Page 15 - Brislington FC v Shirehampton 200224

Shirehampton FC - A History

bea ng Ashton and Backwell in the final (1-0) The league season was all the more remarkable with
the team scoring an amazing 118 goals with significant goal contribu ons from Nick Alexander
(17), Sco Bamford (18), Jack Barnes (16), Tony Beecham (20), Danny Copland (18) and
Dan Griffiths (10) ending one of the finest seasons in our history up to that date.
2011-2013 saw top 10 finishes in the premier division but success returned in 2014-2015
Season 2014-2015 was up there in terms of success with ex player Tony Beecham returning
as Manager with Rob Sage as his assistant, steering the First team to the brink of an
incredible treble by winning the Premier Division Championship, runners up in the League
cup to Bridgwater Town Res (narrowly missing out losing 4-2 on pens) and also reaching the final of
the GFA Challenge Trophy, narrowly missing out 2-0 to Bristol Manor Farm who were 2 steps higher
in the football pyramid at that me. Quite a season!!
Following Tony Beecham’s decision to seek higher managerial posi ons elsewhere, Chairman Pete
McCall stepped back into the Manager’s role in 2015-2016 who was assisted by Ex-Bristol City Player
Lee Rogers leading the First team to a top 4 finish and the following season 2016-2017 finishing
Runners up to Watchet Town pipping Nailsea and Tickenham to 2nd spot on the final game of the
season. This season was also successful for the Reserve Team managed by Kyle Davies (Dennz) and
Jack Harding, finishing runners up in the B&D senior Division to Stapleton and gaining promo on and
a return to the Bristol Premier Combina on league a er an absence of 15 years.
Yet another Somerset County League cup win came our way in 2017-2018 where we were winners
against Timsbury Athle c, winning 5-2 with Sco Bamford scoring a Hat-trick.
With Pete McCall stepping down in 2019, Assistant Lee Rogers took charge and sat comfortably top
of the Somerset Premier League table in March 2020, when due to the Covid-19 pandemic the
season was curtailed. Could this have been our 4th league tle? Some at the club think so and will
be remembered as our ghost tle!
Due to the FA having a major re-shuffle within the football pyramid, lateral movement at step 7 for
season 2020-2021 saw us move from the Somerset County League our home since 1975 to the
Gloucestershire County League. In the 45 years compe ng in the Somerset league we spent only a
hand full of years playing outside of the Premier Division mostly finishing top 10 or be er.
The move to the Gloucestershire County league gave everyone at the club a li and a er two
disrupted seasons, a decision was made to ground share with our neighbours Bristol Manor Farm at
the Creek (while our long-protracted applica on for facility upgrades at Penpole Lane rumble on)
with a view to finally obtaining Step 6 Western league football (our aim since our first Somerset tle
back in 2000). Liam Greening was appointed the First Team Manager in the summer of 2021 bringing
lots of Western League experience to the club. A er being top of the Gloucestershire County League
for most of the 2021/2022 season we missed out on the tle on the final game of the season seeing
us finish runners up to Wick. With news coming in June 2022 that the facili es at Wick did not meet
step 6 requirements, we were informed that we were to be promoted to step 6 football in the
Toolsta on Western League with the ground-share at Bristol Manor Farm looking a shrewd decision
by Pete McCall, we had finally achieved Pete’s vision.
2022 saw the club celebrate their 70-year anniversary in style when we played our first ever step 6
game on 30th July 2022 in the Toolsta on Western League verses Longwell Green Sports. A narrow
defeat on the day could not dampen a celebra on on our achievement and 70 years in existence as
a Football club.
The 2022/23 season very nearly saw back-to-back promo ons for the first team a er bea ng Wells
City in the semi-final playoff only to agonisingly and narrowly miss out with a 2-1 defeat to Longwell
Green Sports in the final. The reserves under the leadership of Joe Wheeler also narrowly missed out
on promo on finishing 1 point off a promo on place. However there was success for the A team
under leadership of Kyle Davies and Ben Purdy with a double promo on to the B&D div 3.