Welcome to the next instalment of the blog.
We visited Stratford Town Football Club in the county of Warwickshire for this chapter of the blog. The club competes in the Southern League Premier Division Central. In a pre-season friendly, they faced Cheltenham Town Football Club.
The stadium is in Tiddington, which is about a 40-minute walk or a 10-minute drive from Stratford town centre. The town centre has a lot to offer, including William Shakespeare's childhood home, Shakespeare's grave, the theatre, and the canals. There are also numerous cafes and restaurants where you can get a bite to eat. We went to the stadium after we had enjoyed the delights of Stratford Upon Avon.
Its All In The Name:
The Bards is Stratford Town's nickname. William Shakespeare, the town's most renowned occupant, inspired the name. Shakespeare was known as "the Bard," hence the moniker is a nod to the great author.
Some Notable Former Players
Leroy Lita
Matty Blair
Will Grigg
Some Notable People From Stratford Upon Avon:
William Shakespeare- Writer
Marc Elliott- Eastenders Actor
David Bradley- Actor
Daniel Brockbank- Coronation Street Actor
Sarah Douglas- Superman Actress
A History Lesson From AFC Finners:
Stratford Town was founded in 1941 as Stratford Rangers and renamed Stratford Town in 1949. They played in local leagues for a long time before entering the Worcestershire combine and then the Birmingham & District league. In 1963, they won the Birmingham Senior League.
In 1994, they were one of the original members of the Midland Football Alliance, but they soon ran into financial troubles and were only saved courtesy to a group of local businesspeople.
They won a slew of awards in the 2000s, starting with a league cup and the Joe McGorian Cup in the span of a few months, the latter of which they kept the following season.
In 2013, they were promoted to the Southern League for the first time, and two seasons later, they were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division.
In 2021, they made their first appearance in the FA Cup first round, defeating Boston United in a replay in the fourth qualifying round. They were drawn against Shrewsbury Town at home, and their 5-1 defeat was shown live on ITV 4.
They are still in the Southern League Premier Division, managed by Dean Holdsworth, a former Bolton Wanderers player.
And here's a fun fact: the club's stadium is sponsored by Arden Garages, a company managed by Alan Titchmarsh's family.
Honours
🏆Southern League Cup (Winners 2018-2019)
🏆Southern League Division 1 South & West (Play Off Winners 2014-2015)
🏆Midland Alliance (Champions: 2012-2013) (Runners-up: 1999-2000)
🏆Midland Alliance League Cup (Winners: 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2010-2011)
🏆Joe McGorian Cup (Winners: 2003-2004, 2011-12)
🏆Midland Combination (Champions: 1956-1957, 1986-1987) (Runners-up: 1955-1956) 🏆Midland Combination League Cup (Winners: 1986-1987, 1988-1989) 🏆Tony Allden Memorial Trophy (Winners: 1987-1988) 🏆Warwickshire & West Midland Alliance (Champions: 1953-1954) (Runners-up: 1950-1951, 1952-1953) 🏆Warwickshire & West Midland Alliance League Cup (Winners: 1950-1951, 1951-1952) 🏆Aston Villa Cup (Winners: 1952-1953) 🏆Presidents Cup (Winners: 1952-1953)
🏆Birmingham Senior Cup (Winners: 1962-1963)
Matchday: Stratford Town 1-2 Cheltenham Town
The stadium is approximately 40 minutes away from the town centre. The stadium has free parking, so this should not be an issue. We walked right into the stadium, where admission was £8 for adults and £5 for students. A small club shop near the entrance sells a limited amount of merchandise such as scarves, replica shirts, bobble hats, and DVDs. We could also get our standard pin badges for £3.50 each.
Stratford Town's ticketing system is similar to that of most non-league grounds. You approach the turnstile and pay the appropriate fee for your category. The fans are integrated at the stadium, making it relatively easy to socialise if desired. The Stratford contingent was very friendly, especially Hayley, the bartender, who was lovely and welcoming.
Food is available on the ground, including burgers, hotdogs, chips, and sandwiches. The food was delicious, but perhaps a little overpriced. During our visit to the restaurant, we noticed Dean Holdsworth, the Stratford manager. We couldn't muster the courage to approach him.
Before the game, we spoke with Cheltenham manager Wade Elliott. He came across as a very nice person who spoke very well. We then spoke with Cheltenham's Matty Blair, who has recently been a great support network for me. AFC Finners isn't the best at small talk, so he told him we were looking for a grave (Shakespeare's grave), which apparently freaked Matty out a little. Ho hum.
This was another preseason friendly, so the atmosphere was not expected to be high. However, due to a few too many pints, AFC Finners did his best to get it going, but to no avail. We were sitting next to former Cheltenham Town striker Steve Guinan, whose son Zac now plays for Cheltenham, who thought AFC Finners' antics were hilarious.
Teamsheets
Stratford Town
Manager: Dean Holdsworth
Liam O'Brien
Dan Vann
Josh Endall
Ashley Sammons
Paul McCone
James O'Neil
James Molyneux
Josh Hawker
Jack Storer
Will Grocott
Will Dawes ⚽
Substitutes
Jack Turner
Dan Lafferty
Lucas Powell
Dan Makatadi
Jake Collins
Trialist A
Trialist B
Trialist C
Trialist D
Trialist E
Trialist F
Cheltenham Town
Manager: Wade Elliott
Max Harris
Sean Long (c)
Ellis Chapman
Tom Spencer
Dan Adshead
Dennis Gyamfi
Reece Hutchinson
Callum Ebanks
Dylan Barkers⚽
Brandon Liggett
Zac Guinan
Substitutes
Shaun Macdonald
Ben Williams
Tom Bradbury
Charlie Raglan
Lewis Freestone
Charlie Brown
Liam Sercombe
Dan N'Lundulu⚽
George Lloyd
Freddie Willcox
Elliott Bonds
The game got off to a flying start for Stratford Town, who dominated the early stages and closed the five-league gap between the two clubs. It didn't take long for Stratford to take the lead. Max Harris, the goalkeeper, impressively tipped a free kick onto the crossbar, and the follow-up was tapped in by Will Dawes, a former Cheltenham Town youth player (Scores on the Dawes will follow... I'll show myself out). Cheltenham Town equalised just before halftime with what was effectively their first attack. Dan Adshead swung in a corner, causing a goalmouth scramble that was eventually smashed in by Dylan Barkers.
The second half was much better from Cheltenham, who had an attack right after half time which resulted in Reece Hutchinson firing into the side netting. Cheltenham Town took the lead soon after. Some good work from Dan N'Lundulu played Callum Ebanks through who shot across the goal, setting Dan N'Lundulu to tap in. Cheltenham controlled the game from then on. There weren't many chances of note, but Cheltenham controlled the possession. The game ended 2-1. Cheltenham clearly needs some quality reinforcements if they are to compete in League One this season. Stratford gave a good performance, and I can see them competing in their league this season if they play like they did against Cheltenham.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 3/10
Food and Drink: 5/10
Stadium: 5/10
Welcome: 7/10
Overall Experience: 6/10
GG
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