Hednesford Town

Hednesford Town FC is a non-league football club that was formed in 1880 following the merger of two local clubs, Red & Whites and Hill Top. The club is based in the former coal mining town in Staffordshire, north of Birmingham.

The club became a founder member of the Birmingham & District League in 1889, leaving after a couple of seasons, playing friendly matches until joining the Walsall & District Junior League in 1894. After originally playing at a ground called The Tins, the club found a new home in 1904. 

Cross Keys was located behind the pub of the same name, with gradual improvements being made to it over the years. Hednesford joined the Birmingham Combination in time for the 1945-46 campaign, before going on to be crowned champions in 1950-51.

A runners-up berth in 1952-53 saw the ‘Pitmen’ progress to the Birmingham & District League, where time was spent playing in the North Division and Division Two before the competition once again reverted to a single division. It was renamed the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1962.

When it was expanded in 1965, Hednesford were placed in the Premier Division. Soon after, a young Brian Horton spent four years playing for the team. A move to the Midland League ensued in 1972, before returning to familiar surroundings in 1977-78, when the side lifted the title, with a runners-up place following in 1983-84.

This led to promotion to the Midland Division of the Southern League. Former goalkeeper John Baldwin, was appointed as manager in 1989-90, helping the side to escape relegation. 1990-91 ended in promotion to the Premier Division, with the side ending as Southern League runners-up in 1991-92.

The same season also saw the Pitmen reach the final of the Welsh Cup, losing the final 1-0 to Cardiff City at the Millennium Stadium. 1994-95 saw Hednesford win the Southern League title to gain promotion to the Conference, the elite level of non-league football.

A new stadium, Keys Park, was opened, with Town finishing third in the league in 1995-96 in front of large home crowds. 1996-97 saw FA Cup success, as Tamworth and Telford United were beaten, before further victories against Southport, Blackpool, and York City led to a fourth-round tie against Middlesbrough.

The Cross Keys Ground

A 3-2 defeat ensued at the Riverside Stadium, with further wins against League sides, Hull City, and then Barnet, see the team progress to round two in the next couple of seasons, where their dreams of further glory were ended by Darlington and then Cardiff City.

The side also performed consistently in the league before manager Baldwin stepped down in December 2000, with Hednesford being relegated to the Premier Division of the Southern League a few months later after Neil Pointon and then Colin Lambert had spells as manager.

Paul Raynor and Kenny Hibbitt were both given the manager's job in 2001-02, before the appointment of Ian Painter, who was replaced in February 2003 by Barry Powell. He oversaw the FA Trophy being lifted in 2003-04 as Aldershot Town were dispatched in the semifinals before Canvey Island were defeated 3-2 at Villa Park.

Despite winning a major competition, Powell was replaced by Chris Brindley, ironically, the landlord of the Cross Keys pub for some time. He took the side to the playoffs in 2004-05, where victories against Chippenham Town and then Merthyr Town saw promotion to the Conference North being won.

However, their spell in the second tier lasted just one season after Steve Anthrobus couldn’t help the side after succeeding Brindley as Hednesford dropped down to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League.

Former Nottingham Forest player Phil Starbuck was appointed manager in July 2006, with Dean Edwards replacing him in the summer of 2008. A sideways move to the Southern League followed in 2009-10, with Simon Line being given the manager's job during the campaign.

Bernard McNally succeeded him in January 2010, taking the team to the playoffs, which ended in a semifinal defeat to Chippenham Town. Rob Smith arrived to take over the job in September 2010, again leading Hednesford to the playoffs. This time, they defeated Leamington before losing the final to Salisbury City.

The Pitmen were moved laterally into the Northern Premier League for the 2011-12 season, where Bradford Park Avenue were to end dreams of promotion in the semifinals. It was a different tale twelve months later as AFC Fylde and then FC United of Manchester were defeated to return to the Conference North.

The momentum continued in 2013-14 with Hednesford losing their playoff semifinal to Altrincham. McNally returned soon into the 2015-16 season after Smith returned to AFC Telford United, to be replaced by Frank Sinclair a few months later, with the club going back down to the Northern Premier League.

 

Liam McDonald, and then Paul Casey, followed by Gary Birch, had spells in charge of the team before the arrival of Neil Tooth in the summer of 2017. The combo of Rob Smith and Larry Chambers returned within a few months, before a chaotic 2018-19 season ensued.

The duo were replaced by Francino Francis, who was succeeded by Nicky Eaden, who in turn left, with Gary Hayward in charge at the end of the campaign. Businessmen Graham Jones and Hayden Dando bought the club in May 2020 after Hednesford were placed in the Premier Division Central of the Southern League.

Andy Morrell was given the job as manager, departing after a poor start, to be replaced by Keenen Meakin-Richards. Steve Burr was the next man in the role, lasting from early in the 2022-23 season to December, when Danny Glover was appointed as player-manager. 

The team was relegated to Division One West of the Northern Premier League, as the owners also departed. It looked like a deal to pass the club on had been agreed upon and then then fell through. Chaos reigned as Hednesford resigned from the league before Dando put together a rescue package.

Harry Harris and Steve Hinks arrived as the new management team in October 2023, lasting until the following February when Paul Moore replaced them. The club was bought by Craig and Amanda Gwilt in March 2024, saving it in the process, to the relief of loyal Pitmen fans.

Some luck was delivered with the club being reprieved of relegation despite ending in the drop zone. Steve King was appointed as manager before Gavin Hurren was given the job after five months. His side reached the 2024-25 playoffs, defeating Vauxhall Motors and then Congleton Town to go up to the Premier Division.

My visit

Hednesford Town 0 Scarborough 3 (Saturday 8th January 2000) Football Conference (att: 1,057)

I travelled up to this game the cheapest way I could on the train to Birmingham, using my network rail card on the slow Silverlink system and then buying a separate ticket from Birmingham to Hednesford. This all worked OK and I arrived around 12.30 ready to find a decent pub before the match.

The first problem was to find the ground. I asked some locals and they helped in their rich Black Country accents. I went away from the High Street and up the hill, where I turned left. I seemed to be walking a long way without any sign of a stadium. I saw a pub and decided to pop in for a pint and get further directions.

The Globe, a friendly local

The staff were friendly at the quiet Globe Inn. They explained that I was walking the wrong way and was heading back to Birmingham! After a beer, I was on my way and soon realised my error. I should have gone straight over the roundabout and then make a turn! 

I was soon back on track and approaching another pub, The Cross Keys. This pub was a must as I’d been told I wasn’t far away from the ground when I got there. I received a really warm welcome inside from the landlord, who quickly realised I was there for the match. He really knew his football and non-league in particular. 

He also knew his beer. The real ale was absolutely spot on. He then revealed himself as The Pitmen’s centre back, Chris Brindley! He was going over the road to play in the match a little later. More fans came in and I had a good chat. 

The magnificent Cross Keys

I was most taken by the friendliness of everyone as they told me tales of the great times they’d had in there with visiting fans and the banter with the landlord before and after games. They showed me the new houses at the rear of the pub where Town once played.

I was told that it was unlikely that we’d get access to the clubhouse at the ground, so I stayed with my new friends and we walked up to the ground together. Keys Park was most impressive. There was no segregation enforced, so we could walk around the ground as we pleased. 

The Main Stand was a single-tiered construction fitted out with black seats, with facilities to attract corporate fans at the back. Behind the Hednesford End goal was a small seated stand. We stood opposite the Main Stand on the open Wimblebury Terrace, which offered a good view before moving behind the open Heath Hayes End terracing in the second half.

Boro were being looked after by youth team coach Ian Kerr as manager Colin Addison and his assistant Ray McHale were both at home suffering from the flu. Boro took control of the game after a slow start. The forward trio of Darren Roberts, Chris Tate, and Steve Brodie was causing mayhem. 

We went into the break two goals ahead, thanks to goals from Tate and skipper Gareth Stoker. Just as impressive were the defence, who were led commandingly by the signing from Altrincham, Paul Ellender. Little did we realise we defaulted on our payment for him, ducking out of it in the end by entering into a CVA. 

We weren’t allowed into the clubhouse above the Main Stand at the break, so the travelling Seadogs, probably numbering around 200, occupied themselves as best they could. Boro continued to dominate in the second half. 

I had told my mates about the friendly landlord playing at the back and having a torrid afternoon for the home side, and we gave him some light hearted stick, not that he seemed to be laughing too much. Brodie made it 3-0 and the home keeper Billy Stewart made many decent saves to keep the score respectable. 

Hednesford midfielder and future Boro player, Jimmy Kelly was sent off for collecting two yellow cards before full time. We gathered in the clubhouse after the game as the players came in. I was convinced by the body language of the team and the performance I’d just witnessed that Boro were destined to reclaim their Football League place. 

We eventually ended up in fourth place, but alas, it was before the days of the playoffs. I got talking to a young Seadog from Lincoln who was also travelling on the train. I ordered a taxi and we went back to the station for our homeward journeys in an euphoric mood.

Footnote

Many thanks to Chris from pitmenweb.com for his kind permission in allowing me the usage of pictures of Keys Park.

He also adds (this was on 24th June 2010), "I remember the game at Keys Park being about as one-sided as you will get a game, and started the process that saw us relegated the following season. Mr. Brindley is most certainly still running the Keys, as he has done now for twelve years. 

He's an absolute legend at the club - about as big as you can get, really - but taking up the manager's role at Stafford has made the relationship with Hednesford supporters interesting to say the least!"