Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this instalment, AFC Finners and I returned to Nailsworth for some Hellenic League Division One action as Shortwood United faced Pershore Town. Our hosts were Pershore Town, who were looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Nailsworth was a settlement in ancient times at the confluence of the Avening and Woodchester valleys, on the Nailsworth Stream, and from the first or second centuries CE on the Roman Fosse Way. Beverston Castle and Owlpen Manor are two of the area's many notable historic mediaeval buildings.
Nailsworth was a small mill town and brewing centre in the modern era. Between 1867 and 1947, it was directly connected to the UK national rail network as the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway terminus.
Shortwood is a 1 mile south-west hamlet that was transferred from Horsley to Nailsworth by Order in Council in 1896. The Baptists have a burial ground here dating from 1715, on part of which two chapels stood until the second was moved to Nailsworth in 1881: there is a mortuary chapel nearby, connected with the burial ground, and an infants' school adjoining.
It's All In The Name
Shortwood United is known as 'The Woods.' This is an abbreviation for their full name. The name Shortwood comes from the fact that the area used to be covered by a forest. 'Wood' means "forest."
Some Notable People From Nailsworth
W.H. Davies- Poet
Joseph Edkins- Missionary to China
Michael Bichard- Civil Servant
Pete Reed- Olympic Rower
Some Notable Former Players:
John Finnigan
Josh Klein-Davies
Jake Lee
Rhys Lovett
A History Lesson From AFC Finners
Shortwood United was founded in 1900 and has since played at four different grounds: Nailsworth Playing Field, Table Land, Wallow Green, and finally, Meadowbank, in 1972.
League football began in the Stroud League, and after continued success in the 1970s, promotion to the Northern Senior League and then the Gloucestershire County League was achieved. Promotion to the Hellenic League was achieved in 1981, only to be relegated in their first season, but finishing runners-up the following year ensured immediate re-promotion. Shortwood won the Hellenic Division One Cup and the GFA Trophy in 1983, and the Hellenic League the following year. It would be another six years before the treble of League winners, GFA Trophy, and Stroud Charity Cup was completed. Six years later, they completed a treble by winning the league and two cups.
They fell out of favour over the next few decades, but a comeback in the late 2000s saw them promoted to the Southern League in 2012. Shortwood's fortunes began to improve in the 2007/08 season, when they finished fifth in the league and won the supplementary cup, defeating Ardley 4-2 in the final. The following season, after a good run in the FA Cup and semi-finalists in the League Cup, they pushed eventual Champions Hungerford to the final day of the season, where they lost out on goal difference despite amassing 99 points and scoring 99 goals.
Shortwood's fine form continued the following season, when they finished second in the league to Almondsbury, runners-up in the GFA Trophy to Almondsbury, had good FA Cup and Vase runs, and reached the Floodlit Cup final. After losing the away leg 3-0 to Reading Town, they produced one of the most exciting comebacks and entertaining matches ever seen at Meadowbank, where the score remained 0-0 until the 67th minute, when the deadlock was broken and Shortwood won 5-0. (AET).
For the first time in the 13-14 season, they reached the first round of the FA Cup, defeating National League side Aldershot Town to set up a tie with Port Vale, with the 4-0 defeat being broadcast live on television and over 1000 spectators in attendance. They left the Southern League in 2018 and now play in the Hellenic League Division One.
And here's a fun fact: the combined stadium capacity of Shortwood and the other Nailsworth team, Forest Green, is greater than Nailsworth's population of around 5500.
Honours
🏆 Hellenic League Premier Division (Champions: 1984–85, 1991–92)
🏆 Hellenic League Division One Cup (Winners: 1982–83)
🏆 Gloucestershire County League (Champions: 1981–82)
🏆 Gloucestershire FA Trophy (Winners: 1982–83, 1991–92, 2010–11)
An Interview With Shortwood United Director Of Football: Jason Scrivens
GG: Could you tell us a little bit about Shortwood United Football Club?
JS: The club was founded in Shortwood, Nailsworth, in 1900. In the early 1970s, the club was promoted from the Stroud and District League to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League before joining the Gloucestershire County League in 1975. After finishing second in 1979-80 and 1980-81, the club won the league in 1981-82 and was promoted to the Hellenic League's Premier Division. The club was promoted to the Southern League in 2012 after finishing second in 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2011-12. For the first time in the club's history, the club reached the first round of the FA Cup in 2013-14. Shortwood advanced to the first round after defeating Football Conference club Aldershot Town away from home in the fourth qualifying round. The game was broadcast live on BT Sport. The 4-0 home defeat set a new attendance record of 1,247. The club resigned from the Southern League at the end of the 2017-18 season, and we then entered the Western Premier League with a very young squad, the oldest being 22 years old and the youngest being 16 years old. After a tough season in which the youngsters gave it their all, we found ourselves back in Hellenic Division One.
GG: How important is Shortwood United to the community?
JS: Shortwood is a community club, with many of its supporters and committee members hailing from the Shortwood/Nailsworth area.
GG: Is there a star player in the team?
JS: I wouldn't say there is a standout player because it is a team effort, but one player stands out who recently played his 100th game, and that is Joe Tryner.
GG: What are the club's future ambitions?
JS: Our goals are to return to the Premier League and to continue the progression of our U18s into senior football through our Reserve side, which plays in Hellenic 2 West, and our U18s, who currently play in the Cheltenham Floodlight League.
GG: If you could bring in one player, who would it be and why?
JS: If I could bring in one player, Ashley Thomas, who was captain and the rock of our defence a few years ago and is now a club legend living in America.
GG: How does it feel to support a non-league team, and how does it differ from supporting a team in the higher leagues?
JS: In my opinion, supporting any non-league club is far superior to supporting a higher league club because this is where real people watch their local clubs.
GG: Can you tell us something interesting about Shortwood United?
JS: Here's a fun fact: one of our former managers, John Evo Evans, is now an England vets cricket player about to embark on an Australia tour.
GG: Finally, why should people come down to watch the club, and what should they expect?
JS: We are a welcoming club that welcomes everyone through the turnstiles for a chat, a beer, and the best sausage and chips in town.
Matchday: Shortwood United 0-3 Pershore Town
We didn't have much time to plan our trip to see Shortwood because it was a last-minute decision. We went to Shortwood on a cold, rainy winter weekend, and the drive there was a nightmare. The roads around Nailsworth are horrendously difficult to navigate, and there was a lot of traffic-which, in retrospect, was probably due to the Forest Green Rovers vs. Alvechurch game, which was only five minutes away. The ground isn't well marked, with only one small sign on the road that it's on, so make sure you have a satnav ready before embarking on the journey.
Due to our late arrival, we immediately went to the food shed and got some food. The value was exceptional, with cheeseburgers, chips, veggie burgers, and chocolate bars all available for £3.50 or less. I went with the burger, which came with some delicious caramelised onions and chips. I'm not a big fan of chips, so I'm not sure why I keep buying them, but the burger was delicious and reasonably priced. I later returned and purchased a non-league hot chocolate in a mug, which added to the visit's sense of homeliness.
We then went to the clubhouse, which has a variety of signed shirts on display, including some from Mainz FC in Germany, which is strange but I like that. In addition, they had their trophies from their history on display, which was a nice touch. There was also a large screen showing the game between Poland and Saudi Arabia. We bought our pin badges in this clubhouse for £3, which was a fairly standard price.
We then completed our standard ground circuit. The ground has two main stands, one called the Howard Webb (no, not him) Stand and another smaller stand directly opposite. Both have a large number of seats available for use if desired. The hill that a supporter can sit on behind one of the goals is a large quirky feature of the ground that adds a unique opportunity for football fans to take advantage of.
The people we met were very friendly and helpful, but I must admit that the majority of them were from the Pershore Town contingent. Their fans were delightful, full of good humour and pleasant conversation. The person working in the food stall, as well as the man working in the club bar, were both extremely friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere was lacking. A variety of factors could have contributed to this, including: the weather, the weather, or the weather- it was freezing. The fans cheered on their players, and there was a lot of chatter, so it wasn't completely silent, though there were a couple of moments when it was almost like a horror movie- it was that quiet. However, you don't expect any football ultras to yell "no pyro, no party" at this level.
Teamsheet
Shortwood United
Manager: Ian Soule
Alex Freeman
Kieran Marks
Alex Barrett
Nathan Marks
Joe Tryner (c)
Fin Byrnes
Nathan Payne
Orgest Pepa
Luke Soule
Jake Rhodes
Keegan Bowes
Substitutes
Chris Earle
Lewis Tosdevine
Jacob Eakers
Louis Peyton
Pershore Town
Manager: Danny Janes
Eddie Cox
Logan Stoddart
Sean Cooke
Jordan Jones ⚽️
Kirk Layton (c)
Matt Nutt
Jamie Clarke
Harry Burns
Danny Murphy ⚽️
Josh Willis ⚽️
Wil Beach
Substitutes
Max Thomas
Scott Hammond
James Baldwin
Aidan Clark
Mark Magee
The game began fairly evenly, with both teams attempting to gain a foothold in the game. Pershore Town took the lead first, as a well-worked free kick from the left found its way to Jamie Clarke, who set up Josh Willis, who tucked the ball away in the far corner. Pershore looked set to double their lead, and they would have been stunned when Jamie Clarke hit the post twice, followed by Jordan Jones, who fired over from close range. Just before the break, Pershore managed to double their lead. Josh Willis unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box that smacked off the crossbar, with Jordan Jones volleying in the loose ball.
Shortwood looked for a way back into the game in the second half, playing some slick passing football, but Pershore punished them early for leaving their defence exposed. Danny Murphy was able to slot underneath Shortwood goalkeeper Adam Thomas to make it 3-0 after Josh Willis played him through. In reality, the score should have been 4-0 by the end of the game. James Baldwin, a Pershore substitute, was played through on goal and managed to round the keeper before shooting wide of the far post.
Pershore Town won 3-0, and they appear to be a strong title contender. Shortwood United can take a lot of positives from their performance, and they appear to be on track to finish in the top half of the league table.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 3.5/10
Food and Drink: 8/10
Stadium: 3/10
Welcome: 6/10
Overall Experience: 6.5/10
GG
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