Bishops Stortford F.C.
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| Full name | Bishop's Stortford Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blues |
| Founded | 28 January 1874 |
| Ground | Woodside Park, Bishop's Stortford |
| Capacity | 4,525 (525 seated) |
| Chairman | Steve Smith |
| Manager | Kevin Watson |
| League | National League South |
| 2015–16 | National League South, 11th |
Bishop's Stortford Football Club is a football club based in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently members of the National League South and play at Woodside Park.
The club was established at the Chequers Hotel on 28 January 1874. Initially playing in crimson and green, their first match was played two weeks later, losing 2–1 to East of England Non Conformist Grammar School. In 1885 they were founders of the Hertfordshire County Football Association, and subsequently started playing in local leagues in the 1890s. They joined the Stansted & District League, winning it in 1910–11 and 1912–13, and also entered a team in the Saffron Walden & District League during the same era, winning it in 1911–12, 1912–13 and 1913–14.
After World War I the club won both the Stansted & District League and the East Hertfordshire League in 1919–20. In 1921 they joined the North-Eastern Division of the Hertfordshire County League. In 1923 the league was reduced to a single division, and it disbanded entirely in 1925, making a brief comeback in 1926–27, when Stortford were one of only six clubs to play in it. In 1929 they joined the new Division Two East of the Spartan League, which they went on to win in 1931–32, earning promotion to Division One.
Following World War II, the league resumed in 1945, with the club in the Eastern Division. Despite finishing in last place in 1945–46, they were placed in the Premier Division the following season. However, after finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 1948–49, they were relegated to Division One. In 1951 the club were founder members of the Delphian League, which they won in 1954–55. After the league disbanded in 1963 they joined Division Two of the Athenian League, winning Division One in 1965–66 and the Premier Division in 1969–70.
In the 1970–71 season they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 6–1 at Reading. In 1971 the club switched to the Isthmian League, and in 1973 they reached the second round of the FA Cup, losing 3–1 at Peterborough United after a replay. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup, losing 1–0 to Slough Town. However, the following season they won the last ever edition of the cup, beating Ilford 4–1 at Wembley. In 1974–75 they reached the FA Cup first round again, but lost 2–0 at Leatherhead in a replay. The following season they reached the second round again, losing 2–0 at Aldershot.
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