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ACHILLES   FOOTBALL   CLUB Founded over 60 years ago, Achilles is now a senior footbal club with teams in the SIL Senior and Inter 'A' Leagues.  In addition, the club has two boys' teams.  The Pauls pitch, changing rooms and social facilities are regarded by the League as some of the best in the area. Sponsored by XL Windows of Hadleigh Rd Industrial Estate  ( www.xlwindows.co.uk ) Contact : Chairman : Dave Morgan Events : Fixtures : News : History : The 1st XI football record over the mid 1980s, under Keith Norton, was outstanding with the Premier Championship taken twice, the McNeil Cup & the Cranes’ 7s once.  For the 2nd XI, runners-up in both League and League Cup [plus two previous final appearances under earlier management teams] and to the delight of Managers, the late Joe Cooper and Paul Sparke, the League Cup finally won. Towards the end of the 1990 season Keith Norton indicated his intention to resign as Manager.  His dedication to the Club had been unstinting and his collaboration over the 7 years with Dave Morgan (Chairman) had registered, together with the late forties/early fifties, the most successful footballing period in the Club’s history. Glen Westley had been promoted within the Club to take his first taste of managing and the Club was pleased to welcome David Routh back as President.  Glen’s immediate task was very difficult to the extent that, for the first time in its history, the 1st XI lost its Premier League place and was relegated to the 1st Division.  However, Glen displayed great resilience and with support from a loyal and club-spirited squad was most unlucky to miss an immediate return to the Senior League on goal difference. The next year we were Champions and this feat was emulated by the cricketers winning the 2-Counties 2nd Division in fine style also to return to the ‘big time’. The 1993/94 soccer season saw a magnificent effort with the 1st XI finishing an excellent third and the 2nd XI, well led by Steve Bloomfield, deservedly lifting the Mann Broadbent Cup.  The cricketers, after a fine start, clung to senior league status and carried the name of the Club to the 2-Counties Cup Final where we lost to a strong Bury St Edmunds’ team.  Glen then decided to take a rest and Ian Crick, who had been his assistant, took over helped by Jimmy Fitzgerald[Jnr].  Meanwhile the 2nd XI were relegated to Inter B but ‘Gunk’ Parker who rejoined the Club took them back in style to Inter A as Champions that same season. The cricketers had a most satisfactory season in 1995 in a 2-Counties League now monopolised by Essex and West Suffolk Clubs. Until the last two seasons, the years since the mid-90s have been matters largely of survival for the Senior football team [and the cricket section now down to one team].  Keith Norton returned to the fold and ran the Senior team single-handed for three years. Then Trevor Childs was player-manager.  Two seasons ago Ricky Osborn took over the Senior team and, with Keith’s help, chased relegation away! The Inter A side [the Reserves] have done exceptionally well over the same period finishing runners-up twice and winning the Ryan Cup led by, first, Julian Paine, and then ‘Boozer’ Sayer. Season 2004-5 saw new managers for both teams.  Alan Middle, who was a player in one of Keith’s triumphant teams in the mid 1980s, returned to the Club for his first real taste of senior team management, securing an excellent top six position, while the vastly experienced Alf Cook achieved a creditable mid-table position for the InterA team. This year under Alan, the seniors reached the semi finals of the Suffolk Senior Cup and, in a traumatic finale, finished runners-up in the Senior League (after winners East Bergholt had been 'gifted' 3 points from a replayed abandoned game they had been losing 1-2 (with 72 seconds left) and in the Omnico League Cup final against Ransomes, having already beaten them 3 times, we succumbed 1-2 after extra time. Meanwhile, the Inter As were relegated to Inter B in circumstances as annoying as the 72 seconds situation!  Ah well there is always next season. As can be seen a part of the Stone Lodge ground has gone for housing.  But, in the words of the song, ‘we will survive’ and so has part of the ground with a sparkling new Clubhouse provided by the developers and a re-constituted & independent Pauls’ Sports Club.  Our cricketers have relocated first across the fence to the St Joseph’s College ground and now to the Rushmere Sports Club after problems with the College. In 1935, a group of Northgate schoolboys formed a cricket club, which operated until the War started in 1939.  Two years later Achilles Football Club emerged from the marriage of St Clements United and St Clements Institute, with HQ in Fore Hamlet and Murray Road as the home ground.  The Club became a member of the Ipswich Emergency League and under the leadership of George Rozier won the IDL [Division 1] Championship in 1943-44, 1945-46 and 1948-49. A Youth Section was formed in July 1942 with activities extended to include cricket, cycling, athletics and camping.  The HQ was moved to Arcade Street and shared with the Arcadians Youth Club.  The cricket team, consisting mainly of ex-Northgate School players, won the Ipswich Youth League in 4 consecutive seasons [1945-48]. When Arcadians disbanded at the end of the War several of their members joined Achilles.  In 1948, under the Chairmanship of the late Arthur Pells, the Club moved its HQ to the Driftway in Spring Road, and success continued with the winning of the Whitmore Trophy for Athletics in the next year.   1950 saw football success in both the FA and FA Amateur Cups leading, ironically, to one of the worst upheavals in the Club’s history when several senior players broke away to form Ipswich Wanderers.  The young inexperienced 2nd XI became the Premier side overnight and finished in a creditable third position. In the early 50s the late Mr W A [Jock] Anderson became President, the late George Rozier was elected Chairman & Cyril Garnham became General Secretary.  Mr Anderson proved a tremendous benefactor to the Club and his close association with fellow Scot, Mr A Scott Duncan, led to several young Achilles players appearing in the Ipswich Town ‘A’ side. The Club soon moved to Castle Hill Community Centre and, at this stage, the cricket and hockey teams matched the best clubs in the region while, football-wise, outstanding Minor Teams won the IDL Minor League in 1952-53, 1953-54 & later in 1966-67, & were County Cup finalists in 1952-53 and 1963-64.  In May 1956, Cyril Garnham became Chairman and David Routh was made General Secretary, a position he held for several years.  Bolton Lane then became HQ and it was during this period that the first championship success of the Premier League eluded the Club when, in 1958-59, having been up to 10 points ahead for much of the season we settled for runners-up position after Waterside Works won their last game, incredibly by 13-0, to take the title. The late sixties saw an inspired further move of HQ, this time to Pauls, where it was possible to play football, cricket & hockey in delightful surroundings and, of course, this happy relationship continues to this day.  Although HQ had often moved, Murray Road had been the 1st & 2nd XIs’ football spot for many years.  A brief move to Kesgrave with Stan Hewitt was replaced by the excellent Pauls’ pitch for the 1st XI, but only in 1982-83 did the 2nd XI relocate, first at Gainsborough Sports Centre & then to Whitton Sports Centre and, now, back at Gainsborough.. The late sixties also saw the emergence of the ‘Team Manager’ filled by, among others, Stan Hewitt, John Shorten, Bob Berriman, Clive Beale, John McNally, Peter Crossley and Keith Norton, all [ex]players of the Club.  This period also saw the acquisition of a number of talented footballers from Ipswich Dynamos and Whitton. In addition, although the Hockey Section had disbanded, the Cricket Section had gone from strength to strength as top Suffolk Club in the Two Counties’ League with the 2nd XI runners-up under the leadership of John McNally.  In the early 80s the Chairmanship passed from Clive Beale to Dave Morgan, and the Presidency from John Seabrook to John McNally; again all [ex] players of the Club, thus maintaining the continuity and loyalty so dearly valued.  It is this, which surely, has ensured the survival of Achilles as an independent Club to this day.