Burgess Hill Town F.C.

Burgess Hill Town

Full name

Burgess Hill Town Football Club

Nickname(s)

The Hillians, Hill

Founded

1882 (as Burgess Hill)

Ground

Leylands Park, Burgess Hill

Capacity

2,500 (408 seated)

Chairman

Kevin Newell

Manager

Ian Chapman

League

Isthmian League Premier Division

2015–16

Isthmian League Premier Division, 21st

Home colours

Away colours

Burgess Hill Town Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Premier Division of the Isthmian League, the seventh tier of English football. The club plays its home games at The Green Elephant Stadium (Leylands Park) in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.

History

Burgess Hill Football Club was founded in 1882 and was a founder member of the Sussex County Football Association. The club attained the unique achievement of winning the Sussex Senior Cup three years running thus retaining it permanently in the process. The cup is on display in the trophy cabinet in the club boardroom. The current trophy was presented to the S.C.F.A. by Burgess Hill Town Football Club. In the club's formative years they were also founder members of the Mid-Sussex Football League, and won the League Championship in its inaugural season.

Following several successful seasons the club joined the Sussex County League for the 1958–59 season, and stayed until attaining promotion to the Southern Football League in 2003. In 1969 the club amalgamated with Worlds End F.C. and with the help of Burgess Hill Town Council were able to move to Leylands Park, the club's current home. In 1971, the club gained promotion to Division One, only to be relegated two seasons later. 1974 saw the 'Hillians' reach another landmark achievement by becoming the only club ever to have won both the League Challenge Cup and the Division Two Cup in the same season. In 1976 a hat trick of achievements were completed by winning the Division One Championship by six points, having secured the Division Two title the previous season.

During the ensuing twenty years in the top flight of the County League success was modest. In 1980 the League Challenge Cup was secured and in 1992 the RUR Cup was added. However, all this changed in season 1996–97 under the guidance of club manager, Alan Pook. The club became Division One champions by twelve points, won the Floodlight Cup, and were runners up in the League Challenge Cup. The 2nd XI finished runners up in the Reserve Premier and won the Mid-Sussex Charity Cup, while the Youth XI won their overall championship. In 1997–98, the club 1st XI attained even more success by again winning the League Championship and the League Challenge Cup, also reaching the last sixteen in the F.A. Vase. Additionally they reached the Sussex Senior Cup Final and were top of the county's merit table. The Youth XI also finished as 'Double Champions' in the sector.

The 1998–99 season saw the Hillians achieve a unique treble in winning the Championship for a post war record third time and again securing a league and cup double, back to back. The 2nd XI won their cup and were runners up in the league, missing out by a single point. Not to be out done, the Youth XI won their league and only missed out on a double by goal difference.

The club then appointed new manager Gary Croydon for season 1999–2000. He led the Hillians to take runners' up spot in the league and to a record fourth qualifying round FA Cup tie against Hereford United. Again a last 16 place was achieved in the FA Vase as well as winning the RUR Cup and the Floodlit Cup.

The new millennium season saw Hillians take the league championship with the team remaining unbeaten in the league until April; the club also had its best ever run in the FA Vase only being beaten after extra time by eventual finalists Tiptree United in the last eight, before a club record attendance of 1598. With plans being laid for Southern League football, club directors, Gary Croydon and Eddie Benson appointed Danny Bloor as manager for season 2002–2003. The club was rewarded with yet another championship crown, the fifth in seven seasons.

Gary Croydon took over the Hillians again as the club entered the Southern League for the first ever time. After just missing out on the play-offs, Burgess Hill Town moved over to the Isthmian League due to the restructuring of the non-league pyramid. After the first season in the Isthmian League manager Gary Croydon stepped down and was replaced by Steve Johnson in May 2005. But six months later with the Hillians bottom of the League, Croydon took over again with assistance from Jim Thompson and Peter Miles as the club avoided relegation.

For the 2007–08 season, the club appointed former professional player Jamie Howell as first team manager. He was sacked on 4 March 2009. In May 2009 Gary Croydon announced his appointment as first team manager once again for the 2009–10 season.

At the start of the 2011–12 season, manager Gary Croydon stepped down as to concentrate more on his chief executive role as the club look for a new ground on the outskirts of the town near the Triangle Leisure Centre. Taking over the manager role was Simon Rowland who had guided AFC Uckfield to the Sussex County League Division 2 title the previous season. He was assisted by former Brighton & Hove Albion youth coach Ben White. The pair were sacked after a 7–0 defeat at Godalming and Gary Croydon came back to manage the last few games of the season aided by John Rattle. Relegation was avoided on the last day of the season by defeating Dulwich Hamlet.

Ground

Burgess Hill Town play their home games at Leylands Park, Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, Sussex, RH15 8DL.

Squad

As of 17 September 2016

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

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Josh James (captain)
		DF	Cheick Touré
		DF	James Richmond
		DF	Joey Taylor
		DF	Sam Fisk
		DF	Will Miles
		MF	Curtis Gayler
		MF	Guy Bolton
		MF	Jack Brivio
		MF	Okwute Izuchukwu
		MF	Leon Redwood

No.		Position	Player
		FW	Chris Smith
		FW	Lee Harding
		FW	Pat Harding (3rd Captain)
		FW	Sam Gargan
		FW	Dan Thompson
		FW	Tyrell Richardson-Brown

Reserves and youth

The team have a youth team which currently plays in the Isthmian Youth League Division One South and is managed by former Hillians player Ashley Carr. The youth team won the Sussex County Cup in the 2010–11 season. Until the 2011–12 season the club also ran a reserve team but they disbanded due to financial problems at the club. Both teams, like the first team, play at Leylands Park. In the 2014-15 season the youth team is managed by Ian South and Paul Armstrong with the u21s run by Neil Wheeler and Peter Miles .

Club honours

Isthmian League Division One South champions 2014-15
Sussex County League – Division 1 champions 1976, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003
Sussex County League – Division 2 Champions: 1975
Floodlit Cup winners: 1997, 2000
The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup winners (2):^[1] 1992, 2000
The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup Runners Up (3):^[2] 1977–78, 1998–99, 2000–01
John O’Hara League Challenge Cup winners: 1974, 1980, 1998, 1999
Sussex Senior Cup winners: 1884, 1885, 1886
Roy Hayden Trophy winners: 2004
Norman Wingate Trophy winners: 2003
Sussex County Reserve Section champions: 1978, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1992
Sussex County Reserve Section Cup winners: 1983, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2003
Sussex Intermediate Cup winners: 1977
Sussex County Youth League champions: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005
Sussex County Youth League Cup winners: 1992, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005
Sussex Youth Cup winners: 2005
Mid-Sussex Football League champions: 1901, 1904, 1940, 1947, 1957
Mid Sussex Senior Charity cup winners: 1993, 1997, 2002
Mowatt Cup winners: 1946
Montgomery Cup winners: 1940, 1957
Sussex Junior Cup winners: 1890

Club records

Best league performance: 21st Isthmian League Premier division 2015-16
Best FA Cup performance: 4th qualifying round, 1999-00 (lost 4–1 vs. Hereford United), 2008–09 (lost 3–0 vs. Harlow Town), 2014–15 (away to Dartford)
Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round proper, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2014–15
Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 2001–02 (lost 2–1 vs. Tiptree United)
Record attendance, 2,005 vs. AFC Wimbledon, (30 April 2005)

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed 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.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Sources

Burgess Hill Town at the Football Club History Database
Burgess Hill at the Football Club History Database

References

↑ "R.U.R. Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football Association". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
↑ "R.U.R. Cup Final Results – Sussex County Football Association". Sussexcountyleague.com. Retrieved 2012-11-11.

External links

Official website

Isthmian League

Premier Division	AFC Sudbury Billericay Town Bognor Regis Town Burgess Hill Town Canvey Island Dulwich Hamlet Enfield Town Folkestone Invicta Grays Athletic Harlow Town Harrow Borough Havant & Waterlooville Hendon Kingstonian Leatherhead Leiston Lowestoft Town Merstham Metropolitan Police Needham Market Staines Town Tonbridge Angels Wingate & Finchley Worthing

Division One North	AFC Hornchurch Aveley Bowers & Pitsea Brentwood Town Brightlingsea Regent Bury Town Cheshunt Dereham Town Great Wakering Rovers Haringey Borough Heybridge Swifts Maldon & Tiptree Norwich United Phoenix Sports Romford Soham Town Rangers Thamesmead Town Thurrock Tilbury VCD Athletic Waltham Abbey Ware Witham Town Wroxham

Division One South	Carshalton Athletic Chatham Town Chipstead Corinthian-Casuals Cray Wanderers Dorking Wanderers East Grinstead Town Faversham Town Godalming Town Greenwich Borough Guernsey Hastings United Herne Bay Horsham Hythe Town Lewes Molesey Ramsgate Sittingbourne South Park Three Bridges Tooting & Mitcham United Walton Casuals Whyteleafe

Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1919 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Coordinates: 50°58′1″N 0°7′29″W / 50.96694°N 0.12472°W / 50.96694; -0.12472

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