St. Albans City F.C.
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| Full name | St. Albans City Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Saints, City |
| Founded | April 1908 |
| Ground |
Clarence Park St Albans Hertfordshire |
| Capacity | 5,007 (667 seated) |
| Manager | Ian Allinson |
| League | National League South |
| 2015–16 | National League South, 18th |
| Website | Club home page |
St Albans City Football Club (nicknamed The Saints) is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the National League South (previously known as the Conference South). It was promoted from Conference South to the Conference Premier at the end of the 2005–06 season by beating Histon 2–0 in the Conference South play-off final at Stevenage Borough's ground, but was relegated back to Conference South after one season and subsequently suffered a further relegation in 2010–11, before returning to the sixth tier in 2013–14 after beating Chesham United FC 3–1 in the play-off final.
City's most famous match was on 22 November 1922 in a fourth round qualifying FA Cup match. Having been held by Dulwich Hamlet to a 1–1 draw at Clarence Park on 18 November, the replay drew a gate of 4,060. City's New Zealand-born goalkeeper W. Tennant did not appear, his place taken by Alf Fearn who was usually a half-back with the reserves. Dulwich put eight goals past him, the winning goal coming in near darkness at the end of extra time. What put the game in the record books was that City scored seven times, with all seven goals being scored by Wilfred Minter. His feat remains the highest tally by a player on the losing side of an FA Cup tie.
Founded in April 1908, the golden period in the history of St Albans City Football Club came during the 1920s.
In 1999, under manager Garry Hill, the Saints reached the last four of the FA Trophy but within two years were facing closure after being suspended by the Isthmian League for failing to maintain payments agreed by the previous board of directors to clear a six-figure debt. In February 2002, with the club having already made one visit to the High Court in London, a new buyer came forward and overnight the debt was cleared. Since that time the Saints have existed very successfully within their financial means although the rise into the Nationwide Conference has been far from smooth.
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