Coalville Town

Hello and welcome to the very first installment of our club guide feature,
 Our maiden journey took us to the Leicestershire Town of Coalville for the Evo-Stik division one South game against Newcastle Town, The Ravens ran out deserved 1-0 winners  thanks to a first half strike from forward Danny Quinn.

Coalville Town 

Nickname: The Ravens
Founded: 1926
Ground: Owen Street Sports Ground, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3DA Map
Capacity: 1,800
Contact: (01530) 833365
Website: http://www.coalvilletownfc.co.uk/ 


History:

Initially known as Ravenstone Miners Athletic, The club competed within the Coalville & district amateur league which they won on five occasions. The league folded in 1975 so the club joined the North-Leicestershire league where they also enjoyed success finishing as runners up in 1976/77, Their success was recognized by election to the Leicestershire Senior League in 1991. With their success Ravenstone had outgrown their home at Ravenslea, A refusal by the Parish council in 1994 to allow the club to install floodlights prompted the club to up roots and move to it's current home at Owen Street, Changing it's name to Coalville Town as it went. Within two years of the change of address the club had gained promotion to the Leicestershire Premier Division, After back to back title wins under manager Lee Harriman the club was elected into the Midlands Football Alliance in 2003, The team finished a respectable 8th in their first season, The following season saw the club enjoy it's first run in the FA cup, They became only the second side in the competition's history to make it all the way from the preliminary round through to the first round proper where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Wycombe Wanderers, They also came third in the MFA after a 17 game unbeaten run. The club had it's most successful campaign in 2010/11, Winning promotion to Evo-Stik Division one South, They scored a record blitzing 153 goals during The campaign to win the title, They also had a trip down Wembley Way as they reached the final of the FA Vase, Where the Ravens were unfortunate to go down 3-2 to Whitley Bay.

The Ground: 

Entering the ground from the main car park behind the South goal you are immediately greeted by the club shop, A small portable cabin with merchandise hanging from the walls, The ware's are reasonably priced, A program will set you back £2.

To the right of the club shop is the refreshments stall, Unlike the former this is a decent sized brick building, serving all the usual food and drink you would find at any given football ground around the country, A nice twist was the food is prepared in an oven rather than a deep fat fryer to spare your heart a little extra Cholesterol.

The ground has three sheltered areas to protect supporters from the elements, The two stands running along the touchlines have a limited amount of seating.

A large embankment towers behind the North goal, Ticketless individuals can be spied at regular intervals throughout the game taking in the action before being ushered away by security.

The players emerge from dressing rooms housed within the club house in the South-East corner of the ground, Security fences have been erected since the clubs promotion to Evo-Stik  division one to comply with the league's health and safety laws regarding the protection of players and match officials.

The more vocal support seems to come from the sheltered standing area behind the North goal with some chanting and drumming on the corrugated steel structure.

The club maintains a loyal following in town and maintains an average attendance of around 200 for league games


Getting to Owen Street:

Car: From M42/A42 take exit signposted Ashby and follow A511 to Coalville and Leicester. After approximately 2 miles you will come to a roundabout, take the second exit (A511) and proceed to the next roundabout. Take the third exit, into Coalville Town Centre. Go straight over at traffic lights and at the mini roundabout, proceed for approximately 50 yards and turn right into Owen Street. The ground is at the top of the street on the left hand side.



Bus:  Regular services run from Leicester and Burton on Trent, Stopping in the town centre, From there it is a short walk to the ground. Be warned some services finish rather early so the bus may not be the best option for returning home from late kick-off's.



Train: Coalville's closest station is Loughborough on the Nottingham to London St. Pancras line, Approximatly nine miles away.




Hopefully you have enjoyed our very first foray into the world of non-league football and will find it useful, Feedback/comments/suggestions are always welcome as we look to improve the service.

Supporter's View
A big thank you to Adam Brindley who kindly took the time to provide us with this weeks spotlight.

Club hero's:

Ash Brown: Coalville's own Captain Fantastic, Ash has been with the club for over 10 seasons and has always been a consistent performer. He reads the game extremely well and has been a foundation in the clubs success


Adam Stevens: Not only is Adam Stevens Coalville's most successful manager. Reaching the Polymac cup final, leading Coalville to 3rd place, 2nd place and then 1st place whilst also taking his side onto the hallowed turf of Wembley

Alvin Jarvis:
Alvin enjoys something of a cult following at Coalville. He became an impact substitution and often turned games around with his strong physical presence going forward. His best moments include scoring the winning goal in the Fa Vase against fierce rivals Barwell and, during the same run, grabbing a late equaliser in extra time against Spennymoor. Although Alvin has since left the Ravens, there are occasions, including the FA Vase Final when the song 'Oh Alvin Jarvis, is bigger than this' can be heard. Whenever he plays against the Ravens, Alvin is sure of a warm reception.


Cameron Stuart:
Cam's claim to fame is that John Gregory paid £50k to sign him to Aston Villa from York City. Gregory's scouts obviously realised that he had great technical ability and that still shows at Owen Street. A player whose free kicks around the edge of the box are almost as automatic as his penalties. In the league title winning 2010-11 season, Cam contributed 21 goals, not bad a for a left back!!

Upcoming talent:

Anthony Carney: Joined Coalville from Sunday League football. Anthony has made a meteoric rise from amateur football to Coalville's first team. A gifted young player who can is equally comfortable with both feet. Always works hard for 90minutes on the pitch and gives defenders a torrid time with his ability to change direction at pace.

Ryan Robbins: Signed from Friar Lane in the Summer of 2010. Started as a substitute who would come on and terrorise fatigued defenders. Ryan's ability to bamboozle defenders means he often creates chances for Coalville, it does leave him at risk to some late tackles by defenders who are either too slow or too frustrated to win possession. An exciting player who is held in high regard by Ravens fans.
 


Greatest Moment(s): 

Fa Cup 1st Round: Coalville entered the Fa Cup Qualifying rounds for the first time during the 2004-05 season. While there was a feeling that the club had the players to win a couple of games, nobody could have expected them to make the 1st Round Proper and be handed a very exciting tie against Wycombe Wanderers. While many were expecting a one-sided affair , The Ravens battled well and eventually came unstuck at Adams Park to a Roger Johnson goal after 70 minutes. Coalville fans can be proud at how their side performed that day and will always be hopeful of emulating such a fantastic and memorable cup run.

Fa Vase Runners-up (2010-11): A couple of good Fa Vase runs in the past had Coalville fans optimistic that they could fair quite well in the competition, many fans feeling that their side for the season was very talented for a club at that level. The Fa Vase run, began with Coalville almost being knocked out in their opening fixture against League rivals Stratford. But two goals in the final 10 minutes were enough to send the Ravens through. Signs that the side could really make progress came following a magnificent 2-0 away win at Shildon, a side who were at the time ahead of Whitley Bay, who had won the competition twice in the two seasons previous.
Another tricky away tie to Bristol to play Bitton AFC saw the Ravens strike lucky, a lacklustre performance saw them go behind twice before a Cam Stuart free-kick and a Matt Moore strike brought Coalville level twice. It looked as if extra-time would beckon but a calamitous error between goalkeeper and defender allowed Matt Gardner to score a looping header from 18 yards out to spark wild celebrations from the travelling fans.


Victories against Holbrook and Leiston took Coalville to the Semi-finals where they met Kings Lynn Town. A fantastic Coalville display was soured by the performance of fans from both sides which resulted in Fa punishments for the two clubs.

This did not dampen Coalville's spirits who had earned the right to play at 'the home of football' Wembley stadium some 8,000-plus fans were in attendance to watch Coalville try and prevent Whitley Bay from taking the Vase home for an unprecedented third time in a row.
Despite a fantastic Coalville performance they ultimately lost the game 3-2. Whitley Bay's Goalkeeper being awarded the Man of the Match award was a testament to the way Coalville had performed on the big stage.



Winning the Midland Alliance: A fine start to the season was spoiled at times by Coalville's inability to remain consistent and defensive lapses meant that they had conceded more than any side in the top 5 by the end of the season.

Coalville could have been forgiven for being distracted by the upcoming Fa Vase final that was approaching but there professional approach and desire to be crowned league champions saw them take a maximum 18 points from their final 6 games, sparking wild celebrations on the pitch with fans and players together chanting and signing Coalville songs.

Advice on visiting Coalville

Pubs

The Monkey Walk: Marlborough Square: A pub located within a 2 minute walk from the ground. Serves a range of beers, wines and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at a relatively low price. Also serves food.


The Snibstone: This pub is situated near Coalville's iconic clock tower. It serves a range of beers and cold snacks. They also show football Live on Sky, perfect for those arriving early.


The Stamford & Warrington: 'The Temple' is where a number of Coalville fans visit on a Saturday morning. A very old school style pub that is full of local types and many characters.
It may serve food, but I would never eat it!