Eastbourne Borough F.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|||
| Full name | Eastbourne Borough Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Sports | ||
| Founded | 1964 (as Langney) | ||
| Ground | Langney Sports Club (Capacity: 4,134 (542 seated)) |
||
| Chairman |  Len Smith |
||
| Manager |  Garry Wilson |
||
| League | Conference National | ||
| 2008–09 | Conference National, 13th | ||
|
|||
 Current season |
|||
Eastbourne Borough are a semi-professional English football club, based in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, and are members of the Conference National division (Blue Square Premier). Compared to many other so-called 'non-league' clubs (i.e. those outside English football's top four professional divisions), Eastbourne Borough are relative newcomers to this level of football. They are known as The Sports after their previous name as Langney Sports. Eastbourne Borough play their home matches at the Langney Sports Club sometimes known as Priory Lane.
Contents |
[edit] History
They were formed in 1964 as Langney F.C., naming themselves after the Langney district of Eastbourne in which the club continues to play its home games. It all started when a group of friends had played for the Langney and Friday Street youth team were too old to carry on playing and decided to form their own team so they could carry on playing football [1]. On forming in 1964, Langney FC entered the Eastbourne & District Football League, competing in Division 2. The team then happy to have just 11 players on the pitch with hardly anyone spectating any matches. Prior to 1968/69 season there was a change of name to Langney Sports F.C. when the club affiliated to the Langney Community Association. At this time the club was playing on local recreation grounds before moving to Princes Park near the seafront, next door to Eastbourne United's ground at The Oval. At the end of season 1973/74, the club won promotion to the Premier Division of the Eastbourne & Hastings League. The following nine years saw Langney Sports recognised as the most progressive club in the Eastbourne area.
[edit] County League years
In 1983 the club was elected as a founder member of Division 3 of the Sussex County League, although they had some disagreements from some FA officials saying that the club would only be a parks team and not taking the club seriously. They moved from the playing their home games from the playing fields at Princes Park to their current home ground at Priory Lane, in the heart of the residential area of Langney.
In 1986/87 Langney Sports became Third Division champions, and completed a treble by winning both the Division 3 League Cup and the Eastbourne Challenge Cup. Sports followed this with yet another promotion the following season, this time elevating them to Division 1. In 1992 Langney reached the final of the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, losing 0-1 to the reserve team of Sussex's only professional club, Brighton & Hove Albion. Apart from two seasons (1994/95 and 1995/96) when they finished in 11th and 9th place respectively, Langney never finished outside of the top four in Division One; the manager, Pete Cherry, left the club on mutual grounds having brought Langney Sports up from the Eastbourne and Hastings league into the county league; for two years Steve Richardson took the reins followed by Garry Wilson in 1999. In his first full season in 2000 they finished the season as Sussex County League Champions, and were promoted to the Eastern Division of the Southern League.
[edit] Southern League and Conference South
After their first season in the Dr Martins Eastern Division they finished 9th in the table, the club chairman, Len Smith, announced on 26 May 2001 that the club was to be renamed Eastbourne Borough to reflect the town the team played in [2]. In their second season they finished seventh, and in the following season finished second, losing out on the title on goal difference to Dorchester Town, and were promoted to the Premier Division. Though they only finished 11th in their first season in the Premier Division, as the league system was changed the club were qualified to be one of the founders of the newly-formed Conference South for the start of the 2004/05 season. A further promotion was almost earned immediately as the club finished fifth, and won the Conference South play-offs, beating Cambridge City 3-0. However, they were beaten 2-1 by Altrincham (who had won the Conference North play-offs) in the play-off final at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, and remained in the Conference South.
The next season they finished in the bottom half of the table at 17th place and the 2006/07 season they just missed out in the play-offs at 7th place. The 2007/08 season was the best Eastbourne Borough had done. From the start of the season until 1 January 2008 they were unbeaten at the top of the league. Lewes became the first team that season to beat them and themselves were at the top of the table. At the end of the season they finish 2nd place with 80 points, Lewes won with 89 points.
[edit] Conference
The club won promotion to the Conference National on 8 May 2008 with a 2-0 win over Hampton & Richmond Borough in the Conference South Play-off final at Broadhall Way, Stevenage.
At the start of their 2008-09 campaign in the Conference they were struggling outside the relegation zone, however after a few loan players being brought in, with the likes of Dan Smith and Ashley Barnes from Plymouth Argyle, and the signing of Dan Brown from Cambridge United, Eastbourne managed to stay in the top half of the table after some surprising wins over full time clubs such as Torquay United and York City, until the last day of the season, losing 0-2 to Barrow. They finished their first season in a comfortable 13th place with 60 points and a goal difference of -12. Eastbourne also completed the 2008-09 season by winning the Sussex Senior Cup beating Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves 1-0.
[edit] FA Cup history
During the 2005/06 season, the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history, when a battling performance saw them hold League Two club Oxford United to a 1-1 draw at home, winger Ollie Rowland, holding his nerve to score a 90th-minute penalty. [3]
This epic match gained the club three massive milestones. These were:
- 1. The first time that Eastbourne Borough had played a fully-professional league-side.
- 2. The first time that Eastbourne Borough were given national television coverage (highlights of the match at the Priory Lane ground were shown on BBC's Match Of The Day)
- 3. For the first time ever the home and away supporters had to be segregated due to the huge attendance of 3,770.
The East-Sussex side failed to win the replay at Oxford's Kassam Stadium on a cold mid-week November night. [4] Despite losing 3-0, the Borough squad put up a very good fight and were extremely unlucky not to score. Ex-Yeovil Town striker Yemi Odubade played particularly well and caused many problems for the Oxford defence, so much so that Oxford manager Brian Talbot admitted he was very interested in having the talented youngster play for his side and asked the Eastbourne Borough committee if he could take Yemi Odubade on a trial at Oxford United. In January 2006, Oxford paid Sports £15,000 to sign Odubade on an 18-month contract. [5]
Again the club reached the FA Cup first round in the 2007/08 season and played Conference National side Weymouth. Borough lost 4 - 0 in front of a crowd of 2711 supporters. [6] Also lost to the same scoreline in the 2008/09 season away to Barrow in the 1st round replay. [7]
[edit] Honours and Achievements
Achievements before 2001 were under the Langney Sports F.C. name. After 2001 under the Eastbourne Borough F.C. name.
Winners: 1981/82
Winners: 1986/87
Winners: 1989/90
Finalists: 1986/87
Winners: 2001/02, 2008/09 Division 1 Champions: 1999/00 |
Eastern Division Runners Up: 2002/03 Play-off Winners: 2004/05, 2007/08
Play-off Finalists: 2004/05
Conference National: 13th, 2008/09 Fourth Round: 2007/08 First Round: 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09 |
Darren Baker, 825 (as of 25/04/2009)
Scott Ramsay, 185 (2002-2008)
£15,000 for Yemi Odubade, Oxford United, 2006[5]
3,770 V Oxford United, FA Cup R1, 5/11/2005
11-1 v Crowborough (13/01/2009) [8]
0-8 v Sheppey United (09/10/1993) |
[edit] Current squad
As of 13 June 2009
|
|
[edit] Notable former players
|
|
|
[edit] Coaching Staff
- Garry Wilson - Manager
- Nick Greenwood - Head Coach
- Steve Eke - Assistant Coach
- Dean Lightwood - Goalkeeping Coach
- Ray Tuppen - Physio
[edit] Other Teams
Eastbourne Borough have other teams which include:
- Eastbourne Borough Reserves, currently playing in the Football Combination
- Eastbourne Borough A, formed in 2009 and playing in the Mid Sussex Premier League
- Eastbourne Borough Ladies, formed in 2004 and currently play in the South East Combination Premier.
- Eastbourne Borough Youth.
- Eastbourne Borough Under 18's.
[edit] Management History
Below is a list of Langney Sports (1983 - 2001) and Eastbourne Borough (2001 - Present) managers since 1983.
Stats as of 21 April 2009
| Dates | Name | Achievements | Games | Won | Lost | Drawn | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From: 1983 To: 1997 |
Peter Cherry |
Sussex County League Division 3 Champions: 1986/87 Division 2 Champions: 1987/88 |
||||||
| From: 1997 To: January 1999 |
Steve Richardson |
|||||||
| From: January 1999 To: 8 February 1999 |
Nick Greenwood (Caretaker Manager) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| From: 9 February 1999 To: Present |
Garry Wilson |
Sussex County League Division 1 Champions: 1999/01 Southern League Eastern runners-up: 2002/03 Conference South Promotion: 2007/08 |
437 | 209 | 104 | 124 | 47.82 | [9] [10] |
[edit] References
- ^ "Borough's rise is the stuff of dreams". The Argus. 2008-05-14. http://www.theargus.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2268902.mostviewed.boroughs_rise_is_the_stuff_of_dreams.php. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
- ^ "Football: Langney taken off the map". The Argus. 2001-05-29. http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2001/5/29/177420.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
- ^ "Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Oxford". BBC Sport. 2005-11-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/4387918.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Oxford 3-0 Eastbourne Borough". BBC Sport. 2005-11-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/4430970.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-27.
- ^ a b "Oxford capture Eastbourne striker". BBC Sport. 2006-01-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/o/oxford_utd/4654706.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Eastbourne 0-4 Weymouth". BBC Sport. 2007-11-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7076510.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Barrow 4-0 Eastbourne". BBC Sport. 2008-11-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7726866.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Boro hit 11 past Crowborough". Eastbourne Herald. 2009-01-13. http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/sport/Boro-hit-11-past-Crowborough.4872495.jp. Retrieved on 2009-01-13.
- ^ "Football League is our aim - Wilson". Eastbourne Herald. 2009-01-23. http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/sport/Football-League-is-our-aim.4907799.jp. Retrieved on 2009-01-29.
- ^ "A decade of success: from County League to Conference". Eastbourne Herald. 2009-02-13. http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/sport/A-decade-of-success-from.4978559.jp. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Eastbourne Borough F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club stats
- Eastbourne Borough - ESPNsoccernet
- Langney Sports at the Football Club History Database
- Eastbourne Borough at the Football Club History Database
