Coalville Town Reserves

Early Years (1926–1975)

Coalville Town Football Club were formed in 1926 as Ravenstone Miners Athletic. They were the latest in a long line of association football clubs from the village of Ravenstone, with Ravenstone Druids being one of the founder members of the Leicestershire and Rutland County Football Association in 1887. The Ravens played most of their football in the now defunct Coalville & District Amateur League, winning numerous honours including the Division One title on five occasions and the Junior Cup Northern Section on two occasions. Perhaps their greatest triumph came in 1953, when they won the League Championship and the coveted Coalville & District Charity Cup.

When the league folded in 1975, they made the logical move to the North Leicestershire League with equal success. In 1976–77 they were runners-up in both the Premier Division and Cobbin Trophy. They won the Junior Cup in 1985–86, the League Championship in 1989 and the double of Championship and Cobbin Trophy a year later. The Ravens were rewarded for their success on the pitch with election to the Leicestershire Senior League in 1991, following the construction of a new clubhouse at their Ravenslea home. They adapted well to the higher level of football and never finished outside the top half of the Division One table.

Move to Coalville (1995–2001)

The ambitions of the village club far exceeded those of the parish council and, following the council’s refusal to grant permission for floodlights, Glyn Rennocks was instrumental in uprooting the club and moving it to Owen Street, Coalville. A change of name followed to Coalville Football Club, with the club becoming the first senior side in the town since the demise of Coalville Amateurs in 1954.

The club commenced their first season as Coalville in 1995–96. Floodlights were installed prior to the 1996–97 season and, after a slow start to the campaign, the first eleven went on to finish as runners-up in Division One and gain promotion to the Premier Division. Strength in depth was a major factor during this season with the second eleven going on to win the Leicestershire Combination League Division Two.

Midland Alliance and FA Cup Breakthrough (2001–2006)

The introduction of manager Lee Harriman for the 2001–02 season heralded the most successful period in the club’s history. Having led the side to back-to-back Senior League titles, Coalville finally made the step up to the Midland Football Alliance for the 2003–04 season. The 2002–03 season also saw the Under 18s, led by Dan Gallacher, clinching the FA County Youth Cup and finishing as runners-up in the League Cup competition. A new era, in a league as tough and prestigious as the Midland Football Alliance, may have seen many a team wilt at their first attempt. However, with a great start from the blocks, the Ravens hit the ground running and finished in a respectable 8th position.

With the emphasis for 2004–05 on finishing as high as possible in the league, with aspirations to clinch the title, the squad could have been forgiven for getting a little sidetracked by a certain cup competition, the FA Cup. With Coalville never being eligible for the competition before, it was apparent that this would be an experience more than a challenge for the famous cup. However, at their first attempt, the club reached the first round proper where they came up against Football League side Wycombe Wanderers, and only bowed out of the competition by a single goal. This was made all the more special as they started in the Extra Preliminary round and became only the second club in the entire history of the Cup to reach the first round proper from the very first stage.

The cup run spurred the team on in the league and, helped by a 17-game unbeaten run, a highest ever finish of 3rd place was achieved.

Coalville began the 2005–06 season as many people’s favourites for the MFA but an inconsistent campaign saw the Ravens eventually finish in 8th place. Away from the league, Coalville enjoyed a memorable Westerby Cup run which only ended with a 3–2 defeat in the final against Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium. October 2006 saw Lee Harriman bring to an end his five-year association with the Ravens and former Nuneaton Borough boss Brendan Phillips was appointed in his place. A difficult season for “The Bear” and Coalville ended with a disappointing 18th place finish and saw Brendan step down from the manager’s post in the close-season.

Stevens’ First Spell and Wembley Final (2007–2011)

Former player and fans’ favourite Adam Stevens was appointed as manager prior to the 2007–08 season and soon set about restoring the Ravens’ fortunes. After leading Coalville to eighth, third and second place finishes, along with a narrow League Cup final defeat, Stevens made sure 2011 was a year that will live long in the memory of all Ravens fans. Coalville opened the season with a run of eight victories to underline their status as title favourites but were pushed all the way by Tipton Town with both teams ending the campaign on 100 points. It was Coalville’s record-breaking goal-scoring record of 153 goals, exemplified by a final day 9–0 victory at Alvechurch, that made the difference as the Ravens clinched the title and promotion to the Northern Premier League.

For most teams that alone would have been seen as a very successful season, but Stevens had loftier ambitions and an outstanding run in the FA Vase saw Coalville book their place in the Wembley final with a 6–2 aggregate victory against Kings Lynn Town. Although Coalville were unfortunate 3–2 losers to Whitley Bay in the final, the Ravens made many friends with their open, attacking football.

Northern Premier League and Play-Off Heartbreak (2011–2015)

A season of consolidation followed in the Northern Premier League with a high turnover of players in 2011–12. The following season Coalville were top of the Evo-Stik Southern division for most of the season. This great form faltered toward the end of the season with results finishing mainly in draws and losses saw Coalville fall to second in the table behind Kings Lynn. Coalville went on to compete in the play-off semi-final but lost at home to Chasetown. Chasetown went on to lose against Stamford in the final. The Ravens did have some consolation after lifting the Westerby Cup beating Loughborough Dynamo 2–1 in the final at the King Power Stadium.

The following season ended in the same way for Coalville but this time it was close all season with players coming, impressing and being signed by clubs higher. Manager Adam Stevens was really put to the test but continued to find the quality players to push Coalville to the top of the table. A home defeat to Gresley on Easter Monday handed pole position back to Halesowen who secured the title on the last day leaving Coalville again as runners-up. This time Mickleover were the visitors to Owen Street for the play-off and a 3–2 defeat left the Raven following with that same feeling as the previous season, so near yet so far. In the FA Trophy Coalville had a memorable run beating several higher league teams such as Marine and Solihull Moors before drawing the previous season’s finalists Grimsby Town who were held to a draw at Owen Street before eventually winning through at Blundell Park.

Manager Adam Stevens hoped to build on the positive aspects of the last two seasons but soon resigned as manager early on in the season. Jimmy Gray took over for a short spell in charge before Tommy Brookbanks joined from Loughborough with the task of steadying the ship. The Brookbanks era started off with a hard run of games and lots of injuries but the style of football Tommy was to bring to Coalville was soon evident and lifted the spirit of the Raven faithful. Off the pitch was a big year for Coalville as they continued to develop and improve as a club to match the progress of recent years on the pitch, the introduction of the youth development pathway and academy side to hopefully produce local talent for the first team in the near future. 2014–15 did see a county cup final where the Ravens lost out 2–1 to Barwell at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

Brookbanks’ Promotion and Step 3 Football (2015–2017)

The 2015–16 season started off as one of great optimism at Owen Street. Tommy Brookbanks had put a squad together capable of challenging for promotion and they got off to a solid start and were never out of the top three since September. Acknowledged as probably the best footballing side in the league they were in touch with leaders Stafford, but a wobble in February and March left the Ravens looking over their shoulder. However, an impressive run-in saw Coalville win the promotion play-off final at big-spending Shaw Lane, coming back from being a goal down at half time before running out 3–1 winners following a stunning second half performance. Despite being many people’s favourites for relegation, the Ravens more than held their own in their first season at Step 3 and finished a creditable 16th place in their first season in the league.

In the 2017–18 season Coalville had a tough start losing their opening three games but then went on to win the next seven fixtures pushing them up to 2nd in the league. In November 2017 the club accepted an offer from local law firm Mander Cruickshank who wanted to enter into a long-term stadium naming rights agreement with the club. Owen Street Sports Ground became known as The Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium, and that agreement was subsequently renewed multiple times and remains in place today. During the rest of the 2017–18 season there were further runs of losses and victories but overall it was a disappointing league season with the club only just avoiding relegation. The Ravens did reach two cup finals where they defeated Loughborough Dynamo to win the Leicestershire Challenge Cup, but lost to Atherton Collieries in the final of the Integro League Cup. Following the season, Manager Tommy Brookbanks left the club and he was replaced by Adam Stevens who joined for his second spell as Manager.

Stevens’ Second Spell and Cup Highs (2018–2023)

In his first season back, Stevens guided the club to 6th place just missing out on the play-offs. The next two years were disrupted by the COVID pandemic and neither was completed. In 2021–22 he assembled an attractive attacking side which finished third in the league before losing out to Peterborough Sports in the play-off final. The 2022–23 season was one of highs and lows for the Ravens. They finished on the same points as eventual champions Tamworth but lost out on the league title by three goals and then lost in the play-offs on penalties to Rushall Olympic. The club had two outstanding cup runs in the season. In the FA Cup 4th qualifying round they beat Notts County 3–2, who at the time were sitting top of the National League. This was their only defeat at home in all competitions in the season. In the first round proper Coalville gave a good account of themselves at former Premier League club Charlton Athletic before losing 4–1. In the FA Trophy they also claimed the scalp of National League promotion chasers Chesterfield.

Transition, Chairman’s Departure and Rebuild (2023–2025)

The 2023–24 season was one of very mixed fortunes for the club both on and off the field. The club was delighted to open its new club shop at the first home game against Leamington, after a sponsorship agreement was reached between the club’s Commercial Manager and Stanley Cabin Sales to provide a much larger pre-fabricated shop facility. The club was also proud to announce that work to create and build a new 3G pitch facility behind the stadium would start in the Spring of 2024, bringing many more of the club’s youth teams down to the home of the club and ensuring that training could carry on in bad weather without the many postponements that had been seen in the preceding years. Whilst the facilities were improved, regrettably the performances on the pitch in the league were inconsistent, with the club finding itself languishing in mid-table throughout much of the season.

The club did manage a good cup run, reaching the Quarter Final of the FA Trophy. Having beaten Royston Town, Alvechurch, Boston United, Walsall Wood, Bath City and Bishop’s Stortford an attractive Quarter Final was drawn away at Macclesfield. A crowd of 2,510 watched the game which ended with a 3–0 defeat. The club’s FA Cup run was less impressive than the previous season, with wins against AFC Telford and Stafford Rangers, before losing 2–0 to Tamworth in the 3rd Qualifying Round.

In May 2024, after 40 years of involvement with and ownership of Coalville Town FC, Chairman Glyn Rennocks announced he was stepping down from his role at the near-century old club. Mr Rennocks said he could “no longer continue to subsidise the club” as the cost of running it had “spiralled” and “income has not matched the rise in costs”. Mr Rennocks said in a statement on the club’s website: “I have always said I am a supporter and it just costs me a lot more than most to go to matches. However, as I approach my 70th birthday I can no longer continue to subsidise the club. I have always run it in a sustainable way, never cut budgets and the club has no debts, however, after much thought and discussions, I have taken the difficult decision to step away. The club will withdraw its men’s senior team and resign from the Southern League with immediate effect.”

His statement suggested both his and the club’s relationship with the council had recently declined, and that he believed he had come under an unprecedented level of “scrutiny”. Mr Rennocks said: “I feel this is totally unwarranted given the positive impact I and the club have had on the town, providing a facility and structure for almost 900 local children through our 90 junior teams to enjoy football coaching in a safe and healthy environment, along with painting the town in a positive light through our success that has received nationwide publicity.”

Paul Stone, director of resources at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: “We would like to thank Glyn for many years of contribution to the Coalville community through his role as Chairman of Coalville Town FC, and commit to continuing our work with the club in supporting health and wellbeing for the town. As is the case for councils up and down the country, we are having to look very closely at our budgets in an effort to remove a predicted gap of £4 million. As such, the decision was made by councillors during this year’s budget-setting process to reduce our grant to a number of organisations – including Coalville Town FC. It is against a difficult financial backdrop and preserving our own services for our residents that we need to propose changes like this.”

At the end of the 2023–24 season the club withdrew from the Southern League. Within hours of the club withdrawing from the Southern League, a number of club officials met to plan an immediate return to first team football for the club and to ensure that the 98-year-old club would reach its centenary. An application was lodged with the FA to rejoin three divisions lower than where Coalville Town had previously been competing. Several key sponsors confirmed their desire to help the club and continue assisting the club and a crowdfunding page was set up with the aim of raising £5,000. The application to the FA was accepted and the club has subsequently joined Division One of the United Counties League.

On 4th June 2024 the Ravens announced that the manager would be club legend Ash Brown, with coaches Jason Weafer and David Clay. It was felt the club needed someone with coaching experience, but also someone with a strong affinity to the club. Ash made over 500 appearances for the Ravens and was captain when the team played Whitley Bay in the 2011 FA Vase final at Wembley Stadium. He also captained the side when they won the Midland Alliance league title in 2011. Weafer is also an ex-Raven, having featured for the club in the Midland Alliance in the early 2000s, whilst Clay is a vastly experienced coach with local knowledge having previously managed Shepshed Dynamo.

On 1st August 2025 Ash Brown and Jason Weafer were relieved of their managerial roles. On 9th August 2025 Carl Adams was appointed as the new Coalville Town FC manager.

Admission Prices: Adults £  Concessions £ Under 16’s £ Under 5’s Free

Payments can be made via either cash or card on the turnstiles.

Programme: : £2

Refreshments: Bar and food available

Directions: From the M1 Juntion 22, A511 to Coalville, Grange Road to Hugglescote, Central Road to Coalville, Owen Street to the ground

Parking: Available at the ground

Nearest Train Station: Loughborough (11 miles), Leicester (14 Miles)

• Northern Premier League Division 1 South
  • Play-Off Winners 2015-16
• Midland Alliance
  • Champions 2010–11
• Leicestershire Senior League
  • Champions 2001–02, 2002–03
• North Leicestershire League
  • Premier Division champions 1988–89, 1989–90
  • Cobbin Trophy winners 1989–90
  • Junior Cup winners 1985–86
• Coalville & District League
  • Division One champions 1952–53
  • Division Two champions 1933–34
• Leicestershire and Rutland Senior Cup
  • Winners 1999–2000
• Leicestershire and Rutland Challenge Cup
  • Winners 2017–18, 2018–19
• Leicestershire & Rutland Junior Cup
  • Winners 1986–87
• Leicestershire County Junior Cup North
  • Winners 1948–49, 1949–50
• Westerby Cup
  • Winners 2012–13
• Coalville & District Charity Cup
  • Winners 1952–53