Dunstable Town

Dunstable Town Football Club is a football club based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Affiliated with the Bedfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and play at Creasey Park.

History

The club was established in October 1883, and were founder members of the Bedfordshire FA the following year. In their first competitive match they lost 4–3 to Luton Montrose in the Bedfordshire Senior Cup after being 3–0 up. However, the following season the club won the competition. In 1950 the club joined the Metropolitan League, and in 1956–57 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, eventually losing 3–1 at Margate.

In 1961 Dunstable switched to the United Counties League, but left after two seasons to rejoin the Metropolitan League, becoming one of only three first teams playing in Division Two. The following season saw the club moved into Division One, but in 1965 they were admitted to Division One of the Southern League. League restructuring saw them placed in the new Division One North for the 1971–72 season. They were moved into Division One South the following season and finished bottom of the division. Transferred back to Division One North for the 1973–74 season, they finished bottom of the table again.

Barry Fry had become Dunstable manager towards the end of the 1973–74 season, and with chairman Keith Cheeseman providing him with blank cheques, Fry attracted several big name players to the club, most notably Jeff Astle and George Best, as well as arranging a friendly match against his former club Manchester United. Although Best only played in two friendly matches and made no competitive appearances for the club, Astle stayed at the club for that season and scored 34 goals as they finished as Division One South runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division. However, huge debts caused the club to fold midway through the 1975–76 season; a new club under the name Dunstable