Barton Rovers F.C.

Barton Rovers
Full name Barton Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s) Mighty Rovers
Founded 1898
Ground Sharpenhoe Road, Barton-le-Clay
Ground Capacity 4,000 (600 seated)[1]
Chairman Darren Whiley[2]
Manager Jimmy Gray
League Southern League Division One Central
2015–16 Southern League Division One Central, 18th

Barton Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire, England. The club are currently members of the Southern League Division One Central and play at Sharpenhoe Road. They are affiliated to the Bedfordshire Football Association.

History

Barton Rovers Football Club was formed in 1898, and played in village football until World War II.[3] An article in the local church newsletter from January 1899 records:[4]

Another venture was the football club, which is now in full swing, and bids fair to flourish. The following matches have already been played:
Oct. 8th At Barton, 3 goals; Toddington, 2 goals.
Oct. 29th At Toddington, 3 goals; Barton, 2 goals.
Nov. 12th At Silsoe, 2 goals; Barton, 2 goals.
Several more fixtures have been made, and we trust that the January list will show somewhat different results. The members of the club take the present opportunity of thanking Mr. W. Hill for the use of his field.

After the war the club joined the Luton & District League for the 1946–47 season,[3] where they played until joining Division Two of the South Midlands League in 1954.[5] They won Division Two at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in Division One, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division.[5]

In 1962–63 Barton finished bottom of the division and were relegated back to Division One. However, they returned to the Premier Division two seasons later after winning the Division One title in 1964–65.[5] This saw the start of a decade-long spell of success for the club; their first five seasons back in the Premier Division saw them finish third on four occasions and runners-up once. They then went on to win three successive titles between 1970–71 and 1972–73, and after a third-place finish in 1973–74, they won five consecutive titles.[5] The club also saw success in the FA Vase; in 1975–76 they reached the quarter-finals, and the following season saw them reach the semi-finals, where they lost 3–1 to Sheffield. They went one better in 1977–78, reaching the final, where they lost 2–1 to Blue Star.[5]

In 1979 the club moved up to Division Two of the Isthmian League. The 1980–81 season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 2–0 at Torquay United. The following season they reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase again, losing 2–1 to Rainworth Miners Welfare.[5] League restructuring saw the club moved into Division Two North in 1984, before Division Two was restored in 1991.

After finishing as runners-up in 1994–95, Barton were promoted to Division One, where they remained until finishing bottom of the division in 2000–01. After returning to Division Two, league restructuring saw them placed in Division One North in 2002, before they were transferred to the Eastern Division of the Southern League in 2004. More restructuring saw them join Division One Midlands in 2006 and Division One Central in 2010.[5] In 2014–15 the club finished fifth, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Royston Town 5–4 on penalties in the semi-finals following a 0–0 draw, they lost 2–0 to Bedworth United in the final.[5]

Ground

Barton Rovers play their home matches at Sharpenhoe Road in Barton-le-Clay. The ground has a capacity of 4,000, of which 160 is seated and 1,120 is covered.[1] All 160 seats are in the main stand, opposite which is a covered terraced that runs the length of the pitch.

Honours

Records

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Barton Rovers". The Non-League Club Directory. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  2. "Rovers chairman hails his record breakers". Luton Today. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 History Barton Rovers F.C.
  4. "History". Barton Rovers F.C. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barton Rovers at the Football Club History Database
  6. 1 2 3 Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p487 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  7. Ilford 0 Barton Rovers 2 Barton Rovers F.C.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barton Rovers FC.

Coordinates: 51°57′49″N 0°25′49″W / 51.963671°N 0.430173°W / 51.963671; -0.430173

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