It is fifty years since Welton made it through to the first round of the FA Cup, where they played away to Bournemouth and Boscombe on Saturday, 26th November 1966.

Founded originally in 1887, making them one of the oldest clubs in the area, Welton Rovers were on the up in the 1960s. They won the Somerset Senior Cup in 1960 – 61 and retained it for 1961 – 62 and 1962 – 63, before returning to professional status.

Former Huddersfield Town and Bristol City striker, Arnold Rogers, took over as Manager and went on to achieve unprecedented success for the club. The club won three successive Western League titles. In 1964 – 65, Welton finished three points ahead of Bideford, in 1965 – 66 finished eleven points clear of Portland United and in 1966 – 67 they were five points ahead of Minehead. In 1964 – 65 they reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing to Weymouth. In 1965 – 66 they were unbeaten for the entire season, with Ian Henderson scoring a club record of 53 goals (including six hat-tricks).

So when Welton Rovers reached the first round of the FA Cup again in 1966, there was genuine optimism that the club could achieve a historic giant killing against Division Three (League One in today’s structure) Bournemouth and Boscombe, better known today as Premier League AFC Bournemouth.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 6,582 at Dean Court, the same site that the Cherries play at today. Whilst Welton gave a good account of themselves on the day, particularly in midfield, their inability to convert their chances allowed their hosts to record a routine 3–0 victory. At the time of the match, Bournemouth were not the force we know today.

The club had never been above Division Three at any stage in its history. Yet its ambition to climb the leagues prompted the club to change its name in 1972, giving rise to the AFC Bournemouth we know today. At the time, that ambition was short lived, despite their initial success, the loss of Manager, John Bond, and star striker, Ted MacDougall, saw the club flounder for the next four decades.

The club were subject to a winding up order in 1997, which they survived through a supporters’ takeover, but the club’s troubles didn’t end then, and as recently as 2009, Bournemouth only managed to secure their League Two status on the penultimate game of the season. That great escape prompted one of the most meteoric rises in football history and in less than a decade, AFC Bournemouth have gained promotion to the Premier League, realising an ambition that was forty years in the making.

If circumstances had been different, could Welton have been the team gracing today’s Premier League? Probably not! It’s not really fair to paint the 66 Cup tie as a ‘sliding doors’ moment, but it doesn’t hurt to dream!

Local radio station, Somer Valley FM, will be broadcasting a special show to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the match on Tuesday as The Journal went to press. Readers can listen again via: www.somervalleyfm.co.uk

The show includes interviews with supporters and their memories of the club and their future hopes, a look back at the club’s history and interviews with two players who took part in the 1966 match. They will also hear from AFC Bournemouth’s Neil Vacher and Welton Rovers Chairman, Ryan Grubb.

With thanks to Paul Myers for the history of the match.