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Wiltshire Senior League
Former Clubs
Avon Bradford Reserves
Ground
Bradford on Avon Sports & Social Club, Trowbridge Road, BA15 1EX

Seasons in League (Number and period)
9 Seasons (1976-77 to 1982-83 and 1986-87 to 1987-88)

Status
Club Folded

League & Cup Honours (when in WSL)
Subsidiary Cup Runners-up 1986-87

Club Notes
Avon Bradford Reserves started life as Spencer Moulton Reserves, part of the Sports Section of George Spencer & Moulton Co Ltd who were based at Kingston Mill, Bradford on Avon. The company later became part of Avon Rubber (see separate entry for details of their first team).

Spencer Moulton Reserves were playing in the Trowbridge & District League from the mid 1920’s. Season 1925-26 saw them in Division 1 and that season saw them make the Knockout Cup final where they were beaten by Royal Horse Artillery B Battery. They remained in Division 1 of the Trowbridge & District League all the way up until the outbreak of the Second World War. Season 1930-31 saw them win the Knockout Cup, gaining revenge over Royal Horse Artillery B Battery for that earlier cup final defeat in the final. Season 1933-34 saw them achieve their highest league position up to that point when they were Division 1 runners-up behind Woolley Grange. However, they were to better this when Season 1937-38 saw them take the Division 1 title for the first and only time in their history. They also won the league’s A&B Cup that season, defeating Ushers FC in the final.

After the Second World War had ended Spencer Moulton Reserves initially continued in the Trowbridge & District League, which had divided its teams into two sections not based on merit, with Spencer Moulton Reserves in Section A.  Season 1949-50 saw them move to the Wiltshire League Division 2 and they struggled in the first three seasons in the new environment, finishing bottom of the table in both 1950-51 and 1951-52. The league was then regionalised before a dedicated reserves division was established in 1953-54. The continued to struggle in the reserves division and returned to the Trowbridge & District League in the Mid-1960’s. Season 1959-60 saw them crowned champions of Division 2 of the Trowbridge & District League. They were again Trowbridge & District League Division 2 champions in Season 1965-66 having briefly left the league in the early 1960’s and remained in Division 1 for the rest of the decade after that title success. 

They were again in the Trowbridge & District League in the early 1970’s having now changed their name to Avon Bradford Reserves but, after leaving when their first team went into the Western League, they restarted in Division 4 of the league in Season 1974-75 winning the championship ahead of Unigate in their first season back. The final season before the Wiltshire County League was established saw them playing in Division 3 of the Trowbridge & District League having been promoted following their title success the previous season.

The first season of the Wiltshire County League saw the two Junior status divisions divided in Division A and Division B with Avon Bradford Reserves being placed in Division B. An 11th place finish in that first season saw Avon Bradford Reserves placed in Division 3 for the second season of the league and they were to remain a Division 3 side throughout the rest of the period they held Junior side status. Season 1977-78 was to prove a difficult season for the side as they finished bottom of Division 3 in but in the end were reprieved from relegation.

An improved season in 1978-79 saw them finish in twelfth place, which they repeated the following season. A difficult season followed in Season 1980-81 as they just finished above the relegation positions, finishing two points clear of Moredon who occupied the third from bottom position. An uptick in fortunes in Season 1981-82 saw them finish in the top half of the Division 3 table for the first and, as it turned out, only time. The final season as a Junior status team in the league was season 1982-83 when they finished in thirteenth place in a division of seventeen teams but were well clear of the relegation positions.

At the end of that season their first team elected to join the Hellenic League and it appears that the reserves also went to the Hellenic League, although it has not been possible to trace any league tables for the Hellenic reserve divisions for this period.

Avon Bradford Reserves were back in the Wiltshire County League after a four-year absence in Season 1986-87. With their first team still in the Hellenic League the reserves were eligible to join the Senior section and were placed in Division 2. That first season in Division 2 saw Avon Bradford Reserves somewhat bizarrely draw half of their league fixtures and then only win just once, losing the other ten games to finish third from bottom in the table. They did however make the final of the Subsidiary Cup, but lost to Marlborough Town in the final. Whilst their second season back in the league saw them increase the number of wins and points they unfortunately finished bottom of the league on goal difference from Warminster Town Reserves.

They withdrew from the league at the end of the season, re-joining the Trowbridge & District League but with their first team also pulling out of the Hellenic, in the end just one side operated in Season 1988-89. The following season they were back to two sides in the Trowbridge & District League, with the first team in Division 2 and Avon Bradford Reserves in Division 3. Avon Bradford Reserves would remain in Division 3 throughout the 1990’s but they had folded before the decade had ended.

Team Record
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