`Little` Bashley Defy The Odds

Story of the little village club`s rise.

It could be argued that BASHLEY is the smallest place to have had a Southern League club – and for eleven seasons, a Premier Division outfit at that.

They are now back in the Sydenhams Football League (Wessex) Premier Division, but their story is certainly one that can be held up as an example to small clubs everywhere that progression through the non-League Pyramid is possible.

Bashley is a small village in the New Forest near New Milton, a few miles east of Bournemouth.

The population is only around the 750-mark but it has had a football club since 1947, although they could only play friendlies as there was a hedge and a stream running through the middle of the pitch!

But gradually, the two founder members of the club began to improve things and the club were admitted to the Bournemouth League in 1950.

After a ten-year struggle, Bashley began to establish themselves during the 1960s, although still only in local circles.

Then, in the early 1980s, local businessman Trevor Adams and David Jose became involved with the club – and they haven`t looked back since.

The club moved into the Hampshire League Division Three in 1983 and under the leadership of Trevor Parker, won the championship in 1985.

The following season saw Bashley finish fourth in Division Two and in 1987, under new manager Dave Lennard, they won the new Wessex League title.

Bashley then reached the semi-final of the FA Vase in 87/88 – a tremendous achievement considering that they began in the Extra Preliminary Round stage!

However, despite being roared on by almost 3,500 fans in the tiny Hampshire village, Yorkshire visitors Emley eventually won the tie 2-1 on aggregate.

Despite that set-back, Bashley won the Wessex League title again and retained it the following season to win a place in the Southern League Southern Division.

Trevor Parker returned as manager from Basingstoke Town and in his first season in the higher league, won the title, pipping much better-known and long-established neighbours Poole Town by 5 points after a run of twelve wins from their last fourteen matches.

After finishing a very creditable tenth in the Premier Division in 1990/91, they ended in fourth the following season and ninth in 1992/92 before 93/94 saw them relegated after ending up second-from-bottom on goal difference.

Whilst on-the-field progress was rapid, Bashley had to try desperately hard to keep up off the pitch.

However, with such rapidity of progress being made in the Pyramid, the club found it difficult to keep ground improvements in line.

But the club installed impressive covered accommodation for 1,000 spectators, new changing facilities and many other general improvements to their now very neat Recreation Ground stadium.

Bashley reached the FA Cup First Round proper for the first time in 1994/95 and won 1-0 at Chesham United.

A Second Round home tie with Swansea City ended with a 1-0 defeat, with Bash came close to causing a huge upset playing against League opposition for the first time.

August 1997, Bashley appointed former Liverpool European Cup winner Jimmy Case as manager.

They were promotion challengers during 1997/98 but eventually finished third, with a good FA Trophy run into the last sixteen, losing narrowly at Conference side Hayes.

Former Southampton, Aldershot and Bashley defender Barry Blankley took over from Case in 1999.

The club then had a cash boost when young midfielder, Wade Elliott, signed for AFC Bournemouth in January 2000 for £5,000, with Bash receiving further appearance money which took the total up to £15,000.

Season 2001/02 resulted in another FA Trophy run ended by finalists, Stevenage Borough of the Conference.

A top-six place was achieved in the Southern East Division in 2002/03 and the season was capped by a first-ever Hampshire Senior Cup final, played at Southampton’s St Mary’s.

It was a superb occasion for the club, despite an eventual 2-1 defeat to Conference-bound Aldershot Town, with Bashley coming close to defeating their illustrious opponents.

Blankley resigned early in 2002/03 and leading players departed. Bashley narrowly missed out on promotion under new manager John Robson and were forced to leave the Southern League and were placed in the Isthmian League Division One, as a result of FA restructuring.

Robson departed, and Geoff Butler was appointed in the summer.

Bashley started well but had to settle for a mid-table finish.

Butler departed summer 2005 and Dave Wakefield took charge as player-manager but after a poor start, Wakefield left and Steve Riley took over as player-manager and an excellent run-in saw the club finish just outside the play-off places.

Another FA restructure saw Bashley back in the Southern League Division One South & West Division.

They enjoyed a record-breaking season, winning the league by a massive 28 points and achieving a rare double century of 102 points and 111 goals, including a spell of 27 league matches unbeaten.

Bashley possessed a prolific attack and the meanest defence in the league. Richard Gillespie finished up with 41 goals - the highest total in any of the Southern League divisions - and broke the club`s all-time goalscoring record held by Colin Cummings, which had stood for over thirty years.

Bashley acquitted themselves well back in the Southern Premier after a thirteen-season break and finished in fifth place.

Season 2007/08 though ended in disappointment after finishing fifth in the regular season with a 4-1 defeat by Team Bath in the play-off semi-final.

Steve Riley brought in new signings, but 2008/09 was a very different season as Bashley found themselves in the bottom four for long periods but ended with a final position of 14th.

The summer of 2009 saw the departure of Richard Gillespie to Eastleigh, having scored 173 goals in 308 appearances and Riley signed Farnborough striker Mark Gamble to ensure that Bash entered 2009/10 with renewed hope of being competitive.

In 2009/10 Bashley just missed out on a top-five finish on final day of the season and an FA Trophy run saw them eventually lose to Conference National side, Crawley Town.

Bashley lost more key players ahead of the 2010/11 season but rallied to secure an 11th place finish.

After a good start to the next season, however, Bashley struggled, although a decent run ensured survival, although Steve Riley left during the summer. Bashley surprised many when they appointed former Nottingham Forest and Leeds United star Frank Gray as manager in May 2012.

Gray, who had previously managed Darlington, Farnborough Town, Grays Athletic and Woking, had been in the Hampshire area after managing Basingstoke Town for the previous four years.

But, after finishing 17th, Gray left Bashley in June 2013, and ex-players Paul Gazzard and Stewart Kearn took over the reins with a much-reduced budget.

Results did not go for them, however, players departed and Kearn stepped down.

John Pyatt joined Gazzard to try and stave off relegation but the club was relegated to the Division One South & West in 2013/14 and were lucky to survive the season.

Andy Darnton, Graham Speechley-Price, Martin Spiers and Dominic Cuncliffe all had brief spells as manager before Speechley-Price took over as caretaker manager in February 2015.

The club battled on but finished bottom in 2014/15 but the FA reprieved Bashley, ensuring Southern League football for another season.

In 2015, former Chelsea defender David Stride was sacked by Bashley after just 40 days in the job after a run of poor pre-season results and lack of player signings after overseeing just two friendly losses in his time at the club.
Steve Riley returned to the club for a second spell in charge but resigned following a run of defeats and Tom Prodomo took charge.

The 2015/16 season was a disaster.

It ended with no wins, just two draws, an inevitable bottom-placed finish and relegation back to the Wessex League, thus ending Bashley`s Southern League tenure.

However, before the 2019/20 was ended prematurely by Covid-19, Bashley were showing signs of revival, so we may well see the little village club back in the league again soon.