Billingham Town F.C.
Billingham Town Football Club is a football club based in Billingham, England. They are currently members of the and play at Bedford Terrace.
History
The club was established by Tom Donnelly and Robbie Cushley in 1967 as Billingham Social. They joined Division Two of the Stockton & District League in 1968 and went on to win it in their first season. After promotion to Division A, they went on to win the league title three seasons in a row and win the League Cup twice.In 1974 Billingham joined the Teesside League, which they won in 1978β79. After winning a second title in 1981β82, the club was promoted to the new Division Two of the Northern League and adopted its current name, A fourth-place finish in 1984β85 saw them promoted to Division One, but they were relegated at the end of the following season after finishing bottom of the table.
Following a fourth-place finish in 1987β88, Billingham were promoted back to Division One. Despite finishing fifth in their first season in the new division, they were relegated back to Division Two in 1989β90 after finishing second-from-bottom. They remained in Division Two until promotion back to Division One at the end of the 1996β97 season, which saw them finish as runners-up.
In 2003β04 they won the Durham Challenge Cup, beating Bishop Auckland 2β0 in the final. The 2006β07 season saw them finish as Division One runners-up, with Whitley Bay winning the title on goal difference. The following season they won the League Cup, beating Shildon 2β1 in the final. In 2013β14 the club finished bottom of Division One and were relegated to Division Two. They were Division Two champions in 2018β19, earning promotion back to Division One. They lasted just three years in Division One, the first two of which were ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 2021β22 season. In 2023β23 season the club finished fourth in Division Two, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Bedlington Terriers 3β2 on penalties in the semi-finals, they lost the final 5β4 on penalties to Birtley Town following another 2β2 draw.
Ground
The club initially played at Mill Lane, which had sloped to the extent that the crossbar was level with the top of one of the corner flags. They moved to Bedford Terrace in 1981, with floodlights installed in 1992β93. Hartlepool United funded the laying of a new pitch in 2007 in order to play their reserve matches at the ground. The ground has a capacity of 3,000, of which 176 is seated and 600 covered. The record attendance of 1,500 was set for an FA Youth Cup game against Manchester City match in 1985.Honours
- Northern League
- *Division Two champions 2018β19
- *League Cup winners 2007β08
- Teesside League
- *Champions 1978β79, 1981β82
- Stockton & District League
- *Division Two champions 1968β69
- Durham Challenge Cup
- *Winners 2003β04
- Durham Amateur Cup
- *Winners 1975β76
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Fourth qualifying round, 2000β01
- Best FA Trophy performance: First qualifying round, 1985β86, 1986β87, 1989β90
- Best FA Vase performance: Fifth round, 1997β98
- Record attendance: 1,500 vs Manchester City, FA Youth Cup, 1985
- Most appearances: Paul Rowntree, 505
- Most goals: Paul Rowntree, 396