Alton Football Club is a football club based in Alton, Hampshire, England. Formed by a merger of Alton Town and Bass (Alton) in 1991, they are currently members of the and play at Anstey Park.
History Alton Town Alton Town Football Club was established in 1947.Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p453 The club joined Division Three East of the Hampshire League and won the division in their first season, earning promotion to Division Two.History Alton F.C. They were Division Two champions the following season, as well as winning the Hampshire Intermediate Cup and the Russell Cotes Cup, resulting in promotion to Division One.Hampshire League 1948–1960 Non-League Matters The 1950–51 season saw them finish as runners-up in Division One. Although they were relegated at the end of the 1953–54 season, the club were Division Two champions the following season, earning an immediate promotion back to Division One. They were Division One runners-up in 1956–57 and league champions in 1957–58.
Alton were Division One runners-up again in 1962–63.Hampshire League 1960–1970 Non-League Matters In 1972–73 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 5–1 at Fourth Division Newport County. At the end of the season they left the Hampshire League to join Division Two of the Athenian League. After winning Division Two at the first attempt, there were promoted to Division One. The league was reduced to a single division in 1977, and after finishing bottom of the league in 1980–81, the club switched to the expanded Combined Counties League, where they were placed in the Western Division. They were Western Division runners-up in 1981–82 and the following season the league reverted to a single division.
After finishing second-from-bottom of the Combined Counties League in 1983–84, Alton dropped into Division Three of the Hampshire League. They finished bottom of the division for the next two seasons, but after it was disbanded in 1986 they were moved up to Division Two. They went on to win the Division Two title in 1986–87 and were promoted to Division One. In 1989–90 they were Division One runners-up.
Season-by-season SeasonDivisionPositionSignificant events1947–48Hampshire League Division Three East1/14Champions, promoted1948–49Hampshire League Division Two1/14Champions, promoted1949–50Hampshire League Division One5/141950–51Hampshire League Division One2/141951–52Hampshire League Division One4/141952–53Hampshire League Division One6/141953–54Hampshire League Division One13/14Relegated1954–55Hampshire League Division Two1/14Champions, promoted1955–56Hampshire League Division One7/141956–57Hampshire League Division One2/141957–58Hampshire League Division One1/14Champions1958–59Hampshire League Division One7/141959–60Hampshire League Division One10/141960–61Hampshire League Division One6/161961–62Hampshire League Division One4/161962–63Hampshire League Division One2/161963–64Hampshire League Division One4/161964–65Hampshire League Division One7/161965–66Hampshire League Division One12/161966–67Hampshire League Division One13/161967–68Hampshire League Division One7/161968–69Hampshire League Division One4/161969–70Hampshire League Division One3/161970–71Hampshire League Division One8/161971–72Hampshire League Division One4/161972–73Hampshire League Division One3/161973–74Athenian League Division Two1/16Champions, promoted1974–75Athenian League Division One6/181975–76Athenian League Division One7/161976–77Athenian League Division One7/18League reduced to single division1977–78Athenian League7/181978–79Athenian League10/191979–80Athenian League19/201980–81Athenian League20/201981–82Combined Counties League Western Division2/111982–83Combined Counties League11/181983–84Combined Counties League16/171984–85Hampshire League Division Three18/181985–86Hampshire League Division Three18/181986–87Hampshire League Division Two1/17Champions, promoted1987–88Hampshire League Division One6/181988–89Hampshire League Division One5/171989–90Hampshire League Division One2/181990–91Hampshire League Division One14/18
Merged club In 1991 Alton Town merged with fellow Hampshire League Division One club Bass (Alton). The new club was initially known as Alton Town Bass, before becoming Bass Alton Town the following season. In 1998 they were renamed Alton Town, and were Division One champions in 1998–99. Division One was renamed the Premier Division at the end of the season and Alton were Premier Division champions in 2001–02, earning promotion to the Wessex League. When the league gained a second division in 2004 they were placed in Division One, which was renamed the Premier Division in 2006.
Alton were transferred to the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League in 2013, but finished in the relegation zone in their first season in the division, resulting in relegation to Division One. In 2015 they were transferred back to the Wessex League, rejoining Division One. They were renamed Alton Football Club in 2016, when they absorbed Alton United Youth. In 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the abandoned 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. At the end of the 2021–22 season, they were transferred to the Premier Division South of the Combined Counties League.
Season-by-season SeasonDivisionPositionSignificant events1991–92Hampshire League Division One7/181992–93Hampshire League Division One10/171993–94Hampshire League Division One5/201994–95Hampshire League Division One4/201995–96Hampshire League Division One14/201996–97Hampshire League Division One18/211997–98Hampshire League Division One10/201998–99Hampshire League Division One1/19Champions; Division One renamed1999–00Hampshire League Premier Division20/222000–01Hampshire League Premier Division7/212001–02Hampshire League Premier Division1/21Champions, promoted2002–03Wessex League17/222003–04Wessex League18/222004–05Wessex League Division One19/222005–06Wessex League Division One20/222006–07Wessex League Premier Division17/202007–08Wessex League Premier Division14/232008–09Wessex League Premier Division19/222009–10Wessex League Premier Division18/222010–11Wessex League Premier Division13/222011–12Wessex League Premier Division10/222012–13Wessex League Premier Division18/21Transferred to Combined Counties League2013–14Combined Counties League Premier Division21/22Relegated2014–15Combined Counties League Division One13/16Transferred to Wessex League2015–16Wessex League Division One7/182016–17Wessex League Division One12/212017–18Wessex League Division One8/182018–19Wessex League Division One13/19
Ground The club play at Anstey Park, which was the home ground of the original Alton Town club."Alton", Groundtastic, Autumn 2017, issue 90, p19 The merged club played at the Bass Ground before moving to Anstey Park in 2015 as its owners, Coors Brewers, sought to use the site for redevelopment. Coors funded a refurbishment of the Anstey Road ground, which included a new grandstand (replacing an older one), new floodlights and an artificial pitch.Historic day at Anstey Park as new G3 pitch is opened Alton Herald, 10 December 2015 A new covered stand was opened in 2017, replacing one that had been removed during the redevelopment work.
Honours Athenian League Division One champions 1973–74 Hampshire League Champions 1957–58, 1998–99, 2001–02 Division Two champions 1948–49, 1954–55, 1986–87 Division Three East champions 1947–48 Hampshire Senior Cup Winners 1957–88, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1977–78 Hampshire Intermediate Cup Winners 1948–49 Russell Cotes Cup Winners 1948–49
Records Best FA Cup performance: First round, 1972–73 Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Quarter-finals, 1962–63 Best FA Trophy performance: Second qualifying round, 1976–77 Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 1978–79
See also Alton F.C. players Alton F.C. managers
References
External links Official website