Tiverton Town F.C.

Tiverton Town
Full nameTiverton Town Football Club
Nicknames"Tivvy", "The Yellows"
Founded1913 (as Tiverton Athletic)
GroundThe Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium/Ladysmead, Tiverton
Capacity3,500 (520 seated)
ChairmanMark Farrell
ManagerAsa Hall
LeagueSouthern League Division One South
2025–26Southern League Premier Division South, 22nd of 22 (relegated)
Websitewww.tivertontownfc.uk

Tiverton Town Football Club are an English football club based in Tiverton, Devon. The club are currently members of the Southern League Division One South and play at The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium, previously known as Ladysmead.

History

The club was established in 1913 as Tiverton Athletic, and initially played at the Athletic Ground. They joined the East Devon League, winning the Senior Division in 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, and 1927–28. They then joined the North Devon League, winning it in 1931–32, after which they transferred to the Exeter & District League, which they won in 1933–34.

In 1951–52, the club won the league's Senior Division, and, in 1956, won the Devon Senior Cup for the first time. They won the league again in 1964–65 and 1965–66, a season in which they also won the Senior Cup for a second time.

In 1973, the club joined the Western League. They were relegated to Division One at the end of the 1980–81 season after finishing bottom of the league. After finishing as runners-up in 1988–89, they were promoted back to the Premier Division. Following two fourth-placed finishes, the club finished third in 1991–92, second in 1992–93 (a season in which they also won the League Cup for the first time), and won the league and League Cup double in 1993–94. They won the league again the following season, and after finishing as runners-up in 1995–96, a season in which they also picked up the League Cup, achieved back-to-back titles again in 1996–97 (a double season) and 1997–98. They also won the FA Vase in 1998, beating Tow Law Town 1–0 in the final.

In 1998–99, the club won the FA Vase again, beating Bedlington Terriers 1–0, and finished second in the league, earning promotion to Division One West of the Southern League. In 2000–01, they finished second, and were promoted to the Premier Division, where they remained until 2011. In 2006–07, they won the Southern League Cup.

On 18 April 2012, it was announced in the national press that Tiverton had appointed 27-year-old internet entrepreneur Matthew Conridge as their new chairman. Believed to be one of the youngest football chairman in the UK ever, Conridge was quoted as saying, "I'm not here to chuck thousands of pounds into a black hole, I'm here to pull everyone together and work with a good team.... This club will not spend more than it can afford to chase a dream.... If we can't afford a budget to go to Blue Square Bet South we won't pay it." On 30 April 2013, the club released a press release as follows "Tiverton Town can confirm that Matthew Conridge has stepped down as Chairman of Tiverton Town to pursue other business interests. The club would like to place on record its gratitude for all his hard work whilst in the position. Former Tivvy chairman Dave Wright is taking over the position of chairman for the time being. The club also wishes to confirm the departure of interim manager Jamie Ward together with his assistant Paul Short."[citation needed]

In May 2013, Tiverton Town announced the arrival of John Clarkson as their new manager: "John Clarkson was tonight introduced to the media and Tivvy fans at a press conference at Ladysmead. Clarkson has arrived from Spain where he was manager of Ontinyent in Segunda B. He had been managing in Spain for the last six years". In May 2014, Clarkson stepped down from the position following the team's disappointing 2–0 Devon Bowl Final defeat to Plymouth Parkway who were playing in the league below Tiverton. He had led the side to the play-off's, where they lost to 9-man Paulton, and two Cup finals, but cited the last couple of months as the reason he was going, "The last couple of months have really taken it out of me, three or four games a week was just too much" He added, "I'm off to take my coaching badges during the summer and once I've completed them, I will decide on what I'm going to do." Despite a much higher wage budget than other teams in the league (thanks to John Clarkson's financial input), the club could not reach its aim of promotion in its centenary season. At the end of the season, many of the club's higher profile players left following John Clarkson's resignation and the reduction of the wage budget. Yellows legend Martyn Rogers was named as Clarkson's replacement and given the task of rebuilding the squad on a much more restricted wage budget.

In the 2016/17 season, Tiverton Town gained promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. They beat Salisbury 0–2 with goals from Michael Landricombe and Tom Bath in the playoff final in front of over 2,000, returning them to the Southern League Premier after being relegated in 2011.

In the 2017/18 season, Tivvy finished in a highly respectable position of 6th, especially considering the low budget and crowds compared to the top five and most of the league. Tivvy managed to beat four of the top five, though their playoff hopes ended because of poor away form.

At the end of the 2022/23 season, long standing Benefactor and chairman, Ian Moorcroft, announced he was departing the club to spend more time with his family. The club sought out a new chairman and landed on former Plymouth Argyle CEO, Michael Dunford.

The 2023/24 season started with promise with a new committee and a rebuilt squad for the new season. Hope was in the air for Tiverton Town Fans. However, the season was bleak from the outset and the longest serving manager in the clubs history, Martyn Rogers, was sacked after a string of mediocre results. And former Taunton Town Manager, Leigh Robinson, was appointed as the new manager.

However, shortly after this the new chairman, Michael Dunford, decided to call time on his spell as chairman. His tenure at the club was short and tumultuous. He was replaced with at the end of November 2023. Ian Moorcroft Became Chairman again before the home game with Hungerford Town on 2 December 2023

Stadium

The club currently play at The Slee Blackwell Solicitors Stadium, Ladysmead, Bolham Road, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6SG.

Opened in 1946, the ground has a capacity of 3,500, of which 520 is seated.

As Tiverton Athletic, the club played its home games at the Athletic Ground, now known as Amory Park. The ground boasted a huge wooden pavilion with a seated veranda, which was quite extravagant for a non-league club in the 1910s. In 1921, Athletic were effectively evicted from their ground and moved to a local rugby pitch, Elm Field (aka "The Elms"), with the reformed rugby club taking their place at their old ground. The Elms housed a wooden 150-seat stand on one side, with grass banks behind the goals being the only other spectator zones.

The Elms was virtually destroyed during World War II, meaning the club had to move, eventually relocating to Ladysmead. The club's record attendance of 3,000 came in the FA Cup first round, against Leyton Orient on 12 November 1994. After falling behind 1-0, Leyton Orient equalised. During the celebrations by the fans, part of what appeared to be a freshly built wall collapsed and led to a lengthy delay.

Players

As of 31st August 2026.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ENG Louis Smith
2 DF  ENG Mason Winter
3 DF  ENG Corey Koerner
4 DF  ENG Louie Slough
5 DF  ENG Matt Wood
6 DF  ENG Ed Palmer (Captain)
21 MF  ENG Aaron Wellington
8 MF  ENG Asa Hall (Player/Manager)
9 FW  ENG Owen Howe
10 FW  ENG Louis Jagger-Cane
11 FW  ENG Jacob Wellington
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF  ENG Jack Kennell
31 MF  ENG Billy Tucker
- MF  ENG Caleb Pryce-Hall (On Loan (Corsham Town))
17 FW  ENG Aidan Horne
18 MF  ENG Cole Harford
12 MF  ENG Finn Roberts
10 MF  ENG Ryan Keates
— DF  ENG Lewis Flowers
— DF  ENG Finn Hodge (On Loan (Corsham Town))
— FW  ENG Karim Coulibaly

Dual Registered Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ENG Joe Wylie (Dual Registered with Cullompton Town)

Staff

Off-Pitch Staff

Position Name
Chairman Mark Farrell
Vice Chairman Vacant
Committee Chairman & Welfare Officer Ollie Priestley
Commercial Manager Craig Bryce
Treasurer Jon Lines
Club Secretary Viv Curtis
Fixture Secretary Anthony Dodd
Head of Media Ryan Downer
Ground Safety Officer Marian Pile
Groundsman Stuart Antell

On-Pitch Staff

Position Name
Director of Football England Lee Lashenko
Head of Football Development England Mike Ebdon
Men's Team Manager England Asa Hall
Men's Team Coach England Steven Orchard
Men's Team Coach England David Steele
Women's Team Manager England David Kelland
Women's Team Manager England Amy Woodman
U18's Team Manager England Richard Barrass
U18's Team Manager England Stevie King
U18's Team Coach England Jack Balchin
Physio England Ellie Jones
Kitman England William Buttle

Honours

Club records

Former players

  1. Players that have played/managed more than 15 times in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
  2. Players with full international caps.
  3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

Alfie pond

References

  1. ↑ Pilnick, Brent (18 April 2012). "Tiverton Town appoint 27-year-old businessman as chairman". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Tiverton Town ground guide". Pyramid Passion. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
  3. ↑ "Tiverton Town FC". Tiverton Town FC. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Western Football League Cup – Les Phillips cup 1989–present" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 6 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
  5. ↑ "Western Football League Amateur Trophy Winners" (PDF). Western Football League. Retrieved 7 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
  6. 1 2 3 4 TIVERTON TOWN at the Football Club History Database
  7. ↑ "Goal scorers". Tivvy Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2013.

50°54′33″N 3°29′25″W / 50.90917°N 3.49028°W / 50.90917; -3.49028