Maldon Town F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Maldon Town


fullname = Maldon Town Football Club
nickname = Blues
founded = 1946
ground = Wallace Binder, Park Drive,
Maldon
capacity = 2,000 (500 seated)
chairman = flagicon|England Mike Kirkham
manager = flagicon|England Russell Tanner
league = Isthmian League
Division One North
season = 2007–08
position = Isthmian League
Division One North, 9th
pattern_la1=_blue_hoops|pattern_b1=_bluehoops|pattern_ra1=_blue_hoops
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=0000FF|socks1=0000FF
pattern_la2=_black_stripes|pattern_b2=_blackstripes|pattern_ra2=_black_stripes
leftarm2=FF0000|body2=FF0000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=000000|socks2=00000

Maldon Town Football Club are an English football team from Maldon, Essex. They spent the 2005-06 season in the Isthmian League Premier Division, their highest position ever, but were relegated after finishing in 20th place and now play in the Isthmian League First Division North.

History

The re-establishment of normal life in 1946 brought the formation of Maldon Town F.C. with their HQ at the Rose and Crown pub and their home venue at Sadd's Ground on the causeway.

The Mid-Essex Division 2 gave them their first league trophy in that season when they gained the runners-up spot. Now transferring their home ground to the Prom and joining the North-Essex League they once again achieved runners-up spot in this league and were also runners-up in the Essex Junior Cup, being narrowly beaten 2-1 by Aveley after a 2-2 draw.

Returning to the Mid-Essex Premier Division saw them lift the league title in consecutive seasons as well as the league cup in 1949/50 Season. Success now followed them to their newly acquired Wallace Binder ground in Fambridge Road, joining the Essex and Suffolk Border League that season. A runners-up spot was gained but for them the major trophy that year was the Essex Intermediate Cup, which they won beating a strong Leytonstone Reserve team 2-1.

Ex-Liverpool hero Kevin Baron took over the management reins continuing the success of the past when his teams gained the runners-up position in the Essex Intermediate Cup in the 1964/65 and 1965/66 seasons. The league winning team of 1965/66 gained them senior status, and they joined the Eastern Counties League in 1966. After six years in this league they joined the Essex Senior League, picking up the league title in 1984/85 and almost completing the double when beaten in the final of the league cup by Chelmsford City Reserves.

Town moved to their new ground on Park Drive in 1994 and crossed the pyramid structure to return to the Eastern Counties League in 1996. Under the continued management of Ben Embery and his assistant Steve Jackson, the pair were very unfortunate not to obtain promotion in their first season in the Eastern Counties Football League First Division.

Their second year in the League proved to be a different story, with Town gaining promotion to the Eastern Counties Football League Premier Division, ending the 1997/98 season in the runners-up position.

Maldon's first year in the Premier League led them to finish in a creditable 13th position and they improved that to eighth in the second year. The Blues' third year in the Premier League ended with them finishing fourth and they looked forward to further progress up the football pyramid.

In the 2002/03 season, Town reached the semi final of the FA Vase but lost to local rivals AFC Sudbury. After 14 years as chairman, Bob Large decided to stand down as he felt he had taken the club as far has he could. The new chairman, Mike Kirkham, hoped to take Maldon to the next step up the ladder over the next few years.

For the season of 2005/06, after two promotions, the club was in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Town soon found themselves fighting relegation which would ultimately be unsuccessful, even though they still had their fate in their own hands up to the last 3 games of the season. However they did reach the final of the Thames side trophy, losing 3–1 to Canvey Island, and also the final of the Eastern Floodlit Competition losing 5-3 on penalties to Billericay Town.

The 2007/08 season saw Maldon playing in the Isthmian League Division One North and meeting up with old rivals AFC Sudbury and Bury Town. The season also saw Russell Tanner take charge of the club as Colin Wallington stepped down after several years. Maldon came close to equalling their best FA Cup record during this season only to lose in a Second Round Qualifying replay against Tonbridge Angels 3-0 after extra time.

Club records

*Best league performance: 20th in Isthmian League Premier Division "(step 3)", 2005-06
*Best FA Cup performance: 3rd qualifying round, 2000-01
*Best FA Trophy performance: 1st qualifying round, 2005-06, 2006-07
*Best FA Vase performance: Semi-finals, 2002-03

Current squad

(As of the start of the 2007-08 season)

{football squad player | nat=England | pos=DF | name=Alan Sampson

Notable former players

* Neil Harris

External links

* [http://www.maldontownfc.co.uk/ Official website]
*fchd|name=Maldon Town|id=MALDONT