MATCHDAY
PROGRAMME
AVRO v HEDNESFORD TOWN
SATURDAY 10TH DECEMBER, KICK OFF 3PM
Pitching In NPL Division One West
HISTORY
CONTACT US/ GENERAL INFORMATION
CLUB PERSONNEL (under development)
MEDIA (under development)
INTRODUCTION
Good evening, everyone and welcome to the The Vestacare Stadium, for an Avro home fixture – under the lights.
We were disappointed that last Saturday’s fixture, away to Kidsgrove Athletic, was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The side are on an excellent five game winning streak and may that prevail tonight against Hednesford Town!
This fixture has been rescheduled from the end of October to be played today so both sides have had much to thing about in the build up to this game. Avro beat Hednesford 3-0 away, back in April.
As always, please be respectful of the stadium rules and staff. They are there for your safety, this includes no smoking or vaping in the ground. Feel free to indulge in plenty of food and beverages available before, during and after the game. The Lancashire Suite will also be available to the public after the final whistle.
To all the fans attending today, thank you for your support, even on the coldest of evenings! The next home fixture will be against Hednesford Town on Friday, 13th December at 7:45pm. See you there!
Many thanks – Stan Ashcroft (Club Programme Editor)
After World War II, Hednesford joined the Birmingham Combination. They won the league in 1950–51 and were runners-up in 1952–53, after which they rejoined the Birmingham & District League.
They were league champions in 1977–7 and after finishing as runners-up in 1983–84, the club moved up to the Midland Division of the Southern League.
In 1989-90 the club were in a deep relegation battle but the following season the team finished third and then gained promotion to the Beazer Homes League Premier Division, after finishing the 1991-92 season as runners-up to Solihull Borough. In the same season the club became the first English football team to play at The Welsh National Stadium losing 1-0 to Cardiff City, in the final of the Welsh Cup.
In 1995, The Pitmen commenced their first season in The Conference at their new Keys Park home and in the club’s first season in the top flight of non-league football they finished third behind champions Stevenage Borough and Woking.
The 1996-97 season will go down as the best in the club’s history as the Pitmen reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in 72 years, eventually losing in the fourth round at Middlesbrough, in front of 27,500 supporters. In the 1998-99 season the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the third season running. But in 2000 the club were relegated for the first time in their history.
The club had failed during the 2003-04 season to finish high enough in the league to move into the new Conference set up but promotion came twelve months later, when a place in The Football Conference Northern Division was gained after winning play-off games away at Merthyr Tydfil and Chippenham Town. The 2005-06 season saw the Pitmen again reach the first round of the FA Cup but the team were defeated 4-0 away at Histon.
The 2012-13 campaign was one of the best in the history of the club, with the club finishing second in the league with 93 points and then gaining promotion through the Play Offs, beating AFC Fylde and then FC United of Manchester, the Final setting a new attendance record at Keys Park of 4412. The promotion to the Conference was complemented by winning both the Birmingham and Staffordshire Senior Cups in a truly historic season.
After the 2019-20 season was cut short by coronavirus it was announced, in May 2020, that businessmen Graham Jones and Hayden Dando had formally completed their takeover of the club. The new owners had already appointed FA Trophy-winning Wrexham boss Andy Morrell as they looked ahead to the 2020-21 season in the Southern Central Premier.
In March 2023 it was announced that Graham Jones and Hayden Dando would be departing the club at the end of the season and interested parties were invited to come forward. A deal was agreed, however collapsed at the last minute forcing the club to hand in its resignation to the F.A and the league. Former Vice-Chairman Hayden Dando then tabled a last minute rescue bid for the club which was successful with the club reinstated to the Northern Premier league division one west with Dando obtaining full ownership of the football club.
The Pitmen would ultimately finish in the relegation places at the end of the 2023/24 season, but survive thanks to a reprieve. The new ownership appointed Steve King as first team manager in the summer of 2024, heralding the start of a new era at Keys Park.
Thanks to: https://htfc.co.uk/history/
