Swindon Supermarine Football Club is a semi-professional
football club based in
South Marston
South Marston is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village is about north-east of Swindon town centre.
History
The earliest documentary evidence for continuous settlement dates from the 13th centur ...
, near Swindon, England. The club plays in the and is affiliated to the
Wiltshire Football Association
The Wiltshire Football Association is the governing body of football in the English county of Wiltshire. Affiliated members pay a fee commensurate with the level of competition they play in, and benefit from access to support and guidance on such ...
. The club plays at Webbswood Stadium on the northern edge of South Marston, north-east of Swindon.
History
The club was established in 1992 as a merger between two local clubs in the
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Bu ...
,
Supermarine F.C. and
Swindon Athletic F.C. Both clubs had problems with Supermarine finishing bottom of Division One in the 1991–92 season and Swindon Athletic having difficulties meeting the new ground grading requirements, required by the league, at their Swindon Borough Council owned Southbrook Recreation ground, so the two clubs decided to merge and took Swindon Athletic's place in the Hellenic League Premier Division.
In 1997–98 the new club won the Hellenic League championship, but were not promoted due to ground requirements.
The championship was won for the second time in 2000–01 and this time they were accepted into the
Southern League.
After four years of struggle at the foot of the Southern League Western Division table, not helped by a rapid succession of managerial changes, they qualified for the play-offs in 2005–06 but lost to
Hemel Hempstead Town in the semi-finals. In 2006–07 they again reached the promotion play-offs, where this time they were successful after beating
Burnham in the semi-final and
Taunton Town in the final. This earned them a place in the
Southern League Premier Division. That season also saw the club secure the
Wiltshire Premier Shield
The Wiltshire Premier Shield is a single county cup competition involving England, English association football, football clubs based in the county of Wiltshire.
The current competition format operates with a two-leg semi-final and a single matc ...
, a decade after their first win in the competition.
Their inaugural season in the Southern League Premier Division saw them finish in 12th place.
They also earned a mid-table finish in the following 2008–09 season and had an excellent run in the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
, reaching the Third Round (last sixteen) where they lost to the holders
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 from ...
.
At the end of the 2009–10 season, the club announced that it was facing a financial shortfall of £50,000, which would affect its immediate position in the Southern League. A supporters consortium then took over the club and saved it through various commitments and a sponsorship drive which allowed it to continue in the Southern League Premier Division in the 2010–11 season.
Part of the sponsorship drive included the ground sponsorship which was taken up by local company H J Webb & Son and the ground became known as the Webbswood Stadium from August 2010.
Before the start of the season, former player manager
Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
* Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...
returned to the club as assistant manager.
The 2010–11 season saw them narrowly miss a lucrative
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
Third Round tie after a 1–0 defeat at
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
in the club's best ever FA Cup run.
In February 2011, Mark Collier, who had been appointed as the club's manager in March 2004, and assistant Tom Jones both resigned due to proposed budget cuts with player-managers Gary Horgan and Matt Robinson taking over as temporary managers until the end of the season. The duo guided Marine to a final placing of 10th in the Southern League Premier Division, which remains their best league finish to date.
Season 2011–12 kicked off with Horgan and Robinson now as permanent managers but the season did not go well with relegation to Division One South & West confirmed on the last day of the season.
In May 2012 the management team stepped down and
Highworth Town manager Dave Webb was offered and accepted the manager's position. In his first season in charge, Webb led the team to a 4th-place finish and a place in the play-offs where they lost in the semi-final on penalties at
Merthyr Town
Merthyr Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr) is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, currently playing in the , in the seventh tier of the English football league system.
The football club was orig ...
.
The following campaign also ended with defeat in the play-offs, once more losing at Merthyr Town at the semi-final stage.
After a mid-table finish in the next season, the club reached the play-offs again in 2015–16 only to be beaten in the semi-final one more time, on this occasion losing at Taunton Town.
In mid-January 2018, manager Dave Webb departed the club and his assistant, Lee Spalding, took on the role of caretaker manager until the end of the season. The team finished in fifth place and a playoff position with a semi-final at
Evesham United
Evesham United Football Club are an English football club based in Evesham, Worcestershire. They reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in the 2008–09 season. In 2005, they entered the Southern League Premier Divisi ...
. After drawing 1-1 after extra time Marine went through 5–4 on penalties and a playoff final at third-placed
Wimborne Town
Wimborne Town Football Club is a football club based in Wimborne Minster in Dorset, England. They were established in 1878 and won the FA Vase in 1992. They reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup in the 1982–83 season for the first t ...
. In another tight game, which ended 0-0 after extra time, Marine won 4–3 on penalties and won promotion back to step 3 and what will be the Southern League Premier South Division for season 2018–19. After the playoff win and promotion Lee Spalding was appointed manager.
Crest
From the start of the 2002–03 season, the club no longer wore the traditional blue and white hooped kit. Moreover, a new club crest was added to the team's shirt in place of the wording "Swindon Supermarine FC".
A redesigned crest was adopted from the start of the 2015–16 season before an update was made in 2017/18 season.
Colours and kits
The merger between the two Hellenic League clubs saw the new club soon adopt a new hooped blue and white
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...
kit. After four years of the club's existence Wemyss Lodge took over as sponsor, and remained a part of the blue and white hooped shirts until the end of season 2001–02. From then on, the team's shirts have been predominantly blue. Initially the new plain blue kits were sponsored by Fuelforce, who also secured the away kit sponsorship.
Later, the club announced a major sponsorship deal that saw
Wonga.com
Wonga.com, also known as Wonga, was a British payday loan firm that was founded in 2006. The company focused on offering short-term, high-cost loans to customers via online applications, and began processing its first loans in 2007. The firm o ...
appear as the club's exclusive home and away shirt sponsor for the 2011–12 season.
Despite there not being much photographic evidence of Marine's away colours, the colours are traditionally red. Unlike the home kit, the away kit has not changed to any extent.
Sponsors
Ground
Swindon Supermarine play their home games at Hunts Copse in
South Marston
South Marston is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village is about north-east of Swindon town centre.
History
The earliest documentary evidence for continuous settlement dates from the 13th centur ...
, currently also known as the Webbswood Stadium for sponsorship purposes. The ground possesses two adjacent seated stands with a combined total of 300 seats, a floodlit pitch, a shop and clubhouse, and a 6 ft perimeter fence.
It is 4½ miles from Swindon station.
The improvements necessary for the club to step up to the Southern League in 2001 saw the building of a new 225-seater stand, taking the total covered seating capacity to 300, as well as new perimeter fencing and toilets. Although not required to meet the league's guidelines, new floodlights were put in place at the same time.
At the close of the 2016–17 season, a new community facility was formally opened at the ground that included a recently built changing rooms block.
Training ground
In 2016, Swindon Supermarine officially opened the new indoor training facility, the Swindome, behind the east goal.
The facility also has an upstairs gym and changing rooms. The all-weather 3G facility was quoted as "state of the art" and Swindon Supermarine chairman, Jez Webb, stated that he felt the facility would attract more people to the club and help attract a better quality of player to the first team.
Rivalries
Marine's rivals are considered to be
Cirencester Town and
Chippenham Town
Chippenham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of and play their games at Hardenhuish Park.
History
The club states it was established in 1873, .
Club officials
Board
*Chairman: Jez Webb
*Vice-chairman: Keith Yeomans
*Commercial Director: Steve Moore
*President: Steve Moore
*Committee: Dave Rideout, Steve Wheeler, Nick Taylor
*Football Secretary: Keith Yeomans
Senior club staff
*Finance Manager: Steve Wheeler
*Community Trust: Kerry Walklett
*Groundsman : Connor Hanlon
*Southern League Secretary: Keith Yeomans
*Fixtures Secretary: Keith Yeomans
*Stadium & Clubhouse: Steve Moore
*Supporters Club Shop: Martin Osman
*Club Photographer: Motion Sport Photography
*Website & Programme Editor: Keith Yeomans
*Press & Social Media Officer Aleck Everard & Mike Wray
Coaching staff
*First Team Manager: Lee Spalding
*First Team Assistant Manager/Coach: Charlie Griffin
*First Team Goalkeeping Coach: Rhys Evans
Medical staff
*Sports Therapist: Diamond Sports Therapy (Darren Beers Head of Medical)
Current squad
Honours
League honours
*
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Bu ...
Premier Division:
** Winners (2): 1997–98, 2000–01
*
Southern Football League West Division
** Play-off winners: 2017–18
Cup honours
*
Wiltshire Premier Shield
The Wiltshire Premier Shield is a single county cup competition involving England, English association football, football clubs based in the county of Wiltshire.
The current competition format operates with a two-leg semi-final and a single matc ...
** Winners (2) 1996–97, 2006–07, 2018–19, 2021–22
** Runners Up (3) 1994–95, 1998–99, 2002–03
*
Wiltshire Senior Cup
** Winners (1): 2016–17
** Runners Up (1): 1993–94
*
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Bu ...
Challenge Cup:.
** Winners (2): 1996–97, 1999–00
** Runners up (2): 1994–95, 2000–01
*
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the Uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Bu ...
Floodlit Cup:
** Winners (3): 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01
** Runners up (1): 1995–96
Statistics
Player records
Appearances
[Former Player Information](_blank)
/ref>
Top scorers
Club records
*Best league performance: 10th in Southern League Premier Division, 2010–11
*Best FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
performance: Second round, 2010–11
*Best FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
performance: Third round, 2008–09
*Best FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footb ...
performance: Second round, 1998–99, 1999–2000
Notable former players
# Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Players with full international caps.
* Chris Allen
* Ray Baverstock
Ray Baverstock (born 3 December 1963) is a former professional football midfielder.
Baverstock began his career as an apprentice with Swindon Town, turning professional in December 1981. He made his debut on 4 September 1982 as Swindon lost 2 ...
* Andrew Caton
* Mark Draycott
* Jacob Erskine
* Wayne Hatswell
Wayne Mervin Hatswell (born 8 February 1975) is an English former professional footballer and current assistant head coach at Walsall.
Playing career
Born in Swindon, Hatswell began his career with Swindon Supermarine and also played for Witn ...
* Ashan Holgate
* Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
* Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...
* Matthew Robinson
* Kayden Jackson
Kayden Pastel Dunn Jackson (born 22 February 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker and winger for club Derby County.
Jackson began his professional career at Swindon Town, having previously played non-league footb ...
* Carl McHugh
* Denny Mundee
* Will Puddy
* Ludovic Quistin
Ludovic "Luda" Quistin (24 May 198428 May 2012) was a Guadeloupean footballer who played as a defender. He also represented Guadeloupe and was a member of their squad.
Quistin had a nomadic career after he arrived in England, turning out for a ...
* Chris Smith
* David Stroud
* Ady Williams
Adrian Williams (born 16 August 1971) is a former Wales international footballer and former Didcot Town manager.
Club career
Reading
Born in Reading, Williams started his career with Reading, making his first appearance in the 1991–92 season ...
Former coaches
# Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
# Managers/Coaches with full international caps.
* Ray Murphy
* Ray Baverstock
Ray Baverstock (born 3 December 1963) is a former professional football midfielder.
Baverstock began his career as an apprentice with Swindon Town, turning professional in December 1981. He made his debut on 4 September 1982 as Swindon lost 2 ...
* Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
* Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...
* Don Rogers
References
External links
Official website
BBC Wiltshire
– News reports from BBC Wiltshire
BBC Radio Wiltshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the English county of Wiltshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Prospect Place in Swindon.
According to RAJAR, the station had a weekly aud ...
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Football clubs in England
1992 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1992
Football clubs in Wiltshire
Southern Football League clubs
Sport in Swindon
Highworth
Works association football teams in England