Brigg Town F.C.

Brigg Town

Full name	Brigg Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Zebras
Founded	1864
Ground	The Hawthorns Brigg Lincolnshire
Ground Capacity	2000 + 370 seated
Chairman	Simon Harris
League	Northern Counties East Football League
2014–15	Northern Premier League Division One South, 22nd (Relegated)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Brigg Town is an English football team based in Brigg, Lincolnshire. They are one of the oldest football clubs in the world, with only Sheffield (1857), Hallam (1860) and Cray Wanderers (1860) proclaiming to be older. Currently, they play in the Northern Premier League Division One South, the fourth tier of the National League System and the eighth tier of the English football league system.

History

Known as the Zebras, they wear black and white as home colours and have in recent years played in the Northern Counties East League. Champions of the league in the 2000–01 season, they were denied promotion to the Northern Premier League because improvements to their ground were not completed before the deadline. They were runners-up the two following years but only the champions of the NCE League are promoted as a rule. However, after finishing third in the 2003–04 season they were promoted as a part of the National League System restructuring.

For the 2008–09 season, the club replaced manager Dave McLean with Steve Housham. Housham brought in former coach Dave Andrews and club legend Jimmy Snee to assist him in leading the team, but their young team struggled to 20th position in the league, and were only reprieved from relegation by the collapse of Gresley Rovers. In the summer of 2011 manager Steve Housham decided to leave Brigg for a full-time position with Gainsborough Trinity and after a lengthy interview process ex-Lincoln City manager Pete Daniel was appointed to the post with club captain Lee Roy Cochrane as his assistant.

On the national level Brigg Town have won the FA Vase twice, in 1996 and 2003, under longtime manager Ralph Clayton. In the 2001–02 FA Cup, they defeated eventual Football Conference champions Boston United before being beaten by Tranmere Rovers who ranked five levels above them on the football pyramid.

In September 2014 player manager Scott Hellewell stepped down following a tough start to the season. Scott was replaced by Gary Paton who had been the assistant manager to Hellewell. Gary Paton installed former player Phil Jackman as his assistant and UEFA A licence coach Callum Lester as his first team coach.

Brigg chairman Kye Brown stood down in early July and was replaced by former Grimsby Borough chairman Simon Harris.

League history

• 1976–77 – Joined Midland League
• 1977–78 – Midland League Champions
• 1982–83 – Founder members of Northern Counties East League. Relegated to Division Two South
• 1984–85 – Joined Division One Central on re-organisation. Northern Counties East Division One Central runner-up
• 1986 – Promoted to Premier Division
• 1995–96 – FA Vase Winners
• 1999–2000 – Northern Counties East League runner-up
• 2000–01 – Northern Counties East League Champions
• 2001–02 – Northern Counties East League runner-up
• 2001–02 – FA Cup first round away v Tranmere Rovers FC
• 2002–03 – FA Vase Winners (2nd time); Northern Counties East League runner-up
• 2004–05 – Joined Northern Premier League Division One
• 2007–08 – Joined Northern Premier League Division One South

An exterior shot of The Hawthorns

Honours

League

• NCEL Premier Division
  • Winners (1): 2000–01
  • Runners-Up (3): 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Third-Placed (3): 1996–97, 1998–99, 2003–04

• NCEL Division One (Central)
  • Runners-Up (1): 1984–85

• Midland League
  • Winners (1): 1977–78
  • Third-Placed (1): 1976–77

Cup

• FA Vase
  • Winners (2): 1995–96, 2002–03

External links

• Official website
• Brigg Town at the Football Club History Database