HISTORY OF COLESHILL UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

There was a football team in Coleshill as long ago as 1920 (see picture). The team included Ted Hewitt, Mr Wilson, Harold Williams, Sid Williams (Des's father), Jack Curley and Don McEwan. There has been a playing field at the site of the existing pitch since the thirties. Coleshill had a team in the Swindon and District Football League in the forties and fifties and won the League Division II Championship in 1948-9 season. The team contained Les Brown (Captain) and 'Chelsea' Smith who both went on to manage the 1st Team and Derek Caswell who managed the Sunday team.

"Many years ago we had hockey teams in Coleshill. We had a mens and a ladies team - in the 1930s, I suppose. This generation started the football club down in the field.

We used to take down churns of water and a bath. Eventually, they dug out across the road, from the bottom triangle, laid the pipe with what they called a mole under the ground and laid water on to put showers in. The boys did it themselves. Peggy Brown and I used to go down with hot water every week and wash the changing rooms."

Extract from 'Coleshill 2000'
by Mrs Ruth Williams

Coleshill United Football Club was re-formed in 1965 as a Sunday side playing in the Swindon Sunday Football League. In 1967 they started up a Saturday side in the North Berks Football Competitions, playing in Division 3, with a team mainly from the village managed by Les Brown for the first 12 seasons. They won the 3rd Division Championship in their first season, with a record of: won 22; drawn 2; lost 0. Barry Punchard scored in the first 17 matches including 10 goals in a 17-0 win against Challow Reserves and finished the season with a total of 98 goals! He scored a total of 384 goals in 429 matches on Saturdays. Further promotions in successive seasons saw Coleshill playing Division 1 football in 1969-70 and they maintained this status for twelve seasons until season 1980-81. Des Williams played 407 games in this period, scoring 177 goals. Ron Jefferies (351 appearances and 137 goals) and Rod Brown (331 appearances) were also stalwarts during this golden age. Coleshill 1st team then suffered a sharp decline, and by season 1986-87 they were playing in Division 4. They languished eight long seasons in Division 4, five under the guidance of Andy Pagan, before Tony Portlock took them into Division 3 in 1993-4 and finally into Division 2 in 1997-8. Tony, Geordie Lewis and Nigel Berry all had good efforts at restoring Division 1 football, but all failed by the slimmest of margins - finishing third! Christian Ayres, returning to the Club he first joined as a sixteen year old, took up the mantle with Martin Suter and finished the job, finishing second to Steventon in their first season of management. They also won the War Memorial Cup beating Didcot Casuals 3-1 with goals from the prolific Shane Blake, Christian Ayres and Martin Francis. Shane Blake scored in his first ever game for Coleshill in 1992-3 and has been scoring goals ever since. His record currently stands as 472 goals in 424 matches - more than a goal a game! Chris Ayres senior and Vic Moss took over the reigns for Coleshill's first season back in Division 1 for 24 years and did very well to finish fourth. In season 2006-7 Coleshill 1st team won their most prestigious trophy when they beat Harwell International 2-1 in the Charity Shield Cup Final at Abingdon United with goals from Sean Lewis and Adam Legg. Phil Wardroper (322), Kenny Sly (317) and Wayne Disbury (310) are all members of the over 300 appearances club. After playing ten years for Faringdon (scoring 282 goals), Ian Stonham signed for Coleshill in 1975 and went on to score 140 goals in 375 appearances.

Coleshill Reserves were formed in 1974 and for the first 25 years they remained in Division 5. Mike Fox managed them for the first three seasons followed by a succession of managers/committees. Ian Stonham managed them for a total of 18 seasons between 1982 and 2005, and finally managed to get them promoted, albeit in 3rd place, in 1998-99. They returned to Division 5 the following season but bounced back again to regain their place in Division 4 in 2000-01. The following season they won their first ever trophy, managed by Julian Willis, when they beat Warborough Reserves 5-4 in the League Cup Final, with Martin Bungay scoring all five goals! A week later he made his debut for the 1st Team and repeat the same feat against Warborough 1st Team! Sadly they were relegated again in season 2002-03. They bounced back to Division 4 under Ian Stonham the following season and Stuart Clark took them to their greatest height, in his first season of management, when they won the Division 4 Championship in 2005-06. In the following season they finished 4th and were promoted to Division 2. Having achieved two successive promotions Stuart Clark stepped down to be replaced by Martin Suter and Michael Cobb.

Coleshill 'A' team were formed in 2005-06 and finished a comfortable fifth in their first season. They play at Faringdon School, changing in the Faringdon Leisure Centre.

The Sunday team mirrored the achievements of the 1st team in the late sixties and seventies, when they progressed from Division 3 to Division 1, and held their position in the top division for nine seasons. They were managed by Derek Caswell for the first ten seasons. In 1972-3 they reached the Swindon Sunday Football League Cup Final, where they were beaten 3-0 by Division 1 Champions Black Horse, and finished 4th in Division 1. They went one better, finishing 3rd, in 1973-4. Des Williams chalked up 290 appearances, scoring 80 goals, in this period, with Dave Blake (270) and Ron Jefferies (87) also figuring heavily. By the late seventies the backbone of the side were all the wrong side of 30, and after getting relegated to Division 2 they disbanded. Four years later they started up again under Ian Stonham, in Division 8, and 13 years and seven promotions later they finally regained their Division 1 status. Ian Stonham scored 415 goals in 671 appearances, with Ray Bunce scoring 148 goals in 348 appearances. Martin Chivers (71 goals from 294 games), Stuart Clark (55 goals from 222) and Steve Lovegrove (222 appearances) all join the over 200 appearances club. Unfortunately, after one good season in the top flight, the better players left and they were relegated the following season winning one of their 20 league games! They were relegated to Division 3 before bouncing back to Division 2 in 2004-5.

Jim Mullin was Coleshill United F.C. President until 1986 when Des Williams was elected. Des Williams was also Chairman and Treasurer from 1965 until 1986, when he left the Club to join Letcombe F.C. Ian Stonham has been Secretary since 1969 and took over from Des as Chairman and Treasurer in 1986. Phil Willcox took over the Treasurer's mantle from Ian in 1990 and held it for eight years until Tony Portlock took over. Tony was Treasurer until he handed the reigns over to Michael Cobb in 2007.

After co-operating with The River Restoration Project to help restore the river to its original course, Coleshill FC were left with the problem of relocating their changing rooms onto higher ground. After years of negotiating leases, designing new changing rooms and obtaining planning permission from The National Trust and Thamesdown Borough Council they have built new changing rooms and a club room thanks to the efforts of Julian Willis, who has managed the project, and a very generous donation from President Des Williams.