A VERY LOCAL DERBY FROM 1991
DYNAMICS (STEVENAGE) V B.A.C STEVENAGE
Could Dynamics FC be the only club who issued a programme with a picture of a satellite on the front cover? For this Hertfordshire Senior County Division One Stevenage local derby played on Saturday 5th January 1991 they issued a really decent 28 page programme priced at only 25p!
Dynamics played on a pitch in Fairview Road, which if your familiar with the town, is near the Old Town High Street area and their rivals played at the BAC Sports and Social club in located in Bragbury End which is the Hertford side of Town.
This was real Aircraft and manufacturing derby as well as a local match as the below will explain.
Dynamics were formed in in 1955 and were formerly known as 'De Havilland' and 'Hawker Siddeley Stevenage' in the 1960s up to 1971 when the club's record was expunged from the Hertfordshire league. They returned to the Herts League as 'Dynamics' in 1989 and then changed to 'Dynamics Space Systems' for 1994/95 and then another change to 'MMS Dynamics' for the 95/96 and 96/97 seasons when they were runners up in Division One. Hawker Siddeley was a company that designed Aircraft which also included 'Hawker Siddeley Dynamics' which concentrated on space technology operations and guided missiles in the 1950's hence the name and Satellite on the front cover. Later the company also focused on railway engineering before being sold in 1992.
In fact BAC and Hawker Siddeley (along with Scottish Aviation) had merged in 1977 to form British Aerospace.
BAC Stevenage were formed two years prior to Dynamics as 'English Electric FC' subsequently changing to 'British Aircraft Corporation Stevenage' in 1963. They competed in the South Midlands Premier Division from 1976 to 1981 finishing in a creditable fourth place in 76/77. In 1994 they changed name to form 'Bragbury Athletic' which until 1998 when they finished bottom of the Hertfordshire Senior County Premier Division when they dropped out of the league.
The Sports club in Bragbury End which used to host football, bowls, tennis, cricket and rugby is sadly no more. Stevenage FC now own the land and are building a new training ground there. England regularly used it as a training base in the 1960s and 1970s and West Germany were based there during the 1966 World Cup. Switzerland used some of it's 40 acres during the 1996 European Championships
The origins and histories of football clubs are somewhat long winded sometimes??
BAC Stevenage were formed two years prior to Dynamics as 'English Electric FC' subsequently changing to 'British Aircraft Corporation Stevenage' in 1963. They competed in the South Midlands Premier Division from 1976 to 1981 finishing in a creditable fourth place in 76/77. In 1994 they changed name to form 'Bragbury Athletic' which until 1998 when they finished bottom of the Hertfordshire Senior County Premier Division when they dropped out of the league.
The Sports club in Bragbury End which used to host football, bowls, tennis, cricket and rugby is sadly no more. Stevenage FC now own the land and are building a new training ground there. England regularly used it as a training base in the 1960s and 1970s and West Germany were based there during the 1966 World Cup. Switzerland used some of it's 40 acres during the 1996 European Championships
The origins and histories of football clubs are somewhat long winded sometimes??
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| A TRULY FANTASTIC FRONT COVER TO A PROGRAMME |
The close nature of the game is highlighted by the fact Dynamics manager Noel Galloway works at 'Site A' where 'our visitors hail'.
The Herfordshire Senior County League comprised of three divisions at the time and taking a look at them a few teams have since gone on to join the Spartan South Midlands League and in one case beyond!
In the programme there is a 'Bosses View' section which ends with 'Anyway whatever the result is let's have a beer down the club afterwards'....words which sum up the very welcoming social side of football at this level very well.PREMIER DIVISIONBEDMOND SOCIAL - HERTS DIVISION ONE LONDON COLNEY - SSMFL PREMIER SUN SPORTS - SSMFL DIVISION ONE LEVERSTOCK GREEN - SSMFL PREMIER BUSHEY RANGERS - WITHDREW FROM HERTS DIVISION ONE IN 2011/12 ROLLS ROYCE ENGINES - FOLDED ELLIOTT STAR - LAST PLAYED IN THE 2006/07 HERTS PREMIER COCKFOSTERS - SSMFL DIVISION ONE MOUNT GRACE (NOW POTTERS BAR TOWN) - RYMAN DIVISION ONE (NORTH) CHIPPERFIELD CORINTHIANS - HERTS PREMIER SANDRIDGE ROVERS - HERTS PREMIER PARK STREET - WEST HERTS PREMIER OXHEY JETS - SSMFL PREMIER WALKERN - FOLDED I THINK??? J&M SPORTS - LEFT THE HERTS LEAGUE IN 1992... ANOTHER CLUB TO HAVE FOLDED I THINK?? DIVISION ONEKINGS LANGLEY - SSMFL DIVISION ONEST MARGARETSBURY - SSMFL PREMIER HATFIELD TOWN AFC - SSMFL DIVISION ONE WELLCOME - CHANGED TO 'ROUSSEL SPORTS' IN 1993, THEN 'AGREVO SPORTS' IN 1995... ICL LETCHWORTH - FOLDED?? CROXLEY GUILD - HERTS DIVISION ONE CUFFLEY - HERTS PREMIER WORMLEY ROVERS - HERTS PREMIER WELWYN - FOLDED?? KODAK H HEMPSTEAD - FOLDED?? SARRAT - HERTS PREMIER DYNAMICS - FOLDED?? LUCAS SPORTS - FOLDED?? BOVINGDON - HERTS PREMIER BAC STEVENAGE - FOLDEDDIVISION TWOALLENBURYS SPORTS - HERTFORD AND DISTRICT LEAGUE (was HERTS LEAGUE) KNEBWORTH - HERTS PREMIER DE HAVILLAND HATFIELD - FOLDED?? NORTH MYMMS - FOLDED?? RANK XEROX - FOLDED?? ST IPPOLYTS - NORTH AND MID HERTS LEAGUE KIMPTON ROVERS - HERTS PREMIER EVERGREEN - HERTS DIVISION ONE LITTLE GADDESDEN - FOLDED?? STANDON & PUCKERIDGE - HERTS PREMIER HARPENDEN ROVERS - WEST HERTS LEAGUE (was HERTS LEAGUE) HATFIELD UNITED - FOLDED??
There is also a profile of Dynamic's player Martin Dingwall whose nickname was/is 'Twizzle & Baby Giraffe' whom had played for BAC, Argonauts, Shepall Atheltic and a club named 'New Found Out'. At the time he had made 107 appearances scoring 7 goals for the club with his favourite single being Easy Lover by Phil Collins!!
BAC whom went into the game with an away record of no wins and only two draws from eight games won this game 0-1 to complete the double over their local rivals for the season.
I'll finish with the fact that golf-professional Ian Poulter's (who is from the local area) father apparently used to play for BAC Stevenage but he was not listed for this game.
Terry Poulter did in fact play for BAC when they were in the South Midlands league. We played against each other when we were at school (I was at Willian School Letchworth and he was at either Heathcote or Barclay school Stevenage) and when I played for Shillington and he BAC. I then played with him as we progressed to Hitchin Town through the youth set up in the late sixties. He was a fine player who played below his true standard; he probably got more involved in Golf and treated football as his secondary sport.
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