Bovey Tracey Athletic Football Club


A BRIEF HISTORY Although football has been played in Bovey since the late 1890s the present club was formed about 1950 by the merger of Bovey Town, and Bovey St Johns who played at the Recreation Ground. This merger was much the work of Frank French, who was at the time the local policeman. The earliest documented game


was on November 11, 1899, when Bovey entertained Torquay United for a friendly in what was Torquay’s first season. The game was refereed by a local man who apparently made a series of debatable decisions in Bovey’s favour. Bovey took the lead from a dubious penalty and, when Torquay equalised a minute from the end, the referee promptly played 20 minutes of injury time, then awarded another controversial penalty and blew the final whistle as soon as Bovey had scored. Rivalry with Torquay United


extended in to the early 1900s when there reserves were playing Bovey St Johns at Bovey Tracey. The Bovey team were out to win the Torquay & District League (South Devon League) and deliberately prepared a ‘hard ground’. The surface was like an iron! An hour before the kick off a Torquay player had a brainwave and visited the local boot and shoe dealer. Eleven pairs of plimsoles were bought and the Torquay team won comfortably. The game gained national press as it was Bovey’s first defeat of the season. Bovey St Johns won the first ever Devon & Exeter Football


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League Express Cup in 1909 at St Luke’s College when they defeated Bideford 4-0, with goals from Harris, Black, L Marden and T Marden. On March 31, 1961, in front


of 3,000 spectators Bovey won the local Herald Cup 3-1 with goals from Slocombe, Hydon and Fone. Bovey have also appeared in this final, on four other occasions in 1931/32 (Bovey St Johns), 1938/39 (Bovey Town), 1993/94 and 2003/04 all ending in defeat. In 1979 the football club


made there biggest purchase to date with the acquisition of land at Mill Marsh Park (our current ground), however, part of this land was sold under a compulsory purchase order in 1984 to assist in the construction of the ‘Bovey Bypass’. The 2006/07 season was a


great success winning the Belli Cup, Runners-up in the Premier Division and semi-finalists in both the Herald Cup and Devon Premier Cup. The 2007/08 season saw Bovey’s greatest success to date, in retaining the Belli Cup, winning the South Devon Premier League title, and ultimately promotion to the South West Peninsula League.


Both of these seasons saw Bovey under the guidance of management team of Cyril Gosling, Lee Dorsett and Andrew Paddon. The 2008/09 season once


again saw the club achieve new heights, with the use of new facilities at Mill Marsh Park Ground. The East Division title was lost on the final day of the season but promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up was achieved. We were also beaten finalists in the Devon Premier Cup Final. The next five seasons saw a


succession of managers as Bovey Tracey retained their Premier Division status each season, with their highest position being achieved in 2012/13 when they were 15th. The team with only one win in 2014/15, were relegated back to Division One East for the start of the 2015/16. With assisted grant funding,


floodlights and both covered seated and standing accomadation were installed on the ground during 2010/11. This enabled the club to enter the FA Vase for the first time in 2011-12 when they lost in the second qualifying round to Plymouth Parkway. The club did reach the first round proper in both 2012-13 and 2013-14. To date, the best attendance at


the ground for a competitive game was on April 22, 2011, when 494 watched the 4-1 loss to Buckland Athletic. However, 548, did attend a pre-season friendly 6-0 defeat with Plymouth Argyle on July 13, 2016.


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