A Look Into Histories

A LOOK INTO HISTORY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE

SANDWELL BOROUGH FC

Sandwell is a borough in the West Midlands that comprises six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich, the latter designated as the Town Centre.
With this in mind it may be surprising to hear that the subject of our story, the largest non-league team in the area was Sandwell Borough but they were dissolved in 2001 !
Sandwell Borough FC having been originally formed in 1918 as Smethwick Highfield and playing amateur football, were in the Central Amateur League in 1947/48, finishing in 5th place behind Rugby Town’s Championship. They move up to the Worcestershire Combination in 1948 where they remained until 1988 with that league changing its name in 1968 to the Midland Football Combination. In 1986 the club changed its name to Ashtree Highfield, joined the Southern League Midland Division and then, in 1989 changed again, to Sandwell Borough FC.
It is on the day of 23rd August 1989 that our Match Programme refers and although there is nothing to suggest on the front cover was for their first Beazer Homes Southern League home game with their new name which they considered would give the club more prominence. Their ground was the Sports Centre in Newbury Lane, Oldbury having previously played from inception in 1918 up to 1981 at Londonderry Playing Fields in Smethwick. They had drawn their first game, away at Leicester United 1-1.
The editorial for this game v Hednesford Town hope that they have a better degree of success than the previous season where they finished 14th out of 22 to Gloucester City’s Championship. It was not to be as they finished last and returned to the Midland Football Combination and were then founder members of the Midland Football Alliance in 1994, remaining at that level until being dissolved in 2001 having finished bottom to Stourport Swifts championship.
The Sports Centre did in fact then become that very thing, with a Community Centre called the Portway Lifestyle Centre built over the field.