SEASON
1988-89
Vauxhall Opel League Division Two North · 4th
Updated
Boro’ boss Brian Williams was looking to revive our fortunes going into the 1988-89 season; the club having suffered its first-ever relegation. It wasn’t Williams’ fault that we didn’t keep hold of our Division One status; the manager arriving too late during the previous season to halt the slide back to Division Two North. Our promotion bid was a decent one and we made a decent fist of trying to return straight away. Harlow Town and Thurrock, however, were the teams to go up as Boro’ came up short by five points.
In the FA Cup, our run came to an unusual and awkward end. Boro’ were chucked out of the competition after starting Brian Aldridge in goal. Not many people can claim to have enjoyed a winning debut, only for the admin to get in the way. You see, Aldridge was not actually eligible to play. That little faux pas with the paperwork was to Burnham‘s gain. Tilbury, meanwhile, put us out of the FA Vase; Dover Athletic ousting us from the Knights Floodlit League. In the end, it wasn’t quite the resurgence season we wanted it to be.
Season at a Glance
Season Story
Heaviest Defeat
Billericay Town 0–3 A · 27 Sep 1988Filter by Competition
Filter by Venue
Saturday 13 August 1988
Saturday 20 August 1988
Monday 22 August 1988
Saturday 27 August 1988
Tuesday 30 August 1988
Saturday 03 September 1988
Monday 05 September 1988
Saturday 10 September 1988
Saturday 17 September 1988
Tuesday 20 September 1988
Saturday 24 September 1988
Tuesday 27 September 1988
Saturday 01 October 1988
Saturday 08 October 1988
Tuesday 11 October 1988
Saturday 15 October 1988
Wednesday 19 October 1988
Saturday 22 October 1988
Saturday 29 October 1988
Tuesday 01 November 1988
Saturday 05 November 1988
Monday 07 November 1988
Saturday 12 November 1988
Monday 14 November 1988
Wednesday 23 November 1988
Saturday 26 November 1988
Saturday 03 December 1988
Monday 05 December 1988
Saturday 10 December 1988
Saturday 17 December 1988
Monday 19 December 1988
Tuesday 27 December 1988
Saturday 31 December 1988
Monday 02 January 1989
Saturday 07 January 1989
Monday 09 January 1989
Saturday 14 January 1989
Tuesday 17 January 1989
Saturday 21 January 1989
Saturday 28 January 1989
Monday 30 January 1989
Saturday 04 February 1989
Saturday 11 February 1989
Saturday 18 February 1989
Saturday 25 February 1989
Saturday 04 March 1989
Saturday 11 March 1989
Saturday 18 March 1989
Tuesday 21 March 1989
Saturday 25 March 1989
Saturday 01 April 1989
Saturday 08 April 1989
Saturday 15 April 1989
Saturday 22 April 1989
Saturday 29 April 1989
Saturday 06 May 1989
Squad Leaders
Full Squad Rollcall
A complete breakdown of every player used during the 1988-89 season.
| Name | Pld | Gls | YC | RC | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Adcroft | 16 (1) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Aldridge | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Allinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Bambrick | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Noel Blackwell | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Bozier | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colin Cardines | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nigel Cardines | 18 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Peter Churchill | 2 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Clarke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham Cox | 51 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Cumberbatch | 12 (4) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Shaun Debnam | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phil Dunn | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Fisher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joe Gibbs | 2 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alan Gittings | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Gittings | 36 (3) | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Grant | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chris Hayes | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Hudgell | 9 (5) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alan Iddenden | 30 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lee Jacobs | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mark Klimek | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ronnie Lear | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Steve Mahoney | 5 (2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gary Marshall | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Shaun Marshall | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Colin McGill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trevor Metcalfe | 5 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brendan O'Neill | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Palma | 8 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor Parker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Matt Pettipher | 13 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Robin Pyke | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gary Redmond | 21 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Roberts | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Smith | 30 (5) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Taverner | 28 (9) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Taverner | 41 (2) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Templeton | 34 (3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mark Timpson | 42 (2) | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denny Tyler | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| David Watkins | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Westley | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Williams | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Wright | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
League Table
Final Vauxhall Opel League Division Two North standings for the 1988-89 season.
| Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harlow Town | 42 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 83 | 38 | 45 | 90 |
| 2 | Thurrock | 42 | 22 | 12 | 8 | 60 | 42 | 18 | 78 |
| 3 | Tring Town | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 44 | 21 | 76 |
| 4 | Stevenage Borough | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 84 | 55 | 29 | 73 |
| 5 | Heybridge Swifts | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 64 | 43 | 21 | 72 |
| 6 | Billericay Town | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 65 | 52 | 13 | 68 |
| 7 | Clapton | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 56 | 9 | 65 |
| 8 | Barton Rovers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 50 | 8 | 65 |
| 9 | Aveley | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 52 | 2 | 64 |
| 10 | Hertford Town | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 62 | 49 | 13 | 59 * |
| 11 | Ware | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 60 | 65 | -5 | 59 |
| 12 | Hemel Hempstead Town | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 58 | -3 | 58 |
| 13 | Witham Town | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 69 | 67 | 2 | 55 |
| 14 | Vauxhall Motors (Luton) | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 53 | 57 | -4 | 54 |
| 15 | Berkhamsted Town | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 70 | -13 | 52 |
| 16 | Hornchurch | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 59 | 61 | -2 | 49 |
| 17 | Tilbury | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 53 | 60 | -7 | 49 |
| 18 | Royston Town | 42 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 46 | 72 | -26 | 43 |
| 19 | Rainham Town | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 49 | 62 | -13 | 42 |
| 20 | Saffron Walden Town | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 54 | 72 | -18 | 40 |
| 21 | Letchworth Garden City | 42 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 34 | 71 | -37 | 30 |
| 22 | Wolverton Town | 42 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 42 | 95 | -53 | 13 ^ |
^ Wolverton Town deducted nine points; left Division Two North in 1989
Points Per Game Progression
How Boro's cumulative league points-per-game changed across the 1988-89 season.