Basingstoke Town Football Club is a football club based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The club are currently members of the and play at the Winklebury Sports Complex. Their motto, 'Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum', means 'Never a step backward'.
The club was established in 1896 by a merger of Aldworth United and Basingstoke Albion. They joined the Hampshire League in 1901, and when the league was split into geographical divisions in 1903, were placed in the North Division. They finished bottom of the division in both 1903âÂÂ04 and 1904âÂÂ05, and again in 1906âÂÂ07 and 1907âÂÂ08. However, after consecutive second-bottom finishes and then finishing fifth out of seven clubs in 1910âÂÂ11, they were North Division champions in 1911âÂÂ12.
Finishing as champions resulted in promotion to the County Section, although the club continued to play in the North Division. They won the North Section again in 1919âÂÂ20, After league reorganisation in 1929 Basingstoke were placed in Division One. They finished as runners-up in 1965âÂÂ66 and 1966âÂÂ67, before winning the league in 1967âÂÂ68. After finishing as runners-up again in 1968âÂÂ69, they won back-to-back titles in 1969âÂÂ70 and 1970âÂÂ71, remaining unbeaten in the latter season. They club also won the Hampshire Senior Cup for the first time in 1970âÂÂ71, beating Fareham Town 3âÂÂ2 in a replay after the original final ended 1âÂÂ1.
After their third Hampshire League title in 1971, Basingstoke moved up to Division One South of the Southern League. Their first season in the Southern League saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 5âÂÂ1 to Northampton Town. The club remained in Division One South until 1979, when league restructuring saw them placed in the Southern Division. They won the division in 1984âÂÂ85, earning promotion to the Premier Division. Two seasons later they were transferred to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League. Although they were relegated to Division One at the end of the 1987âÂÂ88 season, they made an immediate return to the Premier Division after finishing as Division One runners-up the following season.
The 1989âÂÂ90 season saw Basingstoke reach the first round of the FA Cup again. After beating Bromsgrove Rovers 3âÂÂ0, they lost 3âÂÂ2 to Torquay United in the second round. They also won the Hampshire Senior Cup, beating AFC Lymington 8âÂÂ0 in the final. In 1993âÂÂ94 they were relegated to Division One. They won the Hampshire Senior Cup again in 1995âÂÂ96 and 1996âÂÂ97, beating Waterlooville 2âÂÂ0 in the final on both occasions. The latter season also saw them return to the Premier Division after finishing as runners-up in Division One. The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup and defeat Football League opposition for the first time, beating Wycombe Wanderers 5âÂÂ4 on penalties after a 2âÂÂ2 draw in a replay; the attendance of 5,085 was a new record for the club. They then took Northampton to a replay in the second round, before losing 4âÂÂ3 on penalties. They reached the first round again in 1998âÂÂ99, losing 2âÂÂ1 to AFC Bournemouth.
In 2003âÂÂ04 the club finished fourteenth in the Premier Division, entering a play-off against Lewes for a place in the new Conference South. Although they lost 4âÂÂ1, they gained a place in the new league after Hendon decided against promotion. The club made another appearance in the FA Cup first round in 2006âÂÂ07, beating League One club Chesterfield 1âÂÂ0 at Saltergate before losing 3âÂÂ1 to local rivals Aldershot in a second round replay. The Hampshire Senior Cup was won again in 2007âÂÂ08 with a 1âÂÂ0 win over Farnborough in the final. A fifth-place finish in 2011âÂÂ12 saw the club qualify for the promotion play-offs. However, they lost the two-legged semi-final to Dartford 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate, losing 1âÂÂ0 at home and 2âÂÂ1 away. They also reached the FA Cup first round again, losing 1âÂÂ0 to Brentford. They qualified for the play-offs for a second time in 2014âÂÂ15 after finishing third, but were beaten 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate by Whitehawk in the semi-finals. However, the club did win the Hampshire Senior Cup again, beating Havant & Waterlooville 3âÂÂ2 after extra time in the final.
The following season saw Basingstoke make another appearance in the FA Cup first round, a 1âÂÂ0 defeat at Cambridge United; however, after finishing bottom of the renamed National League South, they were relegated to the Premier Division of the Southern League. In 2016âÂÂ17 the club won the Hampshire Senior Cup, beating AFC Bournemouth 7âÂÂ6 on penalties after the final ended in a 0âÂÂ0 draw. They were placed in the Premier South division at the end of the 2017âÂÂ18 season as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid. The club finished third-from-bottom of the division in 2018âÂÂ19 and were relegated to Division One South. At the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season they were transferred to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League. The 2021âÂÂ22 season saw them finish fifth, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They went on to lose 4âÂÂ1 to Chertsey Town in the semi-finals. In 2022âÂÂ23 the club were South Central Division champions, earning promotion, as well as winning the North Hampshire Senior Cup with a 3âÂÂ1 win over Romsey Town and the Hampshire Senior Cup with a 1âÂÂ0 win against AFC Bournemouth. They won the North Hampshire Senior Cup again in 2023âÂÂ24, beating Romsey Town 4âÂÂ3 in the final. The 2024âÂÂ25 season saw a third consecutive North Hampshire Senior Cup final against Romsey Town, with Basingstoke winning 6âÂÂ0.
The club played at Castlefields from their establishment until 1945, when a site for a new ground was offered to them by Lord Camrose. The new ground was initially known as Winchester Road, and consisted of a small wooden stand together with grass banking with some terracing. The first match was played on 1 December 1945 against Southampton Borough Police, and the ground was later renamed after Lord Camrose.
A new clubhouse was built in 1969 and a new main stand in 1970. Terracing was also added to the ground and floodlights erected. A roof was later installed over the terracing opposite the stand, with another terrace built next to the stand. The ground's record attendance of 5,085 was set in 1997 for an FA Cup first round match against Wycombe Wanderers. It currently has a capacity of 6,000, of which 651 is seated and 2,000 covered.
In 2019 the club was forced to relocate to Winchester City's City Ground as former chairman Rafi Razzak attempted to sell the Camrose for development. In October 2020 the club returned to Basingstoke, at the upgraded FA Winklebury Sports Complex in the Winklebury area of the town.
First team
Academy