Lakenheath F.C.
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| Full name | Lakenheath Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Heath | ||
| Founded | 1907 | ||
| Ground | The Nest, Lakenheath | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 (195 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Kevin Fincham | ||
| Manager | Ben Cowling | ||
| League | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division, 10th of 19 | ||
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Lakenheath Football Club is a football club based in Lakenheath, Suffolk, England. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at the Nest.
History
[edit]The club was established around the 1907–08 season.[1] They played in the Ouse Valley League, before joining the Essex and Suffolk Border League. In 1936–37 the club won the Suffolk Junior Cup, beating Life Brigade 1–0 in a replay.[2] They were Premier Division runners-up in 1947–48 and League Cup finalists in 1957–58.[3] The club subsequently transferred to the Norfolk & Suffolk League.[4]
In 1964 the Norfolk & Suffolk League merged with the East Anglian League to form the Anglian Combination, with Lakenheath placed in Section D of the new league.[5] They were runners-up in Division Three in 1968–69 and finished second in Division Two in 1974–75,[6] a season in which they also won the Suffolk Junior Cup for a second time.[2] In 1981–82 they were runners-up in Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[5] However, the following season saw them finish bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation back to Division One. The club finished bottom of Division One in 1985–86 and were relegated to Division Two.[5]
In the late 1990s Lakenheath transferred to the Cambridgeshire County League.[1] They were champions of Senior Division A in 2007–08, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[7] The following season saw them finish as runners-up in the Premier Division.[7] In 2010–11 the club won the Premier Division title.[7] They were Premier Division runners-up the following season,[7] and again in 2014–15, a season that also saw the club win the Suffolk Senior Cup, beating Ipswich Valley Rangers 7–0 in the final.[8]
Despite finishing only eighth in the Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division in 2017–18, Lakenheath were promoted to Division One North of the Eastern Counties League.[9] In 2019–20 the club were second in the league when it was abandoned in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the abandoned 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. They also won the Suffolk Senior Cup for a second time in 2020–21, defeating Bildeston Rangers 2–0 in the final.[10] In 2022–23 Lakenheath won the League Cup, beating Ipswich Wanderers 7–6 on penalties after the final ended in a 0–0 draw.[11]
Ground
[edit]The club has played at several grounds, including one near the British Legion site on the High Street.[1] In the 1940s they moved to the Nest, a former chalk quarry that was leased to the club by Charlton Briscoe.[1] A brick stand was built in the mid-1950s and the club bought the ground from Briscoe's son in the early 1960s.[1]
Staff
[edit]| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Kevin Fincham |
| Manager | Ben Cowling |
| Assistant manager | Alan Gyte |
| Coach | Mark Hawley |
| Media Officer | Travis Wright |
Honours
[edit]- Eastern Counties League
- League Cup winners 2022–23
- Cambridgeshire County League
- Premier Division champions 2010–11
- Senior Division A champions 2007–08
- Suffolk Senior Cup
- Winners 2014–15, 2020–21
- Suffolk Junior Cup
- Winners 1936–37, 1974–75
Records
[edit]- Best FA Cup performance: Extra-preliminary round, 2021–22[12]
- Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 2021–22
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e History Lakenheath F.C.
- ^ a b Suffolk FA Cups' History Suffolk FA
- ^ 2016-2017 Official Handbook Essex & Suffolk Border League
- ^ Norfolk & Suffolk League 1946–1964 Non-League Matters
- ^ a b c Anglian Combination 1964–2003 Non-League Matters
- ^ Handbook Anglian Combination
- ^ a b c d Cambridgeshire County League 2004–2012 Non-League Matters
- ^ Gallery: Lakenheath lift Suffolk Senior Cup with big win over Ipswich Valley Rangers Green 'Un, 12 May 2015
- ^ Lakenheath FC being primed for promotion following Thurlow Nunn League restructure Cambridge News, 8 March 2018
- ^ Lakenheath lift Suffolk Senior Cup after scoring two late goals to see off plucky Bildeston Rangers Suffolk News, 31 May 2021
- ^ Ipswich Wanderers unable to wrap up the double as Lakenheath clinch Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup on penalties Suffolk News, 1 May 2023
- ^ Lakenheath at the Football Club History Database