Ground Capacity 1,500 Website Club home page Manager Dave Norman Nickname(s) The Blues | Chairman Aron Sharpe Arena/Stadium Harry Abrahams Stadium Founded 1991 Capacity 1,500 | |
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Leagues Isthmian League, Isthmian League Division One North | ||
Wingate & Finchley Football Club is an English football club based in Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet. The club are currently members of the Premier Division of the Isthmian League and play at The Harry Abrahams Stadium. Their previous manager was former Hillingdon Borough manager Gary Meakin who arrived as manager in November 2012 from Southern Football League side Northwood. However Meakin and the club parted company in May 2013 citing both parties had different visions regarding the future of the club and was replaced by veteran player Daniel Nielsen with former manager David Norman assuming an overseeing Director of Football role.
Contents
History
The club was established in 1991 by a merger of Finchley and Wingate, who parted their company with Leyton. Leyton regained Leyton-Wingate's place in the First Division of Isthmian League, while Wingate & Finchley took Finchley's place in the South Midlands League and played at Finchley's Summers Lane ground, which was renamed after Harry Abrahams, a long time Wingate supporter. In 1994–95 they finished second in the league and joined Division Three of the Isthmian League.
After a second-place finish in 1998–99 they were promoted to Division Two, but were relegated back to Division Three at the end of the following season. After league reorganisation they were placed in Division One North for the 2002–03 season, but in 2004 were transferred to the Eastern Division of the Southern League. The club later returned to Division One North of the Isthmian League. In 2009–10 they finished third, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 3–2 to Enfield Town. The following season the club won the Isthmian League Cup and the London Senior Cup, and finished third again. After beating Harlow Town in the play-off semi-finals, they defeated Brentwood Town 3–2 after extra time in the final, earning promotion to the Premier Division - and securing an historic Treble.
The club finished mid-table in its first season in the Premier Division, before surviving a relegation scare in 2012–13 with one match to spare. In 2013–14, the club were relegated on goal difference behind East Thurrock United despite a final day 5-0 victory. However the drama did not end there, as the resignation of Worksop Town from the Northern Premier League gave Wingate & Finchley a much welcomed reprieve from relegation. The club finished the 2015–16 season in 13th position on 60 points.
Club identity
Wingate & Finchley are often perceived as a 'Jewish club', due to Finchley's sizeable Jewish community and a number of other factors, including sporting the Star of David on the club's badge, having a number of Jewish individuals on the committee of the club and being able to apply for special dispensation to move their games should they fall on Yom Kippur. One of Wingate & Finchley's predecessor clubs, Wingate, was established in order to aim to combat anti-semitism. The original Wingate club was named after Orde Wingate, who had been involved in training the Haganah, the precursor to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Ground
Wingate & Finchley play their home games at The Maurice Rebak Stadium, Summers Lane, Finchley, London, N12 0PD.
Current squad
As of 3 April 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.
Honours
As Wingate & Finchley
As Finchley FC
As Wingate FC