Dawley Town F.C.

Dawley Town
Full nameDawley Town Football Club
NicknameThe Jockeys[1]
Founded1970 (as Telford Juniors)
2020 (as Dawley Town)
GroundHamer Leisure Theatre of Jockeys
LeagueNorth West Counties Football League First Division South
2025–26Shropshire County League Premier Division, 1st (promoted)

Dawley Town Football Club is a football club based in Dawley (near Telford), Shropshire, England. They are expected to play in the North West Counties Football League First Division South for the 2026–27 season. They previously played in the Shropshire County League.

The club was formed as Telford Juniors in 1970, and became Dawley Town in 2020.

History

Telford Juniors

A club named Telford Juniors were established in 1970 and entered the under-16 section of the Oakengates League.[2] In their first season they were finalists in the Cyril White Cup, losing to Stratford Town Colts.[3] In 1971 the club joined the Wrekin Minor League.[4] In June 1973, Telford Juniors were accepted as members of the Wellington League.[5] They resigned from the Wellington League in 1982,[6] and were soon announced as new members of the Shropshire County League.[7]

In the 2014–15 season the team won the Mercian Regional League Premier Division[8] and joined the West Midlands (Regional) League Division Two for the following season. In the 2016–17 season they were champions and gained promotion to Division One. They were relegated back to Division Two in 2019 and left the league after the abandoned 2019–20 season.[9]

Dawley Town

Dawley Town were formed before the 2020–21 season, described as a "re-boot" of the former Telford Juniors club.[10] In the 2022–23 season they won the Shropshire County League Premier Division with an unbeaten record, having dropped points only once all season. The players celebrated their success by parading around the town on the back of a flatbed scaffolding lorry.[11][12] Their title would have meant promotion to the Midland League Division One but their ground did not meet the requirements, which also allowed rivals AFC Bridgnorth to avoid relegation from that division.[13] In June 2024 it was reported that the club had gained planning permission to install floodlights, one of the requirements for promotion.[10]

In 2025 they lost 2–1 to Telford Town in the final of the Shropshire Challenge Cup.[14] In the 2025–26 season the club applied for promotion to Step 6 of the National League System.[15] In that season they were again champions of the Shropshire County League, which was confirmed after a 4–4 draw with second-place Church Stretton Town.[1] The team could not complete a double as they lost 2–1 to Ellesmere Rangers in the final of the Tony Bywater Cup.[16] The club were promoted to Step 6 and placed in the North West Counties Football League First Division South for the 2026–27 season.[17]

Ground

The club plays at the Hamer Leisure Theatre of Jockeys, three miles south of Telford Town.[17] In 2024 the club gained planning permission to install floodlights at the ground.[10]

Honours

Telford Juniors

Dawley Town

References

  1. 1 2 "Dawley Town are crowned Salop Leisure League champions". Shropshire Star. 7 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Pitch problem" - Shropshire Star, Wednesday 14 October 1970 (page 4)
  3. ↑ "Fine season for Town Colts" - Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, Friday 14 May 1971 (page 22)
  4. ↑ "Wrekin Minor League" - Shropshire Star, Wednesday 15 September 1971 (page 31)
  5. ↑ "Three join – four out" - Shropshire Star, Thursday 28 June 1973 (page 35)
  6. ↑ "Call for better behaviour" - Shropshire Star, Thursday 10 June 1982 (page 31)
  7. ↑ "Newcomers lift league to 27 teams" - Shropshire Star, Thursday 17 June 1982 (page 30)
  8. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Mercian Regional League 2014-15". fchd.info.
  9. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Telford Juniors". www.fchd.info.
  10. 1 2 3 "Telford football club given permission to install floodlights after promotion heartache". Shropshire Star. 10 June 2024.
  11. ↑ Smith, Andy (9 May 2023). "Dawley Town FC Win the League – Telford Live".
  12. ↑ "Non League side Dawley Town celebrate title with open top bus parade in scaffolding truck". SPORTbible. 9 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Dawley Town FC ground problems spare rivals relegation". BBC News. 17 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Telford Town at North West Counties Football League website (under section "History")
  15. ↑ Fallon, Martin. "Promotion Applicants confirmed by The FA". www.nwcfl.com.
  16. ↑ ""Over the moon" O'Reilly as Ellesmere Rangers lift Tony Bywater Cup". Border Counties Advertizer. 11 May 2026.
  17. 1 2 Fallon, Martin. "2026/27 FA League Allocations Announced". www.nwcfl.com.
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