It’s another big game between play-off chasers on Saturday as Bideford visit Berkshire to take on last season’s FA Vase winners Thatcham Town. Both sides have won three and lost three in their last six games and sit just a point apart in the league standings. The Robins bounced back from defeat at Melksham to beat the league’s form team Winchester City at the Sports Ground last Saturday. The victory kept them in touch with the chasing pack and seven points off the play-off zone. It was a similar story for Thatcham who picked up a much needed win at Melksham last Saturday in response to defeats against Bristol Manor Farm and Cirencester.

Form Guide

Thatcham Town’s last six (LWWLLW) Pos 13th W13 D3 L13 Pts 42
02/03/19 Melksham Town 1 Thatcham Town 2 (League)
23/03/19 Thatcham Town 1 Cirencester Town 2 (League)
19/02/19 Bristol Manor Farm 3 Thatcham Town 2 (League)
16/02/19 Street 1 Thatcham Town 2 (League)
09/02/19 Thatcham Town 4 Evesham United 2 (League)
26/01/19 Thatcham Town 2 Highworth Town 3 (League)

Bideford’s last six (WLLWLW) Pos 11th W13 D4 L12 Pts 43
02/03/19 Bideford 1 Winchester City 0 (League)
25/02/19 Melksham Town 2 Bideford 1 (League)
23/02/19 Bideford 1 Highworth Town 0 (League)
16/02/19 Cirencester Town 8 Bideford 2 (League)
09/02/19 Bideford 0 Street 1 (League)
26/01/19 Bideford 3 Bristol Manor Farm 1 (League)

A Brief History of Thatcham Town FC
Thatcham Town were founded in 1894 as Thatcham FC and joined the Reading Temperance League in 1896 where they would remain for 57 years winning the Division Two title in 1905/06. The club were founder members of the Hellenic League in 1953. They dropped to the newly formed Division One in 1956 but would win that division in 1958/59. After three seasons in the Premier Division they were relegated back to Division One. The Kingfishers then bounced between the two divisions over the next 20 years winning the Division One title again in 1964/65 and 1972/73. The club were renamed Thatcham Town in 1974 and went on to be crowned Hellenic League champions in 1974/75. After being relegated again in 1978 they spent four seasons in Division One before joining the Athenian League, which disbanded in 1984. Thatcham then joined the London Spartan League and after two fourth place finishes joined the Wessex League in 1986. The Kingfishers were crowned Wessex League champions in 1995/96. In 2005/06 they were runners-up and accepted promotion to the Southern League for the first time playing in Division One South & West. They sidestepped over to Division One Central for a season in 2012/13 before returning to South & West. In 2014/15 they dropped back down to the Hellenic League where they spent four seasons before winning their second Hellenic League title in 2017/18. In what must be considered the club’s greatest ever season, Thatcham also won the FA Vase by defeating Stockton Town 1-0 in the final at Wembley in front of 31,430 fans.

Thatcham Town FC
Waterside Park
Crookham Hill
Thatcham
Berkshire
RG19 4PA
Tel: 01635 862016
Website: http://www.thatchamtownfootballclub.com
Twitter: @Thatcham_TownFC

Previous meetings:
08/12/18 Bideford 0 Thatcham Town 1 (Southern Div 1 South)
14/04/12 Thatcham Town 1 Bideford 2 (Southern Div 1 S&W)
17/11/11 Bideford 1 Thatcham Town 0 (Southern Div 1 S&W)
29/01/11 Thatcham Town 3 Bideford 0 (Southern Div 1 S&W)
18/09/10 Bideford 1 Thatcham Town 1 (Southern Div 1 S&W)