Brackley Town F.C.

{{short description|Association football club in Brackley, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Brackley Town | image = BrackleyTownFCBadge.png | fullname = Brackley Town Football Club | nickname = The Saints | founded = 1890 | ground = St James Park, Brackley | capacity = 3,500 (300 seated)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170702211025/http://www.non-leagueclubdirectory.co.uk/index.php/clubs/brackley-town Brackley Town] Non-League Club Directory</ref> | chairman = Matt Wise | manager = Andy Whing | league = {{English football updater|BrackleT}} | season = {{English football updater|BrackleT2}} | position = {{English football updater|BrackleT3}} | website = {{URL|https://www.brackleytownfc.com/|brackleytownfc.com}} | pattern_la1 = _redborder | pattern_b1 = _whitestripes | pattern_ra1 = _redborder | pattern_sh1 = | leftarm1 = FFF | body1 = FF0000 | rightarm1 = FFF | shorts1 = FFFFFF | socks1 = FF0000 | pattern_la2 = _blackborder | pattern_b2 = _pumaultimate23y | pattern_ra2 = _blackborder | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = FFFF00 | body2 = FFFF00 | rightarm2 = FFFF00 | shorts2 = FFFF00 | socks2 = FFFF00 }}

'''Brackley Town Football Club''' is a football club in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of {{English football updater 2|{{English football updater|BrackleT}}}} and play at St James Park. The club won the FA Trophy in 2018.

==History== {{See also|List of Brackley Town F.C. seasons}} Established in 1890, the club spent much of the pre-World War I era in the Oxfordshire Senior League.<ref name=H1>[http://www.theparksuite.com/images/Corporate/BTFCCorporateBrochure..pdf Brackley Town Corporate Brochure] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406153820/http://theparksuite.com/images/Corporate/BTFCCorporateBrochure..pdf |date=2016-04-06 }} The Park Suite</ref> After the war they switched to the North Bucks & District League, where they remained until transferring to the Banbury & District League. However, they rejoined the North Bucks League in 1974.<ref name=H1/> In 1977 the club joined Division One of the Hellenic League.<ref name=FCHD>{{fchd|name=Brackley Town|id=BRACKLET}}</ref> They won the league's Knock-Out Cup in 1982–83,<ref name=H1/> after which they switched to Division One of the United Counties League in 1983. They went on to win the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division.<ref name=FCHD/> Although they finished as runners-up in 1988–89, the following season saw them finish twentieth, and after finishing bottom of the division in three successive seasons between 1991–92 and 1993–94, the club rejoined the Hellenic League and were placed in the Premier Division.<ref name=FCHD/>

Although Brackley finished third-from-bottom of the Premier Division in their first season, the 1995–96 season saw them end the season as runners-up.<ref name=FCHD/> The following season the club were league champions, earning promotion to Division One Midlands of the Southern League. After one season they were transferred to Division One South, but were relegated back to the Hellenic League at the end of the 1998–99 season, which saw them finish bottom of the division.<ref name=FCHD/> In 2003–04 Brackley won the Hellenic League for a second time, as well as the Supplementary Cup, and were promoted back to the Southern League, this time to Division One West. A third-place finish in 2005–06 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Marlow 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–2 to Hemel Hempstead Town in the final.<ref name=FCHD/> The club were transferred to Division One Midlands for the following season, and went on to win the division, earning promotion to the Premier Division.<ref name=FCHD/> In 2008–09 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 2–1 at Eastwood Town.<ref name=FCHD/> After finishing fifth in 2009–10 the club qualified for the promotion play-offs again, but lost 6–0 to Nuneaton Town in the semi-finals.<ref name=FCHD/>

The 2011–12 season saw Brackley win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Conference North. They finished third in their first season in the division. In the subsequent promotion play-offs, they beat Altrincham 4–2 on aggregate in the semi-finals before losing 1–0 to FC Halifax Town in the final.<ref name=FCHD/> The following season the club reached the first round of the FA Cup again, and after drawing 1–1 against Gillingham at Priestfield, they won the replay 1–0. In the second round the club lost 3–2 at Macclesfield Town. Brackley reached the first round again in 2015–16, losing 4–1 to Newport County in a replay after a 2–2 draw in the first match. The 2016–17 FA Cup saw the club reach the second round after again beating Gillingham 4–3 in a first-round replay.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37905204 Brackley Town 4 3 Gillingham] BBC Sport, 16 November 2016</ref> In the next round they lost 1–0 at Blackpool.

In 2017–18 Brackley won the FA Trophy, beating Bromley 5–4 on penalties in the final after the game had ended 1–1. They also finished third in the National League North and reached the play-off final after defeating Bradford Park Avenue 1–0 in the semi-finals, before losing 3–0 in the final to Harrogate Town. In 2020–21 the club reached the second round of the FA Cup again; after defeating Bishop's Stortford 3–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw in the first round,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54839971 Brackley Town 3–3 Bishop's Stortford] BBC Sport, 7 November 2020</ref> they lost 1–0 at Tranmere Rovers in the second. In 2021–22 the club were runners-up in the National League North, subsequently losing 1–0 to York City in the play-off semi-finals. They finished fourth in the division in 2022–23, going on to beat Gloucester City 5–3 on penalties in the play-off quarter-finals (after a 2–2 draw) and then Chester 1–0 in the semi-finals, before losing 2–0 in the final to Kidderminster Harriers. A third-place finish in 2023–24 was followed by another play-off campaign, in which the club beat Chorley 1–0 in the semi-finals and then lost 2–1 to Boston United in the final. The 2024–25 season saw the club win the National League North title, finally achieving promotion to the National League.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/brackley-take-north-title-on-dramatic-final-day-83520|title=Brackley Take North Title On Dramatic Final Day|website=National League|date=26 April 2025|accessdate=26 April 2025}}</ref>

===Reserve team=== The club's reserve team played in the Hellenic League between 2015 and 2020. They joined Division One East of the league in 2014 under the name Brackley Town Development. After finishing as runners-up in their first season,<ref>{{fchd|id=BRACKLTD|name=Brackley Town Development}}</ref> they were promoted to the Premier Division and were renamed Brackley Town Saints.<ref>{{fchd|id=BRACKLTS|name=Brackley Town Saints}}</ref> The team left the league at the end of the 2019–20 season.

The club played at Manor Road from their establishment until 1968, when they moved to Buckingham Road, where the players changed in the nearby Plough pub.<ref name=PP>[http://www.pyramidpassion.co.uk/html/brackley_town.html Brackley Town] Pyramid Passion</ref> In 1974 they moved to St James Park on Churchill Way. Floodlights were installed during the 1988–89 season.<ref name=PP/> During their first spell in the Southern League a 300-seat stand was built on one touchline.<ref name=PP/> The ground currently has a capacity of 3,500, of which 300 is seated and 1,500 covered.<ref name=NLCD>Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p177 {{ISBN|978-1-869833-77-0}}</ref>

==Current squad== {{Updated|2 March 2026|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brackley Town 1st Team squad |url=https://www.brackleytownfc.com/teams/260189/the-team |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=www.brackleytownfc.com}}</ref>}}{{Fs start}} {{Fs player|no=1|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=Jonny Maxted|other=}} {{Fs player|no=2|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Tyler Lyttle|other=}} {{Fs player|no=3|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Riccardo Calder|other=}} {{Fs player|no=4|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Jack Price|other=}} {{Fs player|no=5|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Kyle Morrison|other=}} {{Fs player|no=6|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Gareth Dean|other=captain}} {{Fs player|no=7|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Scott Pollock|other=}} {{Fs player|no=8|nat=ENG|pos=MF|name=Zak Brown|other=}} {{Fs player|no=10|nat=WAL|pos=MF|name=Morgan Roberts|other=}} {{Fs player|no=11|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Matt Lowe|other=}} {{Fs player|no=12|nat=SKN|pos=DF|name=Michael Nottingham|other=}} {{Fs player|no=13|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=Alastair Worby|other=}} {{Fs player|no=15|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Ben Wodskou|other=on loan from Birmingham City}} {{Fs mid}} {{Fs player|no=17|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Aidan Elliott-Wheeler|other=on loan from Oxford United}} {{Fs player|no=19|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Zak Lilly|other=}} {{Fs player|no=20 |nat=WAL|pos=MF|name=Joe Andrews|other=on loan from Peterborough United}} {{Fs player|no=21|nat=ENG|pos=GK|name=Cameron Gregory|other=}} {{Fs player|no=22|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Byron Pendleton|other=on loan from Birmingham City}} {{fs player|no=23|nat=IRL|pos=MF|name=Shane Byrne}} {{Fs player|no=27|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Connor Hall|other=}} {{fs player|no=29|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Kian Harratt|other=on loan from Oldham Athletic}} {{fs player|no=37|nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Ryan Haynes}} {{Fs player|no= |nat=ENG|pos=DF|name=Will Joyner|other=}} {{Fs player|no= |nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Miracle Okafor|other=}} {{Fs end}}

===Out on loan=== {{Fs start}} {{Fs player|no=14|nat=ENG|pos=FW|name=Danny Waldron|other=at Kidderminster Harriers until 31 May 2026}} {{Fs end}}

==Current staff== {{Updated|29 January 2026}}

=== Management board === {| class="wikitable" !Position !Name |- |Chairman |Matt Wise |- |CEO |Janene Butters |- |Director |Francis Oliver |- |Director & Head of Football Admin |Tim Carroll |- |Head of Safeguarding |Nick Zammit |- |Head of Media & Design |Chris Tymon |- |Head of Commercial |Will Grashoff |- | colspan="2" |Source: Brackley Town<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Who's Who 2022-2023 |url=https://www.brackleytownfc.com/a/whos-who-20222023-63779.html |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.brackleytownfc.com}}</ref> |}

=== Football management === {| class="wikitable" !Position !Name |- |Manager |Andy Whing |- |Interim Assistant Manager |Alastair Worby |- |Lead Physiotherapist |Aaron Lambley |- |Kit manager |Keith Marshall |- |Women's Head Coach |Andy Thompson |- | colspan="2" |Source: Brackley Town<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brackley Town 1st Team squad |url=https://www.brackleytownfc.com/teams/260189/the-team |access-date=2023-01-06 |website=www.brackleytownfc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brackley Town Ladies squad |url=https://www.brackleytownfc.com/teams/265920/the-team |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.brackleytownfc.com}}</ref> |}

== Honours == *'''FA Trophy''' **Winners 2017–18 *'''National League''' **National League North champions 2024–25 *'''Southern League''' **Premier Division champions 2011–12 **Division One Midlands champions 2006–07 *'''Hellenic League''' **Premier Division champions 1996–97, 2003–04 **Knock-Out Cup winners 1982–83 **Supplementary Cup winners 2003–04 *'''United Counties League''' **Division One champions 1983–84 *'''Northamptonshire Senior Cup''' **Winners 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15<ref name=Hon/> *'''Maunsell Cup''' **Winners 2011–12, 2012–13<ref name=Hon>{{Cite web |title=Club Honours & Records |url=https://www.brackleytownfc.com/a/club-history-63789.html?page=2 |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Brackley Town F.C.}}</ref>

==Records== *Highest league position: First in the National League North, 2024–25 *Best FA Cup performance: Second round, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2020–21, 2024–25, 2025–26<ref name=FCHD/> *Best FA Trophy performance: Winners, 2017–18<ref name=FCHD/> *Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 1987–88 *Record attendance: 3,074 vs Boston United, Conference North play-off final, 4 May 2024<ref>[https://banburyfm.com/news/heartbreak-for-the-saints-in-promotion-play-off-final/] Brackley Town F.C.</ref> *Most appearances: Glenn Walker<ref>[https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/sport/football/fearsome-front-two-strike-earn-brackley-town-point-3036114 Fearsome front two strike to earn Brackley Town a point] Northampton Chronicle, 14 November 2020</ref> *Most goals: Paul Warrington, 320<ref name=NLCD/> *Record transfer fee received: £2,000 from Oxford City for Phil Mason, 1998<ref name=NLCD/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *{{official website}}

{{National League (English football)}} {{coord|52|1|28.538|N|1|8|38.641|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Brackley Town F.C. Category:Men's football clubs in England Category:Football clubs in Northamptonshire Category:Association football clubs established in 1890 Category:1890 establishments in England Category:Oxfordshire Senior Football League Category:North Bucks & District Football League Category:Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Category:Hellenic Football League Category:United Counties League Category:Southern Football League clubs Category:National League (English football) clubs Category:Brackley