Whatever Happened to….Dudley Town?

The ups and downs of the Robins.

Dudley Town was founded in 1888, and in 1898 incorporated another club from the town, Dudley St John's, moving onto the latter's ground at Shavers End and entering the Birmingham & District League.

After the First World War, the club was dormant for a number of years, but in 1928 it was re-formed and entered the Cradley Heath & District League, before moving on to the Worcestershire Combination.

In 1932 the club moved into the Sports Ground, which had been built as part of a project to provide work for a large number of unemployed men in the borough in the inter-war years. Over 16,000 people attended the opening match at what was to remain the Robins' home for fifty years.

In the early 1930s, Dudley dominated the Worcestershire Combination and soon moved up to the more prestigious Birmingham League. Unfortunately, the club could not bear the increased financial strain and folded shortly before the Second World War.

After the war, the club was resurrected and progressed via the Birmingham Combination to re-join the Birmingham League, which in 1962 was re-named the West Midlands (Regional) League.

The club enjoyed a run to the First Round of the FA Cup in the 1976/77 season, where they were drawn against York City and held them to a draw at The Sports Ground in front of a reported 5,000 fans, before losing 4–1 in a replay.

In the 1981/82 season, the Robins were promoted to the Southern League Midland Division for the first time in the club's history.

During that same season, the club installed floodlights for the first time, and they were switched on by local hero, former Wolverhampton Wanderers and England skipper Billy Wright.

Reportedly Wolves even turned down a prestigious close season tour to allow Wright to perform the ceremony.

The club also refurbished the 1,800-seater stadium and installed a VIP section, press box, and state-of-the-art public address system.

In the 1984/85 season, Dudley won the Southern Midland Division to be promoted to the Southern Premier Division for the first time, helped by strikers Brian Beresford and Brendan Drummond scoring over 50 goals between them.

Managed by Graham Smith, the side also contained several members of Tamworth`s future 1989 FA Vase winning side managed by Smith and his former Dudley assistant Lionel Martin.

Defenders Andy Foote and Danny McCormack, midfielder Mark Stanton and forward Russell Gordon.

In the same year, however, days after the final game of the season was played against Stourbridge and clinching the title, mine workings under the adjacent cricket ground collapsed, leading to the Sports Ground and the club's stadium being closed and condemned, forcing the Robins to ground share with several different local clubs.

There were several plans over the next few years for the old ground to be made safe and enable the club's return, but this never happened and by the early 1990s it was decided that the ground would be redeveloped as a business and leisure park.

In April 1986, Dudley won the Birmingham Senior Cup against local rivals Willenhall Town 4–2, the game being played at West Bromwich Albion's The Hawthorns in front of over 4,000 fans.

But they suffered relegation in 1986/87 and Graham Smith left to join the Lambs, along with several of his squad.

In 1988 the club moved to a new permanent home at the Round Oak Stadium in Brierley Hill, where they celebrated a successful centenary year.

Dudley hovered around the mid-table mark in the Midland Division, apart from 1991/92 when they finished bottom but were reprieved due to other clubs folding.

But by 1996 the costs of the ground were spiralling.

The club officially moved out in 1996, to a ground share arrangement at the home of Halesowen Town, with plans to sell Round Oak.

For a while after leaving Dudley Sports Centre in 1986, there was speculation that the old ground would be made safe and Town could be playing back there by 1990, but these plans came to nothing and by the year 2000 the site was being developed as a leisure and commercial park.

However, the proposed sale dragged on, and in 1997, facing increasing financial difficulties, the club was forced to resign its place in the Southern League and closed down.

But in late 1997, club president Nevil Jeynes re-formed the club, and they were accepted into the West Midlands (Regional) League, exactly 100 years after they had first joined its predecessor, the Birmingham League.

After two years of ground-sharing with local rivals Gornal Athletic, the decision was taken to leave the borough of Dudley and play at The Beeches, home of Tividale, situated just over the border since border changes in 1966.

After a four-year exile, Dudley returned to the borough in 2003, having signed a deal to play for the next five years at Stourbridge`s The War Memorial Athletic Ground, but in 2007 the club moved once again to the Dell Sports Centre in Brierley Hill.

In the same year, they received entry into the FA Cup after an absence of over 15 years. Nonetheless, the club still plans to eventually return to a ground in the heart of Dudley itself and hopes to challenge for an eventual return to the Southern League.

The 2008/09 season saw Dudley achieve their highest ever points total of 79 and finish once again in fifth position. The season also saw their longest ever run in the FA Vase, reaching the Second Round before losing away against Daventry Town.

The goalscoring exceeded that achieved in the last 14 years, with three players scoring over 15 goals.

The season also ended with them being awarded FA Charter Standard.

Season 2012/13 saw the club finish sixth, equalling their highest-ever points total of 79 and they also enjoyed a decent run in the FA Cup, beating Halesowen Town at The Grove 2-1.

Season 2018/19 saw the club celebrate its 130th anniversary and they re-located once again, this time to the Aspray 24 Arena – formerly Noose Lane, the home of another former |Southern League outfit, Willenhall Town, but now the home of ambitious Midland League Premier Division club, Sporting Khalsa.

The ground has seen a £1m investment in the last couple of years with a state-of-the-art 3G playing surface, new dressing rooms and an all-seated covered stand.

At the end of season 2018/19, Dudley accepted the resignation of manager Dean Whitehouse, who left for Midland League Premier Division Lye Town.

In the process, a number of Whitehouse`s squad at Dudley followed him to Lye.

However, the club moved swiftly to appoint a young and ambitious manager in Matty Lovatt, who had previously been in charge of West Midlands (Regional) League Division One side Sikh Hunters.

Lovatt has brought in some exciting young talent alongside experienced hands such as former Kidderminster Harriers, Hednesford Town, Stourbridge and Rushall Olympic forward Justin Nisbett and midfielder Ross Clarke, who numbers Halesowen Town, Boldmere St Michaels and Bilston Town amongst his previous clubs.

Dudley were looking good for a top-three finish before lockdown caused the season to be declared null and void, and also had a run to the Second Round of the FA Vase before losing 1-0 at Wellingborough Town`s Dog & Duck.