Stevenage Borough F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Stevenage Borough


fullname = Stevenage Borough Football Club
nickname = The Boro
founded = 1976
ground = Broadhall Way
Stevenage
capacity = 7,100
chairman = flagicon|ENG Phil Wallace
manager = flagicon|ENG Graham Westley
league = Conference National
season = 2007–08
position = Conference National, 6th
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leftarm2=69AEE7|body2=69AEE7|rightarm2=69AEE7|shorts2=1A62D1|socks2=69AEE7|

Stevenage Borough F.C. are an English football team based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, currently playing in the Conference National. Their home ground is Broadhall Way, Stevenage.

History

Stevenage has had several early football clubs dating back to the 19th century all of which have now ceased. Stevenage Borough was formed in 1976 after the bankruptcy of Stevenage Athletic. Borough then progressed quickly through to the Conference in 1993-94 under the management of Paul Fairclough. Stevenage Borough reached their apex in 1995-96 when they won the Conference Championship, but were denied promotion to the Football League Division Three as their stadium did not meet the requirements for Football League grounds and the total capacity of 6,000 (including 1,000 seats) was not in place.

The closest they have come to playing in the Football League since was in a defeat to Carlisle United in the 2004/2005 Conference Playoff Final which they lost 1-0.

The Stevenage Borough that we know today was formed in 1976 by a group of enthusiasts after the demise of the former town club, Stevenage Athletic. Following the bankruptcy of Athletic, the Broadhall Way pitch was dug up with JCB's in a determined effort to ensure it never saw football again. Since then, with help from the local authority, there has been a continuous re-build of the stadium, culminating in the splendid 7,100 capacity ground that is recognized today as one of the best outside the Football League.

The team started out playing in the Chiltern Youth league on a roped off pitch at the town's King George V playing fields and moved up to intermediate status joining the Wallspan Southern Combination. In 1980 the club moved back to the Broadhall Way Stadium and the name Borough was added. With the council as their landlords and a refurbished stadium, Stevenage Borough took on senior status and joined the United Counties League.

In their first season as a senior club Stevenage Borough won the double of United Counties Division One Championship and Cup before switching across the non-league pyramid into the Isthmian League Division Two winning the league in their first season in a senior competition and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Vase and the Herts Senior Cup Final.

The beginning of the 1990's saw a new era for the Ryman Division Two North outfit. Borough romped away with the Division Two North Championship, amassing an incredible 107 points. They scored 122 goals in league matches and had a 100 per cent home record. The following season, Borough won the Division One Championship and, for the second season running, held an unbeaten home record. In the 1992/93 season, now in the Premier division, Dulwich Hamlet finally ended their remarkable unbeaten home record on their 45th home game. The record read: played 44, won 42, and drawn 2.

In 1993/94 Stevenage Borough achieved promotion to the Football Conference. The 1995/96 season saw Stevenage Borough win the Football Conference in only their second season, but, due to FA rules, they were denied promotion to the Football League due to insufficient ground facilities and capacity. 1996/97 also had it's exciting moments as the club reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy and the 3rd round of the FA Cup being rewarded with a "home"tie against Birmingham City after disposing of Leyton Orient.

Though the tie had been drawn as a Stevenage Borough home game, the FA ruled that the Broadhall Way Stadium was not big enough to hold the tie, and the game was played at Birmingham's St. Andrews Stadium. With home advantage given to Stevenage, the Broadhall Way match day presenter Andrew Green introduced the match to a crowd of 15,536. Borough were to bow out that day, but not before making a stir.

In the following season, 1997/98, Stevenage continue their good fortune in the FA Cup as they reached the 4th round for the first time, with wins against Cambridge Utd and a stunning victory at 1st division Swindon. Borough were then richly rewarded with a home tie against Premier Division Newcastle United. This time the club were not going to let the tie be held at any other stadium. A temporary stand was erected behind the away end to house the 'Toon Army', which increased the stadium capacity to 8,040, enough to satisfy the FA. Borough were to rock the football world as they held the multi-million pound side to a 1-1 draw, before travelling north for the replay in which, although being written off by many a pundit, they finally went down 2-1 in a hugely entertaining tie.

Between the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons, news emerged that the club were in financial difficulties and that the chairman was going to close the club down if no buyer was found. Several nervous weeks went by, as Stevenage Borough seemed to grind to a halt. Nobody in the town wanted to see another club bearing the name 'Stevenage' go bust. However, after several weeks of worrying and speculation, salvation was at hand in the shape of former Boreham Wood Chairman and businessman, Phil Wallace, who purchased the club and set about rebuilding the finances and the relationship with the local council.

Although things were difficult financially behind the scenes, the next season started with a bang on the pitch, as Stevenage shot to a record-breaking start, winning their first 6 games. But the run soon stopped, and the nerves set in as points proved hard to come by. Early exits from the FA Cup and FA Trophy and a slow slide down the table saw another manager relieved of his duties mid-way through a season and Borough finished the season in a respectable tenth place.

Off the pitch, the club were now making tremendous progress with a new £500,000 stand opening, providing a computer learning centre underneath. Several upgrades to the ground had already taken place and work on a new £2 million training facility was announced for nearby Shephalbury Park - which subsequently opened for business in Autumn 2002. The 2001/2 season was to finish with a bang as a tremendous run of form took them to the FA Trophy Final for the first time in their history. Amid tremendous excitement, a crowd of around 20,000 saw Borough go down 2-0 to Yeovil at Villa Park in a entertaining match shown live on Sky TV.

A poor start to the 2002/03 season, culminated in the club hitting the bottom of the Conference on Boxing Day 2002. This reality check resulted in another change of manager and a renewed determination not to be at this end of the table again. A period of consolidation followed until Borough reached the play offs in season 2004/5, winning through the semis to take part in the Promotion Final against Carlisle United, held at The Britannia Stadium in Stoke. Unfortunately Borough went down 1-0 in a game many thought they should have won and the club were destined for another season in the Conference, with Carlisle promoted to the Football league.

The following season, 2005/6 was solid but uninspiring and a new manager was appointed in the summer of 2006. From a terrible start the season got better and better, culminating in a terrific run in the FA Trophy to reach the Finals. The news some weeks later that the Final was to be held at the New Wembley captured the imagination of the town and Borough sold 26,000 tickets in less than two weeks to play their part in a 53,000 crowd at Wembley. The match was an exciting affair with Borough 2-0 down at half time and looking down and out. However a spirited second half saw them draw level and clinch the FA Trophy with an 88th minute winner from Steve Morison, creating a remarkable record of 3 consecutive FA Trophy wins for new manager Mark Stimson. The open top bus ride that followed this victory was watched by over 15,000 at short notice and the FA Trophy came to Stevenage as the first piece of silverware won in the decade since Borough won the FA Conference.

Mark Stimson, one of the more successful managers at Stevenage Borough, resigned on 17 October 2007. He was replaced by Peter Taylor on 1 November 2007 Club chairman Phil Wallace said 'This is a Championship appointment in the Conference and shows our desire to compete for promotion this season and next. This is breathtaking news for the town of Stevenage. Peter is one of the finest coaches in the country.'

Despite Taylor's appointment being widely heralded, Stevange finished in only 6th place, failing to make the play-offs, and on the 28th April 2008, he resigned as Stevenage Borough manager after only 6 months at the club.

On the 2nd May 2008, it was announced that former manager Graham Westley would return to manage the side once again. He signed a one-year deal.

Honours

* FA Trophy
** 2006-07
* Football Conference
** 1995-96
* Isthmian League Premier Division
** 1993-94
* Isthmian League Division Two North
** 1990-91
* Isthmian League Division One
** 1991-92

Players

:"As of 3 October 2008."cite web
title = Stevenage Borough
url = http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2007-2008/confprem/stevenage.htm
publisher = FootballSquads
accessdate = 2007-11-23]

Current squad

Former players of note

* Akpo Sodje - Sheffield Wednesday
* Barry Hayles - Leicester City
* Efetobore Sodje - Gillingham
* Giuliano Grazioli - Barnet
* Sam Sodje - Reading
* D.J. Campbell - Leicester City
* George Boyd - Peterborough United
* Ray Houghton - Oxford United, Liverpool & Aston Villa
* David Phillips - Manchester City, Coventry City, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest
* Lionel Perez - Sunderland, Newcastle, Cambridge United
* Anthony Elding - Stockport County, Leeds United
* Adam Miller - Gillingham
* Barry Fuller - Gillingham
* Stuart Lewis - Gillingham
* John Nutter - Gillingham
* Isaiah Rankin - Arsenal,Bolton Wanderers,Bradford City,Barnsley,Grimsby Town,Brentford

References

External links

* [http://www.stevenageborofc.com/ Stevenage Borough Football Club] Official Website
* [http://www.boroguide.co.uk/ BoroGuide] Unofficial Website
* [http://www.sa4sbfc.co.uk/ Stevenage Borough Supporters Association]