Hamble Club FC

WELCOME! All at Hamble Club FC welcome you to the FA CUP Extra Preliminary Round against Corsham Town. The FA Cup is in its 150th year and it is an honour to be playing in it. We welcome you to The Abbey and hope you enjoy game day. #UTM

BIG thanks to our Sponsors this season.

Hamble Club FC

Club History More than one year has been traced for the formation of Hamble Club, but it is 1969 which is deemed to be correct. Formed as Hamble FC, they made steady progress through the Southampton Junior League before merging with a Sunday team called Hamble Club and adopted their current name in 1981. From the senior divisions, Hamble Club were promoted to the League in 1993. They moved from their old Mount Pleasant base to the old College Fields and made a further move to what was then known as the Shell-Max Ground during the 2002/03 season, which remains their present home. Wessex members between 2004 and 2007, Hamble became Hampshire founders but failed to complete the 2012/13 season and had to start a division lower. This heralded the start of an upturn as they gained four promotions in five years, including one in their first season back in the Wessex League in 2017.

The Club was established in 1969, originally as a youth team. In 1993, they joined Division Three of the . The Club were Division Three champions in 1996/97 earning promotion to Division Two. In 2004, the Hampshire League merged into the Wessex League, with Hamble becoming members of the new Division Three. In 2006 the division was renamed division Two but at the end of 2006/07, the division was disbanded and the club became founder members of the Hampshire Premier League.

Hamble pulled out of the Hampshire Premier League during the 2012/13 season. Althought they were readmitted the following season, they started in the newly formed second tier of the League, division One. The Club were Division One runners-up in the 2013/14 season and were [promoted to the senior division and went on to win the Senior Division in 2014/15. After finishing third the following season, they were promoted to Division One and then were Division One champions in 2016/17, earning promotion to the Premier Division.

Corsham Town

The earliest record found of Corsham Football Club is 1878 with the club becoming affiliated to in 1893. Over the years, the team has often been referred to as the Quarrymen due to the high level of quarrying in and around Corsham.

In March 1894, the first Wiltshire Football League was formed with the original member clubs being Bradford, Calne, Chippenham, Corsham, Southbroom (Devizes), Melksham, Trowbridge Town, and Warminster. At the end of the 1894/95 season Corsham would be the inaugural champions, winning the league on goal average over Southbroom, helped by an emphatic 17 - 1 win over Calne in their final game. Corsham played on an area of land adjacent to the present-day Recreation Ground from 1912. After the Second World War council houses were built on the pitch and after missing the opportunity to relocate to the Grove Field, next to the cricket ground moved to the club’s present home at Southbank, Lacock Road in 1949. Promotion was achieved to the Western League at the end of the 1997/98 season after winning the county league by goal difference from Devizes Town Reserves.

Ground improvements continued under the chairmanship of Colin Hudd, floodlights were installed in 2001, a 112 spectator stand erected and hard standing laid around the pitch perimeter.

With the restructuring of the Western League, 2004/05 saw Corsham Town in the Western League Premier Division, finishing runners up at the first attempt and winning the Wiltshire Senior Cup. The success was to continue in the 2005/06 season with Corsham once again runners up in the Premier Division, a Les Phillips Cup Final victory over Willand Rovers and another Wiltshire Senior Cup win, this time over Melksham Town.

2006/07 season saw Corsham Town winning the Western League Premier Division, which was hotly contested by many teams, including Bridgwater Town and Frome Town. The club also added a third successive Wiltshire Senior Cup victory, again over local rivals Melksham Town. Justin Flowers was promoted to first team manager for the 2018/19 season following the surprise resignation of first team manager Jamie Harrison, who has accepted a higher position at Yeovil Town Academy. Justin Flowers has been at the club since he was 16, playing in our U18’s, Reserves, and 1st team, and is one of the club’s most decorated players. More recently he has managed the reserve team where he has also been successful. He was assisted by Phil Golding; Graham Learmonth and his ever-faithful physio Stuart Joslin.

Due to the Covid pandemic the 2019/20 season was declared null and void by the Football Association on 26th March 2020.

Justin Flowers and his backroom staff parted with the club at the end of the null and void 2019/20 season and moved across to Malmesbury Victoria.

The 2020/21 season saw Keiran Baggs becoming the new manager with Gary Higdon as his assistant. Unfortunately, after 10 league games the 2020/21 was curtailed by the FA due to the Covid pandemic.