Archie Gooch Pavilion
Brittens Field
Canal Way
Ilminster
Somerset
TA19 9FE
Ground Number: 1564
Friday 10th July 2026
Ilminster Town 0-2 Sherborne Town
Friendly
Friendly
ILMINSTER TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
Ilminster Town were established in 1920. They started in local football, winning the Perry Street and District League Premier Division for the first time in 1926 and going on to win it a further five times, plus another three times with their reserve side in later years. By the 1950s they had progressed to the Somerset Senior League and by the 1960s, were in the top tier. They spent the start of the decade in the upper echelons of the table but were unable to maintain this consistency, slipping to mid-table. By 1976, however, they joined the Western League's newly formed Division 1, winning promotion with a 3rd place finish in 1978 but getting relegated in 1980 and leaving the league altogether in 1982 after results didn't go their way.
In terms of cups, Ilminster have several campaigns behind them but have not played in the competition since 1981. They have played for a couple of seasons in the FA Trophy and reached the FA Vase 3rd Round during the 1978/79 season. Local cup honours include the Somerset Intermediate Cup in 2002, the Somerset Premier League Cup in 2025 and the Somerset Senior Division 2/3 Cup Winners in 2003. They've also won five Somerset Senior Charity Cups, three Somerset Junior Cups and four Perry Street & District Challenge Cups.
Ilminster is a market town in Somerset. It lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to Chard and Axminster). The population is just under 6,000. Dating from 725, Ilminster is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Ileminstre’, meaning 'The church on the River Isle' from the Old English ysle and mynster. By this period, Ilminster was a flourishing community and was granted the right to hold a weekly market, which it still does. The town has a selection of shops including antique shops, home design, estate agents, hairdressers and several cafes and restaurants, many reminiscent of the style of earlier Edwardian and Victorian years. In November, the town celebrates the lighting of the Christmas lights with a Victorian evening. In earlier days, celebrations were normally accompanied by the staff of local shops dressing in Victorian costume and serving rum and cakes and other refreshments. Ilminster is twinned with Riec-sur-Belon in France.
MY VISIT
I always love a bit of Friday night football, and there was no end of games on offer for once. The furthest away ones in Wales and Ilfracombe were discounted due to them being too far away. That left me with three options. I offered Ilminster Town v Sherborne Town to Colin on Monday, but he turned it down, saying he wanted to save money. However, when I dropped him off on Tuesday, he said he would probably do it. In between, I offered Burbage & Huncote v Nuneaton Griff to MK-based Chris, but he 'couldn't be arsed'. Finally, PuffPuff spotted that East Thurrock were using their old ground from last season and that was by far the closest. However, on Thursday afternoon, Colin confirmed that he was happy to do Ilminster Town, which was my preference as it was a step 6 ground and right out in the sticks. Sadly, we would have to forego a Wetherspoons tick, as the nearest in Yeovil was a 20-mile detour from our route. The club's history took far longer to research than intended, with me having to scour several sources aside from the brilliant Football Club History Database (FCHD). I enjoy discovering and learning, though, so I didn't mind.
After my first midweek night game in a while on Tuesday, it was a late night for me. I felt OK after less than four hours' sleep due to the heat and made it through the day without needing a nap. Work was starting to take its toll though, and I struggled through Thursday. I was just glad to get out of the place. I had waited over 22 hours for an answer from Colin about whether he fancied a game on Friday. However, within five minutes of posting in the group chat that I'd leave him to get to the airport by himself, he phoned up saying he fancied Ilminster. He might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but even he knows that he can only mess me about so much before I stop helping him after years of being hard work for me. There was also a change to our upcoming trip for my birthday weekend. Both Dundee clubs at home on the same day sounded fantastic in principle, but I didn't fancy driving 1,000 miles on my birthday weekend and Colin's funds were depleted after paying for our Ireland trip. PuffPuff did his best by offering to get us train tickets from Gretna to Dundee (dumping the car for a day in the south) for a fantastic price, but the times getting back on Sunday didn't work out. We should have really booked the trip ages ago, but Colin's dithering and indecision put paid to any form of plans being made. In fact, PuffPuff has made lots of useful suggestions lately, a change from some of his totally impractical ones in the past.
It was an unusually pleasant Friday at work, not as hideously busy as usual/ I was also offered the chance to go home early, which I grabbed with both hands as I had been doing a bit of overtime lately. I also fancied a bit of a break between getting home and heading to Ilminster as I wanted to do some prep ahead of tomorrow's revisit to Corinthian-Casuals. Their history would require more research than most, and I also wanted to formulate a decent pre- and post-match plan. This took me ages and kept me fully occupied until it was time to leave. Colin was as good as gold, letting me know when his bus left and sending me petrol money in advance. Maybe there is hope after all. He didn't read my message properly though, so I met him at the bus stop rather than at the end of my road. He then spent the whole of the journey with his headphones on, writing a story using ChatGPT. Each to their own and normally I'd not mind, but I had opted to use my very basic car sat nav to navigate as I didn't want to leave my phone in the window in the intense heat. This led to us getting into a jam due to a crash on the M4, the overhead gantry warning signs telling us too late. We got off at J13, and I stopped at the services to check the route on my phone. There were further delays, thanks to rubber-necking morons. The first delay I accept, as no one is perfect and mistakes happen. But the vile deranged perverts slowing down to look at an accident on the other side are the lowest of the low in my opinion and need their hard drives checking.
There were the usual delays at Stonehenge, more rubber-necking, but the rest of the journey was not bad. All in all though, over an hour's delay meant we arrived at 6.55. After being turned away at the main car park as it was full of bingo players, we parked in the health centre next door. Pre-match had been partially ruined by perverts, so I had to prioritise. And a pub that brews its own cider is unmissable. The George was a fantastic place, and the cider was great. We were back at the ground in time for kickoff, having missed out on a meal. We met friendly faces in Chris, the Torquay fan and Hertfordshire Hopper, amongst others. It was £3 to get in, but the game was not much to write home about. The home team wore their usual blue kit, with the visitors in green. Laim Nariello scored with a close-range finish in the first half, and then Ashley Guppy got the second to make it 2-0 to Sherborne while I was still in the bog. There was a fracas with a bit of a tasty challenge by the Sherborne keeper, which led to a minor fracas, but the game was played in the right spirit. The club was friendly, and the town was nice. There were two friendly dogs too. The Tesco was a bit crap though, a pay-at-the-pump station with no receipts that closes at 10 and a store with a crap range and high prices, though the staff were great. It was generally a good trip home, but another diversion at the end added more miles and cost to the journey.
THE GROUND
THE ARCHIE GOOCH PAVILION is a ground that has seen much development in recent times. They had a good base to work from, a well-sized area with lovely scenery and a railed pitch. A metal stand and floodlights were presumably added, and these at least are not the bog-standard type that have been replicated a thousand times. The extras were disappointing, though. No merch, no food and a very limited bar. It's still a great place to visit, though, and the parking situation is fine. Just allow time to go into the excellent town and have a nice meal and a drink, though.
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