Postal & Stadium Address
Frome Town AFC, Blindmans Brewery Stadium, Berkley
Road, Frome, Somerset, BA11 2EH
Contact
Phone; (01373) 464087 | Email: info@www.frometownfc.co.uk
Structure
Frome Town AFC Limited are registered in England & Wales
(07830601). Owned as part of the ‘Frome Town Holdings’ Group’.
Registered address: 29 Bath Road, Peasdown St John, BA2 8DJ
1904
Club founded on 7 June at the Black Swan Hotel with Dr Wood voted in as President and Bert Rebbeck
as Secretary. Local sides folded such as Selwood Rovers and St Mary’s to help form the new Club.
1904/05
Admitted to the Wiltshire League and on 3 September 1904 Frome played their first competitive game
against Wooten Basset running out 4-1 winners. The first team also played in the Somerset Senior League
and their first game saw a 3-1 defeat at Peasdown St John. The season ended with Frome bottom of the
7 team Somerset league, although the season wasn’t completed, while in the Wiltshire League finished
10th in the 11 team league.
1905/06
Town finished 4th in the Wiltshire League & reached the semi-final of the Somerset Senior Cup losing
out in a replay to Radstock Town 5-3
1906/07
Frome entered the FA Cup for the first time but lost 5-0 at Newport and they signed a player who would go
on to have a big impact on the Club, Marmaduke Date. Frome would pick up their first ever silverware as
they won the Somerset Senior League title.
1907/08
Club adopt nickname of the Scarlet Runners
1908/09
Date hit seven goals in an 11-0 win over Melksham Town and once again they won the Somerset Senior
League title
1909/10
The Scarlet Runners won the Wiltshire League and finished as runners-up in the Somerset League.
The Wiltshire League did not present the Club with a trophy so to mark such a fine achievement supporter
WG Wilson presented the team with a beautifully framed picture which was held a the Black Swan Hotel
for many years before fading into oblivion.
1910/11
Frome recorded an historical double winning the Wiltshire League and the Somerset Senior League.
Marmaduke Date signed amateur football league forms for Bristol City after a formidable goalscoring
record with the Runners.
1911/12
The Scarlet Runners reached the fifth preliminary round of the FA Cup after beating Weymouth, Yeovil
and Oxford City in previous rounds. Frome eventually went out to Southport Central 4-1.
1912/13
George Davis finished as top scorer with 23 goals in 30 appearances.
1913/14
Frome win the Wiltshire League and gain promotion to the Western League. However, before a ball is
kicked war breaks out and the Club closes its doors.
1919/20
June 24th 1919 the Club held its AGM at it’s new headquarters at the Angel Hotel and in their first
season won the Western League Division Two title.
1920/21
Club confirm outright purchase of the ground at Badgers Hill.
1921/22
Poor season for the Club finishing one from bottom of the Western League Division Two
1922/23
Club leave Western League and move back to Wiltshire League although results are still poor
1923/24
Town scrap second senior team and instead have a first team and a reserve team
1924/25
First ever match played on Cheese Show Day with friendly against Portsmouth that included former
Frome striker Wyndam Haines who had transferred to Fratton Park. Town return to Western League.
1925/26
Frome finish bottom of Western League Division Two and found guilty of cheating by playing a
professional player under an assumed name. Two committee members were suspended by the Football
Association and the Club were fined.
1926/27
Supporters Club formed with aim of raising money to help the football club move forward
1927/28
Frome once again return to the Wiltshire League but finish one from bottom. New wooden changing
rooms were built
1928/29
Frome sign Leslie Taylor who would go on to have a long and established career with the Club and the
club finished as Runners-up in the Wiltshire League
1929/30
Heavy storms destroy the roof of the main stand which cost £40 to repair
1930/31
A greyhound race was held at the ground but bad weather & poor attendance it was never repeated
1931/32
Frome re-enter the Western League Division Two and finish mid-table with crowds of over 600 at home.
The Club host a prestigious friendly with Tottenham Hotspur a week before Christmas
1932/33
Frome beat Street 2-1 to win the Somerset Senior Cup
1933/34
Frome beat Paulton Rovers 2-1 in a replay to win the Somerset Senior Cup
1934/35
Town reach the 2nd Round proper of the FA Amateur Cup losing 4-2 at Corinthian Casuals
1935/36
Leslie Taylor called time on his Frome stay having scored 200 goals for the Club and joined Street
1936/37
Frome host Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur in Mavis Tate cup raising funds for the hospital
1937/38
Town finish near bottom of the Western League Division Two while calls to turn professional by supporters
and the press are once again quashed
1938/39
Leslie Taylor returns to Club and due to the constant barracking by the hostile Frome supporters and
Godfrey White refused to play any more home matches. The negativity was driving players away.
1939/40
The season started but after two games Frome suspended all activity as World War II arrived. Despite
playing friendlies to keep morale up against locally based army sides there would be no competitive
football again until after the war
1945/46
Frome re-start in the Wiltshire League and finish fifth from bottom
1946/47
Town finish one from bottom in Western League Division One & Chairman Nelson White resigns
1947/48
Mortgage used to buy Badgers Hill years earlier finally re-paid meaning Club own site wholly
1948/49
Electricity installed at the ground but once again the Club refused to turn professional due to lack of
support from the local businesses and from the Supporters Club although a car park was formed at the
Clink End
1949/50
The Club once again shelved plans to turn professional due to lack of financial backing
1950/51
At a meeting on November 17th 1950 at the Co-Op Hall it was finally agreed to turn professional at the
end of the season. Supporters began helping transform the ground ready for the new era as tonnes of
earth were formed to create the much loved North Bank. Frome went on to win the Somerset Senior Cup
in a replay beating Keynsham Town 2-1. The Club however still opted to remain amateur despite the
earlier meeting
1951/52
Frome finished mid table in the Western League Division Two while Badgers Hill continued to be upgraded
but there was still no sign of the big change to professionalism
1952/53
Club descends into crisis with financial records seized by Somerset FA and other records disappear.
The Club were fined and all officials with the Club banned from football for five years as investigations
showed monies were paid to amateur players along with a host of other charges. With nobody left to run
the club a new Committee was elected, it was unanimously agreed to turn professional at the earliest
convenience and Frome appointed their first every football manager, Ray Wright. Large scale ground
improvements were made and Town signed their first ever professional Ken Hayward.
1953/54
John Wilson-Fairweather appointed manager after Ray Wright emigrated to Canada. In the Clubs first
season as professionals the wages and signing on fees totalled £1,777 18/6d
1954/55
Frome had their best ever FA Cup run defeating the likes of Salisbury and Weymouth to set up a first
round proper match against Leyton Orient that finished in a 3-1 defeat in front of the largest crowd ever to
watch a game at Badgers Hill of over 8,500. Frome would end up as Runners-up in the Western League
Division Two while Fairweather resigned at the end of the season.
1955/56
Bill Norman took on the job of Manager and after finishing mid-table in the Western League Division One.
Norman was replaced by Tommy Edwards as manager in April
1956/57
After a poor start to the season Edwards was replaced as Manager by Bob Hardy but Frome would go on
to finish one from bottom as the joys of the previous seasons became a distant memory
1957/58
Worries over escalating costs to players were growing with a deficit on the season of £777
1958/59
Hardy resigned after a difficult opening to the season blaming a lack of support from the sidelines as well
as financial restrictions and on New Years Day Doug Hayward was appointed the new Manager which
turned out to be the first of ten years at the helm of the Robins but with things going from bad to worse as
the Club would finish the season bottom of the Western League Division One & were relegated.
1959/60
Financial problems continued with the real threat of the Club folding but on the pitch and in a lower league
the team finished fourth and won the Western League Subidary Cup beating Weston-super-Mare 2-1 over
two legs. However the Western League decided due to numbers to scrap the Second Division leaving
Frome without a league to play in for the following season
