Hednesford_Town_F.C

Hednesford Town F.C.

Hednesford Town Football Club are an association football team based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They play at Keys Park.

Hednesford Town - A brief history

The club where formed in 1880 by the merger of two leading Hednesford clubs, the Red & Whites and Hill Top, and after many years in local competitions they joined the Southern League in 1984. They gained promotion to the Football Conference in 1995, when they won the Southern League Premier Division, but were relegated again in 2001. The Pitmen celebrated promotion with a move to a purpose built stadium called Keys Park having played all of their games prior on the field behind the Cross Keys pub. They had their best run in the Football Conference in 1995-96 season, when they finished third in a tight league, although this was before the days of play-offs in the Football Conference.

The club reached the fourth round proper of the FA Cup in 1996-97, beating Blackpool and York City before losing 3-2 to Middlesbrough. They also reached the final of the Welsh Cup in 1992 (in those days selected English clubs were invited to enter), losing only 1-0 at Cardiff Arms Park. Hednesford have recorded many famous wins in friendlies and in the Staffordshire Senior Cup defeating, among others, Aston Villa (5-1), Walsall, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The club also won the 2004 FA Trophy, beating Canvey Island 3-2. (Goals coming from Anthony Maguire, Les Hines and then assistant manager Chris Brindley) Manager Barry Powell was sacked after a poor league showing and was replaced by fans favourite Chris Brindley. In his first season in management, Brindley took Hednesford to the playoffs and after beating Merthyr Tydfil on penalties in the semi, and Chippenham Town in the final 1-0, Hednesford were promoted to the Conference North.

The 2005/06 season saw Hednesford sack manager Chris Brindley and sink to the lowest reaches of the Conference North - they were relegated on the last day of the league after playing out a 0-0 draw at Vauxhall Motors. They have since been placed in the Northern Premier League, which is two levels below the highest division in non-league football, the Conference National. Their first season in the league saw them finish seventh, despite being second for the majority of the season. The following season saw the Pitmen start well, but a run of inconsistent form saw them finish outside the play-off places again, finishing eighth

There was a strong possibility of Hednesford moving back to the Southern League for the 2008-2009 season, but Halifax Town's financial problems saw a number of non-league sides revived, leaving the Pitmen with the prospect of Northern Premier League football for the forthcoming campaign

On 21st May 2008, the club confirmed that they had parted company with manager Phil Starbuck and on 27th May 2008, after a morning press conference, it was announced on the club's website that a new football club chairman, Andrew Savva, had been appointed. At the same time it was announced that former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Exeter City and Torquay United player Dean Edwards, had been appointed as Phil Starbuck's successor

After a busy first few days, Edwards brought in a succession of new players, and also named his former Torquay team-mate Matt Elliott as the club's new assistant manager

Homes of the Pitmen

Keys Park is situated on Keys Park Road approximately five minutes from Hednesford town centre, and is a purpose-built stadium completed in 1995

The club originally played at a ground called The 'Tins', a patch of land directly behind the Anglesey Hotel in Hednesford Town Centre. It was called the 'Tins' due to large number of metal sheeting that was erected around the ground. A move to the Cross Keys occurred in 1903 after the club fell into debt to the tune of £40. A local councillor agreed to meet the deficit provided the club moved to a patch of land behind the Cross Keys public house and away from the Anglesey

The Cross Keys was a perfect arena for a club of Hednesford's size for many decades. A large wooden stand stood on the site for many years, with a large bank opposite holding over 5,000 spectators. Only the arrival of the fifties, and floodlit football, saw changes at the ground. The banking made way for a large stand along the whole side of the ground, followed by floodlights that were erected in 1953. A friendly against West Bromwich Albion visited the Cross Keys to mark the official switch-on, watched by over 7,000 people

As the club rose from the local leagues to the higher reaches of the football pyramid, the ground was consistently improved. Once the club arrived in the Southern League in the early nineties, a decision was taken to move away from the beloved Cross Keys, now with a capacity of 4,000, but crumbling with every season. In 1994, the club started work on a new stadium, on the site of an old brickworks snapped up just 300 yards away from the Cross Keys

The stadium was completed during the summer of 1995, with the cost at £1.3 million and was first used in a friendly against Walsall. Keys Park was officially opened by Sir Stanley Matthews later that year in a ceremony that included a friendly against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In January 1997, Keys Park saw its highest attendance ever as over 3,000 people witnessed the Pitmen's 1-0 win over York City in the FA Cup Third Round. During the following season the Heath Hayes End was converted into a 1,000 capacity open terrace, whilst the Wimblebury side was turned into a large uncovered terrace and seating was installed at the previously terraced Hednesford End. Despite relegation from the Football Conference in 2001, the club proceeded with plans to make the stadium covered on all four sides, and installed roofs on each of the uncovered terraces. After being an 'A' graded stadium by the Football Association for a number of years, Keys Park has been downgraded to a 'B' grade stadium