Burnham F.C.
Burnham F.C.
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Burnham F.C.

Burnham F.C. is a non-League football club based in Burnham in Buckinghamshire, near Slough. They currently compete in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North. The team play in blue and white shirts and white shorts. Home matches are played at The 1878 Stadium, previously known as The Gore, which has been recently redeveloped to include a new 3G pitch, supporter stand and club facilities.

The club was founded in 1878, and so Burnham FC is the second oldest club in Buckinghamshire. The club spent its first years in various local leagues, and then joined the Great Western Combination league in 1948. 16 years later they moved to the Wycombe Combination in 1964 and then spent one year in the Reading Combination for the 1970–71 season.

The team first joined a senior league in 1971 when they entered the Hellenic Football League Division One A, finishing as runners-up in their first season, followed by a runners-up position in Division One which saw them promoted to the Premier Division. In 1975–76 they were Premier Division champions. In 1977 they switched to the Athenian League, where they achieved two runners-up finishes, and also reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase.

In 1984 Burnham switched leagues to the London Spartan League, where they were champions at the first attempt. The following year the club merged with Hillingdon F.C. to form Burnham & Hillingdon F.C., taking over Hillingdon's place in the Southern League. In 1987 the club's name reverted simply to Burnham F.C. but performances on the pitch declined and the 1994–95 season saw the club relegated back to the Hellenic League. In four seasons back at this level the club never finished out of the top 5, resulting in promotion back to the Southern League in 1999. Due to the renaming and restructuring of divisions they technically played in three different divisions without ever being relegated or promoted during their time in the Southern League.

Burnham have had modest success in cup competitions. Their best run in the FA Vase came in the 1982–83 season where they lost to Halesowen Town in a two legged semi-final (the home match being the club's highest recorded attendance). In 1999–2000 they reached the 4th round of the FA Trophy where they drew Scarborough, then residing in the Conference (they had also recently been relegated from the Football League). Burnham managed a 1–1 draw at home before losing 6–0 in the replay. In the 2005–06 season, Dave Mudge's Burnham side achieved their best run in the FA Cup, losing 3–1 at home to Aldershot Town in the 1st round proper. The game was watched by one of the biggest crowds at Burnham in recent years and even saw Burnham appear briefly on Match of the Day.

Burnham completed one of their best seasons in recent memory when they finished 3rd in the Southern League Division One South & West in 2006–07. Due to this league position they entered the promotion playoffs but lost at home in the semi-final 1–2 to eventual playoff winners Swindon Supermarine. This outcome was mirrored three seasons later, when, under the managerial guidance of Jamie Jarvis, the Blues again lost out in the semi-final of the play-offs, this time to Chesham United. Martin Stone was appointed manager in December 2011 and under his stewardship the club enjoyed its most successful period.

After winning the Wycombe Senior Cup in 2011–12 the 2012–13 season saw the club gain promotion to the Southern League Premier Division when they finished as champions of the Division One Central. This was to be the first time Burnham had ever played at this level of football, but they had to reckon without top scorer Ryan Bird, who signed for Portsmouth. Martin Stone resigned in January 2014 with the club 8th in the Southern League Premier Division.

After just surviving relegation from the Southern League Premier Division having finished in 20th position in the 2013–14 season, the club appointed former Hillingdon Borough, Northwood and Wingate & Finchley manager Gary Meakin who joined the club from Beaconsfield SYCOB. Byron Walton, who most recently served as SYCOB manager before leaving in 2012, joined as general manager.

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