It is a far cry to that eventful Thursday, January 2, 1879 when Sutton Coldfield Town Football Club was formed.

A meeting at the Town Hall passed the following resolution
 

"That it is desirable that an Association Football Club be formed for Sutton Coldfield and District and that the gentlemen present at this meeting accordingly constitute themselves a club, to be called "The Sutton Town Football Club"

The club's first president was the renowned Rev. W.K.R. Bedford, a member of one of Sutton Coldfield's most important family's and his name figures prominently in the Royal Town's history.

Sutton's first Secretary was Mr. John Ellison and the club's opening game on February 1, 1879 was against Birmingham (no connection with Birmingham City) on the Meadow Plat in Sutton Park.  Dressing rooms were at the Station Hotel and horse drawn carriages took the players there to the ground.

For the records Sutton lost the match 6-2 and the teams were:

BIRMINGHAM: W. Hayfield, W. Burns, Fitchett, Allen, Tranter, Homer, Tomey, Nicholls, Butler, C. Burton, W. Evans, Fulford.

SUTTON COLDFIELD: J. Shaw, J.B. McClelland, T. Ellison, H. Addenbrooke, J. Smith, R. Shaw, R. Secker, C. Bates, J. Ellison, P. Pimlett.

The "Sutton Coldfield and Erdington News" reported "During the first half of the game that Birmingham scored 2 goals, the play being chiefly at the Sutton End.

"The kicking of some of the home team's forwards was rather too wild to be dangerous, but on change of ends they settled down to their work better and were rewarded for their perseverance by obtaining a goal.

"The Birmingham men returned the compliment and kicked on also, but the Sutton, whose motto is 'Nil Disperandum' fought hard and again succeeded in wrestling another goal off Birmingham".

"In spite, however, of all the plucky endeavours of the local men to obtain victory they could not increase their score and after the Birmingham had added three more goals to their number the game finished leaving the strangers victorious, they having six goals against Sutton's two.  This result quite elated our men, who never expected to get off with so light a thrashing".

"It was not originally intended to play a match, but to mix the teams.  Afterwards, however, it was thought better practice for the infant club to play one".

"The Birmingham brought two umpires, one of whom officiated for Sutton and acted as a non-playing captain.  His good-advice was very useful to the local team and their thanks are due to him for his kindness and willingness to teach them".

After the hard and exciting work of the afternoon the two teams and their friends sat down to a substantial repast at the Station Hotel and afterwards passed a very enjoyable evening".

Games continued in Sutton Park, playing such teams as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arcadians, Aston Clifton, Handsworth, St George's and Aston Villa.

Aston Villa's second team visited Sutton on November 8 1879 and lost 4-3, but in the next season, playing at Perry Barr in the Birmingham Association Challenge Cup, Villa's first team won 10-1 and according to one report "The Villa goalkeeper Copley used a chair to rest his wearied limbs".

At the end of the 1880-81 season some names that were to become synonymous with the club's future began to appear in reports.  Mr T. Ellison had joined his brother J. Ellison on the committee and W.F. Taylor had emerged as a successful captain.

Throughout the rest of the 1880's Sutton made steady progress with their first team playing in the Central Birmingham League and a reserve side in the Aston and District League.

In 1900 Sutton became affiliated to the Birmingham F.A. and moved to a ground in Coles Lane, where the present Ambulance Depot is now situated.

A change of leagues in 1902 saw Sutton competing in the Small Heath League, where they stayed until 1907, when they transferred to the Suburban League.  In the meantime Sutton had won the Sutton Dispensary Cup and had played home matches at Rectory Road (site of the Good Hope Hospital) in the Birmingham Youths and Old Boys League.

On Boxing Day 1909 Sutton beat Boldmere 6-1, gate receipts were £3-7s-3d; players expenses were 9s-9d and the referee's fee was 3 shillings.

In 1912 Sutton reached the semi-finals of the Wilnecote and Fazeley Charity Cup competitions.

There was a switch of leagues again between 1915 and 1919 with the club's first team playing in the Birmingham Alliance League, but the 1920's brought another move, when the club took over the present Coles Lane Ground and joined the Sutton and District League.

While Sutton reached the finals of various cups the trophy cabinet remained bare and there was little to excite their supporters and at the start of the 1930's the club was struggling financially.

The 1931-32 season saw Sutton back in the Birmingham Alliance, and gradually playing fortunes improved, only for Football League Clubs to snap up some of Sutton's most outstanding players...

In 1935 Holder went to Coventry City; Bassett signed for WBA; Leyton went to Reading and in 1936 Sutton lost the services of their brilliant 17 year-old goalkeeper Harry Baldwin, who went to the Albion.  Then there was Pimberley to Birmingham and another for the Blues was Keasey, but perhaps the greatest of them all was Alf Wood to Coventry.

In 1937 a leading Midlands sports writer said "I believe it to be a fact that Sutton Town have supplied more professional players during the last few season than any other amateur club in the country".

The fact that Sutton did not win any major honours in the 1930's was due to his exodus of players, but even so they had progressed to become members of the Birmingham Combination - in those days the strongest semi-professional competition in the Midlands.

Secretary Fred Taylor was just about seeing the fruits of his labours when war broke out in 1939.  Plans at that time to develop the Coles Lane ground were obviously shelved and for seven long years there was no football in Sutton Coldfield.

A number of the committee of 1939, still with Fred Taylor as Secretary, supported by Tommy Reynolds, Dick Wadey, Len Wale, Jack Brookhouse, Frank Millward, Henry Lister and Jack Jarvis got together in 1945 in an attempt to revive the club, following the war years.

This is what faced them.  The playing area at Coles Lane was ruined, having been virtually a children's playground.  The grass was over two feet high and the surface was scarred by big holes dug by children.

The stand, capable of holding 300 people, was damaged and the fencing around the ground was smashed.  Pigs were being kept in the stand and at one period the ground had been rented out by the Council to a man who kept horses and ponies and used it for giving children rides on Saturday afternoon, All the club's equipment had been lost.

At a public meeting people said it was impossible to get the ground right without the use of professional labour. " It is too big a job for a handful of clubmen " was the cry.

That was a challenge to Sutton Town.  With financial help from their president Mr. John Collins, players, committeemen, friends and supporters led by Tommy Reynolds, who did much of the ground organisation, spent their spare time making the ground fit for football once again.

It took them four months to turn a wild field in to a football ground and during that time Sutton Coldfield Council, who owned the ground, repaired the stand.

In their first revival season of 1947-48 Sutton reached the final of the Walsall Challenge Cup and finished fourth in the Walsall Senior League, going through the season without losing a match at home.  They were semi-finalists in the Walsall Senior Cup and reached the finals of the Walsall Challenge Express and Star Cup.

Team Manager through this successful period was Billy Smart and the players who took part in the championship were goalkeeper, John Alderwick, full-backs Tommy Farmer and Jimmy Wood, half-backs Sam Tolley, Dick Rigby (captain), George Pye, Ron Spiers, Harry Butler and forwards Arthur Corbett, Fred Malone, Alf Hedge, Jimmy Phillips, Roy Crombie and Jimmy Murray.  They played 40 league games, won 32, lost 2, scored 73 goals and conceded 32.

It was in this period that Sutton Town enjoyed good support, with the local derby against Sutton Athletic attracting 1,200 fans.

At the end of 1948-49 season Billy Smart was forced to step down as manager owing to ill health and player-coach Sam Sylvester took charge for the following season.  Unfortunately, some players moved to more senior clubs, including Arthur Corbett to Walsall, but Sutton's successes continued with the Reserves winning the Sutton and District League and the Lewis Cup.

During this campaign the car park at the Coles Lane entrance to the ground was completed and a crowd barrier was erected round the pitch - the latter being a gift from the supporters club.

With improved facilities Sutton looked to a bright new era in the 1950's, but their elevation back into the Birmingham Combination and then the Birmingham League led to a financial crisis and the death of the long serving secretary Fred Taylor was a sad blow.

Billy Smart came back as manager for the start of the 1951-52 season and George Austin a former manager of Atherstone was appointed coach.  Playing fortunes tumbled, with Sutton being outplayed by teams like Stourbridge, Kidderminster and Bromsgrove.

Even so, they still remained optimistic and there were great efforts from individuals like President Alf Lewis, and secretary Arthur Hobson, who led their few supporters in a mammoth exercise to level the ground.

In one corner there was a seven foot drop, but weeks of work produced a complete transformation.  The pitch was completely returfed and for the first time the ground was level.

On September 18, 1953 the new pitch was officially declared open by the then Mayor of Sutton Coldfield, but there was no opening cheer for the Town as they crashed 7-0 to Tamworth.

There was a glimmer of hope at the start of the 1955-56 season, when with Sam Sylvester back as manager, the Town enjoyed a run of 11 cup and league games without defeat, but on Saturday October 15 there came a new crisis when fire completely burned down the club's 80-foot long wooden grandstand.

The fire, which started at about 1.30p.m. roared through the building, which was destroyed within half an hour.  No fixture had been arranged at Coles Lane that afternoon.  The first team were at Atherstone, the seconds at Sheffield.  Officials were on a coach waiting to leave when they heard of the fire and hurried to the ground.

Two appliances from Sutton Coldfield Fire Station attended the blaze, but according to one spectator the building was a "ball of fire" within a few minutes and firemen were unable to check the flames.

The club immediately launched a £4,000 appeal for a new brick and concrete building.

Meanwhile the team failed to maintain its bright start and Sam Sylvester resigned as manager on December 31 and at the end of the season Sutton were bottom of the League.

Finance was a major problem and in 1956 drastic decisions were made at the annual meeting.  The second team was withdrawn from the Staffordshire League and it was decided that an all-amateur team, under the guidance of long serving player Harry Evans, would be fielded in the Birmingham League.

Work on the new stand, which was purchased from Manchester City, began in October 1956 and Arthur Hobson became the new chairman.  Again Sutton's playing results were poor and on November 16 former Aston Villa star Fred Haycock was given the job as player-manager.

The new boss made an immediate impact while Sutton's amateur policy was destroyed experienced player like Ken Roberts from Aston Villa; Gordon Medd from Walsall and Graham Toussaint also from Walsall helped give Sutton a satisfactory 1957-58 season, when they finished 5th and reached the semi-finals of the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Sutton still suffered from poor support and while Fred Haycock continued as manager and grounds man new officials for the 1958-59 season were chairman Jack Yates and secretary Fred Newey.

Several players, including Ken Roberts left the club and in October Fred Haycock departed to join Stourbridge.

Graham Toussaint was appointed player-manager and despite having to virtually rebuild the team Sutton maintained a respectable half-way position in the Birmingham League.  But a further bombshell came when Mr. Lewis resigned as president and at a general meeting vice-president Mr. E. Riddle urged members to consider if it would be practical for the club to continue.

The few did continue and the early 1960's brought Fred Haycock back to Coles Lane as manager, but major problems continued on the admin side and it became the turn of new secretary Bill Bowen to virtually carry the burden on his own shoulders until he appealed for help from committee members of Sutton British Legion F.C.

 

In the summer of 1964 Mr. A. Myers, a former treasurer with the club, became chairman and so started the remarkable transformation which led to Sutton leaving the West Midlands League and joining the Worcestershire Combination (now Midland Combination).

Bill Bowen said at the time "We now have a full committee and they have plenty of fresh ideas.  I think they can make a success of the job".

Although Fred Haycock again departed as manager there was a new enthusiasm for the club's policy, which included, "Concrete plans for a strong members and social club, a highly organised coaching scheme for players and a genuine desire for players officials and supporters to be proud of Sutton Coldfield Town Football Club".

And so for the start of the 1965-66 season Sutton was geared to a truly amateur policy with teams in the first and second divisions of the Worcs. Combination and a third team in the Birmingham A.F.A.

Maurice Flint became chairman and Stan Sims was elected joint secretary with Bill Bowen, while Reg Broadfield, a former goalkeeper with Paget Rangers and successful manager of Erdington team Fort Rangers, was appointed manager.

Prior to the opening campaign the club had wiped off a heavy financial debt, the dressing rooms and club room had been decorated and the ground was in tip-top condition.  It was a dream start, too, for the Town when they won their first match in the Combination league, beating Wolves "A" 3-2 and the team include skipper David Gadd and youngsters Mick Gilmore, Brian Kenning and David Cahill all of whom became household names in Midlands non-league football.

During the 1966-67 season when they won the Sutton Coldfield Charity Cup, Sutton had a goal scoring ace in Graham Smallburn, who scored 25 goals and in 17 games before breaking a leg.

On the admin side the club was gaining in strength and in March 1968 plans were announced for the development of the Coles Lane ground into a sports centre, incorporating Sutton Coldfield Rifles Club and Oakmere Table Tennis Club.

Mr. Norman Cox, a local builder, who had become Sutton Town's enthusiastic president master-minded the news and exciting project and his efforts were rewarded on October 31, 1972, when he officially opened the present club room which includes a function room, lounge, and two bars.

The rapid growth in membership enabled the club to become more professional on the field of play and Sutton Town was geared to make a name for themselves on the Midlands soccer scene.

In 1969-70 Sutton won the Midland Combined Challenge Cup, beating Moor Green 2-0 in the final and in the following seasons they made a name for themselves in long runs in the F.A. Amateur Cup, with games against then such famous teams as Bishop Auckland and Skelmersdale.

The hard working Reg Broadfield became general manager, with Reg Brassington taking over as first team manager.  It was in this period that 16 year-old Paul Cooper played for Sutton in goal but within a few weeks he joined Birmingham City and then Ipswich Town.

Taking Cooper's place at Coles Lane was Peter Latchford.  He too, was quickly snapped up by WBA, who later played for Glasgow Celtic.

Alan Hampton transferred his affection from Boldmere St. Michaels to Coles Lane, where he took charge of the 1st team and while the club was always challenging for honour the phrase "Always the bridesmaid" was often quoted at Sutton and at the start of the 1977-78 season the club appointed Rhys Davies as their new manager.

Success on the field started to come the club's way in 1978, with the league championship and a third successive title in the Walsall Senior Cup.  The Tony Alden Cup played between the league champions and cup winners was also secured.

The club reached the 1st round proper of the FA Cup in the 1980/81 season but went out 2-0 at home to Billy Bremner's Doncaster Rovers before a record crowd of 2,029.  The club won the West Midlands Cup for the first time and reached the final of the Walsall Senior Cup.

The following season was also a success retaining the league cup, and the club finished runners-up to Shifnal Town in what was the clubs last season in the West Midlands League.  The non-league pyramid systems were organised and Sutton Town became proud members of the Southern League in 1982/83.  In the first season, the club finished runners-up to Cheltenham Town and secured promotion to the Premier League.

The club has remained in the Southern league since, and a highlight must be during the 1992/93 season when the club visited Burnden Park to compete in the 1st round of the FA Cup against Bolton Wanderers in front of 5,345.  A major shock was on the cards when after a last minute goal was ruled out, Sutton Coldfield lost 2-1.

In 1998/99 the club had it's last success when they won the Dr. Martens League Cup, beating Cambridge City.  The club also reached the 3rd qualifying round of the FA Cup, taking Telford Utd. to a replay.

In recent years the club has had several managers including Chris Wright, the then longest serving player Andy Biddle had a spell as caretaker manager, followed by Gary Bradder and Dave Grundy who resigned in November 1999.

Present manager Chris Keogh stepped in at short notice having just started his managerial career and is now in charge for his fourth full season. 

The club introduced a Youth Team which in recent years has seen Tony Breedon, Chris Hughes, Craig Owen, Mike Maynard and Matthew Dodd, all coming through the ranks to represent Sutton in the Southern League.

The last three seasons have seen Sutton come close to success.

2003/04
Sutton just missed out on promotion to the re-structured Premier Division when losing on the last day of the season at Yate and then again in the play offs at Banbury United.  The club did win the Walsall Senior Cup defeating Tividale 3-1 at the Bescot Stadium and also lifted the Worcester Senior Cup beating Worcester City over two legs.

2004/05
Sutton started the season excellently, the team were in second place in the division and won both opening FA Cup games when it was discovered that the club had fielded an ineligible player. Subsequently the club was disqualified from the FA Cup and deducted 11 points in the league.  The club never recovered and subsequently finished at the wrong end of the table.

The youth team completed a treble which included lifting the Midland Floodlit Premier League title.

The season saw Sutton progress after an indifferent start and ended with the side just one place off a play off spot.

Coles Lane saw many entertaining and high scoring games with Justin Rowe, Damien Markman, Liam Hebberd and Craig Owen amassing over 75 goals between them in all competitions.

The youth team again retained their Midland Floodlit Youth Premier League Title.

The club also established three new sides at u16 / u14 and u12 all competing well in The Midland Junior Premier League. The u12's won their League Cup final and finished runners up in their division. The u14's were runners up in the cup and finished 5th in the league. The u16's finished runners up in their division but suffered a shock early exit in their cup competition.