Wellingborough F.C.
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| Full name | Wellingborough Town Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | The Doughboys The Cornies |
| Founded | 1867 2004 (re-founded) |
| Ground | Dog & Duck London Road Wellingborough Northamptonshire NN8 2DP |
| Capacity | 2,500 |
| Chairman | Mark Darnell and Darren Wingrove |
| Manager | Stuart Goosey |
| League | United Counties League Premier Division |
| 2016–17 | United Counties League Premier Division, 9th of 22 |
Wellingborough Town F.C. is a football club based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. They play in the United Counties League Premier Division.
The current club, Wellingborough Town 2004, was reformed in 2004 after the previous club bearing the name had folded.
The club was originally formed in 1867. It is claimed that this makes it not only the oldest club in Northamptonshire, but also the sixth-oldest in the country. The club played originally under the part-handling code, until becoming a genuine soccer club in 1869, playing at Broad Green, wearing an old gold and black strip. In 1879 Wellingborough Town became the first club to play under floodlights, when they entertained Bedford at the Bassett's Close, using lights powered by generators either end of the pitch.
The club joined Division One of the Southern League in 1901–02, moving to their current ground at the Dog & Duck in London Road. In 1905 the club changed name to Wellingborough Redwell but resigned at the end of the season after finishing bottom of Division One, continuing to be called Wellingborough Redwell until reverting to Wellingborough Town in 1919.
Wellingborough joined the Metropolitan League in 1968–69, finishing seventh. They won the title the following season and joined the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division, finishing third. In 1971–72, they joined the Southern League Division One North. A reorganisation of the league saw it split into Southern and Midland Divisions, with Wellingborough playing in the Midland Division. However, they struggled, until in 1988–89 they were relegated to the United Counties League.
The club struggled for thirteen seasons in the UCL, narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier Division in a number of seasons. However, they could hold out no longer than 2001–02 when the club folded and they resigned from the League.
Wellingborough had been without a senior football team for two years when three friends got together to set about re-establishing a football club. Together they assembled a group of twenty-four people who worked to get a new club up and running. Included among the number was World Champion snooker player Peter Ebdon, a local man. The Dog & Duck ground had substantially survived, despite becoming the site of a Travelodge motel. Laurie Owen played a huge part in reforming the club and still plays an active part on the club's committee today.
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