Football club
 | |
| Full name | Beverley Town Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1902; 122 years ago (1902) |
| Ground | Norwood Park |
| Capacity | 1,000 (56 seated) |
| Chairman | Mark Smith |
| Manager | Dave Ricardo |
| League | Northern Counties East League Premier Division |
| 2023–24 | Northern Counties East League Division One, 2nd of 23 (promoted via play-offs) |
Beverley Town Football Club is a football club based in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and play their home games at Norwood Park.
History
Early Years
Beverley Town Football Club, has been in existence since 1902, when the club became registered as a member of the East Riding County League. The first recorded honours for Town, came in 1910–11 with victory in the Hospital Cup (later Stanley Wilson Cup). Although following this, the club was forced to disband in 1914, upon declaration of World War One. The club reformed after the war ended and remained in sporadic existence until 1939, when football was once again suspended following the commencement of the Second World War.
Some momentum was finally gained in 1948, after a merger with local side Beverley Rangers, which saw the team moved to its current home at Norwood Park, then known as the Norwood Recreation Ground. This came after former professional player Jack Gittoes, who had previously plied his trade at Coventry City and Blackpool persuaded his fellow cricket committee members to allow football onto the ground for the first time. In 1954 a further merger with Beverley United occurred and the club became a highly-competitive side on the East Riding County League scene for the next two decades. The highlight of which, was the team winning three East Riding Stanley Wilson Cup Finals during this era.
After disagreements with the grounds committee, the club left Norwood around 1970 and a nomadic existence was to follow, with Beverley Town sides continuing to play in the East Riding County League at various venues over the ensuing years. These included the former Victoria Barracks – now a Morrisons Supermarket; the Hodgsons Recreation Ground, Longcroft School, and Orchard Park playing fields in nearby Hull.
Humber Premier League
It was not until 2000, when a Beverley Town team was formed from the former Beverley Old Grammarians side and became a founder member of the then newly formed Humber Premier League that it finally became established as a presence of note once again. Town returned to its roots at Norwood Park and steady progress has been made since. The club lifted its first Humber Premier title in 2012–13 – under manager Dave Ricardo and coach Steve Mulligan, losing only one game in the process. A year later, Town won the Northern Counties Senior Cup in 2013–14, as they became one of only two East Riding County FA sides to have won this trophy its then forty-year history.
Beverley Town won a second Humber Premier title in 2020/21 and the following season the club were league runners-up, but gained promotion to the NCEL Division One as improvements to the Norwood ground meant it finally fulfilled league eligibility. This included the installation of a 56-seater stand named in honour of former player and local school teacher Ivan Usher. These improvements also included the reinstating of previous managerial team from 2012, when Beverley won its first Humber Premier title, including Dave Ricardo, Who had previously been managing Hull Road Rangers before taking on the Beverley job for the second time. In July 2022, Beverley announced the signing of former Sampdoria and Napoli winger, Daniele Mannini. The move came about after a chance encounter in which Mannini had met chairman Mark Smith whilst the two were walking dogs with Smith inviting him to pre-season training.
Northern Counties East League
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Beverley Town made their debut in the Northern Counties East Football League in the 2022–23 season which marked the first time in the club's history that they would play in the 10th division of English football. They would finish the season in 11th place on a respectable 51 points. Beverley were also the most supported club in the league. The following season, on 11 May 2024, the club was promoted to the NCEL Premier League after a thrilling penalty shootout in a play-off final against Shirebrook Town. This came after Beverley Town accumulated 103 points during the regular season which saw them secure the league runner-up position behind Parkgate FC.
In August 2024, Beverley participated in the FA Cup for the first time in 105 years, thus setting a record for the longest period between consecutive FA Cup games. Beverley played Whitley Bay F.C. in the Extra Preliminary Round at Norwood Park on 4 August. The game would see Kai Larkin sent off in the 12th minute for handling the ball on the line and conceding a penalty. Shortly after halftime, Beverley found themselves 0–3 down but would pull the score back to 2–3, eventually losing by this score. 912 fans attended, a record for this round of the cup.
Former Players
Over the years, several players who have represented Beverley Town at either junior or senior level, have gone on to play in the professional game. These include former Leeds, Tottenham, and England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, as well as former Hull City players, John Hawley; Ray Clubley, Linton Brown, Darren France, and Gavin Kelly. The team were also trained for a period in the 1960s by Hull City players John McSeveney and Andy Davidson – who remains Hull City's record appearances holder, with 579 games for the Tigers.
Stadium
Beverley play their home games at Norwood Park, also known as the Norwood Recreation Ground, which they share with Beverley Cricket Club. The western end of the football pitch is overlapped by a cricket field and so spectators are not permitted to stand at this end.
Norwood has one 56-seater stand named after the late Ivan Usher, a local schoolteacher, former player and lifelong supporter of the club. In 2023, three covered standing areas were built either side of the seated stand and running the length of the South side.
In December 2024, planning permission was approved to build a new stand on the eastern end of the pitch. This stand will combine seating and standing with approximately 50 seats and room for 100 standing fans.
The record attendance at Norwood was set in the 2023–24 NCEL Division 1 playoff final when 1,525 spectators attended.
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Extra preliminary round, 2024–25
- Best FA Vase performance: 1st round, 2024–25
Honours
- Northern Counties East League Division One
- Play-Off Champions 2023–24
- Humber Premier League Premier Division
- Champions 2012–13, 2013–14, 2020–21
- Runners-up 2021–22
53°50′59.1″N 0°25′50.1″W / 53.849750°N 0.430583°W / 53.849750; -0.430583
References
- NCEFL website - Beverley Town
- Former Serie A midfielder joins Beverley
- How a chance dog walk led a 10th tier English side to sign £7million Serie A star
- Bowman, Jack (1 August 2024). "History beckons for Beverley Town FC as 105-year wait for FA Cup magic ends". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 September 2024.