Bristol Manor Farm Football Club is an English football club based in Bristol, England. They are currently members of the and play at The Creek. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.
History
Bristol Manor Farm Football Club was formed for the 1960–61 season. After just one season, the club was disbanded but was reformed and began playing again in the 1962–63 season. Their current home, The NL Services Stadium, used to be the site of the Port of Bristol Authority Sports & Social Club but when they moved to new premises 1965, Manor Farm took it over. The pitch at The NL Services Stadium was once notorious for its sloping surface but work has been undertaken in recent years to eliminate the slope. With seating and floodlights added in 1980, the club now boasts excellent facilities alongside a spacious clubhouse.
Having a permanent base enabled the club to apply successfully to join the Somerset Senior League, where they were to progress rapidly through the divisions before deciding to advance further to the Western League in 1977.
The club joined the First Division for the 1977–78 season and remained there until the 1982–83 season when they won the First Division championship and gained promotion to the Premier Division. They remained there until relegation under Pete McCall's management team in 2001–02, but regained their Premier status just two seasons later in 2003/04 under Shaun Bond and Nicky Johns. In 1983–84, they reached the final of the G.F.A. Challenge Trophy where they lost to then Hellenic League side Shortwood United. The trophy did make its way to the Creek in 1987–88 and has been won on a further three occasions by the club.
Main stand at The Creek The 2011–12 season saw the club win its first double when they took both the GFA Challenge Trophy and the Toolstation League Les Phillips League Cup back to Sea Mills.
Lee Lashenko become the new manager at the start of the 2013–14 season and quickly made an impact in the FA Cup, overcoming Oldland Abbotonians, Lymington Town and Corsham Town to reach the second qualifying round, equaling their best ever performance in the competition. Unfortunately, they were unable to go one better and lost to Bridgwater Town 1–2 in a replay at Fairfax Park. The club continued to fight for top spot in the league and applied for promotion. The club finished second but were unsuccessful in their promotion bid when Larkhall Athletic were accepted into the Southern League. The second-placed finish was the best in the club's history. It also saw the team break the club records for the most goals scored in a season and the fewest goals conceded.
The 2015–16 season left the club with mixed feelings as on one hand they managed to get to the Quarter-Final of the FA Vase narrowly going out away to eventual winners Morpeth Town. On the other hand, while they finished third in the Western League, again they just missed out on promotion to the Southern League by one place. They did, however, win the GFA County Challenge Trophy for the second time in succession and the fourth time overall with a record 9–2 win over Lydney Town.
In the 2016–17 season, Bristol Manor Farm were finally successful in gaining promotion to the Southern League, winning the Western League by quite a distance. They also had another successful run in the FA Vase where they went out in the fifth round proper to Semi-Finalists Bromsgrove Sporting.
The Farm finished their first season in the eighth tier in ninth place, falling away towards the end after troubling the top six places all season.
In recent years, the ‘University of Bristol Manor Farm Supporters Club’ has been formed, an official supporters group affiliated with both the football club and the University of Bristol.
Staff First Team Manager: Will Justin Assistant Manager: Marc Ford Physio: Nigel White Coach(s): John Toy, Catalin Andrei Media Manager: Alex Barnham Photographer: Alex Barnham
Club rivals Bristol Manor Farm's main rivals are considered to be Yate Town, Mangotsfield United and Cribbs, all from the northern outskirts of Bristol. With all four clubs playing in the Southern Football Leagues, fixtures among the four have been seen by some fans as a contest to claim the title of Bristol's third club and tend to attract higher than usual attendances.
Honours Western Football League Premier Division Champions: 2016–17 Runners-up: 2013–14 Western Football League Division One Champions: 1982–83
Cup honours Gloucestershire Football Association Challenge Trophy Winners: 1987–88, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015-16 Western Football League Cup: Winners: 2011–12 Gloucestershire Football Association Senior Challenge Cup: Winners: 2024-25
Seasons SeasonDivisionPosPWDLFAGDPtsFA CupFA TrophyFA Vase1977–78Western Football League Division 14th36205116738 +2965 – – –1978–79Western Football League Division 13rd36205115947 +1265 – – PR1979–80Western Football League Division 18th42209137058 +1249 – – R11980–81Western Football League Division 110th36148145357 –436 – – R11981–82Western Football League Division 18th36159125850 +839 – – R11982–83Western Football League Division 11st3626738531 +5459 QR2 – R31983–84Western Football League Premier Division8th381411135442 +1239 PR – R51984–85Western Football League Premier Division6th42217147055 +1549 PR – R41985–86Western Football League Premier Division11th42169177172 –141 QR1 PR –1986–87Western Football League Premier Division5th421910135846 +1248 PR – R11987–88Western Football League Premier Division8th421714116652 +1447 (-1) QR1 – R11988–89Western Football League Premier Division6th40207137249 +2347 PR – PR1989–90Western Football League Premier Division12th401312154959 –1051 QR1 – R21990–91Western Football League Premier Division14th40129195266 –1445 QR1 – PR1991–92Western Football League Premier Division16th401010204266 –2440 PR – R11992–93Western Football League Premier Division13th381013154959 –1043 QR1 – R11993–94Western Football League Premier Division13th34113205177 –2636 PR – PR1994–95Western Football League Premier Division9th34146145148 +348 – – EPR1995–96Western Football League Premier Division12th34116175569 –1439 QR1 – QR21996–97Western Football League Premier Division14th34910154060 –2037 QR1 – QR11997–98Western Football League Premier Division16th38810203773 –3634 – – –1998–99Western Football League Premier Division13th38154196157 +449 – – –1999–00Western Football League Premier Division17th3689194878 –3033 – – –2000–01Western Football League Premier Division18th3888223766 –2932 QR1 – QR22001–02Western Football League Premier Division19th3878233080 –5029 QR1 – QR12002–03Western Football League Division 111th36144185671 –1546 PR – QR12003–04Western Football League Division 13rd36201427438 +3674 PR – QR12004–05Western Football League Premier Division7th38177145659 –358 EPR – QR22005–06Western Football League Premier Division3rd38244108643 +4376 PR – R12006–07Western Football League Premier Division12th421412165051 –154 EPR – R22007–08Western Football League Premier Division16th40109216484 –2039 EPR – QR12008–09Western Football League Premier Division5th40226127553 +2272 EPR – QR12009–10Western Football League Premier Division7th381611117055 +1559 QR1 – R42010–11Western Football League Premier Division7th36187117363 +1061 QR2 – R22011–12Western Football League Premier Division8th34138136357 +647 EPR – QR22012–13Western Football League Premier Division18th38116215572 –1739 EPR – QR22013–14Western Football League Premier Division2nd40268610432 +7286 QR2 – R12014–15Western Football League Premier Division4th3618996740 +2763 PR – R22015–16Western Football League Premier Division3rd38255810944 +6580 QR1 – QF2016–17Western Football League Premier Division1st38333211833 +85102 EPR – R52017–18Southern Football League West Division9th42209138361 +2269 PR QR1 –2018–19Southern Football League Division One South15th38137186577 –1246 QR3 QR1 –2019–20Southern Football League Division One South15th*2786133144 –1330 QR3 PR –2020–21Southern Football League Division One South11th*73131214 –210 QR3 QR2 –2021–22Southern Football League Division One South5th3620976441 +2369 PR QR2 –2022–23Southern Football League Division One South18th38119185676 –2042 PR R1 –2023–24Southern Football League Division One South4th36178116750 +1759 QR2 QR2 –2024–25Southern Football League Division One South12th421316137370 +355 PR R1 –2025–26Southern Football League Division One South15th421212185777 –2048 EPR QR1 –
Season abandoned due to COVID-19 Pandemic*
Records FA Cup Third qualifying round 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 FA Trophy First round proper 2022–23, 2024–25 FA Vase Quarter Finals 2015–16 Biggest victory 10–0 versus Devizes Town in the Les Phillips Cup. Saturday 19 November 2016. Biggest Defeat 0-11 versus Bristol City in the annual Community Match at The Creek on Sunday 9 July 2017. Record Attendance 1417 versus Bristol City in a pre-season friendly. Sunday 9 July 2017
Notable past players Alan Crawford Danny Maye David Mehew
References
External links Official Website Official Twitter