Page 25 - Ashton & Backwell FC v Buckland Athletic 020422

Today’s Visitors

which is still relatively young in age. Everyone at the club is looking forward to this new
challenge, with Gaffer Antony Lynch once again leading the 1 Team. In our first season
st
we finished in tenth place in the final table, but we did win the hospitality Award and the
Programme Award. The 2013-14season, the 1 Team will be managed by our very
st
successful 2 Team manager Adam Castle who took over from Antony Lynch towards the
nd
end of the 2012-13 season, with the team finishing the season in 11 place. It was
th
another great season in the history of this great club when the 1 team finished in
st
runners-up spot in the Western League Premier Division, the highest finish in the clubs
history in the non-league pyramid. We also won the Premier Division best programme
award for the third consecutive season, making it eight consecutive league wins in the
last eight seasons. The 1st Team managed by Adam Castle finished in 4th Place in the
Western League Premier Division, but not good enough to reach our goal of promotion.
The team made it through to the 6 Round of the FA Vase, whilst finishing in 4 place in
th
th
the league table, but once again just missed out on promotion, in the 2016-17, we also
won the hospitality award and best programme awards. It was a fifth place finish in the
2017-18, but we did win the Les Phillips Cup for the first time, but it will be the fixture
congestion at the end of the campaign which will be remembered with the number of
games our lads had to play including four games in four days and three games in three
days, and having played fifteen games in twenty-four days. We also won the best
programme award for a fifth time in six seasons.. It was a turbulent season 2018-19, as
three managers were used, starting with Craig Duff, then interim boss Adam Castle, and
finally Richard Pears (who will continue in the job for the 2019-20 season). We finished
in ninth place in the Premier table, and again won the best programme award.
Grounds…..
As said previously we have had a number of grounds over our lifetime, starting with
council owned pitches at Sandringham Park (During our time as a junior team), Coach
Road and then Decoy Park. In 1992-93 we secured the use of Homers Lane in
Kingsteignton (owned by local clay company WBB), and we built that ground up to Devon
league standard, which included a small stand, enclosed playing surface and hard
standing on three sides. But our big break came in 2003 when we were given the option
by WBB to take on South Quarry, on the Torquay side of Newton Abbot, and after a lot of
hard work and sweat by a huge number of volunteers, we started life at the newly named
Homers Heath for the start of the 2005-06 season, with work on the ground and fabulous
clubhouse on-going every season since then. On to the 2015-16 season, firstly there was
substantial drainage work done to the playing surface during the summer, and we must
thank Viridor Credits for their help in funding these works. Also during the season a lot
of work was carried out at Homers Heath, including a new covered standing area, which
incorporates two new turn-stiles. The ground was fenced in, and an impressive outside
toilet block was built. This work al-lowed the club to achieve a ‘D’ Ground Grade which is
good enough for Southern League football.

The 2nds and 3rds….
The 2 Team started life in the Devon and Exeter League spending many seasons in this
nd
league, gaining promotion right through to the Premier Division. But, the club took the
decision for the 2007-08 season to move the 2nds from the D & E League to the South
Devon League. The 2nds have enjoyed a lot of success over the seasons, with league
titles, Devon Senior (three) and Intermediate Cups, all being won by them, with last
season winning the prestigious Herald Cup. The 3 Team started life in the South Devon
rd
league in 2003-04 season, and they had managed to win promotion every season,