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Basingstoke Town
Full name	Basingstoke Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Dragons or The 'Stoke
Founded	1896
Ground	The Camrose Basingstoke Hampshire (Capacity 6,000)
Chairman	-
Manager	Francis Vines
League	Conference South
2006-07	Conference South, 19th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Basingstoke Town Football Club are an English association football team, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, playing in the Conference South. Their ground, The Camrose, is named after their late benefactor, Lord Camrose. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'No stepping back'.

Contents 1 History 2 Cup runs 3 Basingstoke Town Football Club 2007/2008 Squad 4 Current squad 4.1 Management 5 Honours 6 External links

While Basingstoke didn't originally qualify for their place in the newly formed division for 2004/05, they were awarded Hendon's place when the Middlesex team declined it as the next highest placed team in the Isthmian League Premier Division that season.

This kind of luck is typical of the up-and-down history of the club, first formed in 1896 from Aldworth United and Basingstoke Albion. After tasting title success in the Hampshire League North Division in 1911/12 and 1919/20, "Town" had to wait over 30 years for its next honours, finishing as either champions or runners-up every season between 1965/66 and 1970/71, winning the league and Hampshire Senior Cup double in 1970/71, without a league defeat, and joining the Southern League South the following season.

It took 14 years for the team to record their next League championship, in the 1984/85 season. In 1987/88 Basingstoke joined the Isthmian League Premier Division, and spent the next 17 years flitting between this and Division One, winning the Hampshire Senior Cup twice in this period.

In the inaugural season of the Nationwide Conference South, the 'Stoke began very well, occupying a place in the play-off spots until Christmas that year. However, a run of six consecutive defeats in the league meant Town had to play catch-up, and although they recovered some ground toward the end of the season, it wasn't enough and Town finished sixth, one place and a single point outside the play-offs. Town had a worse time of it the following season, with considerable upheaval among the playing staff, and the departure of long-time manager Ernie Howe towards the end of the season, meaning Town finished 19th. They did, however, reach the final of the Hampshire Senior Cup, which they lost 1-0 to Farnborough Town.

In 1989 Town reached the second round of the FA Cup for the first time, having beaten Southern League Bromsgrove Rovers 3-0 in the first round. They played host to Division 4 side Torquay United at the Camrose, and a crowd of over 4,000 saw Town beaten 3-2.

The late 1990s saw Town go on two amazing FA Cup runs. In the 1997/98 season, the 'Stoke fought their way through qualifying to face Wycombe Wanderers in the first round. After a 2-2 away draw in which the 'Stoke battled back from two goals down, a capacity crowd at the Camrose saw Dean Beale save the decisive penalty in the shoot-out after the two sides had finished at two apiece. In the second round, Town travelled to Northampton Town, coming from behind to earn a replay at the Camrose, which was shown live on Sky Sports. Again the Blues held the league side to a draw after extra time, but there was no repeat of the previous round's joy, with Town crashing out on penalties.

The following season, Basingstoke reached the first round proper at the expense of Conference side Dover Athletic, and faced Bournemouth at home. Town lost that match 2-1, and had to wait eight years to again reach the first round proper.

In the 2006/07 season the Dragons came through a nervy qualifying campaign, defeating Conference North outfit Worcester City 7-6 on penalties in a 4th qualifying round replay, to set up a meeting away to League One side Chesterfield in the first round - a team 76 places higher up the league system than the 'Stoke. Town were 1-0 victors though a first half Matthew Warner volley and faced derby rivals Aldershot Town in the second round of the FA Cup. A 1-1 draw in this fixture meant that a replay would be held, but that in the meantime Basingstoke would be in the draw for the 3rd round of the FA Cup. They would have been playing Blackpool away, but they lost the replay 3-1.

No. Position Player GK Max Aneke DF Jason Bristow FW Michael Charles DF Joe Dolan FW Scott Fitzgerald GK Nic Hamann DF Sean Hankin FW Joe Harris MF Steve Laidler MF Dean Lodge DF Jason Minton MF Tyron Smith

No. Position Player MF Ben Surey FW David Tarpey FW James Taylor DF Ben Townsend GK Jonty Venter DF Mark Votkins MF Matt Warner DF Robbie Watkins MF Ben Wells DF Jamie Whisken FW Ben Wright MF Piotr Zygier

• Manager: Francis Vines
• Assistant Manager: Steve Richardson
• First Team Coach: Carl Plunkett
• Physio: Mark Randall

• Hampshire League North Division:

Winners: 1911/12, 1919/20

• Hampshire League Division 1:

Winners: 1967/68, 1968/69, 1970/71
Runners up: 1965/66, 1966/67, 1968/69

• Southern League South Division:

Winners: 1984/85

• Isthmian League First Division:

Runners up: 1988/89, 1996/97

• Hampshire Senior Cup:

Winners: 1970/71, 1989/90, 1995/96
Runners up: 1964/65, 1975/76, 1981/82, 1985/86, 1988/89, 2005/06

• Best league position: 3rd in Isthmian League, Premier Division (then level 6), 2000/01
• Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1989/90, 1997/98 (replay), 2006/07
• Best FA Trophy performance: 3rd round, 2003/04
• Record Goalscorer - Paul Coombs 164 (1991-99)
• Biggest win - 10-0 vs. Chichester City, F.A. Cup 1st Qualifying Round, 1976
• Biggest defeat - 8-0 vs. Aylesbury United, Southern League, 1979
• Biggest home attendance - 5,085 vs. Wycombe Wanderers, F.A. Cup 1st Round, November 1997
• Biggest home league attendance - 2,810 vs. Aldershot Town, December 1998

• Official Site
• Supporter's Club
• Basingstoke Town at the Football Club History Database

Conference South 2007-08 v • d • e
Basingstoke Town | Bath City | Bishop's Stortford | Bognor Regis Town | Braintree Town | Bromley | Cambridge City | Dorchester Town | Eastbourne Borough | Eastleigh | Fisher Athletic | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Havant & Waterlooville | Hayes & Yeading United | Lewes | Maidenhead United | Newport County | St Albans City | Sutton United | Thurrock | Welling United | Weston-super-Mare
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