Birtley Town F.C.
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| Full name | Birtley Town Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hoops | |
| Ground | Birtley Sports Complex, Birtley | |
| Chairman | Paul Beat | |
| Manager | Paul Foster and Paul Bryson | |
| League | Northern League Division One | |
| 2023–24 | Northern League Division One, 4th of 20 | |
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Birtley Town Football Club is a football club based in Birtley, Tyne and Wear, England. They are currently members of the Northern League Division One and play at the Birtley Sports Complex.
History
[edit]The original Birtley Football Club were founder members of the Northern League in 1889. However, they left after finishing second-from-bottom of the league in its inaugural season.[1] The club then joined the Northern Alliance, again leaving after a single season.[2] They rejoined the alliance in 1895 and finished bottom of the league in 1897–98, before leaving again in 1900. The club returned for a third spell in the league in 1909, and were runners-up in 1913–14.[2] After World War I, they were champions in 1923–24,[3]
In 1926 the Northern Alliance merged into the North Eastern League, with Birtley becoming members of Division Two.[4] They remained in the North Eastern League until transferring to the Wearside League in 1935.[5] Following World War II the club was renamed Birtley Town, and went on to win the Wearside League in 1945–46.[6] However, after finishing bottom of the league in 1949–50, 1950–51 and 1951–52, the club dropped out of the league.[6]
A new Birtley Town was established in the early 1990s and joined Division Two of the Wearside League in 1992.[7] They were Division Two champions in 1994–95, earning promotion to Division One.[7] In 1997–98 the club won the League Cup,[8] and in 2001–02 they won both the League Cup and the Monkwearmouth Charity Cup.[9] The following season saw the club win the Wearside League title.[7] After finishing as runners-up in 2003–04 and 2004–05 and winning the League Cup for a third time in 2005–06, they were champions again in 2006–07, resulting in promotion to Division Two of the Northern League.[7]
In 2009–10 Birtley finished bottom of Division Two, but were not relegated. However, in 2015–16 the club finished second-from-bottom of the division and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Northern Alliance. They were Premier Division runners-up and League Cup winners in 2017–18,[10] and were promoted back to Division Two of the Northern League.[7] The 2022–23 season saw the club finish fifth in Division Two, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After defeating Horden Community Welfare 5–4 on penalties (after a 2–2 draw) in the semi-finals, they won the final against Billingham Town on penalties after another 2–2 draw, earning promotion to Division One.[11] The club went on to finish fourth in Division One the following season, qualifying for the play-offs again. However, they were beaten 1–0 in the semi-finals by Heaton Stannington.
Honours
[edit]- Wearside League
- Champions 2002–03, 2006–07
- Division Two champions 1994–95
- League Cup winners 1997–98, 2001–02, 2005–06
- Northern Alliance
- League Cup winners 2017–18
- Monkwearmouth Cup
- Winners 2001–02
Records
[edit]- Best FA Cup performance: First qualifying round, 2024–25[7]
- Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 2021–22[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Birtley at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b Northern Alliance 1890–1915 Non-League Matters
- ^ Northern Alliance 1919–1960 Non-League Matters
- ^ North Eastern League 1906–1933 Non-League Matters
- ^ North Eastern League 1933–1964 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b Wearside League 1919–1960 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c d e f g Birtley Town at the Football Club History Database
- ^ The History of the Wearside League: 1990s Wearside League
- ^ The History of the Wearside League: 2000s Wearside League
- ^ Roll of Honour Northern Alliance
- ^ "Birtley promoted after penalty shoot-out". Northern League. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.