Page 28 - Keynsham Town v Street 271020

Founded in 1880, Street Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in Somerset and was christened with the nickname
“The Cobblers” due to a large shoe making history in the area. The club’s early years were fairly successful, winning
the Somerset Senior League on 4 occasions before the end of the century, the first time being the 1882/83 season.
The club also had early success in the Somerset Senior Cup as they lifted the trophy in 1898 and again 2 years later.
After winning the Somerset Senior League again in 1909/10, and the Somerset Senior Cup the following year, the club
made the decision to join the Western League.
With the Western League being disbanded in 1914 due to WW1, Street re-joined the league at the start of season
1919/20 in division 2. Unfortunately, the division was disbanded three years later so the club re-joined the Somerset
Senior League, where they remained for the next eight years before re-joining the Western League for the 1930/31
season. The first season back in division 2 was none too successful, finishing 16th out of 17, but two years later Street
were runners-up to Swindon Town Reserves - a feat they repeated in 1938 when finishing 2nd behind Weymouth - but
in those days there was no automatic promotion from division 2 into division 1.
The following season the club had its finest hour by reaching the 1st round proper of the FA Cup away at Football
League 3rd division Ipswich Town, but sadly lost 7-0. After WW2 Street returned to the Western League 1st division
and in season 1947/48 had a memorable campaign ending 3rd in the league and reaching the FA Cup 1st round for
the second time - after knocking out Yeovil Town 2-1 in front of a crowd of 5000 at the Victoria Field - where they were
beaten 5-0 by Cheltenham Town.
The 1952/53 season saw the club finish runners-up in division 1, losing out to Barnstaple Town who had a 0.01 better
goal average after the sides had finished level on 44 points. The club then went through a lean spell and was relegated
to division 2 in 1955 and then re-joined the Somerset Senior League in 1960 when the Western League division 2 was
again disbanded.
In the mid 1960’s the introduction of Tommy Wilson as manager saw the club’s fortunes rise again. At the same time,
they left the Victoria Field and moved to the Turnpike Ground where they were crowned Somerset Senior League
champions in 1964 - and again in 1966. In 1967 Street FC moved to their present home, the Tannery Ground, but times
were lean and by 1992 they had dropped to division 3.
The appointment of Noel O’Hare as manager in 1993 saw an upturn in fortunes and successive promotions came in his
first 2 seasons. At the end of the 1994/95 season Noel left and Simon White was appointed. Simon left after only 11
games of the season, but the club went on to gain promotion again and reached the final of the League Cup under the
guidance of Ken Randall. The following season Simon White returned and led the club to the Somerset Senior League
championship title for a record 8th time - and back into the Western League after a 37-year absence. The following
season floodlights and a seated stand were both erected and the changing rooms were enlarged.
After guiding the club to 4th place & 3rd place finishes in the first two seasons, Simon again left the club mid-way
through the 1999-2000 campaign. Neil Seymour & Julian Thresher then took over the reins, followed by Gerry Pearson
and then Alan Hooker, until Simon White was re-appointed at the start of the 2005/06 season and led the club to
promotion to the Western League Premier Division at the first attempt.
Dan Badman took over in 2011/12 and the following season the team finishing 6th; and went one better in 2013/14
finishing 5th. Season 2015/16 saw the team finish 7th in the league and reach the last 4 of the Somerset Premier Cup,
but at the end of the season Dan stepped down due to work commitments. The committee moved swiftly and
appointed ex-Bitton, Bridgwater & Paulton manager Richard Fey to take over and season 2016/17 saw his side
challenging all the way for the title with Bristol Manor Farm. In the end, however, the club had to settle for the runners-
up spot for only the second time in the club’s history.
The 2017/18 campaign was the Club’s 50th season in the Western League - and was a momentous one too! Early
results were a little indifferent, but starting on 12th September, Richard Fey’s charges completed a sensational run of
26 consecutive league victories that eventually saw the team win the title by 15 points (falling just one point short
of the century) after winning 32 out of their 38 games and scoring 100 goals, thus earning a place in the Southern
League for the first time in the Club’s history.
However, 2018/19 was to be the only season at the higher level for the club as it soon became clear that Southern
League football was a ‘step too far’: and despite a respectable 7 place finish, the decision was taken to protect the
th
long-term future of the club and return to the Toolstation Western League.
For the truncated 2019/20 season (and now 2020/21 season) the club has changed emphasis and has recruited a
management team and squad that focusses on youth and bringing players up through the club’s ranks… (E&OE)