Stevenage Football Club is an English association football club based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded in 1976 as Stevenage Borough Football Club following the bankruptcy of the town's former team, Stevenage Athletic. They assumed senior status and played their first competitive match in the United Counties Football League in August 1980. They have played their home games at Broadhall Way since the club's formation.
This list details the club's achievements in first-team competitions, and the top goalscorer for each season. Top goalscorers highlighted in yellow were also the highest scorers in the division in which Stevenage competed during that season.
History In their first season as a senior club, Stevenage Borough won the United Counties League Division One title and the United Counties League Cup. In 1984, they joined Division Two North of the Isthmian League, earning promotion to Division One the following season. They were relegated two years later, but won the Division Two North title in the 1990–91 season after amassing 107 points. Stevenage won the Isthmian Premier Division in the 1993–94 season, earning promotion to the Football Conference. Two seasons later, they won the Conference but were denied promotion to the Football League because Broadhall Way did not meet the required ground standards. Stevenage reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in the 1996–97 season. The following season, they progressed to the fourth round, where they were drawn against Premier League club Newcastle United. Stevenage held Newcastle to a 1–1 draw at Broadhall Way before losing the replay 2–1 at St James' Park.
During the 2001–02 season, Stevenage reached the FA Trophy final for the first time, losing 2–0 to Yeovil Town at Villa Park. Three years later, they reached the Conference National play-offs after finishing fifth in the 2004–05 season, but lost 1–0 to Carlisle United in the final at the Britannia Stadium. Stevenage reached the FA Trophy final again in the 2006–07 season, overcoming a 2–0 deficit to defeat Kidderminster Harriers 3–2 in front of a record FA Trophy crowd of 53,262 at the newly built Wembley Stadium, becoming the first team to win a competitive final there. They returned to the final two years later, beating York City 2–0. Stevenage secured promotion to the Football League by winning the Conference Premier in the 2009–10 season. They amassed 99 points, finishing 11 points clear at the top of the table, and entered the Football League for the first time in the club's history, competing in League Two.
Following promotion, the club dropped the name 'Borough' from its title in June 2010. In their first season in the Football League, Stevenage finished sixth in League Two and reached the play-offs, defeating Torquay United 1–0 in the final at Old Trafford in May 2011 to secure a second successive promotion to League One. They also reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, defeating Newcastle United 3–1 in the third round before losing to Reading. Stevenage finished sixth in their first League One season in 2011–12, their highest league finish, and reached the play-offs, where they were defeated by Sheffield United in the semi-finals. They also reached the FA Cup fifth round for the first time, drawing 0–0 with Tottenham Hotspur at Broadhall Way before losing 3–1 in the replay at White Hart Lane. The club was relegated to League Two in the 2013–14 season, but reached the play-offs the following season after finishing sixth, losing to Southend United in the semi-finals.
Stevenage were bottom of League Two when the 2019–20 season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were initially relegated after an independent disciplinary panel deducted two points from Macclesfield Town for failing to pay their players on six occasions, but the English Football League successfully appealed the decision. The appeal resulted in four previously suspended points also being deducted from Macclesfield's total, meaning Stevenage finished 23rd and retained their League Two status. Stevenage earned promotion to League One after finishing second in League Two during the 2022–23 season. They recorded their joint-highest Football League finish in the 2025–26 season, finishing sixth in League One, before losing to Stockport County in the play-off semi-finals.
Seasons
SeasonLeagueFA CupFA TrophyOther competitionsTop scorerDivisionPWDLFAPtsPos1980–81UCL-1 ()32237210635531stN/AN/AUnited Counties League CupWTrevor Metcalfe291981–82UCL-P361291550493312thN/AN/ADanny Dance131982–83UCL-P3410101451563012thN/AN/AFA VasePRERRonnie Lear131983–84UCL-P36169115246416thQR1N/AFA VaseR2Paddy Butcher141984–85Isth-2N3823697949754thQR2N/AFA VaseR2Steve Armsby301985–86Isth-2N ()3826667124841stQR1N/AFA VaseQFMartin Gittings331986–87Isth-14212111961674716thQR3QR2Ricky Marshall171987–88Isth-1 ()421192236644221stQR1QR3Adrian Taylor91988–89Isth-2N42201398455734thQR2N/AFA VasePRERMartin Gittings241989–90Isth-2N42211657031794thQR1N/AFA VaseR3Rob McComb231990–91Isth-2N ()423453122291071stQR1N/AFA VaseR1Jimmy Hughes321991–92Isth-1 ()4030649537961stQR1QR1Martin Gittings441992–93Isth-P42188166260627thQR3R2Martin Gittings331993–94Isth-P ()4231478839971stQR4R1Martin Gittings401994–95Conf42207156849675thQR2R3Barry Hayles151995–96Conf422710510144911stR1QFBarry Hayles34 ♦1996–97Conf42241088753823rdR3SFBarry Hayles251997–98Conf4213121759635115thR4QFGary Crawshaw161998–99Conf42171786245686thR2R4Carl Alford331999–2000Conf421691760545710thQR4R3Carl Alford262000–01Conf42151897161637thQR4R5Neil Illman172001–02Conf4215101757605511thQR4RUFootball League TrophyR1SJean-Michel Sigere122002–03Conf4214101861555212thR2R4Football League TrophyR2SKirk Jackson82003–04Conf42189155852638thR2R4Football League TrophyR1SAnthony Elding192004–05Conf42226146552725thR2R3Conference League CupSFSAnthony Elding22Football League TrophyR1S2005–06Conf421912116247696thR2R1Football League TrophyR1SDarryn Stamp132006–07Conf462010167666708thR1WSteve Morison342007–08Conf46247158255796thR1R1Conference League CupR1SSteve Morison232008–09Conf462312117354815thR1WConference League CupR4SSteve Morison322009–10Conf ()4430957924991stR1RUYemi Odubade162010–11L2 ()461815136245696thR4N/AFootball League CupR1Byron HarrisonJohn Mousinho8Football League TrophyR1S2011–12L146181996944736thR5N/AFootball League CupR1Chris Beardsley10Football League TrophyR2S2012–13L1461592247645418thR1N/AFootball League CupR2Lucas Akins10Football League TrophyR1S2013–14L1 ()46 1192646724224thR4N/AFootball League CupR2François Zoko16Football League TrophySFS2014–15L246 2012146254726thR1N/AFootball League CupR1Charlie Lee9Football League TrophyR1S2015–16L246 11152052674818thR2N/AFootball League CupR1Chris Whelpdale9Football League TrophyR2S2016–17L246 2071967636710thR1N/AEFL CupR2Matt Godden21EFL TrophyR1S2017–18L24614131960655516thR3N/AEFL CupR1Danny Newton16EFL TrophyR1S2018–19L24620101659557010thR1N/AEFL CupR1Kurtis Guthrie14EFL TrophyR1S2019–20L2363132024502223rdR1N/AEFL CupR1Charlie Carter6EFL TrophyQF2020–21L24614181441416014thR3N/AEFL CupR1Elliott List11EFL TrophyR1S2021–22L24611142145684721stR2N/AEFL CupR2Luke Norris16EFL TrophyR2S2022–23L2 ()46241376139852ndR4N/AEFL CupR3Luke NorrisJamie Reid14EFL TrophyR16S2023–24L1461914135746719thR3N/AEFL CupR2Jamie Reid18EFL TrophyR1S2024–25L14615121942505714thR2N/AEFL CupR1Dan Kemp11EFL TrophyQFS2025–26L1462112134946756thR1N/AEFL CupR1Jamie Reid14EFL TrophyR32S2026–27L1N/AEFL CupR2EFL Trophy
Key Key to colours and symbols: ChampionsRunners-upPromoted Relegated Top league scorer in Stevenage's division ♦
Key to league record: P = Played W = Matches won D = Matches drawn L = Matches lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final position
Key to league competitions: Conf = Conference National Isth-1 = Isthmian Division One Isth-2N = Isthmian Division 2 North Isth-P = Isthmian Premier Division L1 = League One L2 = League Two UCL-1 = United Counties League Division One UCL-P = United Counties League Premier Division
Key to cup record: PRER = Preliminary Round QR1 = First Qualifying Round QR3 = Third Qualifying Round QR4 = Fourth Qualifying Round R1 = Round 1 R1S = Round 1 Southern Section R2 = Round 2 R2S = Round 2 Southern Section R3 = Round 3 R4 = Round 4 R4S = Round 4 Southern Section R5 = Round 5 R16S = Round of 16 Southern Section R32S = Round of 32 Southern Section QF = Quarter-finals QFS = Quarter-finals Southern Section SF = Semi-finals SFS = Semi-finals Southern Section RU = Runners-up W = Winners
Footnotes
References General
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