Plymouth Parkway FC at home this Saturday 25th August in the Emirates FA Cup against Larkhall Athletic
Kick Off – 15:00
Adults – £7
Concessions – £4

Hot and cold snacks available

Larkhall Athletic FC History

Larkhall Athletic Football Club dates from 1914. In 1951 the club regained access to its home at Plain Ham after it had been turned over to allotments during WWII. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, achieving the status in 2004 as a Premier Club and in 2008 as an FA Charter Standard Community Club, the first club to achieve this recognition in Bath. This status was renewed in 2011 and 2014.

Initially the club rented the Plain Ham match by match. It offered a sloping pitch, a timber hut for changing and a single tin bath for washing, a nearby standpipe providing the water source. In 1962 a cricket team was formed and the club became Larkhall Sports Club. Around the same time the then Bath City Council granted the club a long lease on the ground at Plain Ham. A small club house was erected in 1965.

In 1975 the main football pitch at Plain Ham was levelled to create a pitch suitable for senior football. In 1983 the club house and changing rooms were doubled in size and in 1989 the club purchased adjoining land at Pow’s Field which today is used by the Youth Section and the Sunday Veterans team.

In 1996, aided by a Lottery Grant, the club further extended and improved its club house. In 2004 Plain Ham was re-levelled, drainage improved and floodlights installed, all with the help of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund. At the same time the car park was extended and new floodlights installed on the training area. In 2005, with tremendous financial support from the local community and members past and present, the club completed the purchase of Plain Ham from the Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority.

In 2010 the battle with drainage of Plain Ham was once again a priority and in 2011 the hard standing was further extended to completely surround the pitch. At the same time new protective fencing was installed in the bottom corner of the pitch, new safety rails were constructed in front of the stand, pitch side rails and posts were refurbished, a turnstile was created at the entrance and new lighting was connected. To address ongoing drainage problems the pitch was gravel banded from across the pitch. Funding from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund helped towards this work.

To meet FA grading requirements, applications for funding to Sport England and Football Stadia Improvement Fund were successful, securing 50% of the cost of the project to construct new changing rooms and to extend and update the clubhouse to provide improved hospitality facilities for spectators and visiting officials. Work started in December 2012 and the formal opening of the new facilities was celebrated with guest of honour the Mayor of Bath, Councillor Malcolm Lees, in August 2013.

In late 2013, inspired by recent developments on and off the field, friends of the club contributed to more facility improvements that had been identified in order to satisfy Grade E of the FA Grading requirements, including additional seats, more covered standing, improved turnstiles and new outside toilets. This work was completed to enable the club to accept promotion in our double winning centenary year. Further facility improvements, including a new ground boundary fence, pitch perimeter infill and a medical room have enabled us to satisfy the Grade D requirements. Half of the funding for this work came from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund.

In 2014 the club celebrated its centenary year with gusto. Performances on the field provided an appropriate backdrop, the first-team manager was selected as manager of the year by the Western League, we were treated to a marvellous reception in the Guildhall Bath hosted jointly by the Mayor of Bath and the Chairman of BANES Council, and returned to the Guildhall for a Centenary Dinner in September 2014.

On the pitch the first team have a long list of honours, including: the Somerset Senior Cup in seasons in 1975-76 and 2003-04, the Western League First Division Championship in 1988-89 and 2008-09, the Western League Premier Division Championship in 2010-11 and the Western League double – Premier Division Championship and Les Phillips Cup – in 2013-14. The Larks reached the last 16 of the FA Vase three seasons in succession; in 2012-13 and 2013-14 we lost to the eventual finalists of the competition. In 2014 we gained promotion to the Southern League. Our first season was a huge success and we reached the play-off final where we narrowly lost out 3-2 to Stratford Town. We also enjoyed a wonderful FA Cup campaign defeating Merthyr Town and Truro City away before losing in a replay with Gosport Borough from the FA Conference.

In 2015-16 the first team finished the season in the top half of the Southern League Division 1 South and West table, had another fine FA Cup run including taking Conference side Havant and Waterlooville to a replay, and reached the final of the Somerset FA Premier Cup for the first time in club history. Elsewhere, the Reserves just missed out on promotion to the Premier Division of the Somerset County Football League and the Ladies team capped a successful league season by retaining the Somerset FA Senior Cup for a second consecutive year.

In 2008 Larkhall Sports Club was recognised as the BANES Club of the Year by the Chairman of BANES Council. In December 2011 we were selected by our local paper, the Bath Chronicle, as the local sports team of the year; quite an honour given the richness of the local competition. In 2011, two of the club’s longest serving officials were recognised by the Somerset County FA, receiving the award of Somerset County FA Volunteer of the Year and a Somerset County FA Long Service Award. In 2012 the Somerset FA added Clive Burge to our hall of fame by recognising his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Community Football’. In 2014 the club was once again selected by the local paper for an award, this time as Senior Team of the Year. In July 2015 we were honoured to receive FA Charter Standard Community Club of the year award from the Somerset FA. In 2017-18 we made it to the semi-final of the League Challenge Cup.

This season we are looking to build on the success and enjoyment of our first four seasons in the Southern League while recognising the very stern challenge that this will present. We offer to all of our visitors a very warm welcome at the Securitas Stadium, probably the prettiest ground in the country.

Details of all sections can be found through the club’s web-site:
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/larkhallathleticfc/. We are also on Twitter: @larkhallafc (first team); @larkhallALFC (Ladies); @LarkhallYouthFC (Youth Section).

Wellington AFC Squad 2018-2019

Phil Bater – manager. Phil enjoyed a tremendous playing career at higher levels, including Bristol Rovers, Brentford, Wrexham and Cardiff City, as well as turning out for Wales u-21s. He has been a successful manager and coach at a number of clubs, notably Bristol Rovers, Mangotsfield United, and Clevedon. He joined the Larks as first team manager in January 2017.
Neil Arndale – assistant manager. Arnie joined the Larks as Geraint Bater’s number two from Mangotsfield United in 2015 on the back of a superb career at Bristol Rovers and Cirencester Town (and the England u16 and u18 teams).
Kieran Moden – physio. Kieran has a degree in Sports Rehabilitation from UWE and FA qualifications in Intermediate Trauma and Medical Management in Football. Prior to joining the Larks he had worked for Bristol Rovers and Mangotsfield United.
Rob York – kit manager. Rob has been a loyal fixture at Plain Ham for many years, as a player, assistant manager of the Reserves, and now kit manager for the 1st team. He knows both the club and the local football scene inside out.

Shaun Semmens (26) Goalkeeper. Shaun signed for the Larks in January 2017 from Mangotsfield United, having started his career playing for Godolphin Atlantic in Cornwall. He was awarded man of the match twice in his first 5 games for the Larks.

Neil Arndale (34) Defender. Versatile full-back/defensive midfielder Arnie joined the Larks from Mangotsfield United in 2015 on the back of a superb career at Bristol Rovers and Cirencester Town. Arnie is our assistant manager.

Mike Baker (25) Defender. A left-footed centre-half with a big presence, Mike transferred to the Larks from Yate Town last season. A schoolboy at Bristol Rovers, his other previous clubs include Mangotsfield United and Odd Down.

Alfie Clarke (18) Defender. Now in his second loan spell from Bristol Rovers, Alfie is a real prospect, a battling full-back who gives no quarter in defence and also likes to get forward.

Josh Jones (23) Defender. An imposing centre-half, Josh joined the Larks from
Mangotsfield United in 2017. He has also played for Clevedon and Cribbs.

Wayne Nderemani (18). Defender. Wayne is a new signing for the Larks, an energetic full-back who likes to get forward. He joins the Larks from the Bath City Academy.

Mason Winter (22) Defender. A right-sided, pacy full back who began his career at Bristol Rovers Academy, Mason is a 2017 signing who has also played for Cribbs FC and Melksham Town.

Geraint Bater (38) Midfielder. Bates is a central midfielder with a fine pedigree who started out at Bristol Rovers and has also played for Newport County as well as a number of Southern League sides. He become the Larks’ assistant manager in November 2015, and was first team manager from October 2016-January 2017.

Ross Beazer (30) Midfield. A familiar face at Plain Ham, Ross is a hardworking midfielder who has had a number of spells with the Larks over the last few years.

Matt Britton (23) Midfield. Ginge is a robust presence at the heart of the midfield who can also fill in at central defence. He joined the Larks from Western League side Cadbury Heath for the 2017-18 season. He was our joint second top scorer in his first season.

Jack Dancey (21). Midfield. Jack is a versatile midfielder who joins the Larks from Whitley Bay. He has also featured for English Colleges and Durham University.

Harry Hope (24). Midfield. A new signing for the 2018-19 season, Harry is an attacking midfielder, strong in possession. Previous clubs include Cardiff Met University and Nailsea United.

Alex Lambert (27) Midfield. A fast and strong left-sided winger, Alex joined the Larks in 2016 from Brislington where he featured in the side that reached the FA Cup 1st round. Previous clubs also include Mangotsfield United and Yate Town. Joint second top scorer in the 2017-18 season.

Ben Lewis (23) Midfield. A composed and versatile defensive midfielder who can also slot in at central defence, Ben joined the Larks at the start of the 2018-19 season. Previous clubs include Bitton and Longwell Green.

Josh Williams (22). Midfield. Josh is a new signing for the Larks whose last club was Oldland Abbotonians. A rangy and versatile midfielder who can play on the wing or in the middle.

George King (21) Centre forward/midfield. George is a promising young attacker who joined the Larks from Cribbs FC in 2017 having had prior spells at Weston-super-Mare and Yate Town. He scored on his competitive debut for the Larks.

Greg Peel (23) Centre forward. Greg re-joined the Larks from Evesham United in October 2017. He is a formidable presence in the penalty area, guaranteed to unsettle defenders.

Lewis Powell (30) Striker. Lewis is a new signing who needs no introduction to the local non-league scene. A proven goal-scorer, after starting his career at Bristol Rovers he also played for Mangotsfield Utd, Taunton Town, Chippenham Town, Weston-super-Mare, and Evesham United.