Ramsbottom United F.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Full name | Ramsbottom United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Rams | ||
| Founded | 1966 | ||
| Ground | The Riverside Ground, Acrebottom, Ramsbottom | ||
| Chairman | Harry Williams | ||
| Manager | Nial Hart | ||
| League | North West Counties Football League Premier Division | ||
| 2007-08 | North West Counties Football League First Division, 16th | ||
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Ramsbottom United F.C. are an English football club based in Ramsbottom, Lancashire. They currently play in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division. Their home stadium is the Riverside Ground, Acrebottom, Ramsbottom and their nickname is The Rams. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.
Contents |
[edit] History
The club was founded in 1966 by present chairman Harry Williams. They first played in the Bury Amateur League.
In 1967 Ramsbottom moved leagues to the Bolton Combination, where they spent the next eighteen years before a move in 1987 to the Manchester League, playing in Division One. In 1989-90 they finished in third place, and the following season were Division One champions, earning promotion to the Premier Division, where they spent the next four seasons. At the end of the 1994-95 season, the club applied to the North West Counties Football League and following substantial ground improvements, were admitted into the league's Second Division in June 1995.[1]
In the Rams first season they finished 12th, and also won the Second Division Trophy with a 2-1 victory over Cheadle Town at Darwen's Anchor Ground. The following season they were crowned Second Division champions, pipping local rivals Haslingden on goal difference on the last day of the season.[1] On 9 November 1996 they beat Stantondale 9-0, setting a club record winning margin[2] and they also won all of their first 17 home fixtures.[citation needed] The club also entered the FA Vase for the first time, losing in the first qualifying round 0-1 at home to Tetley Walker.[1]
In 1997-98 the club finished 17th in their first season in the First Division.[1] The Reserve team beat Maine Road Reserves in the final of the Reserve Division Trophy.[citation needed]
The 1998-99 season saw the Rams finish in 11th place and also enter the FA Cup for the first time. They beat Maine Road 2-1 in a replay in the preliminary round, then won 3-0 at home to Shildon in the first qualifying round. In the second qualifying round they beat Billingham Town 3-0 before losing 0-5 at home to Conference National club Southport in the third qualifying round.[1] 829 visitors turned out, easily breaking the previous record attendance of 464.[citation needed]
The 1999-2000 season saw a third place finish, on 79 points.[1] Russell Brierley became the club's top scorer in any one season with 38 league goals.[2] In the 2000-01 season they finished third again, tis time on 88 points and the following season they finished in 15th. Further mid-table finishes continued in the early 2000s, wit a 5th place in 2004-05,[1] which also included a league double over eventual champions Fleetwood Town.[citation needed]
The Rams won the Bolton Hospitals Cup in the 2005-06 season with a 2-1 victory over Eagley at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.[citation needed] In the league they finished in 18th place.[1] The following season they finished 8th[1] and won the Bolton Hospitals Cup again.[citation needed] And in 2007-08 they completed a third successive Bolton Hospitals Cup win,[citation needed] while finishing in 16th place in the league.[1]
[edit] Riverside Ground
Ramsbottom play their home games at the Riverside Ground, which is situation near to the town centre, next to the East Lancashire Railway line. The ground is fully enclosed and behind one goal is a small covered stand (The Jack Wolfenden Stand, named after the hard working stalwart of Ramsbottom United Football Club, who can still be seen on the ground selling programmes on match days) which has limited terracing. One side of the pitch has two smaller covered stands, either side of the halfway line, one of which contains five rows of seating[3] Floodlights were installed in the 1996-97 season.
[edit] Players
- As of 23 February 2009.[4]
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] Also played in the 2008/2009 season
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[edit] Non-playing staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Harry Williams |
Chairman |
| John Smith |
President |
| Chris Woolfall |
Treasurer |
| Malcolm Holt |
Secretary |
| Paul Williams |
Caretaker First-team manager |
| currently vacant |
Assistant manager |
| Phil Williams |
Physiotherapist |
Source:Club details
[edit] Notable former players
[edit] Honours
[edit] League
- North West Counties Football League Second Division champions: 1996-97
- Manchester Football League Division One champions: 1990-91
[edit] Cup
- North West Counties Football League Second Division Trophy winners: 1995-96
- Bolton Hospitals Cup winners: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08
[edit] Attendances
[edit] Records
- Largest attendance: 1,653 vs FC United of Manchester, North West Counties Football League Division One, 7 April 2007[2]
[edit] Averages
As of 21 February 2009, the average league-game attendance at the Riverside Ground for the 2008–09 season is 119, which places Ramsbottom 5th for the division, and is a decrease of 3.4% from the previous season.[6]
Past averages:
Source: English football site
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ramsbottom United". Football Club History Database. http://www.fcfhd.info/RAMSBOTU.HTM. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
- ^ a b c "Club Details". Ramsbottom United Unofficial website. 12 December 2008. http://www.rammyunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=68. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
- ^ "Riverside Ground". Ramsbottom United Unofficial website. http://www.rammyunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=64. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
- ^ "The Players 2008-09". Ramsbottom United Unofficial website. http://www.rammyunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_index&sort=name&Itemid=57. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
- ^ Bevan, Chris; Jonathan Stevenson (2 January 2008). "Were you there...?". bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7150548.stm. Retrieved on 2009-02-23.
- ^ "Attendances - North West Counties Premier Division". Tony's English football site. http://www.tonykempster.co.uk/nwc1att.htm. Retrieved on 21 February 2009.
- ^ Due mainly to the visit of FC United of Manchester
[edit] External links
- Unofficial website
- Ramsbottom United at the Football Club History Database
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