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HistorySport

Gedling Miners Welfare FC

Mapperley’s senior football club are Gedling Miners Welfare FC, known as The Miners. Their Plains Road ground has seen a remarkable transformation from virtually a ‘parks pitch’ 12 years ago to what is now probably the best amateur ground in the area. The addition of floodlights, fencing and hard-standing has had a profound effect on the club. They have staged Notts FA Cup Finals and various representative games. The club is now in the process of installing seating on two sides of the ground and the facilities are starting to match those of local teams like Arnold Town and Carlton Town.

They are currently in 6th place in the Premier Division of the East Midlands Counties League. Managed by Andy Clerke and Chris Marks.

Formed in 1919 as a Gedling Colliery side, they finished their first season in a successful 3rd place in the Alliance Football league and won the League Cup by defeating local side Sneinton FC (now Carlton Town FC) 1-0.

At the end of the 1929-30 season the club changed its name and become known as Mapperley St Judes. During the Second War they reformed as Gedling Miners Welfare FC and with the restart of football in 1945, they went on to win both the Notts Alliance League and the Notts Alliance Senior Cup. This was repeated on numerous occasions and this success spilled over to the 1950’s, which was the most successful period for the Club, winning the Notts Alliance League and Cup double several times. At one point the Miners remained unbeaten for three Seasons.

In 1954 Gedling entered the FA Amateur Cup where they entertained one of the top sides of the time.  Pegasus were the visitors to Plains Road in 1954 and temporary stands were erected all around the Ground to house a crowd of 7,000 plus.

In 1956 Bishop Auckland visited. The police put a limit of 10,000 on the gate. Gedling lost the match 4-1 to the best amateur team in the country, having missed a penalty at a crucial point in the game.  The ‘Bishops’ had six amateur England Internationals on show and the most famous being Bob Hardisty who was the Captain of England. The staggering attendance at Plains Road will surely never again be surpassed by a Nottinghamshire amateur Club.

Last year they celebrated their centenary and received much needed sponsorship from Keepmoat Homes. Tony Hay of the club made this announcement.

Gedling Miners are celebrating their 100th year as a football club in 2019 and most of that time they have had strong links to the colliery and seems only fitting as we do celebrate our centenary that we have sponsorship from a company looking to regenerate the former colliery site, especially with such a responsible business as Keepmoat Homes and their strategic commitment to support local community projects around the sites they redevelop. The funding and support we have received from Keepmoat really does help the club survive in local football and we hope this will be a longstanding relationship that benefits not only Gedling MW and Keepmoat Homes but the wider local community.

Gedling Miners Welfare FC are on Twitter as @GedlingMWFC

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