Full name | Bridgwater Town (1984) Football Club |
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Nickname(s) | The Robins |
Founded | 1984 |
Ground | Fairfax Park, Bridgwater |
Capacity | 2,500 (128 seated) |
Chairman | Bob Buckingham |
Manager | Karl Baggaley & Dave Pearse |
League | Southern League Division One South & West |
2016–17 | Southern League Division One South & West, 22/22 (relegated) |
Bridgwater Town Football Club is a football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Affiliated to the Somerset County FA, they are currently members of the Southern League Division One South & West and play at Fairfax Park.
Bridgwater Association Football Club were established at a meeting in the Cross Rifle pub on 28 January 1898. They joined the Somerset Senior League later in the year, and in their first full season they won the Somerset Senior Cup, beating Yeovil Casuals 1–0 in a replay. However, the club disbanded after four seasons in the league.
In 1903 a new Bridgwater A.F.C. was formed. They subsequently joined the Clevedon & District League for the 1905–06 season, but left after a single season to join the Weston & District League, also playing in the Highbridge League. They won Division Two of the Weston & District League in 1908–09, but finished bottom of Division One the following season and were relegated back to Division Two. This was repeated when they won Division Two again in 1911–12, but were relegated from Division One the following season. The club subsequently folded during the 2013–14 season.
In 1921, Highbridge League club Wills Athletic, the works team of the Wills Engineering company, played Bristol City in a friendly game. The level of interest in the match led to the club being transformed into Bridgwater Town during the 1921–22 season. After being rejected by the Somerset Senior League in 1923, they joined both the Mid-Somerset and West Somerset leagues. However, financial problems caused by the building works at their new ground forced them to withdraw from both leagues after a single season, they returned to local leagues, including the Taunton & District League, which they played in until 1931.
Following World War II Crown Dynamos were formed in 1946 and joined the Bridgwater & District League. They moved up to Somerset Senior League in 1947, and after finishing third in their first season, the club was transformed into Bridgwater Town Association Football Club. The first season under the new name saw the club finish as runners-up, resulting in a successful application to join Division Two of the Western League. They finished as runners-up in Division Two in 1951–52, earning promotion to Division One. The 1957–58 season saw them finish second in Division One, as well as winning the League Cup.