
Beaconsfield SYCOB History
Beaconsfield Sycob is an amalgamation of Beaconsfield United and Slough Youth Centre Old Boys that took place in 1994.
Beaconsfield United was founded as early as 1921, following the amalgamation of Beaconsfield (a team that was founded before the First World War, who played at White Hart Meadow) and the local boy scouts football team. The Club competed in the Maidenhead League and then the Wycombe & District League until 1979, when they opted for higher status and joined the London Spartan League Intermediate/Reserve Division One for the season 1979/80.
The following season, United were promoted as champions to the Senior Division. Two years later, as joint-winners of the Senior Division, the Club was promoted again this time into the Premier Division where they finished sixth in the first season and again in 1986. This proved to be the highest placing that the old Club ever achieved.
Beaconsfield United has always played on a ground belonging to its Patron, Lord Burnham. The ground to this day is still know as Holloways Park – despite moving across the Old Slough Road due to the opening of the M40 motorway in 1971. Floodlights were erected in 1991.
Slough Youth Centre, as the name suggests, grew out of a youth club for boys based in Slough, originally situated at the site of Bayliss School. However, the Youth Club moved to the then newly-constructed Community Centre in 1938. It was here, instigated by John Lightfoot, who sadly passed away in 2004, that the boys formed a football team. And despite joining the Slough & District Minors League soon after, the Second World War forced the team to disband, with many of the boys being called up for national service.
In 1947, the team rejoined the Slough & District League. By this time, the team were no longer boys and entered Division Four of the men’s section. It was at this stage that the Old Boys tag was added. In its first season, the team gained promotion to Division Three, followed by two further promotions over the next two seasons to the Premier Division, finishing runners-up in 1959.
Yet despite the early show of form, there were no further honours until they gained promotion to the Windsor, Slough & District League Premier Division in 1983, where five years later the Club was a losing finalist in the League Cup. The 1989/90 season saw the Club move across to the East Berkshire League, winning the League Championship and League Cup at the first attempt. Success saw the club gain promotion to Division One of the Chiltonian League, where it was quickly promoted to the Premier Division in 1992.
In 1993 the Berks & Bucks F.A. granted the Club Associate Senior Status, thus enabling the club entry into the then newly formed Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy. The following season the Club won the League Cup and finished runners-up in the Premier Division in 1994.
However, due to the lack of ground provisions the Clubs’ progress came to a halt when, in the summer of 1994 it sought a ground-sharing agreement with Beaconsfield United at Holloways Park. But with United struggling both on and off the field, it was decided to amalgamate the two clubs, which witnessed the birth of Beaconsfield SYCOB, as we know it to be today.
So far, the Club has made massive headway both on and off the park and after some near misses, it won the Spartan South Midlands League in 2000/01 under the guidance of then manager Simon Delahunty. The club were pleased to finally gain promotion after winning the Spartan South Midlands League again in 2003/04 in which they were unbeaten all season. The Rams duly took their place in the Southern Football League (Division One East) in the 2004/05 season – finishing in a creditable position of fourteenth in their first season at that level.
The 2005/06 season saw the team moved to the Western Division and a finishing place of thirteenth was achieved going one better than the previous season.
Season 06/07 saw SYCOB placed in the South & West division of the Southern Football League. This meant that the club had featured in three different divisions in three seasons, but unfortunately due to severe financial restrictions that saw three different managers through the course of the season, the Rams were unable to compete on an even playing field and finished bottom of the League, thus a return to the Spartan South Midlands League followed.
Season 07/08 was to see Beaconsfield SYCOB employ former player Jamie Jarvis as First Team Manager. The stay in the Spartan South Midlands League was for just one season as the new Manager guided his team to the Championship title by 9 points, after gaining 98 points in the campaign. However, the trophies were not finished, as the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy was added three days after winning the League, and to complete a historic season, the League Premier Division Cup was also won, giving SYCOB their first ever treble.
Season 2008/09 saw Beaconsfield SYCOB back in the Southern League South & West Division. They enjoyed an excellent return to this level of football, finishing in fourth position in the league after spending almost all season in the top six. Their memorable season eventually ended when they were beaten in the play-off semi-final by AFC Totton. After the season had ended manager Jamie Jarvis decided that it was time to leave for pastures new.
Beaconsfield SYCOB played in the Southern League Midlands division in the
2009/10 season under the guidance of new manager Joe Mitchell
However Mitchell’s reign was not a long one and he was replaced by Colin Davies who joined with assistant Darren Wilkinson from Hayes and Yeading Football Club and they managed to secure a 19th place finish at the end of the season.
Season 2010/11 was the most traumatic in the clubs history four different managers four different sets of players saw the club end the season in last position and relegated, however a reprieve from the Football Association saw the club retain its position in the central division.
Byron Walton took charge for the 2011/12 season and completely turned the fortunes of the club around again. From a last placed finish the season before he led the team to a fifth place finish after being in the top six all season and that eventually led to The Rams defeating tenants Slough Town in the play off semi-final before going down to Bedworth in the final. The first time the club has ever featured in a play off final.