Page 23 - Brislington FC v Clevedon Town 280821

Clevedon Town FC - A History cont..

2008 at the bo om of the Premier Division, and Wayne was relieved of his du es. The task of saving
Clevedon Town from relega on in 2009 was handed to former Port Talbot Town manager Nick
Tucker. Nick and his management team immediately brought in a few new players, who gelled
quickly into the team and, as results gradually improved, Clevedon Town ended the season in 18 th
place - one place and two points above the relega on zone.
Most of the players were retained for season 2009/2010 but, as the UK recession started to bite,
Clevedon were forced to reduce the budget again and several senior members of the squad le in
January 2010. Nick Tucker brought in replacements but the team con nued to struggle, par cularly
at home, so in late March 2010 with The Seasiders languishing in 20 place, Nick offered his
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resigna on, which was accepted by the Directors. Peter Beadle, once a prolific striker with both
Bristol Rovers and Bristol City, who had a brief spell at Clevedon as coach under Kevin Hodges, as
well as managerial experience with Taunton Town and Newport County, was asked to return to The
Hand as caretaker manager to lead Clevedon through another ba le to avoid relega on. However,
despite “Beads” best efforts, the team picked up just two points from his eight games in charge and
Clevedon were duly relegated a er finishing in 21 place.
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In the summer of 2010 former Bristol City, Wycombe Wanderers and Northampton Town defender
Micky Bell was appointed as the new manger of Clevedon Town and he assembled a young but
inexperienced squad that finished 20 in their first season back in Division One South & West. In
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2011/12 they again came 20 in the league. But it was in the cup compe ons that Clevedon
achieved great success as they won The Red Insure Southern League Cup, bea ng Premier Division
team Banbury United 2-1 on aggregate, and then were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Conference South
ou it Weston-super-Mare in the Somerset Premier Cup Final. Further cup success eluded the team
in 2012/13, but they improved their finishing league posi on to 15 in a season that featured away
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wins at all four of the play-off teams.
In January 2014 Micky Bell parted company from Clevedon Town and former player Paul
McLoughlin was asked to move up from his roles as first team coach and head of the academy and
youth sec ons to take over as manager. The team went on to finish 17 and followed this in
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2014/15 with 18 place. However, due to problems with the floodlights at The Hand Stadium,
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Clevedon Town were demoted back to the Western League for the start of the 2015/16 season,
Paul McLoughlin resigned and almost all the players le . In October 2015 a sponsorship deal was
agreed with a personal fitness company and the Hand Stadium was renamed The Everyone Ac ve
Stadium. Micky Bell returned to take charge of the team and his young inexperienced squad ended
their first campaign back at Step 5 in 19 place. Steady improvement has seen finishes of 14 in
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2016/17, 12 in 2017/18 and 6 in 2018/19.
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No history of Clevedon would be complete without paying tribute to the Hand family, without
whom the Club would almost certainly not exist. H G Hand (Secretary 1895-1912) and A W Hand
(Secretary 1918-1968) were followed by Doug Hand, who re red as Club President at the end of the
1994/95 season a er 50 years service to the club, much spent in the same way as his father and
grandfather, as Club Secretary. Doug sadly passed away in November 2013 aged 92. Without their
enthusiasm and hard work over the years, the club would probably not be in the posi on it is now
and it was only the wisdom of A W, in buying the Teignmouth Road site, which laid the founda ons
for the present successful club. It was a fi ng tribute that the present ground was originally named
The Hand Stadium a er them, and the families’ service to the club has been recognised by the FA.