More famous footballers who’ve crossed paths with Bracknell Town

Ex-Reading FC midfielder Scott Taylor playing for Bracknell Town. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Ex-Reading FC midfielder Scott Taylor playing for Bracknell Town. Photo: getreading.co.uk

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Following our recent look back at footballing personalities who have crossed paths with us here at Bracknell Town Football Club, our knowledgeable supporters only went and found a bunch more!

So here they are,

Scott Taylor (above)

An obvious omission from the original list. The former Reading, Leicester and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder joined Bracknell Town in the summer of 2005 with Bracknell then in the Southern League Division 1 South & West.

The Portsmouth born star played over 200 games for Reading before joining Leicester City following Royals crushing 4-3 play-off defeat to Bolton Wanderers in 1995. Taylor played 64 times for Foxes before joining Wolves where he made 32 appearances between 1999 and 2001.

Taylor scored twice on his pre-season debut against Reading Town – a 5-1 victory at Scours Lane and featured regularly during an otherwise disappointing campaign for Robins that saw them finish 19th of 22 – an improvement of one position on the previous year.

Following a 3-0 defeat to Swindon Supermarine, the match reported quoted: “Despite the result, Stuart Hammonds and Scott Taylor emerged with credit for wearing their heart on their sleeves for 90 minutes…a lesson that others can learn. The fans certainly hope it is learned sooner rather than later.”

Taylor went on to play for Binfield in 2008.

Jack King – Didcot Town and Farnborough Town

Jack King playing for Didcot Town against Bracknell. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Jack King playing for Didcot Town against Bracknell. Photo: getreading.co.uk

Jack King was a mainstay of Didcot Town’s hugely successful late-noughties side, and a regular scourge of the Robins.

King was the scorer of superlative goals from midfield, and more than earned his eventual move to Preston North End where he has made 72 appearances after winning the Conference South with Woking in 2012 having already helped Didcot out of the Hellenic League and on the way to becoming a step four mainstay.

“The exceptional Jack King was the standout player as he scored the first two goals before laying on the third.” quoted the match report following a 3-0 defeat for Bracknell by Didcot at Loop Meadow.

This Didcot Town side produced a number of now league footballers, as you will see.

Jack King scores past Chris Grace from the spot for Didcot. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Jack King scores past Chris Grace from the spot for Didcot. Photo: getreading.co.uk

Stuart Beavon – Didcot Town

Beavon was a member of the Didcot Town team mentioned above. He was the first of the Railwaymen’s talented squad to make the step up when he joined Conference Premier side Weymouth in January 2007 having scored 40 goals as ‘Diddy’ won the Hellenic Premier Division.

Beavon joined Didcot, so legend says en masse with a group of team-mates from Railwaymen’s local rivals AFC Wallingford in 2004.

He crossed paths with Bracknell only briefly during the 2006/07 season and currently plays for Burton Albion after spells in the league with Wycombe Wanderers and Preston North End (we assume Mr King above had a hand in that one).

Wiki fact: He is the son of former Reading midfielder Stuart Beavon, and grandson of former Oxford United defender Cyril Beavon.

Dickie Guy & Dave Beasant – Wimbledon FC

Supporter Barry Todd came to us with this one. It’s not one I’d noticed before but here goes.

Wimbledon Football Club came to national prominence in the 1974/75 season (three seasons before their election to the football league) – taking English Champions Leeds United to a replay in the fourth round of the FA Cup. But it all started with a First Qualifying Round victory over Bracknell Town.

We’ll let www.historicaldons.co.uk take up the story: “When Allen Batsford took over as Manager in the summer of 1974 he inherited one of the smallest squads of all time. Just seven players. As such, the purchase of new recruits was a necessity rather than a luxury and Dave Bassett, Dave Donaldson and Billy Edwards were signed from Batsford’s former club Walton & Hersham. Striking duo Keiron Somers and Roger Connell had left Walton for a year, following a contract dispute, moving onto Hendon and were only too pleased to link up with their old manager again.

“The main focus of attention was, as always, the FA Cup, and when Dickie Guy lost a cross in the sun at Bracknell, which ended in his net, he probably did not imagine that the next FA Cup goal he conceded would be to the Football League Champions. Recovering from their early 1-0 deficit to record a comfortable 3-1 win at Bracknell, followed, it should be said, by five coach loads of supporters, further home victories over Maidenhead (4-0) and Wokingham (2-0) saw the Dons drawn away to Guildford & Dorking.”

Leeds were drawn out of the hat for the fourth round proper after Dons had become the first non-league side to beat a first division club when they won 1-0 at Burnley, and earned a replay (played at Selhurst Park rather than Plough Lane) with the English champions after Guy saved a Peter Lorimer penalty.

[simnor_media type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpzD1Len34I” width=”100%” height=”400″]

Darren Barnard – Camberley Town

Welsh international Barnard was manager of Camberley Town during several pre-season friendlies between the two sides.

As well as Wales, Barnard started his career at Wokingham Town and went on to play for Chelsea, Reading, Bristol City, Barnsley (where he made over 200 appearances), Grimsby Town and Aldershot Town.

The next three come from club director Tony Hardy..

Graham Roberts – Carshalton Athletic

Neil Baker scores against Carshalton Athletic at home. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Neil Baker scores against Carshalton Athletic at home. Photo: getreading.co.uk

One of Bracknell’s best results in their first season back at Ryman League Division 1 level was a (as soon as I can dig out the score and outcome I’ll post it here) visit to Carshalton Athletic during the 2002/03 season that saw Roberts side crowned champions – pictured above is Neil Baker scoring in the return fixture at Larges Lane.

Both Jon Underwood and Jon Palmer went close during the game, with I believe Palmer managing to score to silence an impressive crowd.

Roberts was manager at the time having made over 200 appearances for Spurs between 1980 and 1986.

Apologies for the vagueness of this entry, I was there, but it was a long time ago!

Andy Sinton – Fleet Town

The former Queens Park Rangers and England winger was manager of Bracknell’s Southern League rivals Fleet Town between 2005 and 2010 and locked horns regularly with Robins.

Sinton made 161 appearances for QPR, as well as 150 for Brentford with spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur. He made 21 appearances for Fleet before hanging up his boots in 2007 and won 12 England caps under Graham Taylor.

Kerry Dixon- Dunstable Town

The Chelsea legend was manager of Dunstable Town when Bracknell met them in the Southern League. Dixon won 8 England caps and played over 300 games for Chelsea, as well as over a 100 for Reading.

Dave Tuttle – Bracknell Town manager

Reading born Tuttle managed Bracknell during one of their worst seasons in memory.

Dave Tuttle is now in charge at Burnham. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Dave Tuttle is now in charge at Burnham. Photo: getreading.co.uk

Having been left managerless by Kerthney Carty at the start of the 2009/10 season, Tuttle took the enviable task of guiding Bracknell to safety. There was a brief improvement but Robins ultimately finished bottom of the league with six points – from two admittedly impressive victories over Taunton Town and VTFC – having conceded 187 goals.

Tuttle made his Tottenham debut in 1990, making 13 appearances before more impressive spells at Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.

Before becoming Bracknell Town manager, Tuttle was at the helm of Millwall and Swindon Town – and brought youngster Michael Hector to Larges Lane before managing Henley Town to the Hellenic Division 1 East Championship followed by Hartley Wintney and Newbury.

Paul Harford – Bracknell Town & Leatherhead

Paul Harford playing for Leatherhead. Photo: Surrey Advertiser.
Paul Harford playing for Leatherhead. Photo: Surrey Advertiser.

Harford was the son of former Blackburn rovers and Fulham manager Ray, and was Bracknell’s ‘marquee’ signing ahead of their 2002 assault on Ryman League Division 1 South.

Harford began his career as a trainee at Arsenal before spells with his father at Blackburn Rovers followed by Wigan Athletic and Shrewsbury Town.

Ultimately, Harford made just 45 senior appearances, the majority for Sutton United between 1998 and 2001 – he was subsequently signed for £4,000 by Aldershot Town in 2001 before joining Bracknell a year later.

If memory serves, Harford’s signing – short lived as it was, he joined Leatherhead part way through the season after proving ineffective, was announced with a photocall outside Burton’s in Bracknell Town Centre.

And two more for luck..

This nugget, again from Mr Todd: “Martin Hicks formerly of Reading brought his Newbury side to the Lane a few year ago, and I’m sure Stuart Beavon senior was also playing.”

The late Roger Edwards in the crowd for Bracknell Town vs Carshalton Athletic. Photo: getreading.co.uk
Barry Todd, pictured far left left with the late Roger Edwards (right) during the 2002/03 season. Photo: getreading.co.uk

If you have any more to add to our list. Please let us know!

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7 Responses

  1. Before my time but I know Bracknell played Brentford about ’72 and Ron Harris was in the Brentford side. I’m pretty sure that Tony Cascarino appeared for Three Bridges in a Vase game some time in the late 70s and one of the Ferdinand clan played against us for Croydon Athletic.

  2. Graham, it wasn’t Zola, it was Roberto Di Matteo. Manager of MK Dons at the time when we played them at the Lane in the Berkshire & Bucks Senior Cup – and beat them 1-0.

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