In
the beginning
Sixty
years old in 2004, Gosport Borough Athletic Club was founded just two weeks
after the D-Day landings in 1944 in an initiative to bring back organised
football, athletics, swimming and cycling to the town after a break of
several years.
In their first season (1944/45), the football section of the Club won the Portsmouth and District League Division 1 under the guidance of former Southampton player, Stan Cribb. The line-up at that time included Jimmy Scoular and Peter Harris who both went on to become full internationals.
For their second season, the Club were accepted into the Hampshire League and won the Division 1 title at their first attempt. This feat was not repeated for thirty-one seasons despite being a major force in Hampshire football during that period.
The
Southern League years
After
winning the Hampshire League title in successive seasons (1976/77 and
1977/78), Gosport was elected to the Southern Football League. In the
team's first four seasons they never finished outside the top four and when
the League was restructured for the start on the 1982/83 season, Gosport
were placed in the Premier Division.
Two years
later Boro' lost their Premier Division status and was relegated to the
Southern Division. However the next season saw the team bounce
straight back after an incredible run of sixteen wins in the final nineteen
matches. In fact, Gosport needed to win the final match to be certain
of promotion and in front of a home crowd in excess of 1,500 they demolished
Salisbury 5-0.
In the 1987/88 season the team were once again threatened with relegation. In fact until the April of that season Boro' had looked odds-on favourites for the drop. However, run in the Hampshire Senior Cup that took the all the way to the Final at the Dell lifted the players spirits. A thrashing of the favourites Farnborough Town in the Final was followed by a good run of results in the League lifting the team out of trouble to remain in the Premier Division.
The Club enjoyed their highest ever finish in the 1988/89 season when seventh place in the Premier Division was achieved. Unfortunately, a mass exodus of players and a change in the management saw the Club relegated to the Southern Division and two years later (1992) to the Wessex League.
The Boro' in the Wessex
Following
relegation the Chairman at the time, Ian Hay, appointed Roger Sherwood as
manager. Although Boro' had three good seasons with Roger, the Jewson
Wessex League Cup in 1992/93 was his only major success.
After the
departure or Roger Sherwood at the start of the 1995/96 season, the
Management Committee undertook a review of the Clubs policies. It was
decided to commence a period of financial consolidation and re-structuring.
Three former Gosport players (John Hawes, Dave Pitt and Barry Cook) took up
the running of the team with a new emphasis on forming a team of locally
based players and developing an extensive youth policy.
In 1997, Boro' approached Gomer Football Club, a successful youth club to form an affiliation. Not only did it given the Senior Club the ability to tap into local talent as it emerges through the ranks, but it also gives boys the opportunity to aim for a higher standard of football than they might normally achieve when youth football ended.
Nevertheless, Boro's position in the Jewson Wessex League continued to deteriorate. Dave Pitt and Barry Cook resigned in October 1999 after a particularly difficult start to the season. John Hawes became Chairman of the Club but resigned from that position after one year to return to his coaching role.
During this period, Ian Hay restructured the Club's finances and implemented a new and relatively unique Trustee Scheme which it is hoped will give Gosport Borough a firm financial base for the future. Dave Taviner (another former player) took over as caretaker manager until former reserve team manager Mick Marsh was appointed as the new first team manager in December 1999.
On the way back
At the
start of the 2000/01 season, Vice-Chairman John Stimpson was elected to the
Chairmanship of the Club. He immediately agreed with Marsh that the Club
should continue to develop young local players and also look to include a
mix of a few more experienced players in the First Team.
Marsh, along with his assistant Gary Lee had five seasons at the helm. In that period the Club's gradual decline was halted and Boro' were once again heading in the right direction. In Marsh's five seasons the Club finished in the top four on four occasions and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase in 2003/04.
With Marsh retiring from the game at the end of the 2004/05 season to move to Spain, the Club appointed John Robson his successor but Robson's tenure only lasted a few months and in December 2005 the Club appointed Alex Pike as first team manager.
Alex has the honour of being the Wessex League's most successful manager having won league and league cup honours on several occasions with his teams and also winning the FA Vase with Wimborne Town in 1992.
In his first full season in the hot-seat, Alex lived up to his high standards and Boro' lifted the Sydenhams League Championship - their first title in 29 years. The Championship was won on the last day of the season at title rivals AFC Totton. Boro' had to avoid defeat by two goals to lift the title and in a nervous afternoon eventually lost 1-0 to win the Championship on goal difference only.
With the title in the bag, Boro' officials and supporters waited for the news from the FA on their application for promotion. Two weeks after lifting the title, the news came through from Soho Square and Boro' were elected back into the Southern League for the 2007/08 season.
Elsewhere the Club continues to expand. The youth structure, in association with Gosport Borough Youth, has grown and now consists of teams from under 18s down to under 7s and includes girls teams. In addition, the Club has recently expanded into Ladies football and also run a "pub league" team.
Senior honours
Portsmouth League
Champions 1944/45
Hampshire League
Division One
Champions 1945/46, 1976/77, 1977/78
Wessex League Premier
Division
Champions 2006/07, Runners-up 2002/03
Southern League Division
One South
Runners-up 1984/85
Hampshire League Division
Three
(reserves)
Champions 1970/71, 1975/76
Wessex
League Combination (reserves)
Champions 2005/06, 2006/07
Wessex
League Combination East (reserves)
Champions 2004/05
Hampshire Senior Cup
Winners 1987/88
Wessex League Cup
Winners 1992/93
Wessex League Combination Cup
(reserves)
Winners 2004/05, 2005/06
Runners-up 1992/93, 1997/98, 1998/99
Russell Cotes Cup
Winners 1969/70, 2005/06
Runners-up 1993/94, 1996/97, 2002/03, 2004/05,
2006/07
Hampshire Intermediate Cup
Winners 1970/71
South Western Counties Pratten Cup
Winners 1977/78
Portsmouth Senior Cup
Winners 1961/62, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1993/94, 1995/96,
2003/04,
2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07
Other Club honours
Hantsweb Awards
Winner Best Recreation and Tourism website 2005
