Stevenage F.C. - History

History

For a statistical breakdown by season, see List of Stevenage F.C. seasons.

Stevenage Borough, nicknamed "The Boro", were formed in 1976 following the bankruptcy of Stevenage Athletic. The club's Broadhall Way pitch was subsequently dug up for non-footballing purposes after the council sold the land to a local businessman. Consequently, the new club started out playing in the Chiltern Youth league on a roped-off pitch at the town's King George V playing fields, and moved up to intermediate status joining the Wallspan Southern Combination shortly after. In 1980, the club moved back to Broadhall Way and the name Borough was added. With the council as their landlords and a refurbished stadium, Stevenage Borough took on senior status and joined the United Counties Football League in the same year. In their first season as a senior club, the side won the United Counties League Division One championship, as well as the United Counties League Cup.

In 1984, the club joined Division Two North of the Isthmian League, and the following season earned promotion to Division One. However, two years later the club was relegated after finishing second bottom of the division. After two fourth-placed finishes, under the management of Paul Fairclough, the club won Division Two North in 1990–91, winning 34 of their 42 games, including every match played at home, scoring 122 goals and amassing 107 points. The following season, the club won the Division One championship, remaining unbeaten at home again, and were promoted to the Premier Division. The club's long unbeaten home record was finally ended by Dulwich Hamlet, with the streak lasting 44 matches, of which 42 were won. In 1993–94, the club won the Premier Division, and were promoted to the Football Conference. Two seasons later, they won the Conference, but were denied promotion to the Football League, due to insufficient ground facilities, thus reprieving Torquay United, who had finished bottom of Division Three. During the same season, the Hertfordshire club reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time, but lost 2–1 at Hereford United.

The 1996–97 season witnessed the club progress to the Third Round of the FA Cup for the first time after a 2–1 win against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road. The side were drawn against Birmingham City at Broadhall Way, but ground issues saw the tie switched to St Andrew's; Birmingham won the match 2–0. The following season, the club went one better, reaching the Fourth Round, where they drew Premier League club Newcastle United. A temporary stand was erected behind the away end to house the Newcastle supporters, which increased the stadium capacity to 9,000, enough to satisfy the FA. Borough held Newcastle to a 1–1 draw, with Giuliano Grazioli famously equalising after Alan Shearer had put Newcastle ahead. Stevenage were unfortunate to lose 2–1 in the replay at St James' Park. Indeed it has been proved, using computer technology, that Shearer's first goal did not actually cross the line. Despite earning a vast amount of revenue from the two respective cup runs news emerged that the club were in financial difficulties and that the chairman, Victor Green, was going to close the club down if no buyer was found. However, after several weeks of uncertainty Phil Wallace purchased the club and set about rebuilding the finances and the relationship with the local council.

In 2001–02 season, the club reached the FA Trophy final for the first time, but lost 2–0 to Yeovil Town at Villa Park. The following season, Stevenage started poorly and were rooted to the bottom of the Conference National in January, seven points from safety. However, the club's fortunes changed following the appointment of Graham Westley as manager. Westley guided the club to a respectable 12th position, winning 8 games out of a possible 12 in the league. The 2003–04 season witnessed Boro' consolidate their position in the league, making steady progression, finishing in eighth position. During the 2004–05 season, Boro' managed to make the play–offs after finishing fifth under the guidance of Westley. After beating second–placed Hereford United over two–legs in the semi–final, the side lost 1–0 to Carlisle United at the Britannia Stadium in the final. The following year, however, Boro' failed to reach the play-offs after finishing sixth, and Westley's contract was not renewed, ending his three-and-a-half year reign as manager. Shortly after Westley's departure, Boro' announced the appointment of former–Grays Athletic boss, Mark Stimson as their new manager. Despite finishing in a disappointing eighth position in Stimson's first season as manager, the 2006–07 campaign saw the club reach the FA Trophy final again, where they came back from 2–0 down to beat Kidderminster Harriers 3–2 in front of a record FA Trophy crowd of 53,262. The victory means that Stevenage were the first team to win a competitive final at the new Wembley Stadium.

After the FA Trophy success in 2007, as well as keeping the majority of the first–team at the club, Stevenage started the 2007–08 season well, breaking a new club record when the defence kept eight consecutive clean sheets. Stimson was offered a new contract by Stevenage in October 2007, but resigned the following day and subsequently joined Football League club Gillingham. In November 2007, he was replaced by Peter Taylor. However, after failing to make the play-offs, Taylor resigned at the end of the season and was replaced by former manager Graham Westley. On Westley's return, Stevenage started the season slowly, but went on a 27–game unbeaten run from December to March and reached the play-offs, where they lost in the semi-finals to Cambridge United, 4–3 on aggregate. During the same season, Stevenage enjoyed success in cup competitions; winning the Herts Senior Cup for the first time, beating Cheshunt 2–1 in the final, and the FA Trophy, where they beat York City 2–0 in the final.

The following season, Westley retained the majority of the squad and Stevenage found themselves in first place by New Year's Day. The squad continued to perform well, winning eight consecutive games through February and March 2010, and Stevenage were promoted to the Football League for the first time in the club's history with two games to spare. Promotion was secured thanks to a 2–0 win at Kidderminster Harriers, as Stevenage finished the season 11 points clear at the top of the table. The club reached the final of the FA Trophy again, but lost to Barrow 2–1 after extra–time, having played seventy minutes of the match with ten men. Shortly after the end of the season, chairman Phil Wallace announced that the club will start its life in the Football League as Stevenage Football Club, dropping the word ‘Borough’ from its name as of June 2010.

Stevenage's first ever Football League fixture was against Macclesfield Town in August 2010, ending in a 2–2 draw at Broadhall Way. Following four defeats in six games in December 2010 and January 2011, the club found themselves in 18th position, just four points above the relegation zone. However, during a congested period throughout February and March 2011, Stevenage won nine games out of eleven, propelling the club up the league table and into the play-off positions. Stevenage subsequently reached the League Two play-offs, the club's first season in the Football League, following a sixth place finish. The club overcame fifth placed Accrington Stanley over two legs, winning by a 3–0 aggregate scoreline. The victory meant Stevenage faced Torquay United in the League Two play-off final on 28 May 2011 at Old Trafford. Stevenage won the game 1–0, securing a place in League One for the first time in the club's history, meaning the club had also earned back-to-back promotions. During the same season, Stevenage equalled their previous best performance in the FA Cup, reaching the Fourth Round of the competition before losing 2–1 to Reading. In the previous round, Stevenage beat Premier League side Newcastle United 3–1 at Broadhall Way, the first time the club had ever beaten first tier opposition.

Despite the dramatic rise through the leagues in such a short space of time, Stevenage started their first ever season in League One brightly, securing notable victories against a number of the promotion-chasing clubs. The club found themselves on the edge of the play-off places following a fourteen-game unbeaten run that lasted for three months. In January 2012, Westley attracted the interest of fellow League One side Preston North End, and opted to leave Stevenage in order to take up the vacant managerial position at Preston. Former Colorado Rapids manager Gary Smith replaced Westley. A run of four wins in their last five games meant that Stevenage rallied late to finish sixth, thus taking the final play-off place, although went on to lose by a 1–0 aggregate scoreline to Sheffield United in the semi-final. Stevenage also reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history during the campaign, eventually losing 3–1 to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in a replay at White Hart Lane, after the two teams drew 0–0 at Broadhall Way.