Page 23 - Yate Town FC v Dorchester Town 290822

In Town today DORCHESTER TOWN F.C.

Founded in 1880, Dorchester Town were Dorset Senior
Cup finalists in 1888 and 1890 before joining the Dorset
League in 1896. Despite being founder members of the
league, the club had little success before winning the
championship in 1937/38 with a 2–0 victory at Sherborne
on 25 April 1938.
The club joined the Western League in 1947,
winning promotion from Division Two in 1950, and going
on to take the league championship in 1954/55. The
fifties proved to be a successful decade for the Magpies,
winning the Dorset Senior Cup for the first time, and having a number of good runs
in the FA Cup facing the likes of Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Port Vale and
Plymouth Argyle.
Following four more victories in the Dorset Senior Cup, the club entered
the Southern League (Division One South) in 1972. They first tasted success in this
division when they finished runners-up to Margate in 1977/78, going unbeaten in
the final 16 matches of the season, with manager David Best utilising his links with
old club AFC Bournemouth to attract former first-teamers such as John
O'Rourke, Jack Howarth and Harry Redknapp to the Avenue.
The formation of the Alliance League unfortunately meant the Magpies
ended up back in the reformed Southern Division a year later, but the club
celebrated its centenary by winning the Southern Division in 1979/80 by a one-
point margin over Aylesbury. Stuart Bell succeeded David Best as manager during
the season, and the Magpies went unbeaten in the last 14 games to clinch the title.
A young Trevor Senior impressed alongside ever-present top scorer Paul Thorne,
whilst Graham Roberts joined neighbours Weymouth early in the campaign for
£6,000 before going on to star for Tottenham Hotspur and England.
Senior stayed with Dorchester for a further two seasons, before signing for
Portsmouth during the 1981/82 season for £35,000. Before leaving the Magpies,
Senior helped the club reach the 2nd Round of the FA Cup again before losing out
to AFC Bournemouth in a replay at Dean Court. A goal four minutes from the end
of extra time was enough to end Dorchester's dreams of a place in the third round –
a feat they have still yet to achieve.
Relegated at the end of the 1983/84 season, a remarkable turnaround
followed, and Dorchester returned to the Premier Division as champions at the end
of the 1986/87 season, taking the title following a goalless draw at runners-up
Ashford on the final day of the season.
The return to the top Southern Division was a rollercoaster of emotions for
Dorchester fans. Having been a mid-table team for a number of years, a brush with
relegation came at the start of the nineties, and Stuart Morgan was introduced as
manager in 1993. In his first full season, Morgan took the club to sixth in the
league, followed by the sale of Darren Garner to Rotherham United for £30,000
during the summer.
The following seasons were a mixture of highs-and-lows, flirting with
relegation on a number of occasions, facing Oxford United in the 1st Round of the