Worst football team in Britain ends massive losing streak (with a 1-1 draw)

Blackleaf

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It may seem hard to believe, but Portsmouth are NOT the worst football team in Britain. That title goes to Aldermaston.

Aldermaston may be the Berkshire village near where Britain's nuclear bombs are designed and manufactured, but there's certainly nothing explosive about the town's football team - though they do seem to self-destruct from time to time.

AFC Aldermaston celebrated as though they had just won the World Cup when their run of FORTY straight defeats ended - by drawing a match. They drew 1-1 against Warminster Town.

They beat the previous unwanted record set by Stockport County, a professional side, of 39 consecutive defeats in 1996, after losing every league and cup match they have played since May last year (yesterday, Stockport were relegated from League One down to League Two).

During their dire campaign little part-timers Aldermaston, bottom of the Wessex League Division One, conceded more than 150 goals, including one 11-0 defeat.

Worst football team in Britain ends massive losing streak (with a 1-1 draw)

By Tom Kelly
11th April 2010
Daily Mail

A 1-1 draw at home is not often a reason for football team to celebrate.

But for AFC Aldermaston, who had lost the last 40 games, it was greeted like a World Cup win.

The non-league side finally ended the worst run in British football history this weekend when they held Warminster Town to get their first point of the season.

Aldermaston (in blue), seen here playing Dorset team Verwood, have broken their bad run

The Berkshire-based part-timers 'beat' the record of 39 consecutive defeats set by Stockport County in 1996 after losing every league and cup match they have played since May last year.

During their dire campaign Aldermaston, bottom of the Wessex League Division One, conceded more than 150 goals, including one 11-0 defeat.

Like all good football managers, Aldermaston boss Adie Heath looked for the positives despite the team's humiliating season.

He said: 'It is the record no team would want but I suppose it has given the club a bit of attention.

'We will all be glad to see the back of this season and start again in the summer.
'Morale has been good. The players want to win games and compete we just hope we can turn it around and have a good end to the season.'



The team had lost the last 40 games they played

Aldermaston are unable to pay their players and lost ten members of their first team squad to local rivals Tadley in the summer.

The snow that ravaged the country at the start of the year also rendered their training ground and home pitch unplayable for over a month meaning games were cancelled and players lost fitness.

Chairman Martin Desay, 50, who has been at the club for 12 years, said: 'It has been a long old season but the record has sort of crept up on us.

'There are of course lots of reasons and it is a combination of things but it does not help that we cannot pay our players while our neighbours can.

'The weather did not help either as we did not play a game for seven weeks as the snow ruined all the pitches and left the area impossible to travel around.

'The previous manager quit because of the attitude of some of the players who were ringing an hour before kick-off and saying they could not play - it has been a vicious circle.

'It is an unwanted record and we have gained a bit of infamy so nobody is joking about it or anything.'

Aldermaston will play next season in the Hampshire Puma League after also becoming the first team in the country to be relegated .

Mr Desay added that the team were still desperate to get a win before this season finishes.

He said: 'There is no better feeling of coming back in the mini-bus with the lads with a few beers after a win but we have not experienced that for a while now.

'People have made some snide remarks that we have not been trying but we have honestly gone into every game this season with the intention of winning.
'It will be lovely when it does eventually happen.'

Wessex League chairman Bob Purkiss added: 'I have been involved in football for more than three decades now and have never come across anything like it.

'They have had a few problems but it is sad because I know they have tried to win every game and it is credit to them that with everything going on they have still managed to put a team together every week.'

Derby County hold the record for the worst ever Premier League season when they finished bottom in 2008 with just one win, accumulating just 11 points.

dailymail.co.uk