Ollerton Town F.C.

Ollerton Town Football Club is a football club based in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, England. The men's team play in the East Midlands Counties League whilst the ladies team plays in the East Midlands Women's Regional Football League.

Ollerton Town
Full nameOllerton Town Football Club
Nickname(s)"The Town"
Founded1988
GroundWalesby Lane Sports Ground
ChairmanJohn Thompson
ManagerDave Winter
LeagueEast Midlands Counties League
2019–20Northern Counties East League Division One (transferred)

History

Ollerton has a long history of local football going back to the late 1800s. One of its best periods was immediately before the Second World War when Ollerton Colliery won the Notts Senior Cup in 1937/38 and its reserve team won the Notts Intermediate Cup the year previous.

In 1930, a side called Ollerton Forest defeated Welbeck Athletic 3–0 in the North Notts Senior Cup final at Mansfield Town's Field Mill stadium. This is believed to be the first competitive football game in England to be played under floodlights and more can be read about it here.

Ollerton Colliery ceased as a football club in the early 1980s but was reformed as Ollerton & Bevercotes F.C in 1988. The club won the Nottinghamshire Football Alliance Division Two championship in 1992–93, gaining promotion to Division One under the management of Adge Owen and David Kent.

Following the closure of the colliery in 1994, the club changed its name to Ollerton Town F.C. In the same year, Ollerton were champions of Division One in 1995–96 and were promoted to the top division of the Notts Alliance. After finishing runners-up in 1999–2000, the club was promoted to the Central Midlands League[1] and entered the English Football Pyramid.

In the 2007–08 season, Ollerton, under the management of Don Gethfield, David Kent and Anthony Thompson, the club won the Central Midlands Premier Division, earning promotion to the Supreme Division. That season they also reached the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup final where they were beaten 2–0 by Eastwood Town.

In 2008–09, the club took part in the FA Vase for the first time, getting to the second round proper in 2009–10.[1]

After the resignation of Don Gethfield back in 2011, and a brief stint under Paul Rawden, the club appointed Dave Winter and Stephen Bodle as first team managers. The pair guided the club to the Central Midlands Floodlit Cup final in their first season.

For the 2011–12 season, the club was placed in the Central Midlands North Division following a league restructure.

In the 2015–16 season, with former-captain Jamie Allan now also on board as first team coach, the club secured promotion to the Northern Counties East League after finishing runners-up in the Central Midlands North Division.

After several seasons in the NCEL Division One, Ollerton Town were moved laterally into the East Midlands Counties League for the start of the 2020-2021 Season.

Full League History
SeasonLeaguePlacing
1988-1989Mansfield Bitter LeagueN/A
1989-1990Mansfield Bitter LeagueN/A
1990-1991Notts Alliance Division Two5th
1991-1992Notts Alliance Division Two3rd
1992-1993Notts Alliance Division Two1st
1993-1994Notts Alliance Division One5th
1994-1995Notts Alliance Division One9th
1995-1996Notts Alliance Division One1st
1996-1997Notts Alliance Senior Division14th
1997-1998Notts Alliance Senior Division10th
1998-1999Notts Alliance Senior Division11th
1999-2000Notts Alliance Senior Division2nd
2000-2001Central Midlands Premier Division11th
2001-2002Central Midlands Premier Division11th
2002-2003Central Midlands Premier Division6th
2003-2004Central Midlands Premier Division8th
2004-2005Central Midlands Premier Division10th
2005-2006Central Midlands Premier Division10th
2006-2007Central Midlands Premier Division13th
2007-2008Central Midlands Premier Division1st
2008-2009Central Midlands Supreme Division4th
2009-2010Central Midlands Supreme Division3rd
2010-2011Central Midlands Supreme Division13th
2011-2012Central Midlands Supreme Division7th
2012-2013Central Midlands Supreme Division6th
2013-2014Central Midlands North Division8th
2014-2015Central Midlands North Division10th
2015-2016Central Midlands North Division2nd
2016-2017Northern Counties East League Division One17th
2017-2018Northern Counties East League Division One15th
2018-2019Northern Counties East League Division One16th
2019-2020Northern Counties East League Division OneVoided
2020-2021East Midlands Counties LeagueTBC

Ground

The club's ground is situated on Walesby Lane in Ollerton. Previously referred to as "The Lane", in 2018, the club announced a sponsorship deal with Nottinghamshire company FastFrameUK which saw the window and door retailer secure the naming rights of the ground,

The ground was previously shared with Ollerton Cricket Club up until the start of the 2018-2019 season when the cricket club sadly folded.

There is a small pavilion playing host to the changing rooms for both teams where post-match hospitality also occurs.

The pitch itself is floodlit and has two large stands running down two ends to provide cover for spectators. The two sides of the pitch with stands also have hard standing in keeping with the ground grading required for Step 6 football.

A small porta-cabin behind the pitch offers refreshments for visiting spectators with a variety of drinks and snacks on offer.

One side of the pitch backs on to a row of near-by houses and it is on this side where two large, brick built dug outs have been constructed with seats in to keep the players and management dry. Each dug-out could easily hold around 8 players/staff.

Honours

Ollerton Town have won three league championships:[1][2]

References
  1. Football Club History database – Ollerton Town. Retrieved 24 June 2012
  2. Football Club History database – Ollerton & Bevercotes. Retrieved 24 June 2012

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