Dunstable Town F.C.

Dunstable Town

Full name	Dunstable Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Blues
Founded	1883, (reformed in 1998) (see history)
Ground	Creasey Park Dunstable (Capacity: 3200)
Chairman	Pete Burgoyne
Manager	Darren Feighery
League	Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
2008-09	Southern League Division One Midlands, 21st (relegated)
Home colours Away colours

Dunstable Town F.C. is a football club based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, currently playing in the Molten Spartan South Midlands Premier Division. They play their home matches at Creasey Park Stadium.

The original 'Dunstable Town' were in existence from the nineteenth century until 1975, being replaced by Dunstable F.C.. They themselves then folded in 1993-1994, and the new Dunstable Town were created in 1998.

The First Dunstable Town

Early history

Dunstable Town FC were formed in the late nineteenth century, first playing in local league and cup competitions. In 1894, they won the Bedfordshire Senior Cup, a feat they were not to repeat until 1956.

1950s-1970s

The history of the club is sketchy until 1950, when Dunstable Town joined the Metropolitan League. The club moved to a stadium at Kingsway, and played in this league for many years, before moving to the Southern League in 1965. In 1956, they also achieved their best result in the FA Cup, reaching the first round proper.

In 1973, the club received the financial backing of Keith Cheesman. He hired a young Barry Fry as manager, and gave him money to build up a strong team; indeed in his autobiography, Fry claims that he was often given blank, signed cheques. Of note, both Jeff Astle and George Best were bought in to play for the team (Best only actually playing three competitive games). However, this spending quickly led to the accumulation of debt, and the club folded.

Dunstable F.C.

Dunstable F.C. was formed to take over the team's fixtures, completing the 1975-1976 season. They were then demoted to the bottom level of the Southern League. There they stayed for following twenty years; however, more financial difficulties led to the clubs disbanding in 1994, for the second time.

Dunstable Town today

Creasey Park, the current stadium, was leased in 1997, allowing the team to be reformed for the 1998/99 season. Promotion from their initial league, the South Midlands League Division 1, was obtained at the second attempt, followed by two promotions in three years to the Isthmian League first division. League restructuring put them in the Southern League Premier, from which they were relegated for the 2005-2006 season. Kerry Dixon and Paul Reeves failed to stop the rot and The Blues were relegated again until the FA's restructuring granted Dunstable a reprieve. Young manager Darren Feighery was drafted in for the 2006/07 season in the Southern League Division One Midlands, and he and his young side finished 11th as well as winning the Bedfordshire Senior Cup Final, for a record 11th time. The youth team also had a remarkable season, finishing their league season unbeaten as they won the SCYFL Delphian Division, Colwyn Cup and Eastern Junior Cup, which has such names as Norwich City, Ipswich Town and Luton Town as past winners.

The Blues kicked off the 2007/08 season in style as they defeated Luton Town 3-2 (AET) to win the Bedfordshire Premier Cup, as well as the Peter Metcalfe Memorial Tournament. After another midtable finish, the reign of Feighery came to an end as new chairman Pete Burgoyne sought a new direction in the form of Lee Cowley. Major ground improvements were carried out over the summer but disaster struck as the function hall at Creasey Park collapsed, taking with it a significant chunk of the budget and the boardroom. Cowley struggled after a good start to the season, highlighted by a 5-1 win at Canvey Island in the FA Cup, and ultimately resigned in March with reserve team managers, Mike Locke and Wayne Roff, taking over temporarily. Mike and Wayne led the team to a record twelfth Bedfordshire Senior Cup but were unfortunately relegated from the Southern League.

A refreshed Darren Feighery returned to Creasey Park in May 2009, with a new goal of winning the Spartan South Midlands Premier. The redevelopment of Creasey Park will also kick-off in July 2009 with the installation of temporary facilities to cater for the future work which should be completed for the start of the 2010/11 season.

Club records

• Best league position: 8th in Southern League, Premier division (then step 1), 1975-76
• Best attendance: Approx. 10,000 against Manchester United in a friendly, in July 1974
• Best FA Cup performance: 1st Round Proper, 1956-57 Margate (a) Lost 3-1
• Best FA Trophy performance: 1st round, 2004-05 Histon (h) Lost 6-2
• Best FA Vase performance: 3rd round, 2000-01 Tooting & Mitcham United (a) Lost 1-0
• Highest transfer fee received: £25,000, Kerry Dixon to Reading. 1980

Current squad

Notable former players

• George Best - 1968 European Cup Winner and European Footballer of the Year. Northern Ireland international.
• Jeff Astle - England international.
• Kerry Dixon - Chelsea's record appearance holder and goalscorer. England international. Started his career at Dunstable before a £25,000 move to Reading.
• Barry Fry - Manchester United trainee and one of the most respected names in the game.
• Shane Blackett - Current Luton Town player having started out at Dunstable.
• Brendan McNally - Republic of Ireland international.
• Seamus Dunne - Republic of Ireland international.
• Dave Galley - Physiotherapist in the 2005 UEFA Champions League winning Liverpool side, currently at Bolton Wanderers

Sources

• Dunstable Town at the Football Club History Database

External links

• Dunstable Town FC's brand new official website.