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Punching Above Your Weight

Discussion in 'Watford' started by oldfrenchhorn, Mar 29, 2011.

  1. oldfrenchhorn

    oldfrenchhorn Well-Known Member
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    The title is an expression that we all know and understand these days. It is often used in relation to Watford. Yet there are stories out there where fans have been directly involved in getting their club into a situation that you would not think possible. There are a number that are good tales, yet amongst my favourites is the following.

    As a relief from war and takeovers why not share your stories.

    History Overview
    Taken from “Something to Shout About, The History of Forest Green Rovers AFC”






    The Club began their life in the Hamlet of Forest Green in October 1889, founded by the local Non Conformist Church Minister. In 1894 Forest Green Rovers became founder members of the Mid Gloucestershire League (MGL), the first “socker” league in the county outside Bristol.



    The Rovers first team competed in two leagues almost every season from 1900 until 1922 and again from 1928 until 1937. (This was quite common with leagues generally not having as many teams as those today).



    They switched from the MGL when it folded in 1902, to become members of the newly formed Stroud League and also members of the Dursley and District League which they won in 1903, the Clubs first silverware.



    The Stroud League was won in 1912 under the name “Nailsworth and Forest Green United”, the separate Nailsworth Club having amalgamated with Rovers at the top of the hill above the town.



    After a break for the Great War, Rovers enjoyed a period of great success winning two football leagues and three cups in both 1921 and 1922. They then joined the newly formed Gloucestershire Northern Senior League with Cheltenham Town among others in 1922.



    1926 was the year that their field was officially enclosed and given the name “The Lawn”, where Rovers played from 1889 to 2006, and in 1927 a crowd of over 5000 saw them lift the County Cup beating the Sharpness “Sharks” in nearby Dursley.



    The committee members then bought their field at auction on 1936 for the princely sum of £120, and the Northern Senior League was won for the first time in 1938.



    After the Second World War, the Forest Green Welcome Home committee became the Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club, and with their voluntary graft and enthusiasm “The Lawn” was transformed into one of the premier grounds in the County, playing host to County matches and Cup Finals from the 1950s onwards.



    The Supporters Club built their own Social Club which opened in 1968, providing revenue unheard of in previous eras, and with John Duff, an ex player elected as Chairman, an ambitious upward flight was put in motion.



    Rovers joined the newly formed County League in 1968 and played under manager Peter Goring, (the ex Arsenal number 6), for the next 11 years moving up again to the Hellenic League in 1975 under Peter’s stewardship.

    In 1982, Rovers achieved fame at Wembley winning the FA Vase 3-1 and at the same time winning the Hellenic League and moving into the Southern League Midland Division.



    High hopes over the forthcoming years dwindled into thoughts of what might have been and Rovers struggled throughout the 80s near the foot of the table. In a bid to turn the Club’s fortunes around Rovers were renamed Stroud FC but this proved near disastrous with many life long fans and committee members turning their back on “Stroud FC”.



    The arrival of Trevor Horsley in 1992 saw the Club name changed back to Forest Green Rovers and the rest, as they say, is history.



    Frank Gregan arrived as manager in 1994 taking the club to the Southern League Southern Division title in 1997 and into the Southern League Premier Division for the first time. The following year a showdown with Merthyr Tydfil in front of a record crowd of 2962 at the newly upgraded “Lawn” saw the Little Club on The Hill through to the Conference.



    Rovers were everybody’s favourites for relegation in 1999 but instead they went back to Wembley in the FA Trophy becoming the first club to appear in both the Trophy and Vase Finals, a sign of how far the club had come. The Trophy final was lost to Kingstonian 1-0, but 12th place in the league confounded the pundits.



    Relegation was avoided in the last five minutes of the last game the following year, but in 2001, under Nigel Spink, Rovers returned to the Trophy Final at Villa Park this time losing to Canvey Island again by the only goal of the game.



    A best ever finish of 9th in the Conference was achieved in 2003 under Colin Addison but this was then followed by further relegation battles up until 2006 when relegation was again avoided on the last day of the season.



    Whilst the team were struggling on the pitch, ambitious plans were put forward in 2002 to move the Club to a new Football League standard ground 400 meters away, still in the Hamlet of Forest Green. Planning permission was granted in 2005 and the new stadium was built over the next year, funded by the sale of the old ground for housing development. Carrying on a tradition set by supporters back in the 1950s the new stadium was painted from head to toe by supporters all on a voluntary basis.



    The New Lawn was officially opened in September 2006 which also coincided with the appointment of Jim Harvey as manger on a long term contract. Jim guided Forest Green away from the bottom of the league to a respectable mid table finish in 2007.
     
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  2. wear_yellow

    wear_yellow Well-Known Member

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    Downside of Forest Green Rovers OFH is that in a desire to encourage a healthy eating environment in the club, they have banned pies from the club bar and replaced it with "healthy food." What is the world coming to when you cannot purchase a pie at football? Still on the bright side, they have not seemed to have banned <ale> from said bar, so no organic carrot and mung bean juice will be on sale as yet!
     
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  3. oldfrenchhorn

    oldfrenchhorn Well-Known Member
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    Could that be the reason that this season they are struggling? :(

    It seems strange that what is little more than a village team gets to play in the same league as your second favourite team. ;)
     
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  4. wear_yellow

    wear_yellow Well-Known Member

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    OFH - Just goes to show that you can have as much history as you can shout about, but a pub team is still a pub team...
     
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  5. Norwayhornet

    Norwayhornet Well-Known Member

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    Interesting read Frenchie!! still prefer the wimbledon story though:)
     
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  6. oldfrenchhorn

    oldfrenchhorn Well-Known Member
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    There are a number of good stories about Norway. Wombles, Aldershot and even teams like Halifax and Workington were once established FL teams that fell on hard times, yet still exist at some level through the efforts of the fans rather than having someone with lots of money come in and save them.

    It is possible that as money is taken away from the smaller clubs, more will be saved through the efforts of the fans.
     
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  7. Leo

    Leo Well-Known Member

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    ... and don't forget Accrington Stanley :)
     
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  8. hockdude

    hockdude Active Member

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    Not the story of an entire football club but check out the story of Walter Tull if you have five minutes. Second black player in the top division and first ever black officer in the British army (even though they were barred from holding such a position at the time!)

    Can't imagine a club nowadays relegating a player to the reserves because of the abuse they received by opposition fans. Just goes to show not everything was better "back in the day..."
     
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  9. Hornette_TID

    Hornette_TID Well-Known Member
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    Great story M Frenchie...i don't think there's any doubt that the fans would love to make sure that Watford stay where they at least belong :)..let's just hope we don't have to!
     
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  10. NZHorn

    NZHorn Well-Known Member

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    The club badge of Forest Green is very similar to that of Barcelona, though the Rovers fans say that it is Barcelona's that is similar to theirs. They say that theirs is older than Barcelona's
     
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  11. Norwayhornet

    Norwayhornet Well-Known Member

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    I wonder how strict copyright law was back then ;) Forest green sue Barca for copying club emblem ,could be fun<laugh>
     
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