CREDITON United’s celebrations for finishing the 1984/5 season as runners-up in the Devon and Exeter Senior One Division and qualifying for promotion to the Premier Division were marred by the news that manager Ray Casling had resigned because of the relocation of his work to Bristol.

Ray had been regarded as one of the top managers and footballers in the area and the club was sorry to see him leave.

So the Crediton Club Committee found itself once again having to recruit a new manager. Ideally one with experience.

After interviewing several applicants it was agreed to appoint Trevor Atkins as manager.

Trevor was a former Exeter City and Peterborough United player and had experience in local football as a manager and had ambitions in non-league football but a reputation as a hard taskmaster.

Some Crediton players and supporters had reservations about his appointment. A major asset was his ability to assess a player’s attitude to football, how players reacted to criticism and how they were individually motivated.

He had an excellent knowledge of players in the Exeter and Mid Devon area and was popular with the players who had played for him.

His method was that most of the players he signed were already or potentially good footballers, and his main aim was getting the best out of all of them.

Trevor relied on someone else to take the players for training and in fact I don’t think he was ever seen to actually kick a football.

His life was dominated by football and his social life revolved around that.

Even though when the Club ran coaches to away matches he preferred to travel by car, with Brian Maunder his assistant manager, and also his cousin, rather than stop on the way home for a beer.

The 1985/6 season, the first for Trevor as the first team manager, finished in ninth position in the Devon and Exeter Premier league, with ironically two Crediton local players, Ronnie Stagg and Mickey Stevens, being the top goalscorers with a total of 23 and 12 goals each.

By this time both the Social and playing side of the Club were very successful and popular.

The clubhouse was open two or three nights a week for skittles, and private social functions on a Friday, whilst Saturday night discos were booked every other week alternating with the Rugby Club.

The following season 1986/7 saw some success for all three adult teams, the first again finishing in ninth position, whilst Richard Hutchings’ Reserves finished as Champions of their Senior Three Division and won promotion and the Third Team gained promotion to Intermediate Two from a third place finish.

The next season - 1987/8 - probably finished as being the most successful season to-date in the Club’s history with the first team finishing as Champions of the Devon and Exeter League Premier Division with 50 points from 30 games (only two points for a win in those days) and incurring only two defeats all season whilst scoring 92 goals.

This included an 11-game unbeaten run. United’s success was in no doubt much to do with the signing of a star Westcountry goal scorer Chris Slateford from Launceston. Chris spent three seasons with the Club but sadly he passed away in 2010 long before his time.

Crediton United’s success strengthened Trevor Atkins’ ambitions to take the Club into a higher standard of football. So enquiries began on the prospect of promotion into regional football in the Great Mills Western League.

League ground standard requirements were sought and costings of transport and general running costs estimated. The Club thought a mini bus might be the answer so this was purchased in 1988. A year or so later it proved to be not a good move as it was not in as good condition as it looked.

The following season the team almost replicated the 1987/8 league success by finishing in the runners-up position.

With promotion thoughts in mind in the summer of 1989 the Club enclosed the ground, one of the requirements of the Great Mills Western League.

This enabled the club to charge ground entry fees for the first time. The club was also able to take advantage of Denis Mardon’s contacts in the Exeter City Council acquiring for the club a load of second-hand pavement slabs to use around the pitch perimeter. Bill Ellaway, a ground works fanatic, took charge of laying the slabs which are still perfect today 30 years later.

After much deliberation, in the early 1990 season, it was agreed that the club would apply to join the Western League for the following season. At this time the league was well balanced with teams across the Westcountry from Plymouth to Calne Town, Westbury and Devizes.

Western League rules insisted that changing rooms had to be adjacent to the football pitch. The decision was taken to build new changing rooms to comply.

Once again Dennis Mardon’s contacts proved invaluable to provide building plans and apply for planning permission. Water supply, electricity and drainage, all had to be installed.

Roy Walters was given the contract to build the changing rooms with Melvyn Windsor helping with the carpentry. Work began in the early spring. There were plenty of volunteers to help and Stan Vodden was now retired and able to help with the construction. The urgency was so great that Roy Walters had got the roof on by the time full planning permission was eventually received!

Meanwhile in early 1990 all member clubs of the Western League were canvassed for their support of our application for membership.

Letters were sent to all existing members and a group of committee members visited many of these Clubs to ask for their support.

Dave Blanchford, the Club Chairman at the time, had to stand up at the league’s AGM at Taunton Town’s Clubhouse to plead the Club’s cause. By the time the evening was over we had been accepted as first choice before Torquay United Reserves who were also accepted in second place!

So everything was ready for a new season, apart from the outside of the changing room walls still waiting to be plastered. But no-one cared when the Crediton Town Band entertained the large assembled crowd for the first Western League game at Lords Meadow on August 18, 1990 against Calne Town.

After all the excitement manager Trevor Atkins was quite happy with the 0-0 draw. In fact the Crediton team opened the season with seven drawn games in their opening eight games and losing only one 1-0 at Minehead.

As an added bonus for our Club the Western League had also recently formed a Reserves team “Combination League”,which gave many of the Club’s borderline players and youngsters the chance to play at a higher level. So from the beginning of the 1990-91 season the Club was running four adult teams every week.

At the new level of football it was a required obligation to entertain visiting Club officials at half-time and also provide after match meals.

We had the Clubhouse for the after match entertaining guests but nothing on the ground. We had the chance to compromise when an old caravan was spotted in a yard near Page’s Concrete Works.

A £100 pound sealed a deal and Tony Sherriff and I towed it over to the ground and parked it in a suitable spot despite Tony nearly losing a finger or two as we uncoupled it from the tractor.

So the first season was a great experience visiting new grounds and making new friends. We finished up in a satisfactorily good position just above half-way in the Division, having won 15, drawn 14 and lost 14.

Our success, however, had planted thoughts into Trevor Atkins’ mind with his sights on the Western League Premier Division.

Chris Gillard