Club History 1 of 2

1. Abbreviated programme notes version for opponents


Bristol and District League handbooks of the 1920's revealed that the Oldland football club was founded as St. Anne’s (Oldland) in 1910. Little is known about the club's fortunes between the wars but they became founder members of the Bristol Premier Combination in 1962 and were promoted to the Gloucester County League in 1973, remaining there for twelve seasons until being re-elected as Oldland Decora in 1986.

Pupils at Hanham Abbots school launched Abbotonians football club as juniors in 1947 and they enjoyed many league and cup successes in the early years, including Cup wins in 1961, 1966 and 1972. The two clubs merged in 1998, playing as Oldland Abbotonians in the Somerset Senior League. Oldland Abbotonians won the Somerset Senior League Division One in 2004/05, were Premier Division runners up in 2005/06 and eventually promoted to the Toolstation League in 2006/07.

Oldland has often been described as a nursery for Bristol Rovers with Vic Lambden, Peter Sampson, Brian Bush and Mike Tippets all playing for the club before turning professional at Eastville. Former Rovers favourite Bobby Jones was one of many successful Oldland managers, a list which also includes David Hillier. Abbots rose to heady heights under the leadership of Alan Bush in the 1980's with the help of former Rovers players Jeff Meacham, the late Steve Talboys (Wimbledon) plus Rovers favourites Graham Day, Peter Aitken and Phil Bater. Among other youngsters who left Abbots to play for Rovers were Stuart Taylor, Phil Kite and Kevin Westaway.

Former Bristol Rovers player David Hillier helped manage The Ost to become the first ever Division 1 side to win the Les Phillips Cup. Having finished 4th and been assured that promotion was imminent at the end of 2015/16 Oldland were disappointingly not promoted and had to start again with the squad moving away. 2016/17 was a pivotal year as although the football side disappointed, through fundraising and grants the club spent in excess of £70,000 on ground improvements including safety fencing, stand covers, pitch maintenance equipment, a new stand and CCTV system and in the past few years the ground has been fully enclosed with new dressing rooms added and the bar extended as chairman Clayton Woodman has grown the club massively off the pitch.

In 2017/18 Clayton Woodman and Steve Cains returned to the club they had played for before stepping aside to bring in Paul Weeks as Director of Football, the first team manager is Craig Laird with years of experience at the likes of Weston, Dorchester and Yate assisted by Darren Sealey and Nic Mann. Being promoted through the play offs into the Toolstation Western League Premier Division and a welcome return to the FA Cup for the club from 2023/24 onwards saw Oldland very much looking to the future.

The Reserves are in the Bristol Premier Combination and are managed by Steve Cains, Craig Durnell and from 2018/19 a 3rd team play in the Bristol & District League, managed by Mitchell Jones and Dave Griffin. In addition to this, there is an Under 18s side managed by Griffin who play in the Western Counties Floodlit League.