Dorking Wanderers Football Club is a semi-professional[1]football club based in Dorking, Surrey, England. Affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association,[2] they are currently members of the National League, the fifth tier of English football, and play at Meadowbank. Formed in 1999 by a group of friends as a recreational amateur team playing grassroots football, the club began life in the Crawley & District League and went on to win twelve promotions in their first 23 seasons, reaching the National League in 2022. Having played for the club in its earlier years, club founder Marc White continues to be the chairman and first team manager to the present day.[3]
Dorking playing Little Common in the Sussex League Division Two in 2012.
The club was formed in 1999 by businessman Marc White and friends Peter Buckland, Mark Lewington, Ian Davidson, Lee Spickett and Penny Gregg. White described at the time of the formation of the club he and his friends were a season ticket holders at Wimbledon and had become disillusioned with how the club was being run coming to the end of its Premier League tenure. The group decided to do something else with their weekends and so Dorking Wanderers were formed as an amateur recreational team.[4] The club initially played in the Crawley & District League.[5] After their first season in the Crawley League they switched to Division Four of the West Sussex League, winning the division at the first attempt.[6] In 2001–02 the club finished as Division Three runners-up, earning a third consecutive promotion. After winning Division Two in 2003–04 they were promoted to Division One, and a third-place finish in Division One in 2005–06 saw them promoted to the Premier Division.[6]
In 2006–07 Wanderers won the West Sussex League's Premier Division, clinching the title with a victory on the last day of the season.[6] As a result, the club were promoted to Division Three of the Sussex County League.[7] They went on to win Division Three in 2010–11, earning promotion to Division Two. A third-place finish in Division Two the following season was enough to see them promoted to Division One.[7] Although the league initially denied them entry to the division as their ground was not deemed to meet the requirements,[8] the club appealed to the Football Association, who overruled the decision after an independent ground grading visit confirmed that the ground reached the mandatory standards for Division One football.[9] The team initially struggled in Division One, finishing third-from-bottom in 2012–13. However, they finished second in 2014–15, earning promotion to Division One South of the Isthmian League.[7]
In Wanderers' first season in the Isthmian League they finished as runners-up in Division One South, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, going on to lose 2–1 to Faversham Town in the semi-finals.[7] The following season saw them finish second again; in the play-offs they beat Hastings United on penalties in the semi-final after a 1–1 draw, and then won again on penalties against Corinthian-Casuals in the final following a 0–0 draw, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 2018–19 the club won the Premier Division by a margin of 22 points, earning promotion to the National League South for their first time in history. Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were placed seventh in the league table (decided on a points-per-game basis), qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Bath City 2–1 in the quarter-finals, the club lost 3–2 to Weymouth in the semi-finals. The 2020–21 season was made null and void following a vote by member clubs of the National League, with Dorking top of the National League South at the point the season was ended.
In the 2021–22 season Wanderers finished second in the National League South, going on to defeat Ebbsfleet United 3–2 in the play-off final, earning promotion to the National League for the first time in the club's history.[10] They also won the Surrey Senior Cup, beating Kingstonian 5–4 on penalties after the final had eneded in a 1–1 draw.[11]
In 2015 the club's reserve team were promoted from the Suburban League to Division One of the Combined Counties League.[13] However, they left the league at the end of the season as the club were set to groundshare with Dorking during the 2016–17 season.[14] The reserve team rejoined the Combined Counties League at the start of the 2018–19 season. In 2021 they were transferred to Division One of the Southern Combination.
The club initially played at Big Field Brockham, before moving to the Westhumble Playing Fields on London Road in 2007.[5] The ground had a small seated stand and covered standing on one side of the pitch, with the remainder being uncovered;[15] Floodlights were installed in 2012. In July 2018 the club relocated to a refurbished Meadowbank ground,[16] which had previously been home to Dorking F.C. prior to their disbanding.[17] Their first game at Meadowbank was a friendly match against Sutton United on 17 July 2018.[16]
Meadowbank had become the home ground of Dorking F.C. in 1953.[16] A 200-seat stand was built on one side of the pitch around 1956,[16] with a covered standing area built on the other. Another covered standing area was installed behind one goal, with the other end left open.[18] However, they were forced to leave the ground in 2013 after it was shut down for failing to meet health and safety requirements.[16] Prior to Dorking Wanderers moving to the ground, it was upgraded to include a 300-seat stand, two covered standing areas and a 3G pitch as it was converted to a community sports facility at a cost of £5m.[16] The Surrey County Football Association also moved their headquarters to Meadowbank when it reopened.[16]
In February 2020, the club announced that planning permission had been granted to upgrade Meadowbank Stadium to a Grade B status. In July 2020, the stadium passed the Grade B status assessment. By September 2020 work had been completed on a new seated stand and a new covered terrace both at the east end of the ground, taking Meadowbank's official capacity to 3,000.[19] In March 2023 an uncovered 1,200-capacity terrace was opened at the west end of the ground.
^The league was declared null and void on 18 February 2021. As a result, all records were expunged and no teams were promoted or relegated.[12]
ReferencesEdit
^Non-league success story Dorking Wanderers targeting Premier League dream
^Dorking Wanderers manager praises Surrey FA as 'fair and responsible' This is Surrey, 28 March 2013
^"Club History". dorkingwanderers.com. Dorking Wanderers. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
^McVeigh, Niall. "'Real-life Championship Manager': the incredible rise of Dorking Wanderers". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^Panting, Matthew (21 May 2022). "Report: Ebbsfleet denied promotion in controversial fashion". Kent Online. from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^ abStobbart, Dan (18 May 2022). "Wanderers win the Surrey Senior Cup". Dorking Wanderers FC. from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
^Osborn, Oliver (18 February 2021). "National League Statement | Outcome Of Written Resolutions". Vanarama National League. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
^Dorking Wanderers Reserves at the Football Club History Database
dorking, wanderers, dorking, wanderers, football, club, semi, professional, football, club, based, dorking, surrey, england, affiliated, surrey, county, football, association, they, currently, members, national, league, fifth, tier, english, football, play, me. Dorking Wanderers Football Club is a semi professional 1 football club based in Dorking Surrey England Affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association 2 they are currently members of the National League the fifth tier of English football and play at Meadowbank Formed in 1999 by a group of friends as a recreational amateur team playing grassroots football the club began life in the Crawley amp District League and went on to win twelve promotions in their first 23 seasons reaching the National League in 2022 Having played for the club in its earlier years club founder Marc White continues to be the chairman and first team manager to the present day 3 Dorking WanderersFull nameDorking Wanderers Football ClubNickname s WanderersFounded1999 24 years ago 1999 GroundMeadowbank DorkingChairmanMarc WhiteManagerMarc WhiteLeagueNational League2022 23National League 16th of 24WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursThird coloursCurrent season Contents 1 History 1 1 Season by season record 1 2 Reserve team 2 Ground 3 Current squad 3 1 Out on loan 4 Honours 5 Records 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksHistory Edit nbsp Dorking playing Little Common in the Sussex League Division Two in 2012 The club was formed in 1999 by businessman Marc White and friends Peter Buckland Mark Lewington Ian Davidson Lee Spickett and Penny Gregg White described at the time of the formation of the club he and his friends were a season ticket holders at Wimbledon and had become disillusioned with how the club was being run coming to the end of its Premier League tenure The group decided to do something else with their weekends and so Dorking Wanderers were formed as an amateur recreational team 4 The club initially played in the Crawley amp District League 5 After their first season in the Crawley League they switched to Division Four of the West Sussex League winning the division at the first attempt 6 In 2001 02 the club finished as Division Three runners up earning a third consecutive promotion After winning Division Two in 2003 04 they were promoted to Division One and a third place finish in Division One in 2005 06 saw them promoted to the Premier Division 6 In 2006 07 Wanderers won the West Sussex League s Premier Division clinching the title with a victory on the last day of the season 6 As a result the club were promoted to Division Three of the Sussex County League 7 They went on to win Division Three in 2010 11 earning promotion to Division Two A third place finish in Division Two the following season was enough to see them promoted to Division One 7 Although the league initially denied them entry to the division as their ground was not deemed to meet the requirements 8 the club appealed to the Football Association who overruled the decision after an independent ground grading visit confirmed that the ground reached the mandatory standards for Division One football 9 The team initially struggled in Division One finishing third from bottom in 2012 13 However they finished second in 2014 15 earning promotion to Division One South of the Isthmian League 7 In Wanderers first season in the Isthmian League they finished as runners up in Division One South qualifying for the promotion play offs going on to lose 2 1 to Faversham Town in the semi finals 7 The following season saw them finish second again in the play offs they beat Hastings United on penalties in the semi final after a 1 1 draw and then won again on penalties against Corinthian Casuals in the final following a 0 0 draw earning promotion to the Premier Division In 2018 19 the club won the Premier Division by a margin of 22 points earning promotion to the National League South for their first time in history Following the curtailment of the 2019 20 season due to the COVID 19 pandemic they were placed seventh in the league table decided on a points per game basis qualifying for the promotion play offs After beating Bath City 2 1 in the quarter finals the club lost 3 2 to Weymouth in the semi finals The 2020 21 season was made null and void following a vote by member clubs of the National League with Dorking top of the National League South at the point the season was ended In the 2021 22 season Wanderers finished second in the National League South going on to defeat Ebbsfleet United 3 2 in the play off final earning promotion to the National League for the first time in the club s history 10 They also won the Surrey Senior Cup beating Kingstonian 5 4 on penalties after the final had eneded in a 1 1 draw 11 Season by season record Edit Season LeagueDivision Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos1999 00 Crawley amp District League 2000 01 West Sussex League Division Four2001 02 West Sussex League Division Three2002 03 West Sussex League Division Two2003 04 West Sussex League Division Two2004 05 West Sussex League Division One2005 06 West Sussex League Division One2006 07 West Sussex League Premier Division2007 08 Sussex County League Division Three 24 12 7 5 58 47 42 a 4 132008 09 Sussex County League Division Three 26 15 2 9 70 45 47 5 142009 10 Sussex County League Division Three 28 15 6 7 78 44 51 4 152010 11 Sussex County League Division Three 30 24 2 4 93 35 74 1 162011 12 Sussex County League Division Two 34 21 6 7 80 48 69 3 182012 13 Sussex County League Division One 42 10 11 21 62 80 41 20 222013 14 Sussex County League Division One 38 16 7 15 68 63 55 8 202014 15 Sussex County League Division One 38 26 5 7 101 51 83 2 202015 16 Isthmian League Division One South 46 27 9 10 99 56 90 2 242016 17 Isthmian League Division One South 46 33 6 7 103 44 105 2 242017 18 Isthmian League Premier Division 46 16 10 20 77 80 58 14 242018 19 Isthmian League Premier Division 42 28 9 5 87 31 93 1 222019 20 National League South 35 14 8 13 58 56 50 7 222020 21 National League South 18 12 3 3 40 17 39 1 21 b 2021 22 National League South 40 25 6 9 101 53 81 2 212022 23 National League 46 16 9 21 67 91 57 16 242023 24 National League tbdReserve team Edit In 2015 the club s reserve team were promoted from the Suburban League to Division One of the Combined Counties League 13 However they left the league at the end of the season as the club were set to groundshare with Dorking during the 2016 17 season 14 The reserve team rejoined the Combined Counties League at the start of the 2018 19 season In 2021 they were transferred to Division One of the Southern Combination Ground Edit nbsp Meadowbank Stadium with the spire of St Martin s ChurchThe club initially played at Big Field Brockham before moving to the Westhumble Playing Fields on London Road in 2007 5 The ground had a small seated stand and covered standing on one side of the pitch with the remainder being uncovered 15 Floodlights were installed in 2012 In July 2018 the club relocated to a refurbished Meadowbank ground 16 which had previously been home to Dorking F C prior to their disbanding 17 Their first game at Meadowbank was a friendly match against Sutton United on 17 July 2018 16 Meadowbank had become the home ground of Dorking F C in 1953 16 A 200 seat stand was built on one side of the pitch around 1956 16 with a covered standing area built on the other Another covered standing area was installed behind one goal with the other end left open 18 However they were forced to leave the ground in 2013 after it was shut down for failing to meet health and safety requirements 16 Prior to Dorking Wanderers moving to the ground it was upgraded to include a 300 seat stand two covered standing areas and a 3G pitch as it was converted to a community sports facility at a cost of 5m 16 The Surrey County Football Association also moved their headquarters to Meadowbank when it reopened 16 In February 2020 the club announced that planning permission had been granted to upgrade Meadowbank Stadium to a Grade B status In July 2020 the stadium passed the Grade B status assessment By September 2020 work had been completed on a new seated stand and a new covered terrace both at the east end of the ground taking Meadowbank s official capacity to 3 000 19 In March 2023 an uncovered 1 200 capacity terrace was opened at the west end of the ground Current squad EditAs of 7 October 2023 20 21 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK nbsp ENG Harrison Male2 DF nbsp ENG Isaac Philpott3 DF nbsp ENG Bobby Joe Taylor4 MF nbsp ENG Dan Pybus5 DF nbsp ENG Tony Craig6 MF nbsp ENG Niall McManus8 MF nbsp ENG Matt Briggs9 FW nbsp ENG Jason Prior11 MF nbsp ENG James McShane12 DF nbsp ENG Callum Kennedy15 DF nbsp ENG Joe Cook17 MF nbsp ENG Josh Taylor18 MF nbsp ENG Luke Moore No Pos Nation Player19 FW nbsp ENG Ryan Seager20 MF nbsp ENG Dan Gallagher21 GK nbsp SVK Slavomir Huk22 DF nbsp ENG Barry Fuller captain 24 FW nbsp ENG Harry Ottaway25 MF nbsp ENG Aaron Kuhl26 FW nbsp IRL Matt Everitt28 DF nbsp ENG Alex Lankshear on loan from Blackpool 29 MF nbsp ENG Tom Blair30 MF nbsp ENG Seb Bowerman31 GK nbsp ENG Callum Backhurst37 MF nbsp ENG George FrancombOut on loan Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player7 MF nbsp ENG Jimmy Muitt at Bognor Regis Town 10 FW nbsp ENG Alfie Rutherford at Bognor Regis Town 13 GK nbsp ENG Josh Wilson at Chipstead 14 DF nbsp ENG Spike Steggall at Phoenix Sports 23 MF nbsp ENG Jack Jebb at Havant amp Waterlooville 27 MF nbsp ENG Jaevon Dyer at Lancing No Pos Nation Player32 MF nbsp ENG Jack Saunders at Redhill 33 DF nbsp ENG Joe Rabbetts at Bognor Regis Town 34 DF nbsp ENG Cameron Black at Cray Wanderers 35 DF nbsp ENG Archie Procter at Eastbourne Borough 36 MF nbsp ENG Olly Allen at Walton amp Hersham Honours EditIsthmian League Premier Division champions 2018 19 Southern Combination Division Three champions 2010 11 West Sussex League Premier Division champions 2006 07 Division Two North champions 2003 04 Division Four North champions 2000 01 Surrey Senior Cup Winners 2021 22 11 Records EditBest FA Cup performance Fourth qualifying round 2021 22 7 Best FA Trophy performance Fifth round 2022 23 7 Best FA Vase performance Second qualifying round 2012 13 2013 14 2014 15 7 Record attendance 3 732 vs Woking National League 7 April 2023 22 See also EditDorking Wanderers F C playersNotes Edit Deducted one point The league was declared null and void on 18 February 2021 As a result all records were expunged and no teams were promoted or relegated 12 References Edit Non league success story Dorking Wanderers targeting Premier League dream Dorking Wanderers manager praises Surrey FA as fair and responsible This is Surrey 28 March 2013 Club History dorkingwanderers com Dorking Wanderers Retrieved 3 October 2023 McVeigh Niall Real life Championship Manager the incredible rise of Dorking Wanderers theguardian com The Guardian Retrieved 11 October 2019 a b History Dorking Wanderers F C a b c A History Of Dorking Wanderers F C Dorking Wanderers F C a b c d e f g Dorking Wanderers at the Football Club History Database League secretary slams Wanderers This is Surrey 27 April 2012 Champagne corks fly as Wanderers This is Surrey 12 July 2012 Panting Matthew 21 May 2022 Report Ebbsfleet denied promotion in controversial fashion Kent Online Archived from the original on 1 June 2022 Retrieved 22 May 2022 a b Stobbart Dan 18 May 2022 Wanderers win the Surrey Senior Cup Dorking Wanderers FC Archived from the original on 2 July 2022 Retrieved 22 May 2022 Osborn Oliver 18 February 2021 National League Statement Outcome Of Written Resolutions Vanarama National League Retrieved 18 February 2021 Dorking Wanderers Reserves at the Football Club History Database Groundshare ends Membership for Reserve Side Combined Counties League The Ryman League South Guide 2016 17 permanent dead link Lewes F C a b c d e f g Return to Meadowbank Groundtastic Autumn 2018 pp28 33 Dorking s 137 year old football club is closing down leaving just one senior team in the town permanent dead link Surrey Mirror 16 February 2017 Dorking Pyramid Passion Meadowbank Stadium Archived from the original on 7 February 2020 Retrieved 7 February 2020 First Team Squad Dorking Wanderers Official Site Archived from the original on 24 January 2021 Retrieved 24 September 2018 23 24 FIRST TEAM SQUAD NUMBERS CONFIRMED Dorking Wanderers F C 4 August 2023 Retrieved 4 August 2023 Cards come out on top in Surrey derby Dorking Wanderers F C 7 April 2023 Archived from the original on 9 April 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dorking Wanderers FC Official website Meadowbank 51 14 04 N 0 20 00 W 51 23452 N 0 33347 W 51 23452 0 33347 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dorking Wanderers F C amp oldid 1179893260, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
