Brackley Town is a non-league football club from the South Northamptonshire market town of the same name that was formed in 1890, starting out life at their ground on Manor Road and becoming members of the Oxfordshire Senior League.
Following World War One ‘The Saints’ moved to compete in the North Bucks & District League prior to a later switch to the Banbury & District League. In 1968 the club moved to a new ground on Buckingham Road, where the players changed in the nearby Plough pub.
After re-joining the North Bucks League in 1974, Brackley moved into another new venue, St. James Park on Churchill Way. The club became members of Division One of the Hellenic League for the 1977-78 campaign.
A further change came for the 1983-84 season as Town were crowned as champions of Division One of the United Counties League in their debut to win promotion to the Premier Division, where they finished as runners-up in 1988-89.
The early 90’s saw the Saints finish bottom of the table in three successive seasons with the clubs’ future in doubt owing to financial struggles, which saw a switch to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League. After a poor first campaign the team gathered themselves to finish as runners-up in 1995-96.
Brackley became Hellenic League champions in 1996-97 under returning manager Phil Lines and were rewarded with promotion to the Southern League Midland Division before being moved to the Southern Division twelve months later.
The promotion weighed heavily financially as St James Park was upgraded for the higher tier of football. The club took voluntary liquidation in February 1999 but was saved at the last minute. The team finished bottom of the table and dropped back down to the Hellenic League.
After finishing as runners-up in 2000-01, Town won the competition for a second time in 2003-04 before Mike Ford arrived as the new manager as his side finished just outside the play-offs.
Ford was replaced by Lines and his Assistant Andy Sinnott taking over the reins to take the team to third place in 2005-06. Marlow were defeated in the play-offs before Brackley went down 3-2 at home to Hemel Hempstead Town in the final.
The club was placed in Division One Midlands of the Southern League for the 2006-07 season, as the Saints went on to lift the title to reach the Premier Division. Roger Ashby took charge of the team before Lines returned for a fourth spell at the helm.
In 2008-09 Brackley reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, going out 2-1 away to Eastwood Town, but the run afforded further ground improvements at either end of St James Park.
Jon Brady became manager in April 2008, with the 2009-10 season seeing another play-off appearance, which ended in a 6-0 semi-final pounding against Nuneaton Town. However, there was to be no mistake in 2011-12 as the Southern League title was won to clinch promotion to Conference North.
Further extensive ground improvements were carried out as the team reached the 2012-13 play-off final. Altrincham were dispatched in the semi-final before FC Halifax Town won the final at St James Park.
In 2013-14 the Saints defeated Gillingham 1-0 in the first round of the FA Cup in a home replay in front of a live TV audience following a 1-1 draw at Priestfield. However, the run ended in round two in a 3-2 defeat away to Macclesfield Town.
The goals of Ryan Rowe helped Town remain at Step 2 before Brady was replaced by Frank Sinclair in October 2015 for a spell as caretaker before Kevin Wilkin was appointed as the new team boss.
While the team struggled in the 2015-16 league campaign, as a Glenn Walker goal on the final day secured safety, they reached the first round of the FA Cup once again, before going out 4-1 in a replay away to Newport County.
Gillingham were beaten for a second time in a first round FA Cup replay at St James Park as the Saints went through 4-3 in 2016-17. Blackpool ended hopes of any further glory with a 1-0 win at Bloomfield Road in the second round, while Town ended just outside the play-off spots.
The 2017-18 season was perhaps the greatest in the club history. The play-off places were reached as Bradford Park Avenue were defeated before Town went down 3-0 at Harrogate Town in the final. It could be argued that the players were shattered from earlier glory.
Salford City, Braintree Town, Barrow, Sutton United, Stockport County and Wealdstone were all beaten to set up an FA Trophy final tie with Bromley at Wembley. Bracknell eventually lifted the trophy in a dramatic finish.
They trailed 1-0 despite piling on lots of pressure as the game entered stoppage time. Captain Gaz Dean grabbed a leveller with the game going to penalties after a blank extra time. Town fell behind in the shoot out before eventually winning 5-4 to the joy of their 7,000 fans.
A third place finish in 2018-19 led to a play-off semi-final defeat to Spennymoor Town. Brackley were in fourth when the 2019-20 campaign was ended early owing to the Coronavirus pandemic with the table being decided on points per game.
Gateshead ended any hopes of promotion in the play-offs with a win on penalties at St James Park in the quarter final stage. The 2020-21 season saw further advancement in the FA Cup. Brackley went out in the second round 1-0 away to Tranmere Rovers after defeating Bishop's Stortford on penalties in a home tie at the previous stage.
The league season was abandoned halfway through, but in 2021-22 Brackley ended second to progress to the playoffs thanks to the goals of Lee Ndlovu before losing at home in the semifinals to York City. Roger Johnson replaced the long serving Wilkin in September 2022.
His side again reached the playoffs, this time defeating Gloucester City and then Chester before going down 2-0 away to Kidderminster Harriers in the final. Gavin Cowan was appointed as manager in May 2023, with Brackley once again reaching the end of season playoffs a few months later.
Chorley were
defeated, but once again the Saints fell at the final hurdle as they were
defeated at home by Boston United.
Brackley Town FC will play in National League North in the 2024-25 season.
Brackley Town 2 Blyth Spartans 1 (Saturday 12th December 2020) National League North (Att: 380)
My visit could be best described as a fine day out and decent match with a deserved home win.
I felt a bit down as I headed out of London. It had been a taxing week at work, the laws in place around the latest Covid lockdown and a lack of any cohesive plan by those in charge had got to me, my MH mood was low and the shop in Kilburn said my IPod was beyond repair.
The train to Bicester Village from Marylebone was thankfully not too busy. It can get crammed with shoppers, most notably those of an Oriental persuasion heading to the designer outlet.
Maybe it was a nap or listening to Human League’s Dare on the old Walkman currently standing in for the knackered waterlogged iPod from my marathon London walk, but I felt better upon my arrival. It was time to try to press the restart button.
Rather than heading straight to Brackley, I decided to have a look at what Bicester had to offer. I found a most pleasant market town and located the Penny Black JDW establishment after a look at the stalls on the main drag.
While I resented being treated like a naughty schoolboy allowed out from detention, as long as I obediently ate my food and quickly depart after beers, I did understand the severity of the situation. Nevertheless, it was still infuriating when I was OK to travel on busy trains to and from work, but hey ho.
The staff in the pub were courteous and most helpful. The £1.69 pints of Ghost Ship accompanying my ham, egg and chips were nye on perfect. I was permitted two pints after my meal. Thanking the staff, who seemed genuinely touched, I headed through the shopping precinct to catch the bus to Brackley.
The journey took around thirty minutes, travelling past some pretty villages and scenery and then a dual carriageway. I was deposited at the end of Churchill Way, from where it was a short walk to the ground.
I’d bought and printed my ticket online for £13 before setting out. The stewards and volunteers at St James Park again offered bon homie and a warm welcome, pointing me in the right direction while carrying out a temperature check and track and trace procedures. I purchased a fine programme for £2.50.
Once inside, it was obvious that the venue had been added to as the club has progressed on the pitch. Six separate covers with the far end terracing probably the stand-out feature. The new clubhouse was coming on after the old wooden structure had previously been burned down.
After a near
lap taking photos while chatting to a helpful steward, I settled down on the covered
terrace nearest the entrance. My positive vibes about the home club continued
after a sumptuous steak pie and steaming hot Bovril. At a guess I’d say it was
the offering from a butcher’s, like a large style pork pie in design and
crammed full of lean meat. More like the sort of item I love on visits north of
the border.
Town were in the ascendency from the early stages and were awarded a penalty on five minutes following a foul on Jordan Cullinane-Liburd. Shane Byrne made no mistake from the spot.
Spartans gradually got into the contest with Jamie Clark providing menace before Lee Ndlovu headed narrowly wide from a Matt Lowe cross for the hosts. JJ O’Donnell levelled things up on twenty minutes with a fierce shot from inside the box. I had to laugh. No away fans were apparently allowed but two blokes and a little lad celebrated with the scorer.
A Brackley “goal” was ruled out by an offside flag but they weren’t to be denied a minute before the break when a spectacular overhead kick from Ndlovu found its way past Brendan Pearson in the Blyth net.
James Armson for Town had a low shot saved soon after the restart as the home side continued to have the lion share of attacking play, though I had the feeling that Spartans were never quite out of it. Rhys Evans was given his marching orders for a second yellow card offence thirteen minutes from time, leaving the visitors a man light.
Saints Tre Mitford had a shot punched away by Pearson in the closing stages before his teammate Reiss McNally also collected a second caution to head off to turn on the showers in stoppage time, but it mattered not. Brackley comfortably hung on to a deserved three points.
Heading back along Churchill Way, I expected my bus to head back in the opposite direction to my arrival. Nearly a big mistake! Fortunately, I realised I needed to be back across the road for the longer journey back on the circular route as I saw the service at the next stop down.
Brackley looked so pretty with its amazing array of Christmas lights hanging from lots of buildings and trees. If pub regulations were in “normal” mode I’d have hung around and had a wander.
Instead, I headed back to Bicester and then the train home. One meal is generally enough in a week in a pub, so I had no great desire to have two in a day, despite quite fancying a few more beers. I could always grab a drink nearer home if I still had the urge.
However, I headed straight home to kick back and reflect that sometimes all a downbeat mood needs, is a few hours away from London, a few pints, nice people, somewhere new and a bit of music.
As I was off work for a couple of weeks, I started looking at the fixtures hoping for something similar over the following days ahead.
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