Cup history makers are blueprint for success
By Matt Badcock
JUST FIVE years ago, Peterborough Sports‘ Lincoln Road ground was a patch of overgrown grass in desperate need of some weed killer.
Last Saturday, the United Counties League Division One club took a step forward on the FA Cup road towards Wembley‘s hallowed turf for the first time in 96 years.
That was the last time they ever won in the world’s most famous club competition – a 1-0 win over Stamford in the 1919-20 first qualifying round.
Even then, they were booted out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
In fact the last time they played in the FA Cup before last weekend’s 1-0 win at Eynesbury Rovers was 93 years ago, making the time gap between that and their most recent appearance the longest in the FA Cup history.
Chairman Tom Cooper said: “It was a great day. I found myself getting more and more excited in the week leading up to the game.
“We had the FA Cup at the ground, and lots of media attention, so it felt like quite an event. We thought we were just looking forward to our first ever FA Cup game.
Identity
“But it was the twitter account @FACupFactfile that pointed out we’d been in it previously and that it was a record gap by some considerable distance. That added to it really because it’s been a long road to get where we are.
“Lincoln Road has been our ground ever since the club was formed back in 1908. We’ve had a couple of changes of name, but we’ve always played at the same place.
“When I got involved it was literally an overgrown field with weeds and big bushes. We had to dig it up and start all over again.
“When I look back now, if I’d known it would involve as much work as it has to get us to this point, I’m not sure I would have taken it on!
“It’s supposed to be a hobby, but it’s taken over my life. I suppose it’s like many people in the same position.”
To trace the Step 6 club’s story we have to go back to 1908. Founded as a factory side, Brotherhoods Engineering Works, they didn’t start playing competitively until 1919 when they began life in the Northants League.
In the 1919-20 season they won the title with a team that included Vic Watson, a striker who was later sold to West Ham United for £50 and went onto become the Hammers’ all-time leading scorer.
Before World War II they even hosted Tottenham Hotspur in front of 4,000 people.
In 1999, Brotherhoods Engineering Works were rebranded as Bearings Direct before, two years later, taking on their current Peterborough Sports identity.
Links back to their historic past can still be seen today. Nicknamed the Turbines, their club badge also pays homage to the club’s roots, with Brotherhoods Engineering Works famous for designing and manufacturing the first steam turbine engine.
Fitting then the Cambridgeshire club have been powering up both on and off the pitch since Cooper, former manager and director of football at Peterborough Northern Star, became involved.
They were promoted into the UCL from the Peterborough League in 2013, while their home has had a £300,000 redevelopment – complete with stand named after Life President Colin Day who has served the club for 50 years – with the long-term aim to reach Step 3 grading.
And although the league campaign is the main target this season, an FA Cup run will help boost the coffers – and the toilets!
Journey
“We want the ground to be ready and for the team to follow after,” Cooper said. “We’re not setting any limits on our ambition. We want the team to go as far as possible and we want to keep progressing every year.
“The manager Jimmy Dean has put together a squad we think can get promoted and it would be great to have runs in the FA Cup and the FA Vase. The prize money all helps.
“We’re investing the money we’ve made so far into a big storage shed. We’ve got 200 seats from the Olympic Legacy programme waiting for a stand to go in, and our next project is a new toilet block!”
It’s this experience of taking a ground with no floodlights into one able to host higher level football that has inspired Cooper to launch Sports Ground Development.
“It was born out of the development we did at the ground where I had to project manage it myself and go out to get three quotes for every single element,” Cooper said. “There was no one out there who could give you a one-stop solution and take it all on. It was really recognising a gap in the market and taking it on as a hobby business.
“But, again, when you get involved in a club it’s very difficult not to become heavily involved. So it’s really to give clubs access to our experience, contacts and contractors who can do it at better prices than bigger companies.
“We’ve helped eight clubs now including Helston Athletic, who recently won promotion from the South West Peninsula League Division One into the Premier division. We took that from start to finish, helped them with their Football Foundation grant application, floodlights and stand.
“Generally speaking, a lot of people I meet are cash rich but time poor. They don’t have the time to look into planning, grants and the entire development. Most of our interest is from clubs at a similar level to us and looking to go on the same journey as we did at Peterborough Sports.
“Step 7 to Step 6 is a big leap because you literally go from a field to needing a stand and floodlights. For some clubs it’s daunting, but we take that away.”
