Page 22 - Keynsham Town FC v Wells City 251123

Wells City Football Club was founded on May 27 1890 when a meeting was held in the Star
th
Hotel in Wells. Success was immediate winning the first ever Somerset league title a feat
repeated the following year. In 1892/93 Wells entered the Bristol & District league, the
forbearer of today’s Toolstation Western League of which Wells is a founder member. It was
recorded that it was a Wells player who scored the first ever goal on the opening day of the
season in a 2-0 victory Vs Mangotsfield. In 1893/4 Wells re-joined the Somerset Senior
league as well as moving to their present location at Rowdens Road. Wells were invited back
into the Western League in1928/29 and competed in both the Somerset and Western
leagues eventually leaving the county league in 1931. After the war years Wells competed
in Div. 1of the Western league eventually winning being crowned champions in 1949/50
pipping Poole Town on goal difference. Success became more difficult in the following years
and Wells City re-joined the Somerset Senior League in 1960-61 with the Reserves
competing in the Mid-Somerset Football League. The club finished very much mid –table
until 1965-66 when they were third behind Street and Welton Rovers Reserves. They were
Runners-Up behind Paulton Rovers in 1971-82.

Between 1977 and 1998 Wells suffered from the yo-yo effect, promotion to the Premier
division one year, relegation the next. It wasn’t until the 1999/2000 season that Wells once
again cemented themselves in the County’s premier division.

Wells City became Somerset Senior Cup champions in 2006-07 season defeating Burnham
on Sea at Weston super Mare’s Woodspring Stadium 2-1.
After an absence of almost 50 years, Wells City returned to the Western League Division 1
in 2008-09 with a mid-table finish.
Wells City was crowned Toolstation Western League Division One Champions at the end of
2009-10 season. In 2011 Wells reached the 2 qualifying round of the FA Cup with a home
nd
tie to Woking Fc with the visitors coming away comfortable winners. That was to be the
highlight for Wells as after only a brief spell of 3 seasons in the Premier division found them
relegated back into Division 1 in 2012-13.
A period of rebuilding was needed and a few seasons in the lower mid table positions
followed. A change in direction late 2014 which has seen a gradual change in fortunes
resulting in Wells having their most successful season to date; gaining promotion back to
the Toolstation Western League Premier Division and becoming Champions of Somerset
beating Taunton Town, Frome Town, Weston S Mare and a thrilling 2 – 1 victory over
Larkhall Athletic in the final to lift the Somerset Premier Cup for the first time in the clubs
history.
This success was yet again short lived, after only a couple of seasons in the Premier division
Wells were again relegated to Division 1, and another period of rebuilding began with a
credible mid table finish. Management duo of Tom Clifford-Jones and Nathan Truckle will be
looking at this as a platform to push onwards for the forthcoming season.