Nickname(s) The Tigers Ground Capacity 2,000 Manager Tom Roberts | Ground Carters Park, Holbeach Chairman David Dougill Founded 1929 | |
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Full name Holbeach United Football Club League United Counties Football League Premier Division | ||
Holbeach United F.C. is an English football club based in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division and play at Carters Park.
Contents
History
The club was established in 1929 initially playing in the King's Lynn League, and then the Spalding and Boston leagues before joining Division Two of the Peterborough & District League in 1936. They were promoted to Division One in 1938. After finishing second in 1945–46 they moved up to the United Counties League. In 1955 they were one of four clubs that applied for three places in the Eastern Counties League. Although they were the one to miss out in the vote, another club resigned from the league and a further vote on Holbeach's candidacy saw member clubs vote 11 to 5 to accept them.
In 1961 the Midland League was re-established and along with several other clubs in southern Lincolnshire, Holbeach joined. However, the finished second bottom in their first season, and were voted out of the league, rejoining the United Counties League. They won the Division One Cup in 1964–65, but did not win the league until 1989–90, a season in which they also won the League Cup and Benevolent Cup, the first time a club had won all three UCL trophies in a single season. They won the league for a second time in 2002–03.
They reached the FA Cup First Round proper in 1982–83, losing 0-4 in a home tie against Wrexham AFC; played at Peterborough United's London Road stadium.
In the 2015–16 season the club received national attention when their goalkeeper, Ricky Drury, scored a last-minute bicycle kick equaliser against Worcester City in the FA Cup to send the tie to a replay.
Ground
Holbeach have played at Carters Park since their establishment. The site was bequeathed to the town in the mid-1920s by a man named Carter. A stand was built in the late 1930s and a covered area to its left was also built and later became known as the "pig pen". The ground was originally shared with the local cricket club, meaning that it only had three permanent sides. However, after the cricket club folded, the fourth side was fenced off.
The ground's record attendance of 4,094 was set on 28 September 1955 for an FA Cup first qualifying round replay against local rivals Wisbech Town.