new home, it would be forcibly relegated. It was announced in March 2010 that the club would be groundsharing with major rivals Cheltenham Town for the forthcoming two seasons. Gloucester City Council provided £20,000 towards helping this agreement, heralding a new era in co-operation between the club and the council, and with Cheltenham Town.

On 21 November 2010 against Chelmsford City, Midfielder Tom Webb became the club's all-time appearance holder, beating Stan Myers who had broken the record 50 years previously.

In 2012–13, the club reached the FA Cup 1st Round proper for the first time in 23 years, drawing Football League One outfit Leyton Orient at home. They eventually lost 2–0 to two late goals.

The club repeated this success the following season, drawing Football League Two side Fleetwood Town at home, they also lost that one 2–0.

Grounds

Throughout its history, the club has played at many grounds in Gloucester and the surrounding region of Gloucestershire.

In the late 19th century the club played at Buddings Field near the city centre for 16 non-consecutive seasons, they then moved to the Avenue Road Ground on Tuffley Avenue for another non-consecutive 6 seasons. During this period the club also played at Co-operative Ground on India Road.

In 1910, Gloucester YMCA played at the Llanthony Ground in Hempsted for, believed to be only a stones throw from Meadow Park. During this period the club played multiple games at Gloucester R.F.C. and the Kingsholm Stadium.

In 1928 the club moved to Sutgrove Park, which is now the site for the Ribston Hall High School. They moved once again in 1934 to the Bon Marche Ground on Estcourt Road for two seasons.

In 1935, the club moved to The Ground in Longlevens. It spent the next 26 seasons at the stadium, where the club's all-time record attendance was set: 10,500 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in a friendly.

In 1964 the club moved to the massive Horton Road stadium, a huge bowl which if fully developed could've held over 35,000 spectators. The club stayed here until 1986 until the move to Meadow Park in Hempsted.

The club had played at Meadow Park since 1986. The ground had a total capacity of 4,500 with a 560-seat stand.

Following the floods of summer 2007, on 22 July, Meadow Park was almost 8 feet under water. A combination of a lack of insurance due to previous flooding, this was the third time in seventeen years that the stadium had been flooded, and contamination by sewage water, the club had no choice but to abandon the ground for the foreseeable future.

Exile from Gloucester

During the club's exile period away from the City it played at Forest Green Rovers the New Lawn in Nailsworth for one season. They spent the following two seasons at Cirencester Town's ground The Corinium Stadium.

The club's attempts to relocate back to the city have been scuppered on multiple occasions. A groundshare with local county league side Quedgeley Wanderers, who play around 4 miles outside of the city boundaries in Quedgeley, was rejected in November 2007 after the Wanderers' board and the local parish rejected the proposal.

Hopes of any groundshare with Gloucester Rugby Club's Kingsholm stadium was deemed too expensive. Gloucester Rugby Club had also earlier rejected plans to move to a new purpose built 15,000 capacity community stadium in a derelict area of the city nicknamed "The Triangle" near to the railway station. Both the rugby and football club were earmarked to use the facility and it could have been extended to hold 25,0000.

Other options spoken about for a ground was at Blackbridge, a former athletics ground in an area around 3 miles outside of the City centre called Podsmead. Any news regarding this possible switch soon went quiet, with the main area of concern being poor access roads and a spate of vandalism already occurring in that district.

Another option was a shared new purpose built stadium in Javelin Park, an area in-between Gloucester and Stroud off Junction 12 of the M5 motorway. The ground was to be used by the football club and Stroud rugby club. However, in the end the rugby club decided not to pursue the proposal, and the area is now being lined up to have an incinerator instead.

After the one season at Forest Green, the club moved to Cirencester Town and spent two seasons there, culminating in promotion to the Conference North.

In November 2008, local MP and supporter Parmjit Dhanda spoke in the House of Commons regarding the search for a new home for the club in the city hoping for a successful outcome.

For the 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, the club played its home games at rivals Cheltenham Town's Whaddon Road stadium, due to League legislation meaning Cirencester Town's Corinium Stadium was not up to a good enough standard. Not finding a stadium suitable would have meant immediate relegation for the Tigers.

Plans to return to Meadow Park are now the forerunner for the clubs return to Gloucester in the future. On 16 February 2011 it was announced that the club are applying for planning permission in early March 2011 for a brand new stadium at Meadow Park, incorporating flood defence measures and a business park. On 29 December 2011 Gloucester City Council formally validated plans for a new stadium in Gloucester, but the plans collapsed in September 2012 when the Council advised it could not approve the plans without more detailed flood risk assessments.

For the 2014–15 season, the club once again played in Cheltenham however new plans had since been drawn up, using the same architects who designed AFC Telford United's and Forest Green Rovers' new stadium, for a "Category A" 4,000 capacity stadium. Outline planning was submitted to Gloucester City Council in June 2014.

On 7 October 2014, After seven years in exile, the club plans for a new stadium at Meadow Park have been approved by Gloucester City Council subject to completing 45 conditions.

The club recently announced a further one season (and apparently final) stay at Whaddon Road but with increased rent to Cheltenham Town. This would mean the club would have been in exile for 10 seasons, 7 of them at Cheltenham. Confirmation that outline planning permission had been granted by the council came on 22nd September 2015. A full reserved matters application for a 3,060 capacity category B stadium was validated by the council on 26 May 2016. The plan has an additional phase of work to take the stadium to over 4,000 capacity and meet FA category A requirements. The club received full planning permission from Gloucester City Council to build the stadium on 4 October 2016. For the 2017–18 season, Gloucester will be ground-sharing with Evesham United at the Jubilee Stadium, Evesham.

Honours

Southern Football League

Premier Division Playoff Winners – 2008–09

Premier Division Runners-up – 1990–91

Midland Division Champions – 1988–89

Western Division Runners-up – 2003–04

Southern League Cup Winners – 1955–56

Southern League Cup Runners-up – 1981–82

Merit Cup Winners – 1968–69

Birmingham Combination Tillotson Shield

Winners – 1935–36

Gloucestershire Northern Senior League

Champions – 1933–34

Runners-up – 1925–26, 1932–33, 1934–35

North Gloucestershire League

Division One Champions – 1907–08,1908–09

Gloucester and District League

Division One Champions – 1897–98, 1899–00, 1903–04

Division One Runners-up – 1898–99, 1906–07

Cheltenham and District League

Division One Champions – 1906–07

Division One Runners-up – 1909–10

Mid Gloucestershire League

Champions – 1898–99, 1899–00, 1900–01

Gloucester City Hurrans Cup League [War-time League]

Runners-up – 1942–43

Gloucestershire FA Senior Professional Cup

Winners (18 Times) – 1937–38, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1992–93.

Runners-up (34 Times) – 1936–37, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2008–09, 2009–10

Worcestershire FA Senior Professional Cup

Runners-up – 1983–84

Gloucestershire FA Senior Amateur Cup

Winners – 1931–32

Runners-up – 1929–30, 1932–33

Gloucestershire FA Junior Cup

Winners – 1902–03

Runners-up – 1892–93, 1906–07

Godsman Cup [War-time Cup]

Runners-up – 1942–43

City Cup [War-Time Cup]

Finalist – 1942–43

Club records

Best League position: 2nd in Southern League Premier Division, 1990–91 (Level 6 in Football Pyramid)

Best FA Cup performance: 2nd Round replay, 1989–90 v Cardiff City

Best Welsh Cup performance: Quarter-Final replay, 1958/59 v Cardiff City

Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-Final replay, 1996–97 v Dagenham & Redbridge

Record fee paid: £25,000, Steve Fergusson, Worcester City 1990–91

Record fee received: £25,000 Ian Hedges, A.F.C. Bournemouth, 1989–90

Record Attendance:

Longlevens: 10,500 v Tottenham Hotspur, friendly, 1952

Horton Road: 7,500 v Wimbledon, friendly, 1966

Meadow Park: 4,500 v Dagenham & Redbridge, FA Trophy Semi-Final, April 1997

Record Victory: 16–0 v Army 'G', February 1942. (Wartime), 12–1 v Bristol Saint George, April 1934. (Non Wartime)

Record Defeat: 0–14 v Brimscombe F.C., January 1923.

Most appearances

(Bold = Presently at club)

Most Goals

(Bold = Presently at Club)

Seasons

For a full list, please visit List of Gloucester City A.F.C. seasons.

Current squad

As of 22 January 2017

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable former players

For details on former players, see Category:Gloucester City A.F.C. players.

Former international players

Nathaniel Jarvis – Eight caps, two goals, for Antigua and Barbuda.

Jonte Smith – Five caps, one goal, for Bermuda.

Jeff Blockley – One cap for England, ex Arsenal player.

Adolf Hanson – One war-time cap for England.

Douglas Hunt – One war-time cap for England.

Frank Saunders – One cap for England.

Tommy Casey – 17 caps for Northern Ireland including at 1958 World Cup.

Shabir Khan – Nine caps, 1 goal, for Pakistan.

Jake Gosling – 11 caps, 2 goals for Gibraltar. Gibraltar's all-time record goalscorer.

Leroy Rosenior – One cap for Sierra Leone.

Marcus Browning – Five caps for Wales.

Trevor Ford – 38 caps for Wales.

Brian Godfrey – Three caps for Wales.

Dai Jones – Seven caps for Wales.

Robert Mills-Roberts – Eight caps for Wales

Eddie Parris – One cap for Wales, first ever black player to play for Wales.

Neil Slatter – 22 caps for Wales.

Gareth Taylor – 15 caps for Wales.

Rod Thomas – 47 caps for Wales.

Tony Villars – Three caps for Wales.

Notable other internationals

Gilbert Jessop – 18 caps for England Cricket

Grahame Parker – Two caps for England Rugby

Frank Stout – 14 caps for England Rugby

Percy Stout – Five caps for England Rugby

Notable other sportsmen

C.E Brown – played rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Trevor Halls – played rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Edward James – played rugby for Gloucester RFC

Arthur Jepson – Cricket Test Match Umpire and played cricket for Nottinghamshire CCC.

Don Meadows – played rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Geoffrey Morton – played cricket for Middlesex CCC.

William Murch – played cricket for Gloucestershire CCC.

Phil Neale – played cricket for Worcestershire CCC.

Trevor Powell – played rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Thomas Rust – played cricket for Gloucestershire CCC.

Cyril Sewell – played cricket for Gloucestershire CCC.

Eric Stephens – played cricket for Gloucestershire CCC and rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Walter Taylor – played rugby for Gloucester RFC.

Ronald Turner – played cricket for Gloucestershire CCC.

George Sutton Watson – played cricket for Kent CCC and Leicestershire CCC.

Managerial history

Pre 1931, the term Manager was interchangeable with the term Secretary, thus the difference is noted.

Main Rivals

Cheltenham Town – The near proximity of Cheltenham to Gloucester has led to the rivalry being competed for more than a century, in local and regional divisions. The first of these matches were played in 1898 and since then 212 matches have been contested between the clubs. However, the most recent league game between the two was in 1997 and since then, competitive matches between the clubs have stopped due to Cheltenham Town's rise up the English football league system. This could have been Gloucester City if they had beaten Salisbury City on the final day of the 1996–97 season, however City lost 3–1 and Cheltenham were promoted due to champions Gresley Rovers' ground not being to a sufficient standard for Conference football. Since the 2010–11 season, Gloucester City have been ground-sharing at Cheltenham Town's Whaddon Road stadium.

Worcester City – Gloucester City and Worcester City contest the Severn Derby, as the game has recently been named. The rivalry has blossomed in the 2000s due to both clubs participating in the Conference North and the close proximity between the two cathedral cities. The two sides have met 99 times during their history.

Forest Green Rovers – The rivalry between the two clubs has only become a recent phenomenon. For the majority of both club's history, Gloucester City were in a higher league. In 1998, Forest Green Rovers achieved promotion to the Football Conference after only a couple seasons in the Southern Premier League. However, in 2007, Gloucester City began groundsharing at Rovers' New Lawn Stadium, which ended acrimoniously between the clubs, forcing the Tigers further into exile at Cirencester Town. In 2014, the club's met in the FA Cup; their first competitive meeting in a generation.

Other Rivals

Merthyr Tydfil

Bath City

Newport County

Historically Barry Town were rivals of the club, however a move to Welsh Football caused a stop in matches between the two.