Nickname(s) The Vics Manager Kevin Bridgeman | Chairman Bernie Davies Founded 1896 | |
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Full name Malmesbury Victoria Football Club Ground The Flying Monk Ground, Malmesbury 2015–16 Wiltshire League, 3rd (promoted) League Hellenic Football League Division One West | ||
Malmesbury Victoria Football Club is a football club based in Malmesbury, England. They are currently members of the Western League Division One and play at the Flying Monk Ground. The club is affiliated to the Wiltshire Football Association and the clubman of the year Aggie Hext 16/17
Contents
History
The club was formed in 1896 as Malmesbury Town. The club played football until 1936, when with support dwindling it closed down. The club reformed after the Second World War in 1947 and changed their name to Malmesbury Town Football Club. In 1968 they changed their name again to Malmesbury United. For the 1975–76 season when they merged with local Swindon side Swindon Victoria the club became known by its present name of Malmesbury Victoria.
Before Swindon Victoria was merged with Malmesbury United their greatest success was reaching the final of the FA Amateur Cup in the 1920–21 season where they lost to Bishop Auckland. The club also played in the Western Football League for a couple of seasons during the 1920s, and made their debut in the FA Vase in the 1974–75 season. In the 1973/4 season, the club won both Wiltshire divisions. Div 1 and Div 2. The first club ever to achieve this. This was due in no small part to the signing of two players from Chippenham town and promoting three reserve players to the first team squad, and adopting the sweeper and the triangle passing systems. Winning both divisions did not mean promotion. Instead the club merged with Swindon Victoria, and thereby gaining the promotion they had originally been entitled too.
Malmesbury Victoria in their first season as an amalgamated club, the 1975–76 campaign, continued where Swindon Victoria left off and continued to play in the FA Vase. The following season the club became founder members of the Wiltshire Football League when the Wiltshire Combination and Wiltshire Leagues merged, and joined the Senior Division. The club continued to play in the Fa Vase until the end of the 1981–82 season. The 1999-00 campaign saw the club win the Wiltshire Football League and gain promotion to the Hellenic Football League.
The club then spent the next nine seasons in division one west, during which time they resumed competing in the FA vase in 2004, and at the end of this period after finishing as runners-up were promoted to the Premier Division under manager Ken Regan for the start of the 2009–10 season. Ken Regan then left the club in February 2010 with the club struggling near the bottom of the table, and was replaced by the caretaker duo of Martin Woodhouse and Kev Coles. However the management duo could not save the club, and the club was relegated back to Division One, after a single season in the top Hellenic football league division. The club then appointed new boss Ken Turner during the summer of 2010, but he could only last till September before he was relieved for "irreconcilable differences" and was replaced by Mike Hartley. However Mike Hartley only lasted till the end of the 2010–11 season, due to him emigrating to Australia and was replaced by Simon Winstone.
Ground
Malmesbury Victoria play their home games at the Flying Monk Ground, Gloucester Road, Malmesbury.
The Flying Monk Ground, on the bank of the Tetbury Avon in the northern outskirts of the town, takes its name from a demolished public house which in turn took its name from Eilmer of Malmesbury.
League honours
Cup honours
Records
Former players
- Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
- Players with full international caps.