Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter of the blog we visited a club based in the heart of Gloucestershire: Bishops Cleeve FC. The club play their games at Kayte Lane, and have been promoted from the Hellenic Premier League to the Southern League Division One South for the 2022/23 season.
The ground itself is in the heart of Bishops Cleeve, a village in the United Kingdom. Bishop’s Cleeve boasts the views from Cleeve Hill, the picturesque hill you often see during the Cheltenham Races. There are many pubs and cafes for you to enjoy during your visit.
Some Notable Former Players
Julian Alsop
Joe Hanks
Zack Kotwica
John Finnigan
Some Notable People From Bishops Cleeve:
Rebecca Pantaney-Commonwealth Badminton Gold Medallist
Rosemary West- Serial Killer
Beatrice Edgell-Psychologist
John Draper- Motorcyclist
Peter Goring- Footballer
Its All In The Name
Bishop's Cleeve's nickname is the Mitres. Bishops Cleeve adopted the name 'Bishops' in the eight century as the village was owned by the bishops of Worcester. A mitre is the headwear worn by a bishop, so the nickname is a homage to the village's history.
Honours
🏆Hellenic League Premier Division (Champions: 2021–22)
🏆Hellenic League Premier Division Cup (Winners: 1987–88)
🏆Hellenic League Division One (Champions: 1986–87)
🏆Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division One (Champions: 1968–69, 1969–70, 1972–73)
🏆Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two (Champions: 1967–68)
🏆Cheltenham League Division One (Champions: 1931–32, 1934–35, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67)
🏆Cheltenham League Division Two (Champions: 1924–25, 1930–31, 1958–59)
🏆Senior Charities Cup (Winners: 1928–29, 1936–37, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1966–67)
A History Lesson With AFC Finners
Bishop's Cleeve was established in 1905, and before joining the Gloucestershire Senior League, they won several Cheltenham leagues. Bishops Cleeve have moved about more than most clubs in their lengthy history, but they finally have their own brand-new stadium. Ted Croker, the Football Association's then Secretary, restored and reopened the Stoke Road facilities, where they had previously played for many years. Bishops Cleeve F.C. was forced to move when their landlords, the Church Commissioners, sold the land for housing in 1995.
To maintain their place in the Hellenic league, the club suffered in the 1990s and had to groundshare with a few other teams. After receiving approval for a new location at Kayte Lane in 1997, members used supplies donated by the neighbourhood’s Smiths Aerospace to construct a new clubhouse and changing areas. When this approval was provided, the results on the field saw a dramatic change, and they were deservedly promoted in 2001. One last ground-sharing arrangement was made with Southern League club Evesham United to take advantage of this promotion possibility.
In 2006, they were promoted to the Southern League, but in 2018, they were demoted once more to the Hellenic Premier Division.
And here's some trivia: England manager Gareth Southgate gave the club an autographed England shirt for a community prize draw to help pay for the club's 4G pitch construction.
Bishops Cleeve FC's 4G Campaign
A new all-weather 3G pitch was added to Bishop's Cleeve Football Club's facility as a result of successful financial requests made by the team to the Football Foundation, Tewkesbury Borough Council, and other organisations.
The idea was expected to significantly improve the club and the municipality as a whole by enabling more neighbourhood teams of all ages, including disability football, to participate.
The initiative, which had a total budget of slightly over £850,000, had the backing of numerous organisations and municipal bodies.
The club received numerous more grants and gifts, including one of £57,000 in capital funding from Tewkesbury Borough Council, in addition to the approximately £522,000 grant from the Football Foundation. In addition, a crowdfunding campaign raised £23,000 with the help of 430 local contributors.
Other neighbourhood clubs, disabled teams from neighbouring parishes, local schools such as Cleeve School, Tredington Primary School, and Bishop's Cleeve Primary School, in addition to the youth and senior teams of Bishop's Cleeve Football Club, are also permitted to use the facility. Through its educational programmes, Cheltenham Town Community Trust also intends to offer a variety of daytime activities at the field.
Matchday: Bishop’s Cleeve 2-3 Swindon Supermarine
The actual ground is located at Bishop's Cleeve. Bishops Cleeve gave visitors free parking, just like Stratford and Evesham did. When we got there, adult admission cost £8 and concession admittance was £5. Bishops Cleeve FC welcomed us with open arms, and every person we interacted with was friendly and receptive. A special mention should go to the guys in the Mitre Cafe because they were charming, gregarious, and knowledgeable. A warm welcome to the family club.
We made a circuit of the pitch as is customary for us. There are two stands on either side of the pitch that can hold around 200 spectators each, and there are also two sides of the pitch where you can stand behind the goal. The stadium has a bar where you can watch live football and a cafe where you can eat. The actual cuisine was a little underwhelming. A very little and underwhelming cheeseburger costing £4.50 was provided. Even the onions were missing. If you're going to charge £4.50 for a food item, make sure it's worth £4.50, as I frequently say. Non-league status does not give you the right to charge exorbitant charges just for the sake of it.
Teamsheets
Bishop’s Cleeve
Manager: Paul Collicutt
Lewis Clayton
Will Turner
Leroy Odiero
Archie Haskayne
Mark Pritchett
Sam Blackie
Blaine Waugh
Kai Mahon
George Box ⚽️
Jordan Annear
Harrison Reeves
Substitutes
Shayne Anson
Lee Llewellyn
Trialist A
Kevin Slack
Jack Watts
Kieran Alder ⚽️
Swindon Supermarine
Manager: Lee Spalding
Connor Johns
Jack Stanley
Trialist A
Jamie Edge
Mat Liddiard
Leon Morrison
Trialist B
Brad Hooper
Harry Williams ⚽️ ⚽️
Conor McDonagh ⚽️
Zac Kotwica
Substitutes
James Harding
George Dowling
Sam Turl
Lewis Hall
Tom Sharpe
Lew Hutchinson
Louis Fox
In the early going, the game itself was basically a cagey affair with little opportunities. Harry Williams successfully pushed the ball past the goalkeeper to give Swindon Supermarine the lead following a right-side cross that fell at his feet. Conor Johns, the goalie for Swindon Supermarine, prevented a free kick from being taken soon after as Cleeve made a strong comeback after falling behind. Before Jordan Annear of Cleeve had a golden opportunity to tie the score after 27 minutes, the hosts had a fantastic opportunity that went just wide of the goal.
With a close-range finish shortly after the half-hour mark, Jordan Annear, though, made no mistakes, and the home team evened the score. George Box nearly made it 2-1 for the home team, but his attempt was foiled once more by some subpar finishing. Trialist A, who did a great job clearing the ball off the line after Connor Johns had been lobbed, was credited with rescuing the game for Swindon Supermarine.
Strong play by Swindon Supermarine early in the second quarter should have increased the score, but Williams managed to miss the target. But only a few minutes later, on the fifty-fifth minute, trialist A sent a fantastic whipped cross, and Harry Williams made up for it by expertly poking home at the near post, completing his brace.
With all the substitutions made by both teams, the game slowed down a little. However, with 20 minutes left, trialist B appeared to have been hacked down, but play was allowed to continue. As the visitors hesitated, Cleeve's substitute Harrison Reeve broke free and skillfully scored low past Johns to tie the game. A defensive blunder by Tom Sharpe almost allowed Cleeve to score, but Connor Johns made a great save low to keep the score tied. It was a crucial save because two minutes later, Conor McDonagh, who had played relatively quietly, made up for it with a spectacular goal.
Swindon Supermarine won the game 3-2 after receiving the ball from 25 yards out and smashing it into the top corner, leaving the home goalie with little chance. He was rightfully subjected to another powerful challenge in the box, which was met with a spot kick. While diving low to his right, the goalkeeper made an easy save as McDonagh stepped up but shot the ball poorly. But soon after, the game was over, and Swindon Supermarine was happy to take home the 3-2 victory. Bishop's Cleeve were resolute and they'll be tough to break down this season.
Scores On The Doors
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 2/10
Food and Drink: 3/10
Stadium: 4/5
Welcome: 9/10
Overall Experience: 5/10
GG
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