ROMSEY TOWN HISTORY
| Year Formed | 1886 (NB: *Founder members) | Total Wessex Seasons | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joined From | Hampshire League (x3) | Total Seasons in top tier | 16 |
| First Spell | 1986/87* to 1992/93 | Total Seasons in second tier | 10 |
| Second Spell | 1996/97 to 1997/98 | Total Seasons in third tier | 0 |
| Third Spell | 2004 to date (current: Div.1) | Total Null and Void Seasons | 2 |
League record
| Season | Tier | Pld | Won | Draw | Lost | Gl For | Gl Ag | Gl Diff | Pts | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986/87 | T1 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 61 | -36 | 28 | 16th |
| 1987/88 | T1 | 36 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 69 | 46 | 23 | 69 | 3rd |
| 1988/89 | T1 | 32 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 47 | 39 | 8 | 43 | 7th |
| 1989/90 | T1 | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 84 | 31 | 53 | 81 | 1st |
| 1990/91 | T1 | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 59 | 35 | 24 | 71 | 4th |
| 1991/92 | T1 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 72 | 42 | 30 | 69 | 4th |
| 1992/93 | T1 | 40 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 20 | 168 | -148 | 11 | 21st |
| 1996/97 | T1 | 40 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 52 | 94 | -42 | 37 | 18th |
| 1997/98 | T1 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 28 | 40 | 134 | -94 | 20 | 20th |
| 2004/05 | T2 | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 84 | 55 | 29 | 77 | 4th |
| 2005/06 | T2 | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 59 | 61 | -2 | 56 | 13th |
| 2006/07 | T2 | 36 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 68 | 36 | 32 | 72 | 3rd |
| 2007/08 | T1 | 44 | 12 | 7 | 25 | 68 | 98 | -30 | 43 | 18th |
| 2008/09 | T1 | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 65 | 75 | -10 | 60 | 11th |
| 2009/10 | T1 | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 64 | 57 | 7 | 58 | 10th |
| 2010/11 | T1 | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 59 | 87 | -28 | 44 | 16th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011/12 | T1 | 42 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 77 | 66 | 11 | 67 | 8th |
| 2012/13 | T1 | 40 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 38 | 137 | -99 | 22 | 20th |
| 2013/14 | T1 | 42 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 43 | 107 | -64 | 24* | 22nd |
| 2014/15 | T2 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 40 | 81 | -41 | 16 | 14th |
| 2015/16 | T2 | 34 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 50 | 54 | -4 | 50 | 9th |
| 2016/17 | T2 | 40 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 71 | 67 | 4 | 58 | 13th |
| 2017/18 | T2 | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 51 | 23 | 60 | 6th |
| 2018/19 | T2 | 36 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 103 | 44 | 59 | 81 | 4th |
| 2019/20 | T2 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 54 | 60 | -6 | 31 | VOID |
| 2020/21 | T2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 9 | VOID |
| Total | 946 | 363 | 169 | 414 | 1496 | 1799 | -303 | 1257* |
The club was formed in 1886 and played in local league football with successful spells before joining the Southampton League as founder members in 1908.
The 1920s was a good decade for Romsey Town and after winning the Hampshire Intermediate Cup and Southampton Senior League, the club joined the Hampshire League. In 1930 Romsey moved to its second ground at Priestlands, before moving again to its current home, The By-Pass Ground, in 1956. In 1964 it was relegated from the league and dropped down to Junior Division 1 of the Southampton League only returning to its senior section in 1968.
In the 1970s success returned and after three successive promotions and a Southampton Senior Cup triumph in 1974, the club regained its Hampshire League status in 1975 and a year later won the Hampshire Senior Cup unexpectedly defeating Farnborough Town 1-0 in a final played at The Dell, then home of Southampton FC.
In 1986 Romsey became a founder member of the Wessex League, clinching the title and reaching the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup in 1990. Another reversal in fortune saw the club relegated to the Hampshire League in 1998 and hit an all time low in 2003 when finishing bottom of the league’s third division and had to seek re-election.
When the Wessex League absorbed the original Hampshire League in 2004, Romsey Town were placed in Division 1 and won promotion back to the top flight in 2007. The Town enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in 2011/12 finishing eighth but this signalled a further period of turmoil and relegated again 2014 to their status in Wessex League Division 1. The club then appointed Andy Samuels as Manager and whilst they finished second bottom in 2014/15, there has been steady improvement, with mid table finishes in 2015/16 and 2016/17, leading to a promotion challenges in 2017/18 and 2018/ 19 which resulted in a sixth and fourth place finishes. During the summer Andy Samuels stepped down and has been replaced by Chris McGinn, a former professional footballer and international coach.
However, Chris decided to step down in March 2020 to focus on his work with Chelsea FC and was replaced by Adam Pullinger formerly of Colden Common and AFC Stoneham. For the 2020/21 season, Adam has retained the core of the Town squad and made a number of signings to give us strength in depth and enable the club to field teams in both the Premier Division and U23 Division West of the Hampshire Combination & Development Football League.
FA CUP
Furthest progress - 1990/91 4th Qualifying Round - Littlehampton Town
Record victory - 1991/92 2nd Qualifying Round - Selsey 6-1
FA VASE
Furthest progress - 1988/89 3rd Round - Bridport
Record victory - 1987/88 Preliminary Round - Sherborne Town 5-1
The FA Cup and FA Vase records are the best achieved whilst in League membership. Where this has been on more than one occasion, only the last time it was achieved is shown here.
