Brackley Town Football Club is a football club in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at St James Park. The club won the FA Trophy in 2018.
Established in 1890, the club spent much of the pre-World War I era in the Oxfordshire Senior League. 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. In 1977 the club joined Division One of the Hellenic League. They won the league's Knock-Out Cup in 1982âÂÂ83, 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. Although they finished as runners-up in 1988âÂÂ89, the following season saw them finish twentieth, and after finishing bottom of the division in three successive seasons between 1991âÂÂ92 and 1993âÂÂ94, the club rejoined the Hellenic League and were placed in the Premier Division.
Although Brackley finished third-from-bottom of the Premier Division in their first season, the 1995âÂÂ96 season saw them end the season as runners-up. 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 1998âÂÂ99 season, which saw them finish bottom of the division. In 2003âÂÂ04 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 2005âÂÂ06 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating Marlow 2âÂÂ1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3âÂÂ2 to Hemel Hempstead Town in the final. 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. In 2008âÂÂ09 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 2âÂÂ1 at Eastwood Town. After finishing fifth in 2009âÂÂ10 the club qualified for the promotion play-offs again, but lost 6âÂÂ0 to Nuneaton Town in the semi-finals.
The 2011âÂÂ12 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 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate in the semi-finals before losing 1âÂÂ0 to FC Halifax Town in the final. The following season the club reached the first round of the FA Cup again, and after drawing 1âÂÂ1 against Gillingham at Priestfield, they won the replay 1âÂÂ0. In the second round the club lost 3âÂÂ2 at Macclesfield Town. Brackley reached the first round again in 2015âÂÂ16, losing 4âÂÂ1 to Newport County in a replay after a 2âÂÂ2 draw in the first match. The 2016âÂÂ17 FA Cup saw the club reach the second round after again beating Gillingham 4âÂÂ3 in a first-round replay. In the next round they lost 1âÂÂ0 at Blackpool.
In 2017âÂÂ18 Brackley won the FA Trophy, beating Bromley 5âÂÂ4 on penalties in the final after the game had ended 1âÂÂ1. They also finished third in the National League North and reached the play-off final after defeating Bradford Park Avenue 1âÂÂ0 in the semi-finals, before losing 3âÂÂ0 in the final to Harrogate Town. In 2020âÂÂ21 the club reached the second round of the FA Cup again; after defeating Bishop's Stortford 3âÂÂ2 on penalties after a 3âÂÂ3 draw in the first round, they lost 1âÂÂ0 at Tranmere Rovers in the second. In 2021âÂÂ22 the club were runners-up in the National League North, subsequently losing 1âÂÂ0 to York City in the play-off semi-finals. They finished fourth in the division in 2022âÂÂ23, going on to beat Gloucester City 5âÂÂ3 on penalties in the play-off quarter-finals (after a 2âÂÂ2 draw) and then Chester 1âÂÂ0 in the semi-finals, before losing 2âÂÂ0 in the final to Kidderminster Harriers. A third-place finish in 2023âÂÂ24 was followed by another play-off campaign, in which the club beat Chorley 1âÂÂ0 in the semi-finals and then lost 2âÂÂ1 to Boston United in the final. The 2024âÂÂ25 season saw the club win the National League North title, finally achieving promotion to the National League.
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, they were promoted to the Premier Division and were renamed Brackley Town Saints. The team left the league at the end of the 2019âÂÂ20 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. In 1974 they moved to St James Park on Churchill Way. Floodlights were installed during the 1988âÂÂ89 season. During their first spell in the Southern League a 300-seat stand was built on one touchline. The ground currently has a capacity of 3,500, of which 300 is seated and 1,500 covered.